Sovereign State of
MHURAHN
XZ-414 Hecatomb
Chassis: Puertasaurus
Power Plant: XBOZ-4/4 (Gravity Compression Plant – Class-4)
Primary Mission: Artillery Bombardment
Secondary Mission: Bluefire Elimination Platformt
Crew: 3 - 1 Commander (minimum rank requirement: General), 2 gunners
Statistics (Seismosaurus stats)
Length: 98 meters (53.5 meters)
Width: 21 meters (12 meters)
Height: 44 meters (10 meters)
Mass: 400+ tons (198 tons)
Performance
Land : 100 kph (70 kph)
Speed: 12 knots (-)
HISTORY
The Independent State of Mhurahn arose from feuding noble houses that broke from the old Zenebas territories that shattered in the last war. As the Empire pulled itself back together, Mhurahn retreated for a distant shore. They took what remained of their Imperial military units with them, but hardly enough to prevent being retaken by the Empire. They decided to dig in new defenses in a place their histories showed was a former military research and testing base that had been uncovered by the Cataclysm’s rearrangement of the ocean levels, and they discovered more power than they could have imagined. The remains of a half-build Seismosaurus was found at the base, which cut into an ancient facility with some connection to a mythological power. Scientists unlocked some of the secrets of the ancient base, and those secrets were integrated into the half-developed Seismosaurus. What arose from the rubble was the Hecatomb; a Zoid powered with a technology intended to bring about the ultimate end to all Zoid warfare.
CAPABILITIES (Defenses)
The primary form of defense for the Hecatomb is actually its hybrid armor; a result of the splicing and evolution of the Gojulas Giga’s ancient titanium alloy and Guylos Hell Armor. This plating can withstand virtually any conventional kinetic artillery and can endure repeated impacts by heavy beam weapons. To enhance its survivability, it also utilizes a modified version of Giga’s 360-degree e-shield.
CAPABILITIES (Performance)
As one might surmise, the XZ-414 is established an enduring, defensible platform capable of moving its devastating weapon system into position rapidly. Using the Seismosaurus frame permitted the Zoid to carry the weapon easily, but improvements to the legs and suspension have greatly increased its speed over its precursor. The new, longer legs allow it to maintain a stride of 100 kph across quite rugged terrain; at 400 tons, it can also sweep most trees aside without effort, also.
ARMAMENT
The conventional weapon compliment carried by the Hecatomb is more similar to a heavy defense base than a mobile platform. The weapons are designed to facilitate the delivery of the Bluefire system to the target area and defend it until all oposition is erased.
280mm R-GAP Cannon (x4) – torso mounted in two batteries of two, 360° rotation, 90° elevation
The mainstay weapon of the Hecacomb is the REAP (Ramjet-assisted Energized Artillery Projectile) cannon. Each of these guns is a self-contained system with a 40-round magazine and a 10 round per minute RoF. Each round is instilled with a single reactive Bluefire molecule before firing. The projectile is self-guided and can strike a target at 100 kilometers with enough kinetic force to tear through 50 cm of armor, but the charged particle reacts violently with any powered Zoid system it strikes, acting, in effect, like an instantly fatal heart-attack to the Zoid. As such, the R-GAP round can leave a Gojulas corpse with only a 300mm hole in its ankle.
240mm Encapsulated Bolt Cannon (x8) – torso mounted in four batteries of 4, 90° rotation, 180° elevation
Mounted on the outrigger battle stations to fill in all corner arcs, these paired cannons project concentrated particle bolts that deliver both kinetic damage and energy-based, thermal damage. The weapon requires a short recharge period for each round, which is why each battery is mounted with a pair of guns which can alternate to increase rate-of-fire or simultaneously to deliver increased damage. A single round from an EBC can cripple a heavily armored targets up to 200 tons and can cause crippling damage to almost all units, especially with multiple rounds.
200mm AZ Shock Cannon (x6) – neck mounted in two batteries of 3, 90° elevation
On either side of the Hecatomb’s lower neck is a triple-barrel AZ shock cannon turret. These weapons were included to enhance the Hecatomb’s forward firepower while in transit and while the 240mm EBCs are engaging in broadside operations. With a range of 8 kilometers, the damage these guns can cause is substantial, but a hit also surges sensitive systems and can stun or outright shut down a target.
165mm Improved AZ Shock Cannon (2) – chest mounted twin battery, 30° horizontal arc
Though these weapons have a smaller aperture than the 200mm guns, the configuration of emitters increase their range to 15 kilometers. Unlike the larger guns, this pair of cannons fires as a single unit. Each barrel can fire individually, but at much reduced damage and range reduced to 10 kilometers.
50mm “Dibold” Beam Gun (x4) – mount in 2 batteries of 2, 360° arc
The defensive batteries of the gunner stations are strong enough to pierce light armor at ranges up to 8 kilometers and soft targets half again further out. They have a substantially slower rate of fire than the 30mm defense guns, and so gunners may alternate weapons to achieve a 20 shots per minute RoF.
30mm”Roark-9” AZ Defense Cannon (x28) – multiple mounts in 14 batteries of 2, 360° combined arc
The original primary weapons of the Seismosaurus, these guns were re-engineered to deliver far less power but at a greatly enhanced rate for use in the defensive role. The guns are still capable of penetrating moderate armor beyond 1 kilometer, but they are primarily used to knock projectiles out of the air as far as 5 kilometers out.
“Detonator” AZ Tactical Missile (x20) – tail mounted in four batteries of 5
Included in an effort to extend Hecatomb’s range and to reduce its dependence on direct fire weapons, Detonator missiles are vertically launched from tail-mounted, armored batteries. Each missile has a range of 160 kilometers with a 70% bullseye or 85% damaging impact ratio against any Zoid target. Under manual guidance the missile can strike installations or non-Zoid targets with similar accuracy, delivering enough damage to destroy a 20-ton target, disable units upwards of 100 tons, and cause serious damage to heavier units.
Hyper Bite Fangs – integrated construction, head mounted, forward arc
Though melee combat is generally avoided by the Hecatomb, the extensive reach of its neck allows it to cause serious damage with its teeth.
Osmium-Infused Impact Plates - Integrated construction; feet
The feet of the Hecatomb are sheathed in huge, incredibly dense armored toe plates that allow it to stomp or kick a target with terribly destructive force.
Beam Whip, integrated construction, tail
The whip ending the Hecatomb's tail is a unit of segments each armed with energized beam blades that work on a similar principle to the Liger Zero's claws... but with the added threat of a Bluefire energy infusion. The tail is highly agile, and with a length exceeding 40 meters iis a superior melee weapon.
SUMMARY
Relentless, remorseless, and powerful, the XZ-414 Hecatomb is a force of mass destruction. Wading through an opposing army with heavy weapons tearing foes apart simultaneously on every side is not the most terrifying vision of this monster; that would be the Hecatomb plodding through endless fields of dead Zoids in seemingly uninjured condition, their lives burned from their bodies by the unstoppable Bluefire. There is no other weapon like it on Zi… and there never should have been.
ZOIDS PARTS LIST
Seismosaurus (x2)
Base kit, armor, head, legs, tail
Gojulas Giga (x2)
Neck, tail, mortar deck, missile batteries
Blade Liger (x1)
“Outrigger” station, dual shock cannon
Shield Liger (x1)
“Outrigger” station, neck armor
Dibison (Hasbro)
Triple shock cannons, mortar chassis
Dibison (Kotobukiya)
240mm EBC barrels
Gorhecks
Head
Redra
Detail vents
Gojulas
Chest armored intake
Baragator
Shoulder armor inner structures
NON-ZOIDS PARTS LIST
Kotobukiya MSG 04
Drone bay armor plates
Chap Mei Turrets
250mm R-GAP cannons
Laser Sword Handle
Mortar body
GI Joe Rattler Engine Covers
Mortar barrel cowling
Bionicles
Mortar mount/turret mechanics, tail joint
Warhammer 40,000 Turrets
240mm Sponson Turrets
Struxx
Internal structures, joints
Asoblocks
Tail joint
MyBuild Blocks
Tail Joint
Polystyrene
Mortar deck
Mega Bloks Bricks
Drone launch tubes
Screws
Reinforcement, details
Capacitors
Details (shock cannons, legs)
Steel Beads
Bluefire mortar barrels, detail pieces
Rayon Chords
Power cables
Stainless Necklace Chain
Power cables
1/4" Flex Cable
Power cables
Stereo Wire
Tail whip core
Cadmium Magnets
Drone bay door closures
END OF AN ERA (…ALMOST)
The XZ-414 Hecatomb represents a “bookmark” in the story I created as the core to my Age of War; the harbinger of the close of that arc. That really impacted the direction I took the concept, which started as articulating a Seismosaurus and matured into the bashing together of the Seismosaurus and its intended rival, the Gojulas Giga. It was always intended to be a large Zoid that was essentially a platform for a Bluefire weapon; a weapon of mass destruction designed to bring about the close of the age. I looked up the most appropriate sauropod I could find to present as a battle station and came upon the puertasaurus; to date, the heaviest of the kind yet found, and possibly the broadest animal that has ever lived including the blue whale.
THE BUILD
NOT SO FAST...
I decided to Tri-sect the torso and abandoned the use of the motor box as a structure entirely, affixing the hardware directly into the shell. I screwed structures inside to add a ton of strength. Note, also, that I used double-ball hinge joints; these only hinge horizontally, but offer MUCH more strength and stability. This works well on a sauropod where arching the back is not an important feature. Also, at the finish, I decided to allow these joints to be seen rather than to be concealed behind cloth weather seals (which has become a staple in my builds) since they look very industrial.
AI-2 PROFILE
The Hecatomb is, physically, a highly successful result of hybridized forced evolution technology derived from all three dominant nations. Zenebas contributed the forced evolution aspect, Helic the hybridization aspect, and Guylos the Deochalcum-infusion power aspect. The Hecatomb’s mind, however, seems to have broken as a result. There are traces of personality and instinct within its AI-2 matrix, but unlike most of the current Zoids today the mind mostly just guides the body. It drives like a machine, but still follows orders like a highly trained animal. The operators associated with the Hecatomb refer to it as a “Zombie Zoid” that is, as a result, terrifyingly fearless and without moral or even instinctual bounds.
CAPABILITIES (Combat)
At its core, the Hecatomb is essentially a mobile command center and artillery battle station. As such, the focus of its combat capability is on long range tactical firepower with limited mid-range, direct fire systems. Tactical missiles give the Hecatomb a range of 160 kilometers, but its primary battery of 240mm cannons gives it a 360 degree firing arc. With drone-assisted targeting, the Zoid is also capable of battering targets with indirect strikes that keep the Hecatomb safe. More than a dozen defense turrets help to keep incoming firepower and light units at bay should they locate and close on the Zoid. As a massive sauropod, the Hecatomb is limited in its ability to conduct infighting maneuvers. It has the ability to smash enemies with its armored skull, and it can bite to cause some damage. Being kicked or stomped by this Zoid can cripple or outright crush many foes. The most damaging melee attack wielded by the Hecatomb is its beam whip/blade, which can slice a Gojulas in half in a single strike.
NOT A FEATHERWEIGHT
The forward and rear spine supports basically float the joints in the middle of the torso as opposed to near the back, and are fitted independently of the shoulders and hips. I also dropped the Blade Liger’s twin shock cannon in the chest because it seemed a natural solution to close the gap there.
TAKING A HARD LEFT
Demonstrating the flexibility of the spine, I wanted it to bend despite having the planned “outrigger” platforms and legs, which I planned to mount closer to the corners. At this point I had not found a solution to the broad-sided look I wanted to achieve; something that held a lot of firepower (including top-mounted turrets) but didn’t feel out of place.
ONE FORM OF BATTERY TO ANOTHER
I finally decide on how to make the outrigger stations by using a pair of Blade Liger. I cut off the neck cable bundles and removed the motor components. After removing the insides of the battery compartment I could load them with launch tubes for the Bluefire Mortar targeting drones. There is some room above and below each battery for cables and some space inside the compartment cover for detail bits to be included later.
OUTRIGGER TURRETS
The main guns are a pair of Chap Mei 1:18 scale anti-aircraft guns… in 1:72 scale they become true cannons. It can be difficult to create large, smooth turret bases from scratch. To keep the turret solid I had to really cram a lot of structure in there, and I countersunk screws to make things really strong. The turret has to be set on its post and then the armor shells closed around it because of that lip on the bottom. With the outriggers temporarily in place, you can see that they are as wide as the torso is long.
A GLANCE INSIDE
The first shot shows the installation of the shoulder joints (screwed through the chest for strength) and the socket for the chest joint. If you see the small nub just above the socket, that is the base of the neck joint, which is then screwed into the spine for strength. The next three shots are a gap-filler piece for where I removed the Blox ports. These are ancient Robotix pieces I scored at a thrift store.
TWO OF A KIND
Using the Seismo’s existing Blox ports to anchor the outrigger platforms allows them to be modular... just in case someone wants to swap out gun platforms for other options like carrier decks or the like. For now, I filled in a few details to complete the tops of the turret bases and secured the guns. Each can rotate 360-degrees with the barrels fully elevated, a feature that is far more useful for a battle station Zoid than the fixed arc weapons of Ultrasaurus and Seismosaurus.
TESTING TURRETS, LOOKING AT LEGS
Due to the infamous “fragile red plastic syndrome” I couldn’t use the legs that came with my Seismo kit; I was considering using Elephander legs instead. Theywouldn’t have been a bad fit, however, the lack of detail made me steer away from them (and the fact that these are from my collection, and I would have to re-acquire an Elephander to replace it!) You can also get a good idea of how the outriggers were shaping up by this point.
POSSIBLE PLACEMENTS
I really didn’t want this Zoid to end up as a 1 pilot machine. To place the old Seismo cockpits on the turrets, I had to shave the sides down to fit between the cannons. I also noticed these flat, elevated details on top of each gun that I felt could be useful, so I balanced some of Seismo’s little turrets on them to get a feel for the start of a defensive gun battery.
STOUT AND STRONG TO LARGE AND LONG
Due to the infamous “fragile red plastic” incident, I had to order another Seismosaurus kit in order to use any red parts! I opted to use them in order to keep with the theme that this was an evolved Seismo, and they just look the part. The mechanics of the legs required some major work, however. I had to cut off all of the joints, core out each piece, and install Struxx structures throughout. They have to be strong, so they are also screwed in place.
STANDING TALL
Using just the existing leg pieces, the jointing worked but looked very awkward. I had my fingers crossed that I could make it work better once armor was applied. I also temporarily tacked the original upper leg armor as shoulder armor; it filled in the torso very well and places a roll bar around the shoulder joint. I tried using the same armor on the foreleg but the roll bar interfered with bending the elbow.
BIGFOOT… FEET
At 90% built the legs still had some refining to do with armor and such. At this point, I realized that the feet were going to look puny on the bigger legs and the much larger body. The new feet look deceptively simple, but they have 4 toes, not 3, which required cutting a pair of toe supports for each foot and screwing them to the base alongside the new ball joint. The new feet are roughly 25% wider.
STANDING FIRM`
Even though the Hecatomb is a quadruped, and very stable, I wanted to make sure it didn’t slide around on a table top and could support 3 and even 2 leg poses, so I installed rubber traction pads like those I used on SKG and Dreadnought. They REALLY made the stances strong.
SMALL TOUCHES
As the build neared the finish I decided to home in on fixing a few features that seemed incomplete. In cutting the torso I also ruined the 8-barrel folding cannons that were once on the Seismosaurus’ back (now located at the Hecatomb’s chest). I knew I wanted to thread heavy cables there but needed a sort of end cap to make the chest work; I cut up a pair of Gojulas arms and fused them together, then mounted them in the large chest cavity. Large cables will plug into this piece from the rear. I also had to cover up the copyright imprints located on the battery doors; they were under the Ligers, but the battery covers were huge missile bay doors on full display on the Hecatomb. I simply welded some perforated armor plates from a Kotobukiya MSG kit to cover the imprints.
FIRST BODY ASSEMBLY
With the legs essentially done and the shoulder shields in place, I started to finally see this custom coming together. The front gap of the shield is filled with a piece of Barrigator belly, the back side gap is filled with a structure cut from the Liger neck parts removed from the outrigger pieces.
FULL NECK REPLACEMENT
Originally I intended to just joint the Seismosaurus neck, but now the body and legs were larger and it didn’t look quite right. The cool part about using Giga tails is that they are all hallow... the uncool part is that each requires a different kind of structure inside to make them strong enough to stand on their own. Each piece of the neck required unique engineering, even though it is comprised of TWO Giga tails and every other piece has a duplicate.
UPSCALING THE HEAD
I blended a classic Zoid head with the Seismosaurus' original to create something new. The skull is from a Gorhecks which is then sleeved in the Seismo head as armo. The back hinge was removed in favor of a large ball joint. After I assembled those bits the lower jaw was too narrow, so I took a second Seismo jaw and welded them together which really gave the new head a great shape. This also cut off the ability of the seat to lower out of the bottom of the head, but the pilot can enter through the canopy.
THIS TALL TAIL IS NOT JUST ANOTHER NECK
Each section of the neck and tail requires me to come up with a different solution to joint it. Even though the parts look similar, some Struxx pieces are cored out, others are cropped, some are screwed, and others are braced. I was surprised that identical pieces used in the tail were STILL treated differently than those in the neck. The base of the neck for instance, has a double-ball hinge that bends vertically, but the tail has a double-ball hinge that swings horizontally. The tail also has to be strong enough to hold itself up all the time, while the neck could be posed in the raised or lowered position.
Built for
TAILTIP WHIP
One aspect of sauropods that is depicted a lot these days is a whip-like tail. My client wanted to depict this, too, but as an energy weapon to boot. The tail tip is 8 7/8" long (22.3 cm). The core of the tip is a heavy wire that holds its shape very well; it can be posed it by flexing between the beam blades.
HECATOMB vs. SEISMOSAURUS
Compared to the original kit, Hecatomb is 40% longer, wider, and taller. Of course the Hecatomb also boasts greatly augmented firepower. Between the two giants it would actually be a fairly even match at range, but should the two close on each other Hecatomb would cut Seismosaurus to pieces.
HECATOMB vs. KING GOJULAS
The largest stock Zoid ever made still outweighs the Hecatomb 2 to 1, despite appearing dwarfed by dimension. King Gojulas would very likely win if the two came head to head, but only one hit from a Bluefire weapon would kill the King Gojulas as quickly as a Godos.
HECATOMB vs. ULTRASAURUS
The closest equivalent in form and function to the Hecatomb is the mighty Ultrasaurus. At 507 tons, it is actually almost 100 tons heavier than the Hecatomb, and its 360mm cannons pose greater damage potential. Beyond that, however, the Hecatomb is superior in armor, shielding, fire arcs, and performance. Should the two meet, the Hecatomb could easily endure the Ultrasaurus' firepower until it was close enough to overwhelm its defenses. From a build standpoint, I could only imagine how huge it would be had I used an Ultrasaurus as the base!
GALLERIES
HECATOMB vs. DREADNOUGHT
There is no doubt that Dreadnought carries some substantial firepower, and with modified Supercannons and missiles it can even rival the Hecatomb for range. Both units are equipped with heavy armor and e-shields as well. Up close, the Hecatomb's tail whip out-distances the blades of the Dreadnought to rival it in melee. Once again, it comes to the Hecatomb's ability to land a single Bluefire round on it opponent. This would be close, but with the ability to cycle Blufire bursts directly into the Dreadnought, the Helic champion would likely succumb before it could claim the kill.
NOTABLE NOTES
Longest Custom to date: 51" (129.5 cm). 101 articulations. First time combining 3 battery operated kits into a single body (1 Seismosaurus, 1 Shield Liger, 1 Blade Liger) First time painting a Zoid in assembled sections (each outrigger base was completely assembled when painted, mortar mount/hip unit was assembled). Most extensive use of cables to date.
900mm Bluefire Mortar – torso mounted 360° rotation, 90° elevation
Within the insulated, armored shroud is mounted an array of 31 150mm Bluefire energized nano-round projectors. In primary mode, this weapon acts like a single, huge mortar. Each barrel fires a particle beam which holds within it thousands of nanobot projectiles; essentially guided missiles the side of a dust mite. They are carried within the beam and have limited guidance ability which can be controlled by the Hecatomb’s “Hornet Swarm” drones, effectively enabling each beam to turn alter direction much like a hypervelocity rocket. The beam carries a “surge” of nano-rounds than can effectively hose across an area by adjusting their trajectory mid-projection. Each nano-round carries a single Bluefire particle as a “warhead”, meaning that each shot from each of the 31 projectors is capable of killing every Zoid within an area of roughly an acre at a range of 80 kilometers. With a charge time of 10 seconds per gun, it is possible for the Hecatomb to slay 100% of Zoids within a 160 kilometer kill zone in under 1 minute.
The Bluefire Mortar also has a secondary mode of operation. With or without the Hornet Swarm drones, the system can directly engage targets as a standard cannon using any or all of its projectors. This direct-fire variant can kill line-of-sight targets one-on-one, or the gunner can “hose” an area by cycling the projectors to create a seemingly endless stream of destruction. The Bluefire system manufactures the drones on the fly, requiring magazines of base resources to re-arm. The Hecatomb can produce enough nano-rounds in 24-hours to operate the mortar continuously for up to 2 minutes, and the manufacture magazines can reload the mortar more than 200 times.
MAIN GUN BATTERY
Early on I had decided to use Warhammer 40k sponson-based turrets similar to those I placed on Dreadnought. We discussed missile launchers or cannons, and decided that cannons were a better fit on this build. HMM Dibison cannons really increased the caliber of the battery; it was clearly the right choice. Mounting them was another detail to reconcile; how the guns look at different angles depends on where they are mounted; the BLUE position in each image indicates the position in which the guns can elevate. In the GREEN position, the guns would have to rotate 90° in order to elevate. If mounted on the chassis, as in the first example, the guns elevate while facing forward. I the second case the turret is mounted to the outrigger and elevates for a broadside. He opted for this position.
SPONSON-AITY
I assembled four sponson turrets and attached the Dibison cannons to them. Now, these turrets are cast resin, which doesn’t play nice with my adhesives, so I ended up using Gorilla Glue and clamping them in place. I guess I wouldn’t be taking the outriggers apart to paint them.
COMPLETED MAIN BATTERY
With the main turrets and sponson guns in place we get our first views of just how much firepower this Zoid is going to possess. You can see how mounting them to the outriggers effects how they angle. In the top view they can swing horizontally without issue. They can also elevate to the sides at a 90° angle to the body. Now, they can track anything in the air, but the turret begins to twist at odd angles as it does.
BOLSTERING THE MAIN BATTERY
I wanted to fill in the width of the first neck segment a bit to make it appear a bit heavier. I happened to have a pair of Dibison shock cannons that add to the forward arc to help fill the gap left when the outrigger turrets are in broadside mode. I also mounted the Giga "tail bumpers" to the sides of the first two tail segments as vertical launch missiles to extend the Hecatomb's range and give it some fire-and-forget indirect weapons.
DEFENSE GUN BATTERY
On top of the main guns I added some screws as and then plugged the cam holes in the Liger bodies with Seismo gun mounts, then I proceeded to install 24 defense turrets around the body.
BLUEFIRE MORTAR PLATFORM
The mortar platform was made with a large Bionicle shell, and the deck and supports of the gun itself were taken from a Giga and a Dibison. I had to reinforce the deck halves with two levels of styrene supports. A difficult and tension filled time was in drilling a screw through the Bionicle peg to make sure the gun was secured strong enough; it is front-heavy, and glue wasn’t going to cut it this time. I planned to use the large open sockets in the platform for heavy cables later on.
BLUEFIRE MORTAR
The gun housing itself was carved from a cheap Walmart laser sword handle. The large cirlces in the side just happen to be the perfect size to fit the Dibison pieces to make a large hinge. I capped the shortened handle with a disk of styrene, which in turn was mounted with 31 steel barrel nozzles. The open back of the gun is plugged with a cap that makes a perfect ducted exhaust nozzle. I then made a shroud for the barrel using the engine covers for a GI Joe Cobra Rattler.
MORTAR IN PLACE
The muzzle of the shroud is roughly 3 meters tall! The weapon rotates 360° and can elevate sharply. I may add a detail or two to the gun before paint, but I am quite pleased with the big scary gun. Looking at photos of the Ultrasaurus with Gravity Cannon, the Bluefire Mortar is easily twice the diameter.
FINAL ASSEMBLY
After the mortar is installed I finally had my first look at the scope of this build; the largest custom I’ve built by at least one physical dimension… 98 meters (49 inches/124.5 cm) long. I am very pleased with how the Hecatomb came out; a very true to life silhouette (well, so far as we depict it).
PRIMED
As with many custom builds, the Hecatomb really came together visually once it was primed. Knowing that we were going for a stealthy theme, I decided to prime in black. This would also carry the benefit of reducing the amount of panel lining required for the finish coat.
BASE COLORS
The base colors that were chosen were a dark charcoal gray accented with black and navy blue. As per my normal paint jobs, hydraulics were to be brass with chrome pistons. I did place a few other colors about to pique interest; I painted one set of drone tubes with yellow and the other with red, but decided in the end that the red had more of the impact I was looking for.
GLOW EFFECT
To create the glowing effect, I first painted every part with bright white luminescnet paint that glows brightly under black light. Atop this I then painted a layer of phosphorescent white that could sustain the glow with the lights off. Finally, there is a layer of transparent purple to be seen under daylight.
TAIL WHIP
One weapon we knew we wanted to depict was the whip-like tail so many sauropods are pictured with today. On a Zoid, however, it made sense to add an energy blade to it. My first design was to have dozens of smaller blades with no more than a skeleton to mount them too, but I decided that it wouldn't offer a good way to pose the whip without the danger of the blades coming free. The whip alone is 8 inches long.
HECATOMB COMPARISONS
The Hecatomb's silhouette makes it one of the most aesthetically pleasing builds I've made. It is somehow all at once dauntingly heavy and yet graceful. While not the heaviest custom I've made by a long shot, it is sturdy and dynamic. It ranks up with my best works, and it was difficult to let this one go.
SPECIAL WEAPON SYSTEM
The Bluefire contingency system was failsafe system designed, in its original iteration, to destroy every active Zoid on Zi, ending an extinction level threat should it be required. The technology built into the Hecatomb is only the prototype of a single node of that system re-engineered for mobility to destroy all Zoid-based opposition within a large region.
ADDING DETAILS
The Shield and Blade Liger kits have a large, empty space above each hip that looks like it was always supposed to have something plugged into it... I decided to place a metal mesh vent there. I also returned almost all of the original Seismosaurus guns as a defensive battery, painting each gun with a blue stripe to match the overall Zoid scheme and painting each muzzle black (I wasn't about to drill them all!) The head armor secures with a magnet so the pilot can be removed, and the Seismosaurus cannon was reinstalled into the mouth. I also painted the targeting sensor lenses red for visual impact.
FINAL PAINT
Painting was tricky as several components were assembled before the base colors went on. The outriggers were made, and the mortar was screwed to its mount (and would NOT come apart). I spent almost three hours just finding and placing appropriate labels for it. Finally, I sprayed it with a matte clear coat. I want to point out that I measured only the neck and tail at this stage and they cormed a 40" long snake... maybe I'll make another someday.
CABLE-CORE
Throught the torso of the Hecatomb is threaded with 26 cables of different sizes, most of which pass all the way from the neck all the way to the hips. It is by far the most extensive use of cabling I nave used on a custom, including the SKG.
THE FINAL STRAND
The last component I added to the custom was also the longest cable I've incorporated into a custom; an 18-inch long necklace chain anchored to the third neck segment that passes through the entire body to the mortar mount,and back. It is loose enough to allow full neck and torso movement.
