I've always had an affection for Zoids. I remember the Zoids comic
strip that ran alongside Spiderman for many months, my school friend had
the "Marvel Collected Comics" issue that bound together the first few
issues in one volume and it captured my imagination from that first
moment. The UK Zoids comic had a completely different storyline to the original Japanese series.
Zoids seem ideal for Mecha warfare in 15mm. Supposedly
constructed in 1/72 scale, the Zoid pilots were clearly below average
height when compared to a 1/72 or 1/76 plastic soldier (interestingly,
this carried through into the comic strip, a human teenager was able to
squeeze into a Zoid cockpit that was too small for an adult).
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| The plastic pilot |
My
first Zoid for use is Gunsniper, a saurian type robot based on a velociraptor. Being one of the standard
small wind-up Zoid types, it is impressive on the 15mm battlefield
without being overpowering like a bigger battery-powered Zoid might be.
A quick test shows that the cockpit is a comfortable size for an NAC
autocannon gunner (in this case he's a pilot for a different vehicle who's been given a head-swap and has no feet!).
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| Footless GZG pilot conversion |
Although Gunsniper is held together well by
the polycaps included with the kit, I'm going to glue it together
anyway, then smooth some of the joins with Humbrol model filler and a
quick file/sandpaper. Colour scheme will become a more utilitarian
olive drab - unless I decide to go for a high science fiction bright and
flashy finish. I'll probably go with the more basic colours so that it
looks less Zoid-like and blends in with my other models more
effectively.
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| Gunsniper in normal mode |
Gunsniper carries a satisfying array of weaponry,
another reason for it being my first choice of Zoid for 15mm gaming. A
tribarrel 40mm cannon on each forearm will provide strong anti-personnel
firepower, a chest mounted 80mm cannon gives additional anti-personnel and
limited anti-tank capabilities, plus two missile pods on the back will provide the
main anti-tank punch. The missile pods also include jump-jets that pop
out when you press a button on top. These are a bit disappointing -
it's not like you can't see the engine nozzle when it's in the retracted
position so the "pop-out" feature seems pretty pointless!
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| Attack mode |
In Tomorrow's War terms, Gunsniper
will primarily be a Tech Level 3 piece of equipment. It certainly
looks faster, more agile and technically accomplished than the Destroids, I
imagine it will have been produced using cutting-edge technology
including the latest sensors and armour. Weapons will probably be a mix
of Tech 2 and 3 systems. It will no doubt incorporate some advanced
tech such as detonation fields, stealth/ECM systems, possibly an AI.
