MS Classics: The Terrestrial Front Even after the initial Zeon invasion of Earth, fighting continued on every front, particularly in Europe and North Africa. While Zeon's mobile suit developers prepared the MS-07 Gouf for mass production, the Earth Attack Force created new Zaku variants to meet pressing military needs and environmental requirements. Based on the J type Zaku, these later versions also incorporated some technology from the as-yet-incomplete Gouf. Illustrations by Mark Simmons			Mobile Suit Classics The Early Years Outbreak of War The Earth Invasion The Ace's Zaku The Terrestrial Front Operation V The Jet Set

Mobile Suit Classics 26 MS-06G ZAKU II As development of the MS-07 Gouf progressed, the development team added supplemental thruster engines to its legs, enabling the new mobile suit to perform jet-assisted jumps. While they awaited the completion of the Gouf, Zeon's Earth-based engineers borrowed this feature for land combat variants of the Zaku II. One such was the G type Zaku, a modified J type equipped with extra armor, as well as leg thrusters to increase its mobility. Though text descriptions of the G type Zaku exist, the only visual depiction of it is a little rubber "Super Deformed" version. Inspired by a scaled-up illustration on Japanese fan Walfisch's Zaku Page, here's my own full-size rendition.

Mobile Suit Classics 27 MS-06D ZAKU DESERT TYPE Of all Earth's environments, the desert and tropical regions placed the greatest demands on Zeon's mobile suits. Engineers at the California Base set out to develop a Zaku variant designed for these most hostile environments, and this was the result. Starting with the workhorse J type, the developers reduced its weight, increased its power output, and added some supplemental armor. The backpack was replaced by a large radiator unit, while jet engines in the legs and rear skirts made the D type Zaku quite agile.

Mobile Suit Classics 28 MS-06D ZAKU DESERT TYPE KARAKAL COLORS Field testing of the Zaku Desert Type was performed by the Karakal force, a North African special forces unit stationed at Alexandria and operating in Libya and Egypt. The Karakal force was equipped with this early double-antenna type, of which a total of 43 were produced. The Karakal force was led by the famous Major Roy Greenwood. A native of Side 4, Greenwood moved to Side 3 on the eve of the war and enlisted in the Zeon armed forces, and went on to lose an eye during Operation British. When Zeon's Earth Attack Force was organized, Greenwood was assigned to the 5th Terrestrial Mobile Division - Zeon's foreign legion - and began his career in North Africa.

Mobile Suit Classics 29 MS-06D ZAKU DESERT TYPE PINK PANTHER COLORS Until the introduction of the Dom in the last months of the war, the Zaku Desert Type was the backbone of Zeon's North African and Middle Eastern forces. Like Roy Greenwood's Karakal force, the Pink Panther unit was an early adopter of the D type. Operating from the Sahara Desert to the Straits of Gibraltar, this North African force was equipped with the more common single-antenna model, which accounted for 71 of the 114 D-type Zakus produced.

Mobile Suit Classics 30 MS-06K ZAKU CANNON The Zaku Cannon was originally conceived of as simply an anti-aircraft version of the J type Zaku, with the model number MS-06J-12. However, when its developers received intelligence on the Federation's prototype mobile suits, the Zaku Cannon was redesigned to serve as a support unit for anti-mobile suit combat. Development began anew at Zeon's California Base, and the completed prototype was given the model number MS-06K. In accordance with its new role, the Zaku Cannon was given several unique features. These included supplemental thrusters in the legs, a 360-degree mono-eye, and a 180 millimeter shell-firing cannon integrated into the backpack. Though the Zaku Cannon's mobility was inferior to that of a normal J type Zaku, its performance could be improved by swapping its cannon backpack for a standard model.

Mobile Suit Classics 31 MS-06K ZAKU CANNON RABBIT TYPE After the Zaku Cannon's last-minute redesign, nine prototype units were produced at Zeon's California Base for testing purposes. Field testing revealed that the shell-firing cannon created serious recoil and balance problems, and so the mobile suit's development was canceled. The nine completed prototypes were stationed at California Base, and defended the base throughout the last months of the war. The commander of the Zaku Cannon company was 1st Lieutenant Ian Greydon, whose mobile suit sported a distinctive "spider" color scheme and a pair of communications antennae that earned it the nickname "Rabbit Type." Originally a mobile suit pilot trainer, Greydon had been assigned to the 2nd Terrestrial Mobile Division for Zeon's Earth invasion, and participated in the capture of California Base in March, UC 0079. The accomplishments of Greydon and his subordinate Alfredino Lam spurred speculation that they may have been newtypes.

Mobile Suit Gundam, Z Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Char's Counterattack, Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, Gundam F91, Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, Gundam 0083: Last Blitz of Zeon, Gundam: The 08th MS Team, and Gundam W: Endless Waltz are copyright Sotsu Agency and Sunrise. V Gundam, G Gundam, Gundam W, and Gundam X are copyright Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and TV Asahi. Turn A Gundam is copyright Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Fuji TV.