Zaku Series

Manufactured by Zeonic Heavy Industries for the Martian Republic during the Calamity War , the Zaku family of MS has proven itself as a reliable workhorse able to take a beating and keep functioning and easily modified to fit a wide range of roles. While Zaku´s are commonly classified as Mk I, Mk II or Mk III there are in fact far more variants of the Zaku than that. The "Mk" of Zaku is an indication of the core frame and powerplant, and each mark of Zaku is a large leap in frame technology. Below are listed a few of the most notable Zaku marks and variants in (mostly) chronological order.

Protozak / Prototype-Zaku

This prototype Zaku saw very limited use during the Calamity War , but served as a important testbed for the technologies that would later be used in the Mk I. Protozak´s where non-standardised units, each one serving to test variations of equipment and functionality to find out what worked and what did not and as such there´s no "standard" Protozak. Very few of these suits are left after the war, the majority either rebuilt when the program was over or lost in tests or combat. Those that still exist are museum pieces with very little function left in them.

Zaku Mk I

Mk I Zaku´s where the first mobile suits to be mass produced and fielded on-mass by an armed force. They revolutionised warfare and brought the stalemate of the early Calamity War to an end in favour for Mars. They are characterised by their iconic single sensor-eye behind an armoured slit in the helmet, rounded armour and utilitarian design. While in some ways less advanced than the Protozak that came before it, the Mk I was instead much more reliable and easier to repair, as well as significantly easier to build. The Zaku Mk I and Mk II would be modified and upgraded into many different roles over their lifetimes, sometimes to the point where identifying the base frame as a Mk I or Mk II became difficult. Despite being an almost 100 year old design the Zaku Mk I still sees use, mostly by rebels and criminals, but also in civilian sectors as a police, rescue and construction mobile suit. None of these suit are likely to actually be from the Calamity War however, as almost all of the original Zaku´s were destroyed in the fighting, but the Mk I and Mk II Zaku would continue to be produced for long after the war.

A early war Mk I in the colours of the Martian Republic ground forces. This early production unit still share some of the features of the Protozak that would be removed in later production stages like the cloth covered joints and the extended control thrusters.

Zaku Mk II

Stats: Zaku Mk II - Standard Variant
While distinctly different in looks and size from its predecessor (and eventually much more successful) the Zaku Mk II is at its core still very similar to the Mk I. In the later half of the Calamity War the Martian Republic, shocked by the power of the Gundam frame realized they needed a new mobile suit to replace the already ageing Mk I. The designers at Zeonic, pressed for time, decided to make the Mk II instead of an entirely new MS. The frame and power systems of the Mk I was strengthened and enlarged, secondary energy capacitors were added in the legs to boost mobility along with heavier armour, particularly in the head and shoulders. The Mk II was now able to carry heavier weapons, take more damage and move swifter on both planets and space. The Mk II was more than a match for the Anaheim Electronics´s GM mobile suits, but still could not match the Gundam´s in power, armour or speed. This was not the goal however, the Martians did not need or want a handful of superweapons like the Gundam, which was both hard to pilot and prohibitable expensive and time consuming to build. Instead they focused on designing a mobile suit that would be good enough for the role it was given, easy to pilot and simple to maintain and build. The Zaku Mk II was all those things and a resounding success. Even with its relatively late introduction in the war it was produced in the thousands and quickly replaced the Mk I as the symbol of Martian power. Had the war not ended when it did, it is very likely that the Zaku Mk II along with other Martian weapon systems could have brought the conflict to a stalemate, halting even the Gundams from forcing a UN victory.
Today the Zaku Mk II is the face of Zeonic Heavy Industries, their greatest achievement and legacy (even with the introduction of the MK III and other models in the last century). It´s also the unofficial symbol of recistance against Earth and the Federation, despite Mars and Zeonic being a cornerstone of the Earth-Mars Federation. This is due to it´s prolific use by resistance groups, militias and most famously; The Alliance of Zeon. The legendary Zeon leader and mobile suit ace Char Aznable used a modified Zaku MK II for much of his career, painted in his iconic red paint scheme he was known as The Red Comet .

A damaged Mk II Zaku in the service of the Alliance of Zeon in the early DC 0050s. This unit was acquired by Zeon as Martian military surplus and used to patrol the Zeon home colony

Zaku Mk III

The latest mark in the Zaku family and likely the least well known. Launched to little fanfare in DC 0061 the Mk III was designed in response to rising tensions between the Federation and Zeon, but was finished to late to participate on either side of the conflict that would become known as Char´s Rebellion. Few orders were placed for this new mobile suit despite its impressive capabilities and only a few hundred were built. While Zeonic were typically undescriptive as to whom the new Zaku was intended for (Zeonic likely hoped to sell to both sides of the conflict), it was still very much a product of it´s age. The large scale battles of the Calamity war was no longer the focus of any military in the human sphere, instead all sides expected combat to take place between small groups at long range and far from supply lines, likely fighting over outposts and resources in the outer planets and asteroid belts. To accommodate this, the Mk III was built for space, with large fuel storage, heavier armour and more thrusters. A secondary reactor was incorporated into the backpack of the MS to feed even more power into beam weapons and sensors. Mounted to the back are two wing-like pods, holding its powerful main thrusters. These make the Mk III the first standard Zaku capable of flight in a planets atmosphere, and by far the fastest Zaku in space. The Mk III retains some of the visuals styling of the previous Zaku´s, but is internally a completely new design.
While the Mk III was not a commercial success it has proven itself in combat time and time again as a powerful mobile suit, often capable of taking on two or three GM suits at once and still coming out on top.

The Zaku Mk III as used in Neo-Zeon forces in the years after Char´s Rebellion. This unit has been decorated with filigree akin to those found on Zeon officers uniforms to show the rank of the pilot.

Zaku Variants

All three marks of Zaku above has been manufactured or modified into a plethora of variants over the years, here are the most common and notable;

Hizak / High Mobility Zaku

One of the most common upgrades fitted to the Zaku was the High Mobility Kit, this upgrade added additional thrusters on the back and legs of the Zaku allowing the suit to skim quickly along the ground on planets and increasing its reaction speed in general. This kit also upgrades the suits limb servos speed and accuracy, enhancing melee performance greatly. In space combat the additional thrusters increased fuel consumption so was often pared with disposable fuel tanks mounted on the back of the Zaku. When used for ground combat the Hizak saw little drawback to it´s added thrusters however, as they were used only for skimming low over the surface and did not allow for true flight. The Hizak became feared for it´s speed, manoeuvrability and deadly melee capabilities. As Hizak´s were more difficult to pilot and harder to produce the Hizak became a sign of skill and status among Martian and Zeon militaries.

This Mk II in desert camouflage is not only upgraded with the usual Hizak manoeuvrability package but is also a commander variant, making it a Hizak Commander. This specific unit saw action in the middle east and north Africa during Mars invasion of Earth during the Calamity war.

Commander

While not as standardised as the Hizak, the commander variants of the Zaku still share some common traits. Commander variants are upgraded with additional sensors and communication systems, receive additional armour (especially around the cockpit) and carry more advanced weaponry. A commander variant can often be identified by one or more horn-shaped antennas on the head and occasionally by a custom paint job (depending on the commander in question). Unlike other variants of the Zaku that cannot be combined, the commander upgrade can be given to any variant of the Zaku, for example a Mk II Hizak can be made into a Commander variant for the leader of a unit of Hizak.

Rick Dom

A variant unique to the Zaku Mk I and II, the Rick Dom was meant to upgrade the reactor output of the Zaku to allow it to use beam weapons, something the earlier Zaku´s lacked. The current reactor was swapped for a more powerful, but more unstable hot fusion reactor and the armour was upgraded to better shield the MS from sensors and reduce its detectability. This made it particularly adept at long distance combat and stealth. Although a good idea in practice and filling a need had by both the Martian Republic and later The Alliance of Zeon the Rick Dom proved unpopular amongst pilots. The need to constantly monitor reactor temperature and the vulnerability of the suit if detected was not seen as a worthy trade-off for the increased range of beam weapons, especially as the mediocre speed of the Rick Dom often meant it could not retreat if outmatched. It did however find some use among weapon specialists and saboteurs, who used the stealth and range of the Rick Dom to great effect behind enemy lines and in stealthy ambushes.

A typical MK II Rick Dom, in a dark paint scheme suited to camouflage in open space.

Sazabi

A major modification to the Zaku Mk III to the specifications of Char Aznable for his personal use in the later half of Char´s Rebellion. The Mk III was modified with even more thrusters, a higher output reactor and lightweight but rare Luna-titanium armour. Most unique to the Sazabi over other mass-produced MS was the installation of a prototype Psycho-frame cockpit, an experimental technology supposedly capable of connecting a Newtype pilot´s senses directly to the mobile suits controls. How successful this was and whether Char Aznable really was a Newtype is unknown, but the legend of his supposed supernatural abilities only grew after his acquisition of the Sazabi. When the Psyco-frame cockpit became known to the Federation an investigation was launched into whether this could be classified as Gund-format technology and therefore illegal, but due to the already complicated legal status of Char Aznable and the Zeon forces in general these allegations never resulted in anything.
The Sazabi was painted in Chars signature red color scheme and had only a basic resembelance to the Mk III Zaku, as most of its original armour was replaced with luna-titanium armour with a sleeker, more flamboyant styling.

The only example built, the Sazabi was a formidable machine only made more potent by its legendary pilot; Char Aznable.