- RZ-053 König Wolf

The König Wolf is a medium-scale motorized kit, which features a basic walk cycle and a couple of moving parts. It was most famous for its weaponless base form, with its original weapons released later as Customize Parts.

Box Images

- First Edition Card

* The König Wolf's first edition card was the second to be numbered (PR-078) after the Gunbluster. Oddly, it seems that a second version of this card with no registration number was released through other means. I am not sure where the unnumbered card comes from.

- Lore

Information:	Technical Data:	Equipment:
Released: Oct 27th, 2001 Cost: 2500 Yen Motor: x2 AA Batteries Pieces: 92 To Assemble - 94 Parts - 16 Caps (14 are used)	Length: 21.24 m Height: 8.64 m Weight: 90.5 t Max Speed: 290.0 km/h	2-barreled Multi-discharger x2 - Dual Scope For Precision Fire - Night Vision Camera Electron Bite Fangs Electron Strike Claws x4

Zoids Battle Story

ZAC 2101 The Ray Force, which escaped from the attack by the Eisen Dragoons thanks to the help of the Gunbluster, learned of the terrifying ambitions of Imperial Regent Prozen through this battle. He intended to wait for both the Empire and the Republic troops to exhaust themselves, then would lead a rebellion to destroy both nations all at once. In addition, Prozen was trying to revive the Demon Beast, Death Saurer. Knowing this fact, the Republican Command launched a plan to revive the Mad Thunder, the only Zoid that could compete with the Death Saurer. This development plan began at the Dark Continent Entrance Base. But the base was already being targeted by an assassin. That assassin was the Liger Zero developed by the Empire, the Dark Beast King, the Liger Zero X. Can the successor of the Command Wolf, the König Wolf, protect the Mad Thunder from the raid of the X?

Fuselage Explanation

The König Wolf was designed based on the wolf-type wild Zoids from the Western Continent, which were larger than the wolf-type wild Zoids that inhabited the Central Continent. It's a high-speed combat Zoid with power and mobility comparable to the Liger Zero, but requires a cooling fan on the back to prevent overheating due to its excess of power. Its biggest feature is the headgear equipped to its head. In addition to dramatically increasing the safety of the cockpit, it also has a built-in night-vision camera and a precision firing scope, which is extremely powerful when the optional sniper rifle and missile pods are installed. Its special move involves concentrating all of the electromagnetic energy of the unit into its fangs and chomping the enemies with the Electric Fanger. However, it cannot be used excessively because it may cause the unit to temporarily stop functioning.

- Review

König Wolf is the second-ever released wolf-type Zoid design and featured a design unlike most other kits of the time. With plenty of features the Zoid has seen a lot of publicity and has a nice balance of detail. Seen in the first few photos most of the König Wolfs armor is removable.

In terms of quality it shares the nice trait of all light-colored Zoids: No scarring on white pieces. The silver scars do not show too badly but the black does, albeit it is fairly simple to mask. The Zoid makes use of rubber belts that run the length of its body and this is where the quality really sinks. These belts have been known to dry out and break over time even if all the Zoid does is sit on the shelf. I've heard that occasionally removing rubber parts and soaking them in water helps prevent breaking, but I've never actually had my own wolf's belts crack nor have I used this technique. It is worth a shot if you notice them looking particularly weak.

König Wolf is a motorized Zoid that uses two Triple A batteries for movement. It has more motion than the average Zoid, with a back fan that constantly spins while active.

- Images

Rundown

Pros:
    - Unique Design
    - Additional motorized parts
    - No scarring on white plastic

Cons:
    Rubber belts are prone to breaking with age
    Black plastic scars easily

- Gimmicks

- Cockpit

The cockpit of the König Wolf flips backwards to reveal the pilot. The Zoid has a control console similar to other Wolf and Fox-type Zoids that can rotate up or down to hold the pilot in place.

- Ears

The ears of the König Wolf are set on a hinge so they can lean in and out. If the headgear isn't going into place make sure the ears are pointed straight up and not rested at the sides.

- Jaws

The mouth swings open and closed. Because there is no underlying neck armor to hinder the movement they can open to an almost freakish extend, similar to a smilodon type Zoid.

- Headgear

The helmet normally rests over the neck, giving the image of a bristled fur. When in use the headgear swings forward, covering most of the upper part of the König Wolf's face.

- Head and Neck

König Wolf can move its head in neck at two different points: Where the head connects to the neck and where the neck connects to the body. This allows it to take both a howling and a stalking stance. I forgot to photograph the actual neck movement, sorry about that!

- Cooling Fan

A little unusual, the fan on the König Wolf's back is directly connected to the motor. When the Zoid is turned on the fan is constantly spinning. The peg on top is also used to connect the Dual Sniper Rifle.

- Dischargers

Commonly mistaken for guns, the Multi-dischargers of the Konig Wolf are most often used as boosters or to deploy a field of steam around the Zoid. They are attached to the back and able to rotate independantly, facing forwards or backwards.

- Tail

The tail is connected to a hinge joint that allows up and down motion.