Name: Heldigunner
Alignment: Guylos Empire
Family: Iguana
Registration Number: EZ-011
Crew: 1-2
Height: 5.8 Meters
Length: 24.5 Meters
Weight: 48 Tons
Top Speed: 130 kph (land, water, and sand), 80 kph (loose dirt), 40 kph (packed dirt)
Weapons: Quad AZ20mm Beam Cannons, 72mm Anti-Aircraft Cannon, 80mm Beam Cannon & 40mm Beam Cannon, Hardened Alloy Claws and Tail.
Special Abilities: Swimming, Burrowing.
Level: 3
The Heldigunner was originally developed by the Guylos Empire to specialize in assaults on beachheads, and, as such, is capable of swimming, fighting on land, and burrowing. Though not a master of combat in any of the three, the Heldigunner has a reasonably thick plate of armor to keep itself safe. It also has a decent set of weapons to fight off opponents, all of which work both above ground and underwater.
Technically speaking, the Heldigunner is somewhat lacking in the maneuverability area above ground. It actually has better maneuverability in the water, where it uses its body and massive tail to propel it through the water. It’s also capable of some reasonably impressive stunts while burrowed in sand, capable of jumping and reburrowing in the style of a War Shark. As a last note, the Heldigunner is the larger cousin of the Iguan, though you might not be able to tell it.
Weapons:
Quad AZ20mm Beam Cannons:
The Heldigunner has two cannons on either side of its face, for a total of four. All four are AZ20mm semiautomatic beam cannons, and can pivot up to 30 degrees downwards. They, like all of the Heldigunner’s weapons, function underwater but not underground. Otherwise, they’re standard.
72mm Anti-Aircraft Cannon:
The very first Heldigunners to come off the assembly line didn’t have AA defenses, and they were torn apart by Helic air power. So, later models had these (earlier ones were retrofitted) 72mm AA Cannons, which are mounted to the Zoid’s tail. Each shell fired from one of these explodes at a certain preset altitude (dialed in by the pilot from the cockpit) into a cloud of shrapnel, which can shred and tear wings. The fuses can be turned off, making them standard 72mm cannons. Also, the cannon is on a rotating turret mount that allows it to pivot 360 degrees horizontally and incline upwards up to 90 degrees, allowing it to hit targets all around the Heldigunner. Note that if the fuses are active, the cannon cannot be used underwater. The standard mode, however, can be.
80mm Beam Cannon & 40mm Beam Cannon:
Mounted to a turret on the back of the Heldigunner is a pair of semiautomatic beam cannons: one 80mm and one 40mm. Obviously the 40mm is the smaller one, just below the larger 80mm. Both weapons are long-ranged, meaning that they have reasonable accuracy out to 2 kilometers. Also, both weapons can be used in or out of water, but not while burrowed. Furthermore, the cannon mount is capable of inclining up to 20 degrees up or down, or 20 degrees to either side. However, one weakness of these two back-mounted cannons is that they receive energy through an unarmored wire that runs from the center of the back to the turret itself. Though not always exposed, a single shot from anything can sever this cord, which renders both the 80mm and 40mm beam cannons useless.
Hardened Alloy Claws and Tail:
Alright. Failing everything else, the Heldigunner does have some melee weapons, and it can use then quite effectively. The tail is first up in this arsenal, which has four blades mounted on it. Needless to say, a whack from it can both bludgeon and cut, and can be painful. The claws the Heldigunner sports are also sharpened and great for slashing and piercing. All in all though, the Heldigunner is kind of sluggish and not great in melee.
Special Abilities:
Swimming:
The Heldigunner, being designed for aquatic beachhead landings, is a powerful swimmer. It swims like a snake, using its tail to generate propulsion. Strangely, it can move at its full speed of 130 kph (70 knots) in the water, and can use any of its weapons underwater. Crush depth for the Heldigunner is 400 meters -- don’t go below unless you want to be a pancake.
Burrowing:
The Heldigunner can burrow as well, and at a fairly fast clip. Like the Guysack, the Heldigunner can burrow at full speed in sand, and is capable of War Shark-like stunts and jumps. Also like the Guysack, the Heldigunner can do 80 kph in loose dirt or 40 kph in dense dirt with rocks. It’s also not capable of the same acrobatics in denser material. Lastly, keep in mind that sanctioned Zoid Battling regulations bar the Heldigunner from staying burrowed longer than 12 seconds total in a single match. Warfare and real life have no such restrictions, however.
Available Modifications:
