OK, even I know this, even though I got the name wrong. The EZ-8 is a sort of hybrid made up of spare parts of RX-79s. So in that sense, they were in service the same time as the 79s.
The 08th MS Team was one the the best of the Gundam stories (IMHO) followed by Stardust Memories.
By the way, nice work on your 79, Akuma. Maybe I should try to get my EZ-8 ready for the Milford IPMS show this year. If you are still in Connecticut by October,
you should bring several of your Mecha!