Zeon MS Design Question

[abaoaqu]

This doesn't just apply to any one mobile suit, but a broad spectrum predating the MS-09 Dom.
The Zaku I, Zaku II, and Gouf all had these short snouts and, in regard to the latter two MS, metallic hoses running into them. I was wondering what the part of the suit is called and what it's function was. A vent? A loudspeaker?

[Seto Kaiba]

Master Archive Mobile Suit: MS-06 Zaku II seems to suggest that the "snout" is a cooling system exhaust. It bears multiple caution markings warning about hot gas discharge.

The pipes are energy transfer conduit for the fluid pulse system that drives the mecha's joints. The MS-05 Zaku I had the fluid pulse system conduits run under the armor, but this apparently had some negative consequences for performance and they were made external on future models.

[MythSearcher]

Master Archive Mobile Suit: MS-06 Zaku II seems to suggest that the "snout" is a cooling system exhaust. It bears multiple caution markings warning about hot gas discharge.

The pipes are energy transfer conduit for the fluid pulse system that drives the mecha's joints. The MS-05 Zaku I had the fluid pulse system conduits run under the armor, but this apparently had some negative consequences for performance and they were made external on future models.

There seems to be various depictions of the pipes.
A more plausible explanation is that they are a part of the cooling system, and since Zaku I had them under the armour, it got more heating problems and thus the Zaku II made those on top of the armour.
Which also relates well to the snout being the cooling system exhaust settings.

Other explanations include power lines, hydraulics(ahem, fluid pulse system), propellant pipes, etc.

[Seto Kaiba]

There seems to be various depictions of the pipes.
A more plausible explanation is that they are a part of the cooling system, and since Zaku I had them under the armour, it got more heating problems and thus the Zaku II made those on top of the armour.
Which also relates well to the snout being the cooling system exhaust settings.

Other explanations include power lines, hydraulics(ahem, fluid pulse system), propellant pipes, etc.

While I don't doubt that there have likely been several different explanations over the years given the Gundam franchise's prolific but shockingly inconsistent documentation over the years, the most current official materials I've been able to lay hands on (e.g. Master Archive Mobile Suit, official websites) all generally agree the conduits mounted externally on the Zaku II and other Zeon mobile suits are energy conduits/pipes that are tied into the MS's fluid pulse system. This is also explicitly given in the Gundam: the Origin official materials.

The reason given for the external energy conduits was that constraining the size of the conduits to internalize them on the MS-05 Zaku had resulted in impaired maneuverability and less internal volume for things like fuel, propellant, and so on. The conduits were enlarged and moved outside the primary armor plating in order to cope with greater power from the improved reactor in the MS-06 Zaku II.


The one thing that I was only able to find in Master Archive Mobile Suit: MS-06 Zaku II was the explanation of the "snout", which seems to have been all but totally ignored in every other publication. (I have to admit that my favorite part is still the multiple warning markings for the monoeye system that all boil down to "there is a ton of stuff in here that will f*ck up your eyeballs if you look directly at it while it's energized". You have to wonder how many Zeon maintenance personnel accidentally hurt themselves doing monoeye maintenance to require that many warning labels.)