Daboku
Sarna News
| |
| Daboku | |
|---|---|
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Luthien Armor Works |
| Production Year | 3038[1] |
| Model | DCMS-MX90-D |
| Class | Assault |
| Cost | 8,012,300 C-bills |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 90 tons |
| Chassis | Alshain Class 100-X |
| Armor | Wakazashi Standard Plate w/ CASE |
| Engine | Hermes 270 |
| Speed | 54.0 km/h |
| Jump Jets | None |
| Armament |
|
| BV (1.0) | 1037 |
| BV (2.0) | 1290[2] |
Contents
Description
The result of a DCMS think tank tasked with gleaning information from the Helm Memory Core, the Daboku was unveiled in 3038 to little fanfare. A near-instant failure with flaws in almost every major system, the 'Mech was nonetheless hurried to the front lines for the War of 3039 where it became both a laughing stock and a virtual death sentence for Kuritan pilots. Problems with the CASE system protecting the ammunition bins resulted in the auto-eject triggering when the torso armor was struck in a certain manner. DCMS MechWarriors found themselves rocketing above the battlefield, often at the most inopportune moments, and ultimately took to disabling the auto-eject. Other problems included lasers that were prone to overheat, over-taxing the already burdened heat sinks, and routine jamming of the autocannon ammunition feeds, the result of an improperly designed chest cavity.
Combined, these problems persuaded the DCMS to shelve the design after the conflict. It was revisited in the 3040's and thanks to a further understanding of Star League technology ultimately became the successful MAL-1R Mauler.
Apocryphal background
The Linesman, an apocryphal design from the Capellan Confederation, claims to be the original inspiration for the Daboku and Mauler. The Confederation allegedly abandoned the design after building only five prototypes and sold the blueprints and one of the prototypes to Luthien Armor Works at some point between 3023 and the Fourth Succession War, as part of the technology exchange made possible by the Concord of Kapteyn. In the Draconis Combine, the Linesman design became known as the Nainokami.
Armament
The Daboku is armed with two Tronel VI-X Large Lasers, two Holly LRM-10s, and four Imperator Smoothie-2 Autocannon/2s, a layout that was intended to allow the pilot to snipe at enemies from well beyond conventional ranges. Unfortunately, the housing for the Large Lasers prevents proper cooling and as a result they often overheat and short circuit the Daboku's targeting circuits. The ammunition feed for the Imperator autocannons also tends to jam, depriving the 'Mech of it's longest range weaponry. Only the Holly LRMs seem to work properly but are only equipped with a ton of ammunition each, limiting their usefeulness in a drawn out fight.
Variants
No variants of the Daboku itself were ever manufactured. When the design had finally been refined into a worthwile BattleMech it was re-introduced as the Mauler, adopting the FedCom codename for the new design to leave the stigma behind that was associated with the Daboku.
Notes
The Daboku is a nod to Battletech: The Animated Series and the 1st Somerset Strikers (sourcebook), where the production history of the Mauler was significantly changed from what had originally been published in the Technical Readout: 3050. To reconcile the divergent information, an earlier version of the Mauler was written in to have existed by the War of 3039 already.
The faulty ejection system is an in-joke referring to a toy line that was produced for the animated TV series. Specifically, the toy version of "Hawk" Hawkins' Mauler had a button on the chest that triggered the ejection seat.
References
- ↑ MUL online date for the Daboku
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3039, p. 186