Wolfhound IIC

Wolfhound IIC
Production information
Manufacturer
Production Year	3051
Class	Light
Cost	5,694,030 C-bills
Technical specifications
'Mech type	Clan BattleMech
Mass	35 tons
Chassis	Endo steel
Armor	Ferro-fibrous
Engine	210 XL engine
Communications System	Unknown
Targeting Tracking System	Unknown, with enhanced ECM suite
Heat Sinks	14 double heat sinks
Speed	97 km/h
Armament	1x ER large laser 3x Medium pulse lasers 1x ER medium laser
BV (1.0)	1,473
BV (2.0)	1,579

Description

The Wolfhound IIC is the rebuilt version of "Grinner", Phelan Kell's Wolfhound BattleMech. It is unclear whether this design ever achieved full production, and the only version of it known to be in existence is his. In authorizing the upgrade, Khan Ulric Kerensky spared no expense. It uses an endo steel internal structure and an XL engine to save weight, while also mounting six and a half tons of ferro-fibrous armor, the most that can be squeezed onto the chassis. An ECM suite provides additional defense against enemy electronics.

Weapons and Equipment

A direct upgrade of the Wolfhound, its IIC version has better range, damage, and heat control. Its largest and longest-range gun is the arm-mounted Series 7K ER large laser, supported by a trio of torso-mounted Kolibri Omega Series medium pulse lasers which provide accurate firepower, and while a rear-mounted Series 2b ER medium laser worries any 'Mech that gets behind it. The use of 14 double heat sinks is enough to keep heat levels at a minimum as long as the rear-mounted laser does not see use. The design team charged with rebuilding Grinner were initially set on using some of the weight savings of the Clan technology to mount an anti-missile system in the design, but the technicians ultimately decided that it would go against the design specification of the Wolfhound as an all-energy weapon platform, without ammunition concerns.

Variants

Though technically a one-of-kind design, a number of sources posit entirely different weapon arrays from the canon loadout above:

• Phelan Kell Variant 

  The book More Tales of the Black Widow describes a version of the Wolfhound IIC more properly, a refit of his original Wolfhound, retaining the Inner Sphere chassis but replacing other components with Clan versions. An XL engine, double heat sinks, and six tons of ferro-fibrous armor frees up enough space to upgrade the weaponry to a large pulse laser and four medium pulse lasers, with an ECM suite added in the head.

Notable Pilots

• The pilot of the original, and only confirmed version, Phelan Kell is one of the best-known MechWarriors in history. Phelan piloted his Wolfhound IIC, "Grinner", to victory over Vlad Ward in his bid to earn a Bloodname, becoming the youngest ever to do so. By 3059, however, Kell (now Khan of Clan Wolf-in-Exile) had abandoned Grinner in favor of a Gladiator.

Related BattleMechs

• Wolfhound : Phelan Kell and his original Wolfhound, nicknamed "Grinner", were captured by the forces of Clan Wolf during Operation Revival.

Notes

• Like the Wolfhound, the Wolfhound IIC is an original creation attributed to author Michael A. Stackpole, making its first appearance in his novel Blood Legacy.
• An apocryphal version of the Wolfhound IIC "Grinner" was added to MechWarrior Online & MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries for the DLC "Heroes of the Inner Sphere" but is instead a variant of the Wolfhound chassis that utilizes Inner Sphere rather than Clan technology. The canon version was later ported into MechWarrior Online as the WLF-C Wolfhound; the only Wolfhound variant in the game that is built with Clan technology.

Gallery

• 

  Phelan's Wolfhound IIC Grinner on Tukayyid

• 

  Wolfhound IIC Grinner from Tactical Operations

• 

  Wolfhound IIC Grinner from BT:Legends

Bibliography

• Blood Legacy
• Grave Covenant
• MechWarrior Online - Resistance Heroes Sale Page
• More Tales of the Black Widow
• Record Sheets: 3050 Upgrade, Inner Sphere
• Record Sheets: 3050 Upgrades Unabridged (Inner Sphere)
• Technical Readout: 3050
• Tukayyid