The Xarkon Jotun Hover Tank
LEGO by: Justin R. "Saber-Scorpion" Stebbins
Model Name: XGA-TH2 "Jotun"
Weight Range: Light
Speed: Fast
Mobility: Hovers on Land, Floats at Sea
Armaments: 2 anti-personnel blazer machine guns, 2 heavy ballistic cannons
Capacity: 1 pilot

The Jotun hover tank... because sometimes you just need something fast yet heavy-hitting. The Jotun sports a pair of powerful cannons that can be mounted with varying weaponry. They are usually both gauss cannons, which are so powerful they kick the entire vehicle back a good yard when firing at once. Besides these powerful weapons, the vehicle is also armed with a pair of anti-personnel machine guns.

Some people would say that a tank should not have a windshield. Some people obviously do not know the strength of Transperium! This material allows pilots to have great visibility without the worry of being shot "through the glass."

The array of engines on the back of the Jotun allow it to move quickly and make sharp turns with ease. It's still not as fast as a Hornet bike, but it's close enough. By the way, the word Jotun means "giant." No, the tank isn't gigantic, but I was trying to make it a Xarkon standard to name all their tanks after Norse giants, so I just used the generic word for the smallest tank.

The anti-personnel machine guns are great fun for a pilot to use, because they swivel from side to side. Lucky pilot. The infantry suddenly feel naked and useless. Yes, the Jotun is piloted by a single man. It employs a complex control method involving a central foot "platform" that is like a giant pedal. This platform can be pushed down and pivoted from side to side with the feet, and it is used for turning. The pilot also holds a pair of control sticks. One controls the forward machine guns, the other the main heavy gun turret. Some attempts have been made to implement mind-link control, but it is usually deemed to expensive to incorporate on a vehicle of this size.

The Jotun was deigned specifically to be held under the belly of the Nidhogg dropship. The first tank I built for this purpose suited it perfectly, but looked completely unoriginal. So I scrapped it for this new design. Some people didn't like this design because it didn't look enough like a tank. Well, that's why I said I was going for original here. Besides, it's not a tank, it's a HOVER tank. Think of it as a "light strike hovercraft" if you like. Something like that.

Can you find the Crown of Xarkon?

Here, I'll help you out a bit.

From the side. This vehicle actually has a lot of SNOT packed into it. Um, SNOT is a LEGO building term meaning Studs Not On Top, by the way.

It can get a bit top-heavy at times. Just like a Ford Explorer.

Luckily, the hover technology prevents it from turning over. here are the hover-pads on the bottom. Treads are considered pretty primitive in this time period, but hover pads are unfortunately unable to hold up a great amount of weight, making the old treads and wheels still useful in some cases.