Model Number: ZT-1
Unit Type: Prototype High-Performance Defense Mobile Suit
Manufacturer: Zalben-Trace Interplanetary
Operator: Pilot One
Rollout: Long time ago.
Accommodations: Pilot-only, in forward-facing 3-panel multi-monitor cockpit in head
Head Height: 18.5 Meters
Empty Weight: 45.2 metric tons
Standard Operating Weight: 64.0 metric tons
Construction: gundarium theta/ceramic alloy on movable frame
Armor Thickness: 7-47mm
Propulsion: Rocket Thrusters: 2 x 156800 kg; vernier thrusters/apogee motors: 6
Performance: 4.90 G (thruster-assisted), 6.7 G (jump-powered); 180-degree turn time .1 second; maximum ground running speed 665 km/h, maximum jump speed 785 mph
Sensor Range: 10000 meters
Fixed Armaments: None.
Optional Hand Armaments: 90mm GCU Battle Rifle, magazine-fed, 50 rounds per magazine, spare magazines can be stored in waist ammo boxes, can be magnetically docked to either shoulder when not in use; beam submachinegun, powered by rechargeable e-cap, hand-carried in use; beam grenade x 2, docked magnetically to rear armor plating
The pinnacle of mobile suit performance when it debuted, the Gunboy represented Zalben-Trace Interplanetary's bright future in the world of civil defense. Born from a merger between Zalben LLC's military division and the Trace-Rutget advertising agency, ZTI unveiled its first marvel to the world nearly eighty years ago, piloted by the enigmatic yet heroic Pilot One. To this day, the Gunboy design is hailed as an engineering miracle, and its designs are a closely guarded secret. Unfortunately, the ZT-1's build doesn't quite hold up to the copy, and its designs are kept secret only to prevent the truth from getting out: the original unit was destroyed on its third sortie eighty years ago.
Pilot One, secretly head of the design team Mitch Crowley, suffered horrendous third degree burns and died shortly after hospitalization. Through clever
manipulation of their news media monopoly, ZTI spun the suit's destruction into minor armor damage, and weeks later a new Gunboy appeared on the scene,
piloted by a new Pilot One. For eighty years the legend has grown, fueled by the hype of ZTI's expert public relations teams and subsequent word of mouth
campaigns. Despite a few necessary upgrades over the years, the ZT-1 design has remained mostly untouched, relying entirely on its reputation to scare off
would-be saboteurs and competition. Still, it isn't completely useless, as its sturdy design allows it phenomenal mobility on foot despite its weight, and
the Gunboy's limbic movement is staggeringly fast even compared to some of the newer models roaming the Big Rusty. The bulky nature of the mobile suit
allows it to carry up to five passengers in various compartments, each of which houses its own safety equipment ranging from inflatable flotation devices to
flare guns and parachutes.
Hi-Jump System: Designed as the Gunboy's primary propulsion method, the Hi-Jumps are a pair of hydraulic pistons built into the unit's legs, capable of generating enough pressure to launch the mobile suit upward at tremendous speeds, even at full weight. Used by more inventive pilots as improvised melee weapons, the piston-powered feet can deliver crippling blows to enemy units, or even support up to six times the Gunboy's weight for approximately forty seconds.
GCU Battle Rifle: Gundarium-Core Uranium Shell firing battle rifle, added to the Gunboy's armament to replace its outdated laser rifle. An expensive weapon, and probably the second most expensive component of the machine (second only to the black box), ZTI can afford the production of a few hundred a year thanks mostly in part to the billions saved by recycling the Gunboy for almost a century. Easily capable of piercing even the thickest of armor plating, the high-velocity slug gun's main drawback is the lack of an integrated target-assist system, forcing the pilot to rely entirely on his or her own visuals to pull off a shot. Its maximum full-power range tops off at just under ninety thousand meters, but even at reduced speed the deadly toxic metal shell is more than enough to stop whatever it hits. A later alteration to the weapon mechanics added an emergency grenade-like function to the individual magazines, enabling the Gunboy to weaponize its ammunition holds even without the GCU gun itself.
Beam Grenade: Essentially a weaponized energy pack, the Gunboy's Beam Grenade utilizes a high-powered electromagnet to generate small static fields between itself and any solid surface, allowing it to stick to virtually any target. Its explosive yield is roughly equivalent to large beam cannon blast, but with a multi-directional twenty-meter blast radius. Default settings place a small two-second delay on the explosive to ease safety concerns.
Gundarium Theta: A remarkably resilient alloy developed by Jotun miners capable of dissipating heat with such efficiency that the Gunboy has been reported to deflect blows from beam sabers and other high-heat weapons several times with minimal damage. So rare only the most recent model has been approved for full plating in the substance, Gundarium Theta allows the Gunboy to perform amazingly in close-quarters combat despite its lack of dedicated weaponry, and thus significantly increase the pilot's life expectancy.
