Preview Images: Anubis Zone Of the Enders VIC VIPER plamo Kotobukiya

Preview Images: Anubis Zone Of the Enders VIC VIPER plamo Kotobukiya

ANUBIS ZONE OF THE ENDERS ビックバイパー
Plastic model kit
Release date & Price: TBD (2012 release)
Manufacturer: Kotobukiya

In Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, the former main character of the first game, Leo Stenbuck pilots a LEV by the name of Vic Viper, or V2 for short. To fit in with the theme of the games, the Vic Viper can transform into a robotic mecha form in similar fashion to VF-1 Valkyries from Macross or the titular “mobile suit” of Zeta Gundam.

According to the official website for the game as well as its art book, the decision to put the Vic Viper in such an advanced cameo came from character designer Yoji Shinkawa’s love for the old Gradius games. He always thought the two protruding sections at the front of the Vic Viper looked like they could be the legs of a convertible robot. The character of Leo was meant to pilot a vehicle of Earth technology (as opposed to the Martian technology used to build the “Orbital Frames”, the signature mecha of the Zone of the Enders series), something which could stand up to the powerful Martian frames and reflect Leo’s fast and accurate style. Hideo Kojima wanted Leo to pilot something that was fast, furious, and something that could transform, and Shinkawa jumped at the opportunity to insert the Vic Viper into the game. (zoneoftheenderswikia)