Gungyarados

The Gungyarados (also romanised as Gungyarado and Gungyaldo; often shortened to Gungy by fans) is a type of Zoid, a race of mechanical lifeforms from the fictional "Zoids" universe.Zoids
Zoid_name = Gungyarados
ImageName =
Caption = Gungyarados DPZ-23
Model_number = DPZ-23
Faction = Guylos Empire
Zoid_type = Dragon
Crew = 1
Weight = 155
Length = (Standing/Flight) 23/36
Height = (Standing/Flight) 15/11
Speed = 110 km/h, Mach 3.7
Weapons = Hyper Charged Particle Cannon, Pulse Cannon, 3-Barrel Shock Cannon, God Tail, Gale Wing x2, Flamethrower
Equipment = Power Connector Port, All-Weather 3-D Radar, Ice Metal Protector (armour)

Overview

The Gungyarados is a Dragon-type Zoid created by the Guylos Empire.

As the Gilvader was too complex and expensive for mass production, the Guylos Empire sought to develop a scaled-down version. The end result was the Gungyarados, one of the most fearsome Zoids ever created. Its primary weapon is a Hyper Charged Particle Cannon.

Like its larger counterpart, the Gungyarados is capable of operating on land and in the air. It can transform between biped and quadruped forms, allowing it to adapt to different combat situations and environments. Although lacking in speed, the design is extremely agile for its size and mass, even in the air. To further enhance its capabilities, the Zoid is protected by a form of laser-resistant armour known as "Ice Metal" similar to that on the Ice Blazer.

Battle Story appearances

The Gungyarados first appeared in ZAC 2056, at the start of the last phase of the first war between Helic and Guylos forces. Swarms of Gungyarados were sent to invade the Helic Republic, unleashing terrible devastation. The Orudios, which had been effective against the Gilvader, was overwhelmed by the Gungyarados' speed, firepower, and sheer numbers.

The arrival of the King Gojulas changed all that. The powerful new Zoid was able to devastate the Guylos forces, advancing seemingly unopposed. The bulk of the Gungyarados force was destroyed in combat with the new Helic weapon, the remainder being wiped out in the meteor strike that occurred shortly afterwards.

Media appearances

Video games

The Gungyarados' sole media appearance is in the Game Boy Color game "Jashin Fukkatsu! Geno Breaker Hen (Evil God Revived! Geno Breaker Story)", where they appear as powerful wandering monsters. In addition to Gungyarados being useful to catch and raise, their Ice Metal learns a self-healing move as its final technique. Unlike most other parts that do, it can be removed and placed on other Zoids to teach them the technique too.

Models

Original Japanese Release - Grade Ups

*Assembly required. (Snap-together, no glue needed. Scissors or X-acto knife recommended for trimming off excess plastic bits.)
*The model's colours are moulded into the plastic, and it does not need any paint.

The Gungyarados kit comes on seven frames, along with a battery-powered motor, an axle with two gears, twenty four rubber caps, a tab of two rubber stoppers, a small chromed pilot, label sheets, and an OJR catalogue. The Gungyarados is moulded in black, purple, and smokey chrome silver, along with a translucent red canopy and wings. One of the frames was originally issued separately as the GU-02 Pulse Cannon.

The Gungyarados is a part of the Grade-Up series of Zoids. These models have spinning connectors that are powered by the Zoid’s motor. Optional weapons systems can be mounted on these connectors that have action features powered by the Zoid’s motor. The Gungyarados' Grade-Up port is normally connected to the Pulse Cannon, but additional weapons can be mounted on top of that.

The model is moderately complicated to build, mainly due to the partially built grade-up motor. Special care must be taken with the Zoid's wings; they are very fragile and snap easily. The clips that hold the wings to the body are also fragile, and can snap. The Gungyarados uses a single “AA” sized battery. Once activated, the Zoid walks forwards, its jaws opening and the pulse cannon spinning. The Zoid can be positioned in either two or four-legged mode and will walk in either; however, it will not walk with the body partway between the two modes.

No specific extra weapons were made for the Gungyarados beyond the Grade-Up units that were used by all grade-up Zoids. Due to its design, the Zoid cannot use the GU-03 Eye Flasher, but is fully compatible with the others.

The Gungyarados was first released in 1990 and had a relatively short production run. It saw a second limited release at the end of June 2008 as part of the Zoids Graphics line: the graphics model is essentially identical to the original with only minor mold changes.

Genesis

In early 2005 it was reported that the Gungyarados would be re-issued as a part of the "Zoids: Genesis" model line with the designation GZ-018. The report was incorrect, and it would be the Gildragon that was released with this designation.