Death Saurer
Ultrasaurus may have been around first and Gilvy may be prettier, but it's Death Saurer that everyone remembers, and Death Saurer that all the antagonists bring back. Its first appearance (H.264/AAC, see here for playback help) was as part of Zenebas' vicious counterattack in 2041, and it would serve many roles in many ways throughout the Central Continent war. The Empire fell, rocks fell, and many Zoids died...but Death Saurer would return, brought back by Prozen in both model and anime. In Guardian Force it would return a second time as a wannabe destroyer of humanity; in Three Tigers, it was Death Saurer that Zi Arms used in a bid to bring back the Empires of old. Even the video games often use them as bosses, and fanfiction loves to throw them around like plot devices.
In other words: Death Saurer is the ubiquitous Big Stompy Doom Zoid. It's also the easiest of that group to find, and thus the one most people cut their big-Zoid teeth on.
Death Saurer arrives in a very large and very dramatic box, featuring one of the crowning achievements in NJR diorama photoshoppery: Death Saurer under a bright blue moon, smashed and burning buildings scattered around its feet. The pieces inside are huge to match: big stompy Zoids aren't about complexity so much as they are tasty engineering and size. They come in black, brick red, and slightly silvery grey (which is matched by the caps), and the clear cockpit bits are cast in blue-tinged smoke. Extra bits include a motor with blinky red lightthing attached, two pilotmen, and a rubber band. You'll need to bring a pair of C batteries, but they're held in with a snap-fit belly piece so there's no need for a screwdriver. Happy day.
Unlike the Geno and BF lines, the main difficulty in assembly comes from Death Saurer's size. It gets progressively trickier to hold Death Saurer one-handed at the right angle while sticking parts on, with the tail being the worst offender. The black piece near the body wouldn't fit until I moved the switch to on, which meant taking the batteries back out while Death Saurer thrashed about, annoyed with its lack of head. That's right: the head's the last part you build, and Death Saurer looks darn silly without one. Most mid-sized Zoids the head goes together before limbs, so new-to-stompy Tilly was left a bit nonplussed (and more than a bit amused).
Things to watch out for? Make sure to put the rubber band on if you want a spinning fan, because it's attached relatively early and prying the whole Saurer apart just isn't worth it. The wire connecting motor to eyebit needs to have as much of the wire free as possible, as it's barely long enough to reach Death Saurer's head. Any odd tangling...you guessed it, pry apart and fix.
Beyond that, Death Saurer goes together smoothly to match its aesthetics. Its bulk is a weighty, heavy one, with even the skinnier legbits covered by armor being thicker than most. Black armor layers over red underbits, clear smoke over silver face detail - about the only bits sticking out are its guns, which are all stolen from the classic "Empire weapons" sprue. The finished product is impressive, and fairly large for a Zoid: over a foot tall and a good amount longer if you count the tail. When not in motion, it stares with cold-looking eyes, its expression ranging from emotionless to dangerously happy depending on its teeth. Add batteries, switch on...
...and Death Saurer comes to life with a grating rumble, even its motor sounding large. It doesn't dance or stagger, it lumbers and sways with a deliberate and stomping gait. Its arms move to follow its footsteps, its tail swishes, its jaw chomps, and its eyes blink a brilliant red—Death Saurer doesn't care much about moving quickly because it has no need. This is a Zoid that's made to wade into enemy ranks, spitting charged particle death and ripping apart what survives while its escorts keep things off its back.
In conclusion? Death Saurer is a worthy critter, though my personal favorites out of the bigstompies are Ultrasaurus and Gilvy. Really, you can't go wrong with any of that crew (Ultra, Death Saurer, Mad Thunder, Gilvy, King Gojulas). Each one showcases Tomy's designers at their very best in an era when ginormous models were more economically feasible...a time that's not likely to come again. Get whatever ones tickle your fancy while you still can, as even the rereleases are drying up.
Rewritten May 14th, 2007
