MS-05 Zaku I

In the anime and manga Mobile Suit Gundam universe, the MS-05 Zaku I was the first successful mobile suit design to be developed by the Zeonic Company in the Principality of Zeon's quest to develop a combat-capable mobile suit that used the AMBAC System and the Minovsky ultra compact fusion reactor. The Zaku I was first designed and built in U.C. 0075, as the MS-05A Zaku winning the arms war against the EMS-04 Zudah. It wasn't put into mass-production until later that year, as the MS-05B Zaku I. The last production run of the MS-05B is in U.C. 0077, before it was replaced by the newer MS-06 Zaku II unit.

The MS-05A Zaku I was the first attempt made by the Principality of Zeon. It was also the first mobile suit to use the Minovsky-lonesco fusion reactor and mimic human movements. Called the Early Type by later pilots, this was a suit on which many famous ace pilots trained. During November UC 0075, 27 of these units were assigned to new pilots for evaluation. Among them were Ramba Ral, the "Blue Giant", and the Black Tri-Stars Gaia, Mash, And Ortega. The strengths and weaknesses were hammered out during this testing phrase, and soon led to the development of the MS-05B Zaku 1. For all intents and porposes, the MS-05A was exactly the same as the MS-05B, the only differences being small improvments in all areas including redesigned cockpit, higher output power plant,and redesigned armor.

The MS-05A was not mass-produced as intended, labeled unfit for combat before the start of the One Year War. Still, the successful use of these suits prompted the Zeon Navy to commission ships that could carry them into combat, primarily the Musai-Class Light Cruiser. The Zaku I was rendered obsolete by the Zaku II before the beginning of the One Year War, and thus they were relegated for use in the rear lines as supply and construction suits. They still saw some action, though, as colony gassers in the One Week War. Later, with the number of machines lost after Operation British and the Battle of Loum, many of these machines were brought back to the front lines until losses could be replaced. Many units were assigned to the Midnight Fenrir Corps on the eve of Second Earth Decsent Operation. The MS-05A would continue to serve as patrol units and workers until the end of the War.

MS-09 Dom/MS-09R Rick Dom

The MS-09 Dom in Mobile Suit Gundam, was the successor to MS-06F Zaku II and MS-07B Gouf mobile suits, and far surpassed both in terms of performance. Developed as a heavy-type, high performance mobile suit, the Dom could outperform the Federation's new mass production mobile suit, the RGM-79 GM. While the Dom can use many of the Zaku II and Gouf standard armaments, it was also equipped with a new 360mm Giant Bazooka, which could easily blow apart a mobile suit. Later, a new 880mm Raketen Bazooka was also developed that could destroy almost anything with one hit. The Dom also had a new Heat Saber, shaped very much like a beam saber. Lastly, the Dom featured a scattering beam gun, too weak to damage mobile suits, but powerful enough to blind a pilot for a few seconds.

The Dom's main advantages were its speed, agility, and maneuverability. The Dom had massive legs and a "skirt", under which were several high-powered thermonuclear jet engines that made the Dom hover over the ground. These gave it a 240 kilometer per hour hovering speed, which far surpassed the Gouf's running speed of only 99 kilometers per hour. The Dom's superiority was blatantly evident to the Zeon forces and the Dom went quickly into mass production.

The first three Dom units shipped out were assigned to the Black Tri-Stars, who had been sent to aid Captain M'Quve's Odessa mining base. However, all three units were destroyed by RX-78-2 Gundam's pilot Amuro Ray after only two battles.

When the battle shifted back to space, the Dom was re-designed from ground combat to space combat. The space-type version, the MS-09R Rick Dom, had the jet engines replaced with rocket thrusters. An improved model of the Rick Dom was produced very late in the war, the MS-09RII Rick Dom II.

Because of the Rick Dom's bulkier build, thanks to a bigger design frame and heavier armor, a Musai-Class Light Cruiser can only carry two MS-09Rs in its main hangar, versus three of the smaller Zaku II's.

The Dom series became the mainstay frontline unit for the rest of the One Year War. It was supposed to be replaced by the excellent MS-14A Gelgoog, but the war came to a close too quickly, allowing the Dom series to remain the frontline mobile suit until the war ended.

A few Rick Doms were also capable of using a large clip-fed beam cannon, often referred to as a "Beam Bazooka", although it's unknown whether they went through any powerplant upgrades to support such a weapon. It was in a beam bazooka armed Rick Dom that Zeon ace Anavel Gato earned the nickname "Nightmare of Solomon", when he used the mobile suit to cover the Zeon retreat during the Battle of Solomon. The Rick Dom would remain Gato's mobile suit of choice until he upgraded to a custom Gelgoog shortly before the Battle of A Bao A Qu. In the novels, Char Aznable also used a Rick Dom, which had been painted in his traditional red and equipped with a beam bazooka as well.