Why are Zaku Shields...

[Oruma]

Fighter craft gunfire aside maybe the shield was designed for flak or to help against flak or near misses. In the manga (Gundam the Origin)the shield was used by Char to guard against the Gundam's vulcans and the 60mm ammo can be fairly devastating. The shield was probably developed to guard against glancing shots buying the pilot enough time to put a fatal blow with a bazooka or machine gun.

In Gundam The Origin, the Zaku shield can also serve as a rack for spare bazooka ammo (vol. 13,14). However, this should be considered non-canon, as G:tO is an altered version of MSG, and many of Zaku's weapons are placed/designed differently.

[toysdream]

Wow, I'm kinda surprised this is still going!

According to Entertainment Bible 1, Kycilia Zabi halted the production of the smooth-shouldered MS-06A model and had the Zaku II redesigned to include its distinctive spike armor and shoulder shield specifically because she anticipated the appearance of Federation Forces mobile suits. EB 1 claims that the heat hawk was introduced for the same reason. In that case, these features would be intended for fighting mobile suits and similar weapons, not for use against ships and space fighters.

The fact that the Federation didn't introduce its own mobile suits for another year and a half would, I guess, just show how far ahead Kycilia was thinking. The HG-UC kit manuals mention that, in the meantime, the spike armor came in handy for smashing buildings and other obstacles.

I'm not sure why the shield ended up on the right shoulder, though. This seems kind of awkward, and I don't know if I've ever seen an explanation in the Japanese publications. Since the weapons of a right-handed Zaku would point to the left when held in both hands, the shield isn't going to be much use against the people you're shooting at, but perhaps it provides cover against attacks from other directions.

-- Mark

[Hiryu02]

I'm not sure why the shield ended up on the right shoulder, though. This seems kind of awkward, and I don't know if I've ever seen an explanation in the Japanese publications. Since the weapons of a right-handed Zaku would point to the left when held in both hands, the shield isn't going to be much use against the people you're shooting at, but perhaps it provides cover against attacks from other directions.

-- Mark

Exactly the point I was getting at originally. It seems impractical to have the shield on the gun arm, negating the option of using the shield for some cover WHILE firing. It would be like knights holding the sword in the same arm the shield is strapped to. I do realize the shield is on a shoulder hardpoint, thus not interfering with weapons on the same arm.

Another thing, if all pilots are technically right-handed by virtue of the MS weapon being on the right, why the spikes on the left shoulder? It is awkward to use the "off" side shoulder to ram as a melee attack. If you watch right-handed football players, they tuck the ball into their arm, and use the right shoulder to punch through a defensive line.

In any case, it was not my intention to start arguments, merely to point out a design choice that may indirectly have hindered the effectiveness of Zeon mecha.

[toysdream]

Exactly the point I was getting at originally. It seems impractical to have the shield on the gun arm, negating the option of using the shield for some cover WHILE firing.

Or at any rate, it prevents them from using it for cover in the direction they're firing. The HG-UC kit manual suggests that it's meant to provide cover against attacks from other directions, as you'll see below.

Another thing, if all pilots are technically right-handed by virtue of the MS weapon being on the right, why the spikes on the left shoulder?

I suppose it means they can use it without having to drop or damage their hand weapons. A bazooka or machine gun isn't quite as easy to tuck away as a football, after all.

Anyways, here are the explanations from the HG-UC Zaku II kit manual, which seems to be one of the few places that discusses this equipment in any depth...

Shield
At first, both of the Zaku's shoulders were equipped with flat shoulder armor like that of the Old Type Zaku, but in a fairly early stage of production this equipment was changed to spike armor on the left side and a shield on the right. This shield was effective against bullets and ricochets, and was adopted as a defensive device to protect the head and to counter sniper attacks from the side.

Shoulder Spike Armor
The shoulder spike armor was originally installed to destroy buildings and break through barricades, but after the introduction of Federation Forces mobile suits, it also proved to be effective for tackling in anti-MS combat.

What's interesting about both of these descriptions is that they seem more applicable to ground combat than space combat - there aren't a lot of buildings and barricades to smash in space, and the shield's functions would apply more to surprise attacks from tanks and infantry than against air and space craft. Perhaps part of the agenda here was to prepare the Zaku II for a future Earth invasion.

-- Mark

[jamnewman0056]

The invasion for earth is a definite possibility I have a suspicion that the Zaku's shield and the need for it steemed from the upgrade it had from the C type Zaku II. Originally the Zaku II C type had armor which shielded it from nuclear radiation given off by the nuclear shell the Zaku's bazooka fired( before the antarctic treaty). The Zaku II C type was used the changed to the F type post antarctic treaty* but because it performed so well they left it on. Thus the reason for the shield is that it was originally used to protect the suit and the pilot from possible damage from radioactive particles after the bazooka's shell explodes. Having a shield on the arm it uses to attack with makes sense anyway because you can quickly guard an MS since it's on the arm that is usually where you attack from.

[mcred23]

There is a problem with that, the idea that the MS-06C had some special radiation shielding. It's been pointed out that said explination comes from an old, outdated translation, and that the MS-06C doesn't have any overly special radiation shielding.

[Oruma]

The invasion for earth is a definite possibility I have a suspicion that the Zaku's shield and the need for it steemed from the upgrade it had from the C type Zaku II. Originally the Zaku II C type had armor which shielded it from nuclear radiation given off by the nuclear shell the Zaku's bazooka fired( before the antarctic treaty). The Zaku II C type was used the changed to the F type post antarctic treaty* but because it performed so well they left it on. Thus the reason for the shield is that it was originally used to protect the suit and the pilot from possible damage from radioactive particles after the bazooka's shell explodes. Having a shield on the arm it uses to attack with makes sense anyway because you can quickly guard an MS since it's on the arm that is usually where you attack from.

(1) The Zaku may hold a bazooka in 2 ways: mount between the head and the shoulder, or carry under the armpit.
So...
IF the C-type is to protect its pilot from the radiation of the Bazooka round, it would have different type of armor (e.g. lead) for its cockpit. A shoulder-mount shield won't do a thing, given its material composition AND position.

(2) imagine you're holding a machine gun 2-handed like the Zaku. You would then notice that your right arm and shoulder move back, while your left arm and shoulder would be in front and more exposed. Now imagine you're on the battlefield. Enemy gunfire are coming at you as you advance.
So...
While it is good that you protected your weapon (right) arm, wouldn't it be more logical to have the shield on your LEFT shoulder/arm protecting the torso and cockpit from gunfire?
standard firing position for a Zaku II, with machine gun

[domtropen]

...I envy those who has lots of literatures to look up...

From Mr Mark's info from HGUC model I guess it is expected that Zaku II's cameras and sensors can detect whatever threat that comes from the front view and counts on Zaku II's dexterity and agility to avoid the threat, and up till middle OYW it is quite dangerous to make a shootout against rather heavily armored [at that time] Zaku II with 120 mm machinegun spitting bullets at you. The right shoulder shield will face the side and back when Zaku II is in normal 2-hand firing position. The shield can rotate and flip around quite a bit so it does give decent protection for the arm, backpack and the head. Still, after the arrival of the fed's MS and the battle shifting back to space I think it should not be hard to switch the armor and shield around though [doesn't happen] and it doesn't explain why quite a few later MSs still use the same shield position.