AMX-011 Zaku III, also catalogued as AMX-110, is Neo Zeon's mass-produced general-purpose mobile suit, introduced in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, the 1986–1987 series set in U.C. 0088. It is a new machine carrying an old name: the intended successor to the Principality's Zaku II line, built on a modular frame rather than a Zaku II one.
What it does in the story
Neo Zeon ran the Zaku III against the AMX-014 Döven Wolf for the next front-line slot, and the Döven Wolf won, so the Zaku III was built only in limited numbers. Rakan Dahkaran flies one during the Dublin Colony Drop, and the type appears on the loyalist side in the short Neo Zeon civil war. Sleeves units are still fighting at Industrial 7 in U.C. 0096.
What makes it different
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The mouth is a beam cannon.
A high-output beam cannon sits in the Zaku III's mouth slot, rated 1.6 MW. The mono-eye head is otherwise familiar Zaku, and a head unit carrying a pair of vulcan guns can be swapped on.
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The skirt cannons turn into sabers.
A pair of beam cannon and beam saber hybrids mount on the front skirt and are hand-operated. The barrels eject and serve as sabers, both modes rated 2.8 MW — the same approach as the Qubeley's beam guns.
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The shield is a parts rack.
The option rack shield on the right shoulder carries spare beam sabers and grenades, so the suit can rearm without going back to a hangar.
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Every panel was meant to come off.
Armour, backpack and other components were designed to be exchanged to suit a mission, which is why so many sub-variants exist. Against the Zaku II it offers better armour, over twice the power output, three times the sensor range and four times the thruster acceleration.
How big is it?
- Overall height: 23.9 m, head height 21.0 m, per Bandai's official spec
- 1/144: roughly 17 cm
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Frequently asked questions
1. Is the Zaku III a Zaku II?
No. It shares the name and the mono-eye lineage but is a new AMX-011 design, 23.9 m tall, carrying beam weapons and a modular frame with roughly four times the Zaku II's thruster acceleration.
2. Why did Neo Zeon choose the Döven Wolf instead?
The two were competing designs for the same front-line role. The Döven Wolf was the more powerful machine, so the Zaku III stayed in limited production.
3. What makes the Sleeves' Zaku III different?
Its front skirt armour was rebuilt with two sub-arms, each holding a beam saber, so both blades can be drawn at once. The left shoulder comes from the Zaku III Custom, and it also carries a hide bomb dispenser.
Background sources: AMX-011 Zaku III — Gundam Wiki · ザクIII — 日本語版 Wikipedia
