RHEGANI
Tribal Matriarchy
XZ-217 Schütze
Chassis: Kyptoceras
Power Plant: XGZ2 (Gravity Compression Plant – Class-2)
Primary Mission: Precision Direct Attack
Secondary Mission: Fire Support
Crew: 1 - Pilot/Gunner (minimum rank requirement: Ensign)
Statistics
Length: 25 meters
Width: 7 meters
Height: 15.5 meters
Mass: 70 tons
Performance
Speed: 245 Kph
HISTORY
When the lands of Rhegani were encroached upon by a full Imperial battalion, it was made all too clear that the small nation was ill-equipped to contend with the Empire’s military strength; should Zenevas have desired to crush the island nation, it would have done so virtually overnight. The queen took counsel from her defense ministers and determined that a new, heavier platform than the XZ-114 Askari was required. The new Zoid would have to remain nimble, but it also required a combination of heavier armor to ensure survivability. Further, since direct confrontation with a superior force was best avoided until absolutely necessary, a “conceal and kill” strategy determined a combination of hidden, lethal firepower. The kyptoceras, a breed of deer with a unique configuration of horns, was chosen to be that swift, lethal unit. It's name, Schütze, comes from the ancient German, "marksman."
CAPABILITIES (Defenses)
While the cannon of the XZ-217 Schütze makes it into quite the predator, every military unit is equally another platform's prey. To keep the Schütze alive to deliver its fatal shot, it has been equipped with multiple layers of defensive technologies. Before even coming into contact with the unit one runs into its Shadow Step sensor evasion suite which broadcasts false positive targeting data including unit type, size, and movement information. This technology was also the reversed to create the Spirit Guide targeting system that guides the Deadeye-180 cannon. The chassis is sheathed in only 10 cm of ceramic armor threaded with titanium nano tubes, a combination that is lightweight, resilient to kinetic damage, and is efficient at diffusing heat.
CAPABILITIES (Performance)
Though Rhegani is a jungle-covered region, the XZ-217 Schütze is engineered to function well in all nearby ecosystems including forests, hills, and open plains. The deer chassis is deft and agile, capable of maintaining cruise speeds of up to 245 kph across open plains and wastelands but can still achieve speeds in excess of 150 kph over rugged or wooded terrain. The long legs allow the XZ-217 to dash through or ford water bodies up to 4 meters deep with little effort. It can even swim at slow rates by partially extending its Rip-Shock cannon housings to maintain stability.
ARMAMENT
Since the XZ-109 Askari has successfully fielded a universal mid-rang, balanced offense-defense strategy, the XZ-217 Schütze effectively takes that formula to the next level. It brings a true, heavy, long-range punch to Rhegani's military force while enhancing short-to-mid range capabilities. Deployed alone, a single Schütze can be a serious one-shot, one-kill deterrent. Deployed in numbers, or screened by a squad of Askaris, the XZ-217 is capable of cutting down a battleherd in short order.
"Deadeye-180" 180mm EMHV Bolt Cannon – torso mounted, 240° rotation, 24° elevation
The "Deadeye" is a 180mm version of the 80mm EMHV (Electro-Magnetic Hyper-Velocity) bolt cannon mounted on the XZ-109 Askari. The boasts almost three times the penetration power, the semi-guided, 6-kilogram round retains the diamond-tipped titanium penetrator but mounts this upon a tungsten rod designed fragment into 400 razor sharp flechts within the target. The Deadeye projectile achieves speeds of MACH 8 and can blow clean through an Iron Kong. While the gun can only transom 240° due to its power cables, it is capable of firing one round every 1.2 seconds and carries 90 rounds of ammunition in a modular drum. With the barrel extended the system is more than 20 meters in length and boasts a range of 34 kilometers. Unlike its predicessor, however, the Deadeye can stow its barrel to the side and can fire without it at a reduced range of 26 kilometers. In this mode it can also be programmed to detonate the shell prior to impact, making it into an exceptionally long-ranged, armor-piercing shotgun.
"Rip-Shock" Discharge Cannon/Melee Blade (x2) – torso mounted, 180° universal lateral arcs
A dual purpose weapon designed to engage enemies at medium to melee range, the Rip-Shock is, essentially, a railgun the fires a round which retains a portion of the charge used to launch it. It causes heavy kinetic damage on impact up to 4 kilometers away and discharges the stored electrical power explosively. At melee range the jacket extends and can be used as a club, on impact the weapon discharges enough power to melt armor and burn out internal components.
Auspan SB-30 30mm General Purpose Gun – torso mounted, forward arc, fixed
The Auspan corporation developed the Standard Ballistic 30mm auto-cannon to defeat light to moderate armor targets at ranges up to 2 kilometers. The gun exhausts its 2,000 rounds of ammunition in single founds or 10-shot bursts. The accuracy of the gun is excellent, but it is considered an anti-personnel weapon from 1 to 4 kilometers.
Auspan SB-20 20mm General Purpose Gun – torso mounted, forward arc, fixed
The small cousin to the SB-30, the system has a higher rate of fire and can burn its 3,000 rounds of ammunition, in less than 1 minute. Effective anti-armor range is limited to 1 kilometer, and against soft targets at 3 kilometers.
"Rolling Thunder" Automatic Beam Shotgun – torso mounted, 140° universal rear arc
A failed attempt to create an energy blade weapon, Apex Engineering Group could not cohesively restrict the beams. This resulted in a weapon that lances dozens of fractured particle beams simultaneously, punching myriad holes through targets. The impact area broadens with range, permeating an area almost three meters across at 2 kilometers; enough to ravage a small Zoid in a flash or cause crippling damage to a larger Zoid's limb.
“Arclight" GPC 80mm Cannister Deployment Tube (x8) – torso mounted, forward arc, fixed
Mounted above the Shadow Step ECM suite is a pair of 4-tube launch systems that deploy standard 80mm self-propelled ordnance. Each tube is fed by a 5-shot magazine which can be loaded with missiles of different types, the most common being light anti-Zoid warheads or cluster munition missiles. The tubes can also be loaded with defensive canister magazines which hold 4 rounds of chaff, flares, smoke, or false-identifier pods. Missile ranges are most commonly 5 to 8 kilometers.
Hardened Alloy Superconducting Horns (x4) – head mounted, forward arc, fixed
Not only are the horns designed to pierce armor, they conduct power amplified from the Gravity Drive. The shock is more effective with multiple points of contact, and can surge systems powerfully enough to burn out electronics. In one instance, a Schütze rammed a hunter killer unit and the ammunition cooked off inside the magazines, destroying the weapons of the attacker without firing a shot.
Hardened Alloy Hooves – head mounted, forward arc, fixed
The hooves function like battering rams against lighter targets, but a solid rearward kick with the hind legs can disable an enemy the mass of a Saber.
SUMMARY
As capable as the XZ-109 Askari has been, the XZ-217 exceeds it in every capacity. Unlike many Zoids which could be described as “a Jack of all trades, master of none,” the Schutze is a master of one trade… and it functions reasonably well in the rest. If it does have a failing, it is would be its effectiveness is only truly optimal when facing single targets. Though it is capable of engaging a dozen enemies, once the first shot is fired, the game is up. From that point the XZ-217 transforms from an exceptional sniper to a passable soldier.
ZOIDS PARTS LIST
Lanstag
Base model
Orudios (Evil Pegasus)
Muzzle
NON-ZOIDS PARTS LIST
Gundam Heavy Arms
Missile racks
Asoblocks
leg joints & armor, shock cannons
Struxx
Neck joints
Kotobukiya MSG #17 Revolving Buster Cannon
"Ravager" 180mm EMHV
Kotobukiya Frame Arms Heavy Sentry Gun
"Ravager" barrel stowage joints
Kotobukiya Armored Core Weapon #014
"Rip-Shock" discharge cannon
1:6mm Uzi Submachineguns
20mm & 30mm guns
Rayon Cord
Various power cables
Steel Necklace Chains
"Ravager" power cables
Screws
Screwing things
DEER JOHN...
I was commissioned to build a Zoid custom with two hard criteria; make it a kyptoceras (an extinct species of deer) and make it a sniper. The client had seen an image of the deer and loved the idea that it effectively had a monopod on its nose. The only official model close to a deer is the Lanstag, and it is essentially a brutal infighter, so this combo made for a pretty unique custom. I was glad to accept.
THE BUILD
ORIGIN OF SPECIES
One constant challenge with building extinct animals into customs is that there are often many interpretations for what they looked like in life. The challenge with an extinct mammal over a dinosaur is that those images are often far more obscure. There were several species of kyptoceras, each with a slightly different head and horn configuration. I decided on towing the middle of the line and started looking for the features that distinguished it… mostly the long face and horns. We also looked at a few options for the gun, which would have to scream, “this here is a sniper!” We settled on Kotobukiya’s MSG Revolving Buster Cannon. I set the kits out after they arrived and started to play with how to make this kit look like not-a-Lanstag-with-a-gun by clipping all of the parts to make a digital concept sketch.
CAPABILITIES (Melee)
Deft footwork, agility, above average for mass speed, and light armor make the XZ-217 a challenging target up close. The array of horns, reinforced hooves, and energized Rip-Shock blades make it capable of dealing out heavy damage, and from every angle. At only 70 tons it is limited delivering brute force, but the combination of speed and high-energy charge behind them enable the Schütze to fight as a machine of superior capability.
AI-2 PROFILE
Adept at stalking, mindful of every environmental nuance, patient to a fault, the Schütze is a born sniper. Despite its fearsome appearance and strong melee abilities, the XZ-217 dislikes close confrontation and can be difficult to keep in the fight for an inexperienced pilot. While it can call upon territorial instincts to fight fiercely, there are still prey instincts that can be triggered with an encounter with a qualifying predator, such as a Saber Tiger. If not taken unawares, the Schütze requires a great deal higher threat level to run.
CAPABILITIES (Combat)
The first and foremost mission of the XZ-217 is that of a sniper; it is designed to stealthily track a target and eliminate it with a single, high-power round. At this the platform excels, but the Schütze is also quite capable at close and mid-range combat. Armed with Rip-Shock cannons can not only tear through armor but also stagger an opponent through a powerful electrical discharge, enemies may decide to keep their distance. They may be met with missiles as they close in to short range, where the XZ-217 can then engage with twin auto-cannon or an energy shotgun. This balance of "one-range, one-weapon" options was engineered to keep the Zoid light and mobile while concentrating on its lethal long-range punch.
NOT A FEATHERWEIGHT
Lanstag is actually one of the models I missed picking up back in the day… I should probably get one for my collection. Anyway, I was a bit surprised at the size of it; more on par with a Shield Liger than a Command Wolf. The gun was certainly on the largish side, but it was appropriate considering the game that this prey animal would soon be hunting. Frankly, I love the irony of the role-reversal.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
It seems whenever I build a custom I end up using the phrase, "unlike every other custom I've built...." Here, again, is a feature that is unique among not only all the customs I've made, but I have not seen it in ANY Zoid at all: the horns of the Lanstag mount to spring-loaded flaps at the back of the head, which are attached with triangular screws. I had to cut them off to place a neck joint. The mounting ring just in front of them is a better spot to place the antlers (horns?) and the neck armor has to be trimmed away, too.
GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION
This custom is my first requiring the modification of the “Gravity Drive” flywheel motor. The thing literally constitutes about a third of the stock kit’s weight, and I had no idea what to expect when I cracked it open. Fortunately, the motor is quite simple in construction and the wheel can just be popped out… thus saving a lot of weight. I wasn’t so much concerned with shipping weight because I knew I could fit this custom into a flat-rate box, but I was concerned about that weight adding torque to the joints and limiting the poses the model could sustain.
ADDING THE NECK
I played a bit with the idea of creating a waist joint but it was decided that the effort should be placed into a more flexible neck and other features to come. My focus, then, was to add both a base neck joint and a head joint to help the Schütze look around. I was going to have to mount the neck joint to a strong structure secured inside the Gravity Drive. I used an almost unmodified Struxx joint for this and drove two screws through both housing shells to make them very strong. The neck posed what has become a standard challenge on my builds; placing two strong, correctly scaled joints on either end of a small piece. I modified a pair of Struxx joints and clipped them together, then drove a screw through the assembly. Afterward, it neatly fits into the clam shell of the neck parts (okay, after a serious bit of surgery).
AN INWARD GLANCE
This is a good overview shot for seeing my mind at work. I temporarily tack bits into place to work out jointing and to try to see obstacles. I noticed here that the hip box is completely devoid of support structures, the abdomen and chest are dominated by the mysterious Gravity Drive, the hinge joint in the neck had to be replaced with a ball joint, same with the neck. I also had to remove the throat piece that would leave half the underside of the head open. Finally, I noticed that that the face was far too short, so I considered replacing the head with a leftover from an Evil Pegasus. In this shot I am experimenting with using the same jaw… since I seem to have lost that one.
GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF
Looking at the heads I had in stock and the photos of two species of kyros, I decided that the best looking solution would have to be by far the most difficult option: merge the two heads. Why do I do this to myself?
SILHOUETTE SHAPING
The first shot shows how I opted to cut the Struxx piece to fit the head shell, and the second shows how cropping the two heads together turned out. In the overview shot I placed the armor on the haunches, chest, and then overlaid the torso and motor without the armor to see the overall shape. It is actually closer to the real animal without the armor on the haunches, and it increases the range of motion of the hips slightly. There is actually a downward slope to the neck, so I flipped the neck upside to better emulate the feature. Overall, adding a waist joint would almost have made the body too long! I also kept the shoulder pegs intact to use them to mount the gun-blades so they can pose independent of the legs.
LOOKING SHARP!
I knew I couldn’t dodge making the horns until the end, so I decided to face the challenge of finishing the head… head-on. I started by taking a couple of extra handles from a Kotobukiya Sentry Gun kit and shape them into a curved post for the nose. I dissected the smaller set of moose antlers for the horns because they actually had superior curvature, which this animal needs. I also glanced into a Gundam model box and immediately spotted these pieces of thigh armor which made me instantly think of a solution for the kypto’s ears. Though they appear to be stock, I actually had to trim the yellow verniers quite a bit in order to swap them, left to right, so that the details would be on the outside of the ears, not the backs.
FINALLY GETTING HIP
The legs had to be mounted lower on the body than the stock kit or the silhouette would look too squat. After modifying the leg peg, I installed some Asoblock joints that give a much more natural flexion point to the hip. I cut off the original peg from the body shell and drilled it enough to fit the ball joint through and secured the heck out of it. The ankles need some cleaning, but they are comprised of Asoblock ball joints and mount atop the original hooves. As with all of my customs these days, these joints are reinforced with screws.
STANDING TALL
Firstly, that "booster" on the butt is the chest armor... the four corner armor pieces have the same mount type, so I was just keeping track of it. ;-) Shot #1 is a good view of the new leg mounts; you can see that they are quite a bit lower than the original kit, and the forelegs are mounted farther forward, as well. Shot #2 shows a solution I was working on to bring out the chest more; I placed the hip armor onto the chest to see how it would look, but it would cover the weapons there. Shot #3 shows how well the piece forms the new chest. I also took notice of how bad the hollow legs looked. In Shot #4 I placed the original chest armor back on to see if I could make it fit with the new piece.
BUILD UP THAT CHEST
After I screwed the shoulders in place through the inside of the shell for strength, I decided that I would be replacing the cluster of 4 cannons in the chest because the Schütze was to be more stealth-based than an assault platform. I removed the guns and affixed the tail armor piece, which I decided would be an excellent ECM suit. The top of this piece opened a large space that needed plugging, however. I set the chest armor on and decided that the Schütze could use some lighter weapons, so I cut down a pair of 1:6 scale Uzi submachineguns and mounted them to the underside of the new chest armor. Finally, the large gap up top was filled with a pair of perfectly sized Gundam missile launchers.
FIRST TEST BUILD`
These shots represent the almost completed build. The horns were not in their final form, the tail gun had not been determined, and the side guns had not been designed. With the legs, body, and neck done, I could see that I had to be careful not to make the gun's mount too low. The cannon, here, was built-up with all of the spare pieces that were included with the kit. While I knew I would not use them all, I knew it would be bulkier once I added the magazine.
BUILDING THE GUN
While the gun came out of the package looking pretty great, it lacked a few features that would really bring up its A-game. First, instead of it having a spring-based recoil system that only works if you happen to own the Kotobukiya MSG motor kit, I offered the feature of a folding gun. For one thing, it made the weapon more compact in "stow" mode, and for another it would make it easier to package for shipment. I had to disassemble the original gun and ermove the mechanisms from inside, then rebuild the barrel to make it more solid. Using parts from the Cannon and the Kotobukiua Sentry Gun, I made the armature that would provide the two hinges necessary to flip the gun 180 degrees and offset it; the barrel would be couched in a built-in C clamp. The other feature of the gun that did not sit well with me was the limited 5-shot revolver design. I re-purposed the barrel of a Nerf Microburst squirt gun and made it into an ammo drum. For the chute I used a 1/45 scale tank track the locks into the old chamber, converted into a belt receiver.
FINAL ASSEMBLY
Here all the major components are built and the model is put together for final fittings, etc. The horns are finalized, the shock cannons are in place, and the tail has been incorporated. At this point I found everything came along just fine, and it could hold a trot pose on two hooves with ease... I am glad that I took out that flywheel!
DETAILS
Some of the detail pieces I added after the last assembly (starting in the upper left, clockwise): #1 thigh armor shields, #2 replaced the tall oval shoulder joint with a compact, circular one, then installed a cap for aesthetics, #3 added posts and aesthetic caps to the neck... oh, and that blue piece on top of the neck just before the ball joint? That's a piece from the King Gojulas I used to make the SKG! I didn't even have to trim or file it! #4 the light gray piece was reclaimed from the post that synchronized the Lanstag's front and rear legs, and the round bit in front of it is the targeting radome included with the cannon kit... it is plugging the original shoulder cam hole. #5 Gundam missile boxes and 1:6th scale Uzis! #6 (lower right) shoulder joint cup re-purposed for the gun barrel stowage cradle. #7 because the barrel now "breaks" I had to plug both ends and drill them to appear as though they were solid metal and were bored for the right size round. #8 plugged the squirt gun nozzle with a cap to blend the gun in with the Zoid kit. #9 first cable added to the sighting system. #10 used one of the gun handles to fill in the gap on the nose.
PAINT THE TARGET
On this custom I went with a flat black base coat as opposed to a gray primer. Knowing that I was going to make the structure color a dark brown let me retain some of the black deep inside the cracks and made washes of those pieces unnecessary. For the armor we were going for a lighter, sandy brown. The masking of dark brown parts took two hours, and I learned a very valuable lesson: making 20 pieces look like a single piece is easy, making a single piece leg look like 20 pieces is a LOT harder. As painting the base coat came to a close I was satisfied with the "rustic wasteland" look
FINALLY SNIPING
These images were the final build after decals and clear coat were applied. Also, the cables have been threaded by this time. Considering that this custom was not to include such features as a waist and knees, I feel it turned out quite well.
Built for
FEEL THE LOVE
More photos on the bench; this time using the sniper cannon as a simple howitzer. In the last frame, I also added a lens to the targeting system.
FINISHED SCHUTZE
All in all, I am very pleased with the way the XZ-217 Schütze turned out. Not as small as a windup and just about the size of a bat-op kit, it makes for a really balanced entry to my growing portfolio of larger models. Were I to make another, I would love to add additional joints, perhaps some boosters, and some cockpit details. Ultimately, with two models (or through casting a second set of legs), I would make them complete rather than hallow pieces stuffed with random bits to take up the spaces.
SCHÜTZE & ASKARI
The Rhegani Defense Force’s medium and light armor units, side by side. Ironically, the Schütze represents “more of the same” for the Matriarchy; but that is because the Askari is a very efficient design. The Schütze holds a higher caliber cannon, is another rugged terrain conquering, stealthy unit, more short range missiles, more 360 arcs of fire. I really like seeing them together, especially since I tried so hard with both models to make them reflect their flesh and blood counterparts.
SCHÜTZE vs. SHIELD LIGER COMMANDER
Predator and prey… sorta! Both units are fast moving, mid-sized platforms, but the Liger is a front-line unit and the Schütze is truly designed for the support role. Were the two Zoids to engage each other, as with so many battles with the XZ-217, it comes down to the first shot. If the Schütze gets off the first shot it will almost certainly decide the battle in a split second (well, depending on travel time of the round). However, if that shot fails to find its mark, the Commander will close on the Schütze and, in all likelihood, rip it into mecha kitty kibble. Note that, in my Age of War story line, energy shields are used against energy weapons, and are far less effective against kinetic attacks. Hence, with the perfect lined-up shot, the Schütze may even kill the Commander through its e-shield.
SCHÜTZE vs. KÖNIG WOLF
Sniper vs. sniper; ironically, wolves are the primary natural predator of deer. So, head to head, who would win a confrontation? According to Tomy’s data, the König’s CP-22 Dual Sniper Rifle has a range of 3 kilometers, but does moderate damage (I think they were comparing to infantry sniper rifles... I mean a .50 cal rifle can pierce armor at 1.5 kilometers!) With a range of 36 kilometers, the 180 mm cannon is superior and range and damage, and would decimate the König. Again, the challenger’s survival depends on the accuracy of the first shot, however, the Schütze is also better equipped at medium and short ranges with its cannons, though its short range missiles are inferior to those of the CP-23. Up close, the two units are closely matched, but the König would kill the Schütze quickly in melee.
SCHÜTZE vs. SIOBHAN
Both Rhegani Zoids are stalk and shoot platforms, but the Schütze can strike a target at 5 kilometers. One very different aspect of the first-shot winning streak that the Schütze stands upon is that the Siobhan combines an excellent stealth suite combined with an excellent chance of shooting down incoming sniper rounds with its trio of Gatling cannons. Every step closer the Siobhan can take increases the chances of a victory over the sniper. The Schütze stands less of a chance in melee against the Siobhan than it does against the König Wolf; the lioness boasts boosters, superior agility, superior strength, and abundant close-in weapon options in addition to its fangs and claws. Overall, this match goes to Siobhan.
SCHÜTZE vs. AEROGEIST
Helic holds some of the most sophisticated technology on the modern battlefield, and the Aerogeist fills the same fundamental role as the Schütze; approach a target under the cloak of stealth and end it with a savage, quick strike. The Aerogeist is, itself, a sniper… its Thundershock as essentially a compact CPC rifle with a 25 kilometer range. Head to head, its 25 kilometer range and ability to fire TWO shots simultaneously places the long range game in Helic’s favor. Ironically, the Schütze owns the medium range game with his Rip-Shock cannons. In melee combat the two come very close; large horns and shotguns versus fangs and SABOT guns. Overall, the Aerogeist has the greater chance of success.
GALLERIES
SCHÜTZE vs. SIEGE TORTOISE (XZ-204-H)
Gershai’s Siege Tortoise is a multi-role platform featuring high customization. Of the five versions, the –H class, or “Ravager” HAS (Hybrid Artillery System) cannon is the closest weapon to the sniper rifle on the Schütze. The 140mm cannon has an effective range of 50 kilometers, but the accuracy is highly questionable beyond 30 kilometers. In this case the XZ-204 is a sitting duck for the Schütze’s gun and targeting system, which is accurate out to 35 kilometers. However, the armor of the Tortoise might be able to withstand several hits at that range. The Ravager cannon would scrap the Schütze in a single shot, however. The Schütze has the advantage of a stronger ECM suite. Though the fight is actually fairly even, if you can’t hit a target you cannot stop it from hitting you… this fight goes to the Schütze.
NOTABLE NOTES
Build First: this is my first flywheel-based custom (not that it has a flywheel anymore)
Another first; it is the first time I have built a custom of a Zoid I don't own! I have yet to pick up a Lanstag!
This custom is actually almost 25% Kotobukiya support kits! It incorporates the MSG #17 Revolving Buster Cannon, Frame Arms Heavy Sentry Gun, and Armored Core Weapon #014 Shotgun melee weapons.
