Zip

"Devious, man. Devious!"

— Zip, Sunshine

Zip

Affiliation: Zero Fleet Number: 5 Type: Harbour Switcher Tug

Zip is Captain Zero's second harbour switcher. It is safe to presume that he is also the newest addition to the fleet, as well as the youngest. He works, nearly always, with Zug (No. 4) and together they are often used to win minor contracts (such as the freighting of quarried boulders) and other such duties. Like the rest of the Z-Stack fleet, Zip is based on the Moran tugs of New York. He speaks with a neutral English accent.

Bio

Zip is often described as 'Zug, only worse'. His head is often in the clouds, and he is well known for being a coward. He is easily scared and sometimes speaks out of turn, as well as being quick to back down when engaging in an argument, and is easily dominated. Zip could be described as being 'slow in the head', for it will often take him a while to catch onto things, even basic terms and phrases such as 'devious'. He is mostly left out of plans, but may come up with his own, most likely wrecking the original!

Zip's whistle, much like Star switcher Sunshine, has a 'whooping' sound, but deeper toned, with a middle-to-low pitch. Zip also has the highest pitched whistle of any Z-Stack.

Whilst Zip and Zug are a similar wavelength, and have often been compared or matched with Ten Cents and Sunshine, Zug is much more skeptical of the pair, whilst Zip is quite the opposite. He will often follow along with Zug's plans in any situation, even if the concept of doing so causes him to lose his nerves. Zug often takes advantage of Zip's naivety to keep himself out of danger. Zip is not seen as often as the other Z-Stacks, though his roles in various episodes have always brought much-needed comic relief. He is rarely seen by himself. Zip is a bit kinder hearted than the other Z-Stacks, sometimes putting common sense before rivalry and trying to do the right thing, such as when he urged to help Ten Cents pull Izzy Gomez off some foundation rocks in 'Warrior'.

Appearances

Television

Sunshine
Pirate
Trapped
Regatta (speaks only in VHS Version)
Munitions (cameo)
Warrior
High Tide (cameo)
Quarantine (cameo)
Jinxed (cameo)
High Winds (deleted scene)
Bigg Freeze

Books and Annual Stories

Kidnapped
Run Aground (does not speak)
Nothing to Declare
Treasure Hunt (does not speak)
Mistaken Identity
The Race (does not speak)
Heat Wave

Voice Actors

Trivia

In an interview, modelmaker Chris Lloyd commented that when Zip was almost completely built, his model had accidently slipped from the workbench and fell onto the floor smashing into pieces. After the incident, it took around two weeks to put the model back together.
His model was sold to The Star Tugs Company (formerly The Star Tugs Trust).
It is currently unknown if Zip's other face masks still remain in existence. He currently wears his reknowned 'Devious' expression.