Duchy of Zeon Mobile Suit
MS-06R-2P Zaku II High Mobility Test Type

Just as Zeon's ground forces had transitioned from the Zaku II to the MS-07 Gouf and MS-09 Dom, Zeon's space forces planned to replace the aging Zaku II with the next-generation MS-11. However, the appearance of the Earth Federation's prototype mobile suits threw Zeon's plans into disarray. The MS-11 project was restarted from scratch under a new model number, to incorporate beam weapons like those of the Federation's Gundam.

This heavily customized Zaku II, based on the R-1A High Mobility Type, was created as a testbed for the MS-11. Equipped with the MS-11's powerful new reactor and an expanded cooling system, the R-2P test unit was capable of using beam weapons. As development of the MS-11 continued under the model number MS-14, this test unit was revamped so extensively that Zeonic's staff gave it the informal designation MS-06R-3, and the nickname "Zaku III."

Though mecha designer Kunio Okawara's unconvincing take on the MS-06R-3 appeared in Bandai's Entertainment Bible 25, we've featured here an earlier stage in the test unit's evolution. This R-2P form was designed by Okawara some seven years previously, appearing in black and white in the pages of issue 158 of Bandai's Model Journal. The color scheme is derived from Kodansha's recently-published MSV Collection File. Whew!

Illustration by Mark Simmons

Specifications

Model number / MS-06R-2P

Duchy of Zeon Mobile Suit
MS-06R-2 Zaku II High Mobility Type

Pilots /
  Johnny Ridden
  Gabby Hazzard
  Robert Gilliam

The rescheduling of the MS-11 project left Zeon's space forces without a replacement for the obsolete Zaku II. As a stopgap, the Zeonic Company's engineers made last one attempt to bring the Zaku II up to date. The result was the R-2 type, a simplified version of the R-2P test unit; this model used the same reactor as the previous R-1A High Mobility Type, and thus lacked beam weapon capability.

Still, the R-2 type represented a vast improvement over previous models. Its general performance was superior to that of the R-1A type, and it also featured new lightweight materials, extra leg armor, and 18% more propellant. A total of four units were constructed at Zeon's Granada base, and testing began to determine their suitability for mass production. But Zeonic was not the only company with a proposal for an interim space mobile suit...

In October of UC 0079, Zeon's generals evaluated the R-2 type against Zimmad's candidate, a new version of the MS-09 Dom adapted for space combat. Though the R-2 type's performance was superior in some respects, it was deemed too costly and too difficult to mass-produce. The project was canceled, and three of the prototypes were assigned to ace pilots Major Johnny Ridden, Lieutenant Colonel Gabby Hazzard, and Colonel Robert Gilliam. The fourth unit was retained at Granada for further testing.

Illustration by Mark Simmons

Specifications

Model number / MS-06R-2
Overall height / 18.0 m
Head height / 17.5 m
Base weight / 49.5 t
Full weight / 75.0 t
Generator output / 1340 kW
Thruster /
  60000 kg
Sensor radius / 5600 m

Standard armament /
  120mm machinegun x 1 (100 rounds)

Options /
  280mm bazooka
  heat hawk

Source: Gundam Mechanics I