Zeon Gundam?

[Mafty]

Why didn't Zeon attempt to build their own Gundam? In the One Year War the Zeonic forces lacked the knowledge of the prototype, so they tried to steal it. However later on in subsequent wars they had contact with Anaheim ,who openly played both sides, So why didn't the remnants try to obtain a Gundam like Mafty did?

[MythSearcher]

Why didn't Zeon attempt to build their own Gundam? In the One Year War the Zeonic forces lacked the knowledge of the prototype, so they tried to steal it. However later on in subsequent wars they had contact with Anaheim ,who openly played both sides, So why didn't the remnants try to obtain a Gundam like Mafty did?

Hmmm...Let me count for thee.
Zeon obtaining Gundams?
RX-79BD-2[by way of Gundamjack], RX-79BD-2 Omega(alternative game universe/Katana universe)[by way of Gundamjack] RX-78GP02A [by way of Gundamjack], AGX-04(RX-78GP04G)[by way of transfer from EFSF's general Jamitov to Cima fleet]
Zeon trying to obtain Gundams?
RX-78NT-1[by a failed attempt of Gundamjack]

Also, in the way of developing MS with a spec comparable to Gundam, they developed Gundarium beta and gamma(in which Lunar Titanium is Gundarium alpha)

Since Gundam is more or less an icon of EF, it makes sense that the Zeon remnants do not want one in their ranks to affect their own moral in a hard to predict way. (You never know if it will increase or decrease their moral)
BD-2 is used because it was still in OYW and Gundam didn't establish the iconic status yet.
GP02A has to be used quickly and Delaz didn't have the resources and time to modify it and thus used as is.
AGX-04 basically had refitted armour to make it not look like a Gundam.

[yazi88]

Nimbus was doing his own petty thing rather than following Zeon higher up orders.

Delaz Fleet stole the GP02 on purpose and used the Federation's weapon against them. It was pretty symbolic too.

And like its mentioned above, the GP04 was converted into the Gerbera Tetra.

Let's not forget the Psycho Gundam Mk II which was recovered by Axis Zeon at the end of the Gryps War and became Neo Zeon. So technically in terms of airing, the Psycho Gundam Mk II was the 1st Zeon Gundam shown in animated media, although it was not built by them but found instead. And it was used to make the Doven Wolf. Although the Gundam Mk V was also in the hands of Neo Zeon and it was also used to make the Doven Wolf...

[Seto Kaiba]

Then, of course, there's also the Sinanju Stein which was essentially the prototype for the RX-0.

[Massignifico]

Performance-wise Gelgoogs and Gyans are already Gundam tier, so the next mass production lines are already covered.

As for "ultimate weapons" Zeon had so many kind of MAs, both for oldtypes and newtypes, that developing a Gundam copy is kind of redundant... (not that this ever stopped Zeon engineers)

[JEFFPIATT]

the games have the RX-78-Z1 Zeon's Gundam basically a RX-78-2 where depending on the game is a different unit. in Mobile Suit Gundam Gihren's Greed its a replica of the RX-78-2 made with Zeon tech and used the MS-14 shield and is poainted in all green. another bio has it just be a stock RX-78-2 that was being transported by Medea near the end of the war and got captured by the zeon earth based unit and 24 RGM-79［G］ GM Ground Type and RX-79［G］ Gundam Ground Type units wer taken down by it before it was destroyed.
https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/RX-78-Z1_Zeon%27s_Gundam