König Wolf
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The König Wolf (sometimes spelled Konig, Koneig, Koenig, and directly romanized as Kenihi) is a Wolf-type Zoid, one of over 200 species of biomechanical lifeforms depicted by TOMY's Zoids model, toy, and media franchise. The König Wolf was first released as a model kit in October 2001, and has since held important roles in the Zoids: Fuzors anime and several comics and manga.
| König Wolf | |
 König Wolf Mk II, as seen in Zoids: Fuzors |
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| RZ-053 Wolf Type Helic Republic |
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| Crew | 1 |
| Weight | 90.5 tons |
| Depth | 21.24 m |
| Height | 8.64 m |
| Maximum Speed | 290 km/h |
| Weapons | Electron Bite Fangs, Electron Strike Claws (4), Double Barrelled Multi-discharger (2) |
| Equipment | Headgear (Night Vision Camera, Precision Targeting Dual Scopes), Cooling Fan |
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The König Wolf is a Wolf-type Zoid created by the Helic Republic for use during the various wars on Zi. Despite its appearance, it is not a derivative of the Command Wolf design. Instead, it was based directly on a wild Zoid type, in much the same way as the Liger Zero. (Incidentally, this is a different species of wild Zoid to that used as the basis of the Command Wolf)
The König Wolf, as a wild Zoid type, is fast, agile, and responsive. The Zoid's agility is almost on par with that of the Liger Zero. It is equipped with an impressive array of powerful melee weapons, but the basic design completely lacks ranged weapons, a severe deficiency. The Zoid does possess one unusual feature; it is equipped with a set of advanced optics, located in a set of goggles that can be folded down over the Zoid's cockpit.
[edit] Battle Story appearances
The König Wolf was developed in ZAC 2101, as a potential counter to the Empire's Liger Zero design. However, the König Wolf wasn't ready for service until a year after the Liger Zero design was stolen and produced by the Republic.
The König Wolf was used by the Republic in their invasion of the Dark Continent of Nyx, in ZAC 2102. The Wolf's speed and agility was useful in the treacherous terrain of the Dark Continent, allowing the Zoid to rapidly advance through the Empire's territory. The König Wolf was primarily assigned to escort the Madthunders en-route to the Empire's capital, and was essential in fending off attacks by the Empire's Liger Zero X and Dark Spiner. For a while, Rob Hermann, the son of the Helic Republic's President, used one.
Most of the König Wolves were destroyed in the Imperial capital in ZAC 2102. The Republic seems to have abandoned the design in favour of further development of the Liger Zero platform.
[edit] Media appearances
[edit] Anime
[edit] Fuzors
The König Wolf first appearance was in Zoids: Fuzors, piloted by Amy from the Mach Storm team. Amy used the Zoid throughout the series. While no other König Wolves were seen in the series, the Zoid was depicted as a relatively common design.
Amy and her König Wolf were the subject of controversy within the Western fandom; many fans deriding her ability to pilot, based on the fact that she seemed to be easily defeated. The truth was that the fans were expecting the König Wolf to be an unbeatable "Super Zoid" and, as a result, were not impressed with its fairer depiction in the anime.
Amy's König Wolf is shown to possess a Strike Laser Claw system, instead of the Electron Strike Claws. The König Wolf also carries the CP-22 Dual Sniper Rifle and CP-23 Anti-Zoid Missile Pod upgrades.
[edit] Genesis
Two König Wolf's appeared in Zoids: Genesis, one identical in appearance to Amy's, piloted by Danbul. The second, a gray and blue König Wolf, was spotted in the last episode of the series, as part of a large guerrilla group allied with Ra-Kan's resistance against Jiin.
[edit] Manga
The König Wolf's only appearance was in the obscure comic Zoids: Galaxy Quest Planet Zi. A König Wolf was used by Kugo, one of the protagonists, after he crash-landed on Zi. It took him a while to win the Zoid over (early on, it seemed fond of trying to step on him), but the two developed a bond after Kugo helped it when it was damaged. The two also fought together against an attacking Dark Spiner alongside a Liger Zero X.
Kugo and the Wolf remained close companions until it self-destructed, trying to save him from attacking Shellkarn and Flyscissors Blox. Shaken by the Zoid's death, Kugo took up piloting a Leoblaze, later learning that the Flyscissors and Shellkarn had survived.
[edit] Models
[edit] New Japanese Release
- 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 König Wolf kit comes on seven frames, along with a battery-powered motor, a semi-transparent canopy and optics frame, sixteen rubber caps, two rubber belts, a small dull grey pilot, and label sheets. The König Wolf is moulded in black and white, with silver claws and translucent orange eyes and optics.
The König Wolf’s construction isn't overly complex or difficult, putting it roughly in the middle of the range for Zoid complexity. The König Wolf uses a pair of "AAA" sized batteries for motion. Once activated, the Zoid walks forwards, with a fan on its back spinning. The head can be manually positioned, the jaws opened, and the goggles can be deployed.
The two decorative rubber belts on the Zoid's legs are very fragile and snap easily; however this does not affect the model's mobility.
Two optional weapons kits were produced for the König Wolf; the CP-22 'Dual Sniper Rifle' and CP-23 'AZ 5 Missile Unit'. Both weapons kits had only very short production runs, and often end up fetching outrageous prices in collectables auctions.
The König Wolf was first released on the 27th October 2001.
[edit] New American Release
The König Wolf was re-released by Hasbro in the North America. The only difference between the NAR and NJR versions is the packaging.
The Zoid was also released by TOMY in the New Pacific Release, in packaging almost identical to the NAR kit. Despite the relative popularity of the Zoid amongst the American fandom, the NPR König Wolf was slow selling, and languished on shelves long after most other Zoids stock had been cleared.
[edit] Heavy Arms König Wolf
A limited-edition kit, the Heavy Arms König Wolf was released as a 'Zoids Shop' exclusive from Zoidscore.com. The HA König Wolf kit was recoloured to blue and light grey, and included both the CP-22 and CP-23 upgrades. The kit came in special packaging, and included a DVD of the Zoids Web Comic.
[edit] Fuzors
Another version of the König Wolf was released in 2004 as a part of the Fuzors line, under the name König Wolf Mk II. This version, based on the Zoid seen in the Zoids: Fuzors anime, was recoloured in bronze, dull red, and purple, with green eyes. The kit came with a new label sheet containing Team Mach Storm markings, contained a blue pilot, and like the HA König Wolf, contained both the CP-22 and CP-23 upgrades. No pilot figure based on the character of Amy was made available.
