Principality of Zeon Mobile Suit
MA-08 "Big Zam"

Historical Notes

MS-08 Big Zam

One of the biggest and most powerful mobile armor developed by the Principality of Zeon during the One Year War, the prototype MA-08 Big Zam saw combat during the Battle of Solomon on 24 December, UC 0079. Deployed in an act of desparation to hold off the Earth Federal Forces' advance on the asteroid base, Rear Admiral Dozle Zabi personally commanded this giant mobile armor into battle, destroying over 20 enemy mobile suits and 9 capital ships. The Big Zam's primary armament was its extremely powerful mega particle cannon, capable of wiping out several targets - and even entire battleships - in a single shot. It also mounted 28 anti-aircraft beam guns around the circumference of its main body, providing 360 degrees of protection. In addition to a pair of large-caliber vulcan guns and claw missiles in its toes for close defense, the Big Zam was also the first mobile weapon to be equipped with I-field barrier generators. These generators, a byproduct of Minovsky particle physics, created a screen of protection around the Big Zam that was impervious to all beam weapons fire.

However, the Big Zam did suffer from two major drawbacks: first, the four high-powered generators required to power its weapons and I-field generators created such an enormous amount of heat that it could operate for only 20 minutes until needing to be shut down to cool off; and, as Dozle Zabi would fatally find out, the I-field barrier provided no protection against fire from conventional shell-firing weapons... or mobile suits attacking it hand-to-hand, as Amuro Ray engaged the Big Zam at melee range inside its I-field barrier, destroying the mobile armor with his RX-78-2 Gundam's beam saber. A production model version of the Big Zam was also planned, which would use a Minovsky craft system for flight under gravity, but fortunately for the Federation, the One Year War ended and the production model was never built.