Name: Neo Gungyarados
Alignment: Neo Backdraft
Family: Dragon
Registration Number: NBD-01
Crew: 1
Height: 15 Meters (standing), 11 Meters (flight)
Length: 23 Meters (standing), 36 Meters (flight)
Weight: 155 Tons
Top Speed: 110 kph (land), Mach 3.7/4533 kph (air)
Weapons: 250mm Heavy Cannon, Twin 60mm Pulse Laser Cannons, Triple Impact Cannon, Flamethrower, Hardened Alloy Dragon Tail, Hardened Alloy Claws, Teeth, and Wings.
Special Abilities: 3D Doppler Radar.
Level: 5
The original Gungyarados met its end with the end of the Charged Particle Gun, having been wiped out by the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties (SALTs) betwen the Empire and the Helic Republic. Though the Neo Backdraft were able to recover enough data from the cores of the Geno Saurers and the Berserk Führer that they excavated to replicate the dragon's structure, the workings of the Hyper Charged Particle Gun remain unknown, preventing this legendary dragon to take to the sky once again. So, though it may be a shallow grave, the Gungyarados remains firmly buried.
However, later Neo Backdraft engineers were determined to see a dragon again take to the Zian skies. The Neo Gungyarados - NBD-01 - was the result of more than a year of hard labor. Though it was a far cry from its Zoid X cousin, it was also much cheaper, allowing the Backdraft Group to add this massive attack aircraft to their flying arsenal. Though the Hyper Charged Particle Gun is absent from the back of the Neo Gungyarados, it has been replaced by a Zoid-Destroying 250mm Heavy Cannon, allowing it down even the largest of opponents and structures in just a few shots. The 100mm Pulse Lasers have suffered a reduction in caliber and rate of fire, and the Hyper Triple Impact Cannon has also been downsized, but the striking power of even these miniaturized weapons is enormous. The Neo Gungyarados remains a weapon used almost exclusively by the Backdraft Group, and has proved itself time and time again against ill-prepared terrestrial Zoids.
However, reduction in price and mass-producibility came at an enormous cost. The Gungyarados design was primarily famed for its ability to decisively outduel the Battle Cougar, but not so with the Neo Gungyarados. The Neo GGA is a notoriously clunky and unmaneuverable aircraft, definitely falling short of its Griffon-typed foe, barely matching the Salamander. What it lacks in performance, it makes up for in incredible durability. While the Gungyarados was laughed at in Zoid X form for its light armor, the Neo GGA retains much of its supernatural toughness in its mass producible form. While no longer boasting Gojulas-grade armor, the Neo GGA tops the Battle Cougar in maneuverability, falling somewhat short of the Red Horn. Also, the Neo Gungyarados also has the blazing-fast straight-line speed of the original, allowing it to escape dangerous engagements.
As a side note, the Gungyarados is a dragon, and as such, assumes different positions in the sky and on the ground. In the sky, the Gungyarados prostrates itself into a serpent-like form; on the ground, it stands like a dinosaur or a dragon.
Weapons:
250mm Heavy Cannon:
The "main weapon of" the Neo Gungyarados is a massive, Zoid-toppling Heavy Cannon. While no equal of the Hyper Charged Particle Gun it replaced, the Neo Gungyarados' 250mm Heavy Cannon can knock Zoids as large as the Shadow Fox clean off of their feet, and completely obliterate lesser Zoids in a single shot. Even large, heavy Zoids such as the Dark Horn should beware, because while not adept at penetration, the 250mm Heavy Cannon positively shatters even the toughest of armor. However, there are three downsides to this weapon. For one, it is fixed to back of the Gungyarados, and cannot pivot. For another, this massive cannon can only fire a round once every 6 seconds, meaning that it might be slow to down the largest of opponents, and leave the Gungyarados vulnerable as it reloads. The third downside is range: the heavy shell is large and unaerodynamic. It goes 500 meters at the most before loosing all forward speed.
Twin 60mm Pulse Laser Cannons:
The Neo Gungyarados might be a gunfighter, but it's not a dogfighter. Still, if it ever actually needs to dogfight, it does have the right type of gun to back it up. Mounted together, as one unit, the Neo Gungyarados possesses two 60mm Pulse Laser Cannons, capable of spitting out 5 rounds per second each. Also, the weapon can incline up to 45 degrees up or 20 degrees down, but not at all to either side. Still, basically everything that trumps the Raynos in firepower can trump these weapons, so the Gungyarados may have to rely on its durability to let it survive a dogfight.
Triple Impact Cannon:
The Neo Gungyarados inherited an Impact Cannon slot from its namesake, but the workings of the Hyper Triple Impact Cannon baffled Backdraft Engineers. Eventually, they were forced to throw in the towel and give it a slightly modified standard Impact Cannon: an AZ80mm Triple Impact Cannon. Though it's a three-barreled AZ80mm Impact Cannon, slightly larger caliber than normal for that many barrels, the range is still 300 meters. They're semiautomatic, as usual, and pretty much standard otherwise.
Flamethrower:
What good dragon doesn’t breath fire? The Neo Gungyarados has a flamethrower inside its mouth that allows it to burn and melt through armor, much like a cutting torch would. The maximum range of this potent weapon is 75 meters, and is moderately more powerful than a normal flamethrower. However, it’s best used against terrestrial targets.
Hardened Alloy Dragon Tail:
The Neo Gungyarados’ tail is just as dangerous as the rest of its body: it’s clearly a drill. As such, it can be spun at extremely high speeds to allow it drill into various things. Like unwanted limbs of the Neo Gungyarados’ opponents. While its not chargeable, it’s extremely powerful, and can bore through armor with ease. However, its not recommended that this weapon be used in the air... attempting to do so tends to create crashes.
Hardened Alloy Claws, Teeth, and Wings:
The teeth, claws, and even the wings on the Neo Gungyarados are sharpened and potential melee weapons. They can certainly be used for the task, slashing, tearing, knashing... whatever. Just don’t use the wings as aerial melee weapons, because they’re not tough enough to survive even high subsonic collisions.
Special Abilities:
3D Doppler Radar:
Just in case you were thinking of doing something silly like hiding from the Neo Gungyarados, it has the equipment to find you. It also gives the Neo Gungyarados the edge in detecting enemy interceptors, often allowing it withdraw from the field of battle before it has to engage an opponent its not prepared to fight. The sensory equipment that allows it to do this spread across the body, making it essentially impossible to destroy.
