It looks like it's underwater, but I thought only Zaku Marines/Divers or one of those amphibious variants can do that? This one looks like a bog-standard model.

All Zakus can go underwater - they're also space type suits, so they're airtight. The Zaku Divers and Zaku Marines were just optimized for underwater use (and were kinda bad at it, hence why the Acguy series and later the Z'Gok series was developed)

LegendRazgriz said:

All Zakus can go underwater - they're also space type suits, so they're airtight. The Zaku Divers and Zaku Marines were just optimized for underwater use (and were kinda bad at it, hence why the Acguy series and later the Z'Gok series was developed)

The cockpit is airtight (and watertight by extension, provided it can withstand the pressure), but I doubt the weapons and propulsion systems (exhaust ports/vents, in particular) are. Joints are definitely not waterproof (even the Zaku Marine had problems with leaky joints, and that one is purpose-built to be operated underwater). Sensors and other fiddly bits are also likely to be sheared off by drag in water (and they probably won't work too well underwater anyway), and the overall design is also very unhydrodynamic.

I suppose you could operate one underwater for a limited time if you close off some vents, swap out the rocket jets for hydro ones, apply ad-hoc sealants, use underwater weapons, take care not to move too quickly, etc., but it's still going to be suboptimal and likely damage the machine. The engineer is definitely going to pitch a hissy fit afterwards.

NNescio said:

The cockpit is airtight (and watertight by extension, provided it can withstand the pressure), but I doubt the weapons and propulsion systems (exhaust ports/vents, in particular) are. Joints are definitely not waterproof (even the Zaku Marine had problems with leaky joints, and that one is purpose-built to be operated underwater). Sensors and other fiddly bits are also likely to be sheared off by drag in water (and they probably won't work too well underwater anyway), and the overall design is also very unhydrodynamic.

I suppose you could operate one underwater for a limited time if you close off some vents, swap out the rocket jets for hydro ones, apply ad-hoc sealants, use underwater weapons, take care not to move too quickly, etc., but it's still going to be suboptimal and likely damage the machine. The engineer is definitely going to pitch a hissy fit afterwards.

To quote Futurama:
"How many atmospheres of pressure can this thing handle?"
"Well, it's a space ship, so somewhere between zero and one!"

HaroldRowsdower said:

To quote Futurama:
"How many atmospheres of pressure can this thing handle?"
"Well, it's a space ship, so somewhere between zero and one!"

*CRUNCH*

That said, not all planets would have the same atmospheric pressure. Still, keep in mind that every few FEET of depth in water is equivalent to an atmosphere of pressure, and even military submarines (you know, ships MADE for this stuff) can only handle a few hundred feet.