Cargo Hammer

The RTZ-012 Cargo Hammer is an older but still useful medium-weight Transport Zoid design first developed by the Helic Republic after the end of the Great War. Today it has become one of the premier medium transport designs and is in general use by many including Zoid Battle Teams, the Zoid Battle Commission and several national militaries.

General Overview
Around the final months of the last Great War between the Helic Republic and the Guylos Empire, the Helic Republic started to look into developing a new aerial troop/cargo transport zoid to replace the aging RTZ-006 Mother Carrier. The result of this would be the new RZ-033T Transport Hammer Head which was a rebuilt transport version of the RZ-033 Hammer Head. This new Zoid basically sports a small modular bay in the center of the machine which can be modified for a variety of different purposes from carrying passengers to carrying lightweight cargo. However, while having an aerial passenger-carrying Zoid was useful to the Republic it wasn’t really satisfied with its cargo-carrying capacity, therefore, a whole new transport zoid would be needed to be designed. The result of this would be the new RTZ-012 Cargo Hammer.

The Cargo Hammer at its heart is basically an enlarged version of the basic Hammer Head mostly of its Transport Variant. This is similar to the vastly larger Hammer Kaiser the large transport Zoid first used by the Ancient Zoidian Hiltz and later back-engineered from its remains by the victorious forces of the Guardian Force. However, the Cargo Hammer was quite smaller than the Hammer Kaiser only around five times the size of the basic Transport Hammer Head. This firmly pushed the Cargo Hammer into the Medium-class of Zoid Transports which had was kind of bare in the scheme of things.

Like its smaller sibling the Transport Hammer Head the Cargo Hammer sports a modular bay at its center which can be configured for a variety of different purposes. This includes a regular cargo bay that can carry cargo up to one hundred tons as well as a Zoid Hanger which really made it popular as a lightweight aerial zoid carrier. While it couldn’t carry around a dozen zoids as its larger cousin the Hammer Kaiser could it could still carry a small amount of Zoids of no matter their size. Later o,n this made the Cargo Hammer quite a popular choice for some Zoid Battle Teams alongside the ground-bound Carrier Tortoise.

Overall it sported the modular bay at its center with its main crew space towards the tail while the cockpit had been relocated to the dorsal fin which had previously been used a mostly as a sunroof of some sort to some custom Passenger Carrier Transport Hammer Heads. The forward part of the Zoid now sports its main weapons in the outriggers while the pair of small laser repeaters are positioned in front and behind the dorsal fin. The former Hammer Head cockpit area is a modular equipment bay that can be equipped with a variety of different equipment including advanced sensor suite, or extend the main cargo bay if needed. For Zoid Transport Variants of the Cargo Hammer this is often a smaller cargo bay which is for carrying extra parts and ammo for its embarked Zoids though like many Transport Zoids, bar the more massive Whale King, it doesn’t sport the needed equipment or facilities to fully maintain its carried Zoids.

This small transport Zoid has since become a favorite of many across Zi including Zoid Battle Teams, various different militaries, and civilian companies. It comes in a handful of different variants including the regular modular version, a passenger carrier, a dedicated Zoid Carrier which is basically a cheaper version of the regular variant, and even a fully-armed combat capable military version of the design. Alongside the Carrier Tortoise and the Hover Cargo the Cargo Hammer has become the premier Medium-Class Zoid Transports

Design Overview
The Cargo Hammer looks like an enlarged version of the regular Hammer Head Zoid with the center a bit wider to make room for the modular bay. Therefore just like the Hammer Head it can fly as well as be used underwater. The Zoid sports a cargo hatch along the bottom of the Zoid for loading cargo or zoids onto the transport. It also can be equipped with side ramps to allow an easier time for carried Zoids to disembark the transport. The cargo hatch can also be modified for launching aerial zoids similar to some dedicated Whale Kings.

MB-1 Cargo Bay
The first of the modular options for the Cargo Hammer’s Modular Bay which can carry upwards to one-hundred tons of cargo. It can also be sub-divided into smaller bays for different types of cargo. This cargo bay can also be equipped with a few smaller cargo cranes that help in loading the Cargo Hammer if needed. These are often equipped to the sides of the loading ramp.

MB-2 Zoid Hanger Bay
The second of the primary modular options for the Cargo Hammer’s main modular bay which can carry up to five light zoids or two large zoids. Like the hanger on the Carrier Tortoise, really any modern Zoid Transport, this hanger is quite modular and can be set-up to carry any class of Zoid.

MB-3 Advanced Sensor Unit
This modular option equips the bay with an advanced sensor suite similar to those equipped to larger Zoids. Cargo Hammers equipped with this option are often called Scout Hammers due to this. When combined with the smaller advanced communication suite in the lighter forward bay it can be used as an AWACS Craft or an advanced command and control unit.

RTZ-012EW Radome Hammer
The aptly named Radome Hammer is a successor to the older Pteras Radomes used during the last Great War and into the Hiltz Rebellion. However, the large Radome based radar equipped to this Zoid is one of the most powerful radar systems on Zi which makes these Zoids quite useful to any military. Therefore from inside this Zoid, its highly trained crew can track anything within a thousand kilometers of itself. Even then due to cost only a handful of these zoids are around and are usually found in various different militaries around the planet.

RTZ-012CV Carrier Hammer
This variant is a dedicated carrier version of the Cargo Hammer and can carry several aerial zoids in its zoid hanger though it can still carry ground bound zoids if needed. Even then its main mission to carry, service, and launch aerial zoids into combat. To do this it is equipped with an electromagnetic catapult along the underside of the zoid which launches its carried zoids into battle. It also sports dedicated service facilities inside its hull but this has the side effect of cutting its zoid compliment down from normal.

Therefore these transports are often found in national militaries as auxiliary carriers escorting the larger Whale Kings or Hammer Kaisers which carry large amounts of ground zoids and little aerial zoids. It is also found in several Class-S Zoid Battle Teams who possess a larger amount of aerial zoids then other lower-end classes. It also is quite one of the more popular variants of the basic Cargo Hammer due to its more carrier-minded nature of this zoid.

RTZ-012PL Hammer Liner
A dedicated passenger carrier variant of the Cargo Hammer which sports the ability to carry a large number of passengers in its hull. Unlike the basic Cargo Hammer and its passenger modular configuration, this variant is fully dedicated to the comfort of its passengers. These Zoids are another popular variant of the basic Cargo Hammer thanks to this and used by several different airlines across the planet. It also is one of the only variants of the Cargo Hammer to sports its own sub-variants. This includes a dedicated cruise liner variant that sports more facilities for passenger comfort in place of lower passenger counts and a dedicated underwater cruise liner.

Appearances
Currently, the Cargo Hammer is not included in any story, though there are some plans to include it in a new Zoid story based around the designer’s old story the Sabers. It can be used in other stories if asked which shall be included in this section in its own sub-section of this one.

Disclaimer
I like to mention that this Zoid is designed by myself, deathzealotzero, therefore I own the design and I will like no one to use it without my permission. I will allow it to be used in other stories only with my permission, therefore, please ask before using it in a story. Thank you.

Designer Notes
As I mentioned with the Carrier Tortoise I was getting tired of having no medium-sized transport zoids developed with the Gustav and the Whale King the only real canon transport zoids with the Gustav the light transport and the Whale King the heavy transport along with the sole-use of the Hover Cargo of a sort of medium transport. Therefore my creation of these two medium-weight Zoid Transports. The Cargo Hammer is basically an idea I got from seeing the Passenger-Carrier variant of the Hammer Head seen at the beginning of Guardian Force anime. I then asked myself what if you enlarged the Hammer Head which I remember is how the Hammer Kaiser was created. Hence we get the Cargo Hammer.