Cray
02/24/04 05:00 PM
68.200.107.8
|
An exercise in retro-tech.
The breakthrough technology of the Ice King is the multi-tiered motion control system that controls the mech's actuators in response to pilot commands and obstacle detection sensors. Beyond that, the Ice King ain't fancy by Inner Sphere cityslickers, and those Clanners don't think much of it none how.
The internal structure is some outstanding work (for the planet), but it's mostly just hollow metal matrix composite tubes (steel reinforced with oriented silicon carbide fibers). The frame approaches the strength of Inner Sphere standard battlemech frames, but the local replacement for the myomers is much less powerful, kilogram for kilogram, and the addition of magnetorheological fluid (MR fluid) motion moderators to the PAMs added further weight. Overall, the Ice King has (approximately) a 10-ton structure for a 50-ton mech, arguably more - a sizable fraction of the engine's mass is given to the pneumatic pumps and pressure reserves.
A Caterpillar turboelectric genset supplies 2000 horsepower to keep the pneumatics pressurized and get the Ice King's 50 tons trotting at up to 54kph. The oversized air bypass system of the generator is able to handle the heat of the gas turbine even when it's operating at full throttle, though this used up all the spare space in the center torso.
The Ice King is armed simply with an auto-loading 140mm cannon that typically fires dual-purpose high explosive rounds for vapin' infantry or punching holes in armor. The autocannon is a slow-firing critter able to launch about a shell every ten seconds. The weapon was a bear to develop - the main breach and barrel are on the right forearm, a snub nose weapon with a 540m range. The reinforcement of the arm and associated torso frames to handle the off-center recoil torques of the cannon and the complicated ammo feed through the arm joints, added a lot of unexpected weight that drove the weapon up to 8 tons. Some 40 rounds are stored in the upper arm, enough to give the Ice King extended battlefield endurance. To handle the heat of sustained firing, the autocannon has an integral freon jacket and heat pump radiator mounted on the right arm's pauldron.
A pair of 20mm MGs back up the autocannon. These are mounted on the left fore arm and can supply a continuous stream of 20mm shells at up to 6000 rounds per minute. Jethro and Zeke would probably appreciate the manually selectable fire rates that let them squeeze out a single round at particularly juicy bucks. (The manufacturer recommends only targeting large deer or moose; the 20mm dual-purpose shells tended to "splash" animals under 70kg.)
The Ice King carries a respectable 9 tons of armor, though it's commonly proposed to trade either 20 autocannon rounds or an MG and a few thousand 20mm rounds for another ton of armor. Complaints regarding Ice Kings wrecked by ammo explosions may be addressed with the forthcoming armored ammunition storage system (which may gain a new acronym before release, too - "AASS" is too inflamatory to pilots who have lost mechs and friends to ammo explosions.)
Overall, the ICE King is quite a technological achievement for the planet of coughsomeperipheryplacecough, but critics continue to comment that a traditional tracked vehicle of the same tonnage can beat the pants off it.
ICE KING
50 tons
10 tons workmech internal structure (L3)
11 tons 150 ICE (L3)
....Walking: 3
....Running: 5
....Jumping: 0
3 tons 3 SHS (2 CT, 1 RA)
2 tons gyroscope
3 tons cockpit
9 tons armor
....Head: 3 9
....CT: 16 16/9
....RT/LT: 12 16/7
....RA/LA: 8 16
....RL/LL: 12 16
8 tons AC/5 (RA)
2 tons AC ammo (RA)
1 ton 2x MG (2 LA)
1 ton MG ammo (LA)
Both hand actuators present
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
|
virgileso
02/24/04 09:36 PM
165.95.94.92
|
What would be the cost of this thing?
|
Cray
02/25/04 06:18 AM
68.200.107.8
|
About half the usual for a 50-ton mech, say 2.5 million C-bills. I'll try to remember to run the mech through the Drawing Board later today.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
|
davion76
02/25/04 06:43 AM
12.219.246.45
|
Interesting variant might be to remove the MGs and Ammo, a half tom of AC ammo, and a ton and a half of armor to give te mech an AC/10.
What do you get? A slightly faster Urbie! (that has moderate heat problems!)
Though I wonder what the ruling is on ICE powered mechs. Do ammo based weapons still produce heat? They don't on vehicles, but then ammo based wapons don't produce heat on fusion engined vehics...
|
Cray
02/25/04 06:51 AM
68.200.107.8
|
Quote:
Though I wonder what the ruling is on ICE powered mechs. Do ammo based weapons still produce heat? They don't on vehicles, but then ammo based wapons don't produce heat on fusion engined vehics...
This has been addressed by the BT writers in the Ask the Precentor Martial forum on www.classicbattletech.com.
The answer is: ICE mechs generate heat exactly like mechs. They generate heat from movement and all weapons, just like any other mech.
ICE mechs differ in heat sinks.
1) Internal combustion engines have no integral heat sinks. Each heat sink must be purchased separately.
2) Internal combustion engines may not mount heat sinks. Each heat sink must be placed elsewhere in the mech.
Yes, they can use DHS.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
|
virgileso
02/25/04 12:34 PM
165.95.94.92
|
Isn't the cost for them the same for vehicles, about 1,250 base cost (rather than 5k for fusion, and 10k for XL fusion)?
|
Cray
02/25/04 12:37 PM
147.160.1.5
|
Quote:
Isn't the cost for them the same for vehicles, about 1,250 base cost (rather than 5k for fusion, and 10k for XL fusion)?
I think XL's base is 20K, not 10K.
Yes, IC engines cost the same in every vehicle: cheap.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
|
Silenced_Sonix
02/28/04 02:48 PM
168.209.97.34
|
Correct me if I am wrong, but would this 'Mech not be an extremely easy target for all the heat that it is pumping (seeing as how it mounts a turbine for heat dissapation) - even the most simple of tanks nowadays has some form of heat-detecting targetting system, and something that blows a tornado of heat out of its back would be a particularly juicy target for heat-seeking missiles.
Evolve or Die
|
Cray
02/29/04 08:53 AM
24.27.227.239
|
Quote:
Correct me if I am wrong, but would this 'Mech not be an extremely easy target for all the heat that it is pumping (seeing as how it mounts a turbine for heat dissapation) - even the most simple of tanks nowadays has some form of heat-detecting targetting system, and something that blows a tornado of heat out of its back would be a particularly juicy target for heat-seeking missiles.
The strength of a mech's heat signature is measured in the number of heat points it emits. The ICE King produces up to 3 points of heat. That's a much smaller heat signature than most 'mechs.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
Edited by Cray (02/29/04 08:54 AM)
|
davion76
03/01/04 12:30 AM
138.163.0.42
|
The abrahms tank uses a turbine engine, and heat is no more of a concern than in a diesel.
|
Cray
03/01/04 06:19 AM
68.200.104.19
|
Quote:
The abrahms tank uses a turbine engine, and heat is no more of a concern than in a diesel.
Actually, the Abrams has a famously large heat signature compared to more easily muffled piston engine AFVs.
However, ICEs in general don't measure up to the heat output of energy weapons and fusion engines.
Edited by Cray (03/01/04 06:25 AM)
|