Zoids: Chaotic Age Zero

Name: Strike Bull
Alignment: Eastern Continental Alliance
Family: Bull Terrier aka 'Pit Bull'
Registration Number: ECA-01
Crew: 1
Height: 6.5 Meters
Length: 12.2 Meters
Weight: 112 Tons
Top Speed: 205 kph
Weapons: Dual Impact Cannon, Quad 20mm Repeaters, Hardened Alloy Teeth and Claws.
Special Abilities: Frontal E-Shield, Frenzy Bite, Vice Lock.
Level: 3

The Eastern Continental Alliance is only a "minor" faction in the greater scheme of things, and not one of the greater industrial powers. Despite that, the ECA has, since its conception, wanted a Zoid of its own to act as a symbol of its nation, and embody the fierce and rugged spirit of the citizens of Northern Loramere. Despite their overall lack of manufacturing capacity, the Alliance did manage to scrape together enough industrial resources to retrofit or erect a few spare factories, that could be dedicated to mass producing a single type of Zoid. All that remained was to decide what kind of Zoid it should be, and to design it.

The first phase proved to be by far the harder of the two. The Alliance is a large and diverse group of people, many of whom openly flaunted their independence and were reluctant to have a unified symbol of anything. The other problem was that people simply didn't agree on this kind of thing, and it was hard to come up with an idea that pleased everyone. The debate raged for more than a month until a common consensus was reached by representatives of the different parts of the Alliance.

A Bull Terrier-typed Zoid was to be constructed. As the ECA itself was rather short on engineers, the faction sent away to the Neo Backdraft Group to design such a machine for them, to be mass producable for roughly the same cost of a Shield Liger. The plans came back in another month, the NBD desginers having quickly conceptualized and prototyped the machine. The Strike Bulls began rolling off of the assembly line soon afterwards, and was decimated amongst the troops of the ECA.

The Strike Bull has developed a reputation for ruggedness and durability, thanks to its armor being thicker than of a Shield Liger's or Zaber Fang's. However, it is not as maneuverable as either other Zoid type, only having limited agility to rely on to dodge incoming fire. It is also not very fast, a major disadvantage for a melee Zoid. To counterbalance that, the Strike Hound is equipped with a Frontal E-Shield, which compounds with its armor to keep it safe during the "ground-closing" period. Once it actually reaches melee, the Strike Hound is an exceptionally strong and fierce opponent, and is rarely beaten there. Most notable are its powerful jaws, which allow it to bite with extreme force and grip. The Strike Bull is often deployed and used as a "trench fighter", patrolling tighter areas where close-quarters is more likely.

Weapons:
Dual Impact Cannon:
The Dual Impact Cannon is mounted between the front legs of the Strike Hound, on the undercarriage of the Zoid. This Impact Cannon, like many others of its design, is limited to 300 meters. The cannons are also of an AZ80mm caliber, and up close can strip a zoid of armor in 2-3 solid hits. The shells explode on impact and work much like low-grade grenades, ripping apart armor rather quickly.

Quad 20mm Repeaters:
The quad repeaters are built into the shoulders of the Strike Hound, 2 per front shoulder. The weapons are fixed facing forward, and can spew out shells at a rate of 10 per second each. They also have the ability to pivot up and down up to 45 degrees to allow some better accuracy when running, and to help them perform a possible AMD function.

Hardened Alloy Teeth and Claws:
The Strike Bull, in particular, is extremely adept at melee and has the tools to back itself up. It has the standard teeth, which allow it bite and hold an opponent with exceptional force. Its claws are also formidable, which can be used for all manner of close-quarters attacks.

Special Abilities:
Frontal E-Shield:
Just like the Shield Liger, the Strike Hound is equipped with a Frontal E-Shield of standard strength, which covers all but the rear of its body. The shield panels are built into the small ears of the Strike Hound, and should it lose its ears the shield won't be able to be formed.

Frenzy Bite:
The jaw on the Strike Hound is set up on a set of powerful pistons and pushrods. The jaw, when Frenzy Bite is active, can clamp down, release and clamp down again at an increased rate giving the zoid a quicker grip on a fleeing opponent or such.

Vice Lock:
The jaw features a second ability, the ability to do Vice Lock. The jaw slams closed and the jaw literally locks itself in place, it cannot be opened unless Vice Lock is deactivated, otherwise it is constantly just closing and applying a tremendous amount of force on whatever happens to be with the jaws.