MS-06EF Zaku Magellan

The MS-06EF Zaku Magellan is one of several variants of the MS-06 Zaku II line of Mobile Suit. Originally a standard C-Type Zaku II, the MS-06EF was captured by the crew of the Wounded Hound where it underwent severe modification. It would later undergo retrofitting at Jaburo following the advent of Beam Weaponry and the deployment of the Earth Federations RGM-79 GM. It was piloted primarily by Kyle Archer through out the events of the One Year War.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
As a C-Type Zaku II, its armaments were standard, coming equipped with a 120mm drum-fed machine gun and the Heat Hawk, the signature melee weapon of the Zaku line. Commandeered by the crew of the EFSF ship Wounded Hound who had recently been stranded away from the fleets in Zeon territory, the suit underwent massive modifications to its architecture, including a new power plant scavenged from the Wounded Hound's sister ship, the Gloucester, and a powerful backpack-booster system that would allow the Zaku Magellan unmatched propulsion for much of its lifetime.

Aside from its original armaments, the Zaku Magellan was kept supplied largely through the use of scavenging and capturing equipment from defeated Zeon pilots and assorted battlefields with opperable, if damaged, parts. Returning to Earth Federation Forces at Jaburo shortly before the battle of Odessa, the Zaku Magellan would be upgraded by EFF engineers with systems and equipment comparable to the newly launched RGM-79 GMs. 60mm Vulcans were setup in the head and compartments of the chest, while its backpack was equipped with the requisite equipment in order to store and properly charge the THI BSjG01 Beam Saber, which itself had been modified for the Zaku Magellan in order to account for its higher than average power output. It would first utilize the standard BR-M-79C-1 Beam Spray Gun like other GM units before being moved up to the BR-M79L-3 Sniper Beam Rifle to better fit its pilot. In the final weeks of the war with Zeon, the BLASH HM105-K3 Beam Cannon was developed in order to make use of the Zaku Magellan's full power where it saw use at Solomon and A Baoa Qu.

Armaments
60mm Vulcans


 * The Vulcan guns were 60mm Gatling Guns stored on the crest of the Zaku Magellan's head, just above its monoeye camera, as well as within compartments in the upper area of its chest. The Vulcans shared the immense fire rate of those equipped to the GM units and were used in a much similiar capacity. The chest mounted cannons were often used as a surprise attack, given their non-existence in similiar Zeon units, though their fixed position also made them less viable outside of direct confrontation where-as the head mounted cannons could aim just about anywhere that the Zaku Magellan's head could look at. While the fire rate of the Vulcans was great, its ability to penetrate enemy armour rapidly declined outside of short range, leading to difficulties against stronger mobile suits. Nonetheless it remained a valuable weapon for the Zaku Magellan as a way to conserve the ammunition of its primary weapons.

BR-M-79C-1 Beam Spray Gun


 * Amounting to a smaller and weaker version of the BOWA-XBR-M-79-07G Beam Rifle, mounted on the RX-78-2 Gundam, the Beam Spray Gun was one of the more prominent weapons used by the GM. It utilized a smaller focusing coil than the beam rifle, leading to a less powerful and more scattered shot that created a shotgun blast-like effect. This made the Beam Spray Gun less useful at longer ranges, but it remained devastating up close, being able to rip through the body of a Rick Dom, one of the most heavily armoured mobile suits of the One Year War. It was used by the Zaku Magellan for a relatively short period before being discarded in favour of longer range weapons.

BR-M79L-3 Sniper Beam Rifle (R-4 Type Beam Rifle)


 * A specialized beam rifle, exclusively for the purpose of sniping targets at extreme ranges, it was a standard weapon of the RGM-79SP GM Sniper II and fielded to custom units such as the Zaku Magellan. It featured a high-powered scope allowing the pilot to hit distant targets with extreme accuracy. The energy required to fire the rifle is too much for the generator of the standard GM to handle, requiring the aid of external power supplies and cooling systems. The Zaku Magellan's reactor is capable of harnessing the power of the sniper beam rifle with energy to spare making it an excellent choice of weapon for the custom mobile suit.

BLASH HM105-K3 Beam Cannon

Heat Hawk

2 x High Output THI BSjG01 Beam Saber

Twin Beam Sword