Zoids: Chaotic Age Zero

Name: Iron Kong
Alignment: Zenebas/Guylos Empires
Family: Gorilla
Registration Number: EZ-015
Crew: 1-2
Height: 17.7 Meters
Length: 11.5 Meters
Weight: 187 Tons
Top Speed: 150 kph
Weapons: 70mm Wrist Cannon, AZ Anti-Ground Missile Launcher, Ten-Shot GEP Pod, Hardened Alloy Fists.
Special Abilities: TVM Tactical Missile Launcher, Composite Sensory Unit, Arm Launcher Swap.
Level: 4

The Iron Kong is one of the old Imperial Commander’s Zoids, much like the Dark Horn or the Red Horn. Along with the usual Composite Sensory Unit, the Iron Kong has the advantage of a relatively humanoid form, thick armor, and a pair of powerful Tactical Missiles which can take out even the toughest of opponents. Aside from the superweapons slung across its back, the Iron Kong is decidedly well armed otherwise, and boasts an array of powerful conventional weapons as well. If you’re familiar with the Iron Kong’s smaller cousin, the Hammer Rock, then you know that the gorilla family is known for heavy armaments. And as far as weapons go, this Zoid sets the standards.

The Iron Kong isn’t necessarily very fast, either, but it is relatively high performance. The Iron Kong boasts surprisingly agility and maneuverability for its size, mainly thanks to its humanoid form. It should be noted, however, that the Iron Kong requires both arms to run or maneuver effectively, which seriously impairs or inhibits its ability to shoot its Wrist Cannon on the move. Also, the Iron Kong’s armor is comparable to that of the Dark Horn, making it tied for the title of toughest Zoid in its class. It should also be noted that the Iron Kong is effective in long ranged, medium ranged, and close range combat, making it rather versatile. However, its use of tactical missiles at long ranges makes it better for taking down slow moving Zoids, like the Gordos.

Weapons:
70mm Wrist Cannon:
The Iron Kong only has one reusable ranged weapon: a 70mm cannon built into its right wrist. While the weapon itself is pretty much standard, it comes with a list of advantages and disadvantages thanks to its location. The Iron Kong also requires its hands to run or walk, as well as to maneuver. While the Iron Kong is using one wrist to aim and shoot, both of those two abilities: walking and maneuvering, are severely inhibited. However, thanks to its positioning, the weapon can hit almost any target around the Iron Kong, because it can face anywhere the wrist can face.

AZ Anti-Ground Missile Launcher:
The is the default weapon to be mounted in the Iron Kong’s left shoulder. When this weapon is being used, the Iron Kong’s left shoulder plate slides back to reveal a tube, pointing straight up. It’s just an AZ Missile Launcher, capable of firing a single round. This round then arcs around and downwards and hits whatever its locked onto. However, the Iron Kong carries a full five reloads internally, and the reloading process is almost instantaneous (a bit under a second). The only downside is that each newly loaded missile has to lock onto its target separately, making for a slow firing rate. Also, this weapon can’t be dumbfired effectively unless the target is straight above you. These are AZ AGMs, meaning they can lock onto ground targets only, but have twice the standard damaging potential.

Ten-Shot GEP Pod:
This weapon can be mounted for use in the Iron Kong’s left shoulder, as an alternative to the AZ Anti-Ground Missile Launcher. When its deployed, the armor plate on the left shoulder slides back, and a pods pops up and out. The pod has two rows of five GEPs, or Guided Explosive Projectiles. These basically walk the line between missiles and rockets: they’re dumbfire only, but use a weak internal guidance system to improve accuracy. Practically speaking, they only improve the chance of the round to hit by 20% to 30%, but that can still be quite alot. However, they’re as powerful as a standard Anti-Ground Missile, and can be far more useful than their Missile Launcher counterpart. Their main advantage over the AZ AGMs is that all 10 can be fired at once (or at any rate, at the pilot’s discretion) allowing them to swarm and overwhelm anti-missile and point defenses. However, the Iron Kong carries no internal reloads for this weapon. Once they’re used up, you have to rearm at a transport to use them again.

Hardened Alloy Fists:
The Iron Kong possesses two incredibly strong and powerful fists, each capable of lifting 60 to 70 tons (120 to 140 tons together). While not useful for conventional slashing and tearing, they’re great for boxing and crushing, letting the Iron Kong fight almost like a human being would.

Special Abilities:
TVM Tactical Missile Launcher:
Occupying the Iron Kong’s right shoulder is a powerful TVM Tactical Missile Launcher, the ordnace it fires being officially classified as a superweapon. The Iron Kong must spend a full six seconds locking onto a single terrestrial target (or a set of coordinates) prior to firing the missile. The Iron Kong is unable to lock onto a target or a set of coordinates within 100 meters of itself as a failsafe. Note also that the Iron Kong can lock onto any target its Composite Sensory Unit can pinpoint or that it can see. If any one of its sensory mechanisms can detect the target, it can lock on, and the lock on time is unaffected by the number of mechanisms that can detect the target.

After one full round, the Iron Kong may launch its locked Tactical Missile. Unlike most missiles, the Tactical Missile does not fly straight at its target. Rather, it fires up from the Iron Kong’s back and uses a parabolic arc like a mortar or an artillery shell. However, because it is a missile, its range is exceptionally long -- anything the Iron Kong could even potentially see, the missile is long-ranged enough to hit. Anyway, the missile’s boosters and vectored thrusters allow it to continually update its flightpath to compensate for the movement of the target for a full three seconds, when the Tactical Missile runs out of fuel. (It will already be on its way down by this point.) From this point forward, the Tactical Missile is unguided, and will fall for between 1 second (excellent conditions) and 3 seconds (worst possible conditions). When it hits the ground, the warhead will detonate and create a massive 80-meter explosion. Though the very toughest of Zoids, such as the Gojulas, can survive this blast if relatively undamage, they will do so only barely. Lesser Zoids caught in the blast radius will surely CSF -- or worse. After the first Tactical Missile is launched, the Iron Kong has a single reload, and but it takes it a full six seconds to reload after the first is launched. The Iron Kong may not refresh its supply of Tactical Missiles while rearming in a sanctioned Zoid Battle. (In warfare, it depends entirely on whether or not the transport has them on hand.)

A few notes about the Tactical Missile before I finish. Firstly, due to absolute, ridiculous, and extreme danger to the pilot of the Iron Kong, the Iron Kong’s enemies are forbidden from shooting the Tactical Missile prior to its launch. (All’s still fair in war, but its very likely that only the fuel supply will detonate. Still, that can be lethal when the explosion is right behind the cockpit.) After launch, the Tactical Missile can be shot down, but doing is so is difficult at best. The Tactical Missile is covered by a medium-grade armor plate, and it takes several good hits to destroy it. More likely is that the shots will trigger the impact sensor and prematurely detonate the missile. Next, the Tactical Missile is TVM, meaning that it is guided by the Iron Kong and not internal guidance systems. (It was quite literally the Iron Kong locking onto the target, and not the missile.) However, the second Tactical Missile launched still requires a new lock. This systems does have distinct advantages, though. Firstly, ECM is ineffective against this superweapon. Secondly, Communications Jamming fails to destroy the link between the Iron Kong and the Tactical Missile, because they use several “unorthodox” communications methods. However, if the Iron Kong is CSFed or destroyed while the Tactical Missile is in the air, the weapon will become unguided. Lastly, it is possible to dumbfire Tactical Missiles, but attempting to do so is both foolhardy and extremely dangerous. Also, it is illegal to dumbfire Tactical Missiles in the first round of combat of a sanctioned Zoid battle. (Guided launch takes a full round to lock, and would hence be second round.)

Composite Sensory Unit:
Like the Dark Horn and many other Zoids, the Iron Kong possesses a Composite Sensory Unit that allows it use 3D Doppler Radar and IR scanning to track its opponents. The sensors themselves are located in the head, making the Composite Sensory Unit impossible to destroy without taking the cockpit with it. (This is obviously illegal in sanctioned Zoid Battling. In war, people tend to care less.) Also, this unit is unique in that its data can be transmitted to teammates, making the Iron Kong great for coordinating assaults.

Arm Launcher Swap:
The Iron Kong was originally designed to carry both a AZ Anti-Ground Missile Launcher an a 10-Shot GEP Pod, with one in each shoulder. However, design changes midway through the development phase introduced the Tactical Missile Launcher, which partially occupied the Iron Kong’s right shoulder, making it impossible to mount a weapon there. Therefore, the Iron Kong can have either of the two weapons in its left shoulder. The Iron Kong pilot selects one prior to the battle’s commencement, and that’s the one that’s used. (the AZ AGM Launcher is default). Note that even with a CAS, it’s impossible to change the choice mid-battle.

Available Modifications: