This morning, we will look at one of the stars of Operation Revival: the Kit Fox. Admittedly, it is not an A-list Oscar nominee, more like a third-rate made-for-cable mini-series star you can hire for couple of grand plus meals. Common among Clan Jade Falcon, it is heavily armed for its size with 16 tons of available pod space. The speed however borders on the low end of acceptability at 6/9/0, and armor protection is a mere 73% of the maximum. Since the 30-ton chassis is one of the few that can actually mount the maximum while using ferro-fibrous armor, I for one consider it an affront that engineers did not do so.
Though possessing the speed of a Commando, the Kit Fox has ample room for a blistering array of weapons; alas most of the configurations leave one scratching the head and asking Why Me O Lord? At least the design team did not pad the chassis with extra fixed heat sinks, so let us be grateful for small favors.
The Prime Config starts with a good weapon: a Clan ER Large Laser, and backs-up that gun with a Streak SRM-4 launcher (25 shots). Both weapons are mounted in the arms (laser in the left and SRM in the right) as well. Good! Excellent! But we still have nine tons of pod space left. What pray tell comes next? Well, a Small Pulse Laser in the left arm alongside the ER Large. OK, we got some anti-infantry ability. I am good with that. Eight tons to go, and here it goes off the rails. What is that last weapon? It is an LB-5X autocannon with 20 shots. Yes, trothkin, for 1 hex less range than our ER Large, we have half the damage, only 20 shots, and more than twice the weight. Maybe the design team was thinking of heat, that’s why they included the LB-5X. ER Large (12) + Streak SRM-4 (3) + Small Pulse Laser (2) + running (2) = 19. That must be it. We can run and never ever go overheat. But it is a crit-seeker! And it gets a bonus against VTOLs! I am now SO happy. Thank you design team, thank you.
Config A is the one most people actually USE when they field a Kit Fox. A Gauss Rifle with 16 shots is the main gun in the right arm. Two ER Medium Lasers finish off the design, both in the left arm. Pretty solid long-ranged punch for a light Omni. Yep, but they still could have done it better, and for less tonnage.
Config B features an Ultra AC-10 with 20 shots (RA), an SRM-6 with 15 shots (RA), an ER Medium Laser (LA), and an ER Small Laser (LA). Except for the jamming and limited ammo stocks, this one is ok. Not great, but ok.
Config C confuses me. Are not Active Probes and ECM Suites electronics gear? Do we not have any free torso or heat critical slots left? So why are they mounted in the right arm? I do not have an answer for that. But that arm also carries TAG and three (3) Anti-Missile Systems with 96 shots. The left arm by contrast carries an ER Large Laser, a Small Pulse Laser (sound familiar?), and two machine-guns with a WHOLE TON of ammo. Yippee! I am always so concerned with running out of machine-gun ammo during a battle; it keeps me up at night in a cold sweat. Rounding out the design are two A-Pods, mounted one per leg.
In the D Config we see warriors we know what they want in life. Missile spam. The right arm carries an LRM-15 with 16 shots and a NARC with 6 shots. They left carries an LRM-15 with 16 shots and an LRM-5 with 24 shots. There are NO back-up weapons. NONE! I mean, it is not like we are going to run out of ammunition, right? Oh, wait . . . oops.
The E Config features a mix of technologies. Six jump jets make this Kit Fox one of the most maneuverable around, while an ER PPC in the right arm provides the same damage and greater range than the A Config Gauss. And backing up that head-capper is an ATM-3 with 60 shots in the left arm. Two double heat sinks are overkill, and wasted pod space (ER PPC [15] + ATM-3 [2] + JUMP [6] = 23; we can sink 24).
Config F features a HAG-20 in the right arm, with 12 shots. Now personally, I like HAGs (except for the green-skinned ones with warts), but could we not have added just one more ton of ammo? Please? Instead, with the four tons left over, we have two Medium Pulse Lasers in the LA. But this one is the coolest running of the bunch! Maximum heat is a mere 14, and we can vent 20. Bring on the Plasma Guns, Flamers, and Infernos!
The H Configuration is not too bad. It returns to the Gauss Rifle with 16 shots in the right arm, but this time it is backed up by a pair of Heavy Medium Lasers in the left arm. The cool-running Gauss balances the white-hot heavy lasers, leaving us with a total heat generation of 17. Inside of 9 hexes, damage is pretty spiffy, and you still got that long-range gun as well.
Another city/urban/anti-infantry design is Config S. Once again mounting jump jets (6 in total), it backs those up by three pulse lasers: a Large (RA), a Medium (LA), and a Small (RA). Two machines guns are mounted, one in each torso, with a half ton of ammo split between them. Finally, a Streak SRM-4 is mounted in the left arm, with 25 shots. Overheat is a mere +5 if you jump, which I consider to be acceptable.
The last configuration is used by Clan Wolf, Wolf-in-Exile, and Wolf’s Dragoons as a training Omni. The first REALLY good configuration, and of course it gets wasted as a training unit. Each arm carries a Large Pulse Laser and a Medium Pulse Laser. This one runs hot enough that you have to be careful, because you actually can shut yourself down in this machine (+10 overheat on a running Alpha).
A hard-hitting machine, indeed, is the Kit Fox. Go try and sell that to someone else, brother. I know, I know, Master Arminas (you say), you should not let it get to you. And I will not let it get to me. Instead we will turn to look at what it should have been.
For our base configuration, we keep the 30-tonner moving at 6/9/0, with an XL engine, and with endo-steel structure. For armor, we MAX IT OUT, BABY! That costs us 1.5 tons of pod space, which might render some configurations unworkable. But you tell me: would you rather have 14 armor on a leg or 8? 10 on an arm or 7? 15 on the center torso front or 9? Just like we did with the Hellion, those excess double heat sinks go in the legs, while the third gets put into the center torso. Each side torso gets seven slots of ES and FF, leaving our arms nice and free to mount weapons and our steely chests and pecs and backs free to carry Elementals!
Code:
BattleMech Technical Readout
Type/Model: Kit Fox Base
Tech: Clan / 3050
Config: Biped OmniMech
Rules: Level 2, Custom design
Mass: 30 tons
Chassis: Endo Steel
Power Plant: 180 XL Fusion
Walking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97.2 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Ferro-Fibrous
Armament: None
Manufacturer: (Unknown)
Location: (Unknown)
Communications System: (Unknown)
Targeting & Tracking System: (Unknown)
--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model: Kit Fox Base
Mass: 30 tons
Equipment: Crits Mass
Int. Struct.: 51 pts Endo Steel 7 1.50
(Endo Steel Loc: 7 RT)
Engine: 180 XL Fusion 10 3.50
Walking MP: 6
Running MP: 9
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 10 Double [20] 6 .00
(Heat Sink Loc: 1 CT, 1 LL, 1 RL)
Gyro: 4 2.00
Cockpit, Life Supt., Sensors: 5 3.00
Actuators: L: Sh+UA+LA+H R: Sh+UA+LA+H 16 .00
Armor Factor: 105 pts Ferro-Fibrous 7 5.50
(Armor Crit Loc: 7 LT)
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head: 3 9
Center Torso: 10 15
Center Torso (Rear): 5
L/R Side Torso: 7 10/10
L/R Side Torso (Rear): 4/4
L/R Arm: 5 10/10
L/R Leg: 7 14/14
Weapons and Equipment Loc Heat Ammo Crits Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS: 0 55 15.50
Crits & Tons Left: 23 14.50
Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 4,327,050 C-Bills
Battle Value: 387
Cost per BV: 11,181.01
Weapon Value: 0 / 0 (Ratio = .00 / .00)
Damage Factors: SRDmg = 1; MRDmg = 0; LRDmg = 0
BattleForce2: MP: 6, Armor/Structure: 3/2
Damage PB/M/L: 1/-/-, Overheat: 0
Class: ML; Point Value: 4
Specials: omni
OK, enough of that. For the Prime, we mount an ER PPC in the left arm and a Streak SRM-6 with 15 shots in the right. Damage is the same as the original Prime at range, and the two extra missile racks more than compensate for the Small Pulse. Since we have 4.5 tons left, let’s add a Flamer (can’t say we are ignoring the infantry threat now) in the head and an ER Medium Laser in the right arm. Max heat is now 29, but we can safely say that the Flamer gets used only seldom, so three extra double heat sinks give us a total of 13 (for 26 dissipated per turn). At range, our damage is the SAME (15), but in close it jumps from 26 to 34, plus the Flamer.
Code:
BattleMech Technical Readout
Type/Model: Kit Fox Prime
Tech: Clan / 3050
Config: Biped OmniMech
Rules: Level 2, Custom design
Mass: 30 tons
Chassis: Endo Steel
Power Plant: 180 XL Fusion
Walking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97.2 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
1 Streak SRM 6
1 ER Medium Laser
1 ER PPC
1 Flamer
Manufacturer: (Unknown)
Location: (Unknown)
Communications System: (Unknown)
Targeting & Tracking System: (Unknown)
--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model: Kit Fox Prime
Mass: 30 tons
Equipment: Crits Mass
Int. Struct.: 51 pts Endo Steel 7 1.50
(Endo Steel Loc: 7 RT)
Engine: 180 XL Fusion 10 3.50
Walking MP: 6
Running MP: 9
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 13 Double [26] 12 3.00
(Heat Sink Loc: 1 LA, 1 LT, 1 RT, 1 CT, 1 LL, 1 RL)
Gyro: 4 2.00
Cockpit, Life Supt., Sensors: 5 3.00
Actuators: L: Sh+UA R: Sh+UA+LA+H 14 .00
Armor Factor: 105 pts Ferro-Fibrous 7 5.50
(Armor Crit Loc: 7 LT)
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head: 3 9
Center Torso: 10 15
Center Torso (Rear): 5
L/R Side Torso: 7 10/10
L/R Side Torso (Rear): 4/4
L/R Arm: 5 10/10
L/R Leg: 7 14/14
Weapons and Equipment Loc Heat Ammo Crits Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
1 Streak SRM 6 RA 4 15 3 4.00
(Ammo Locations: 1 RA)
1 ER Medium Laser RA 5 1 1.00
1 ER PPC LA 15 2 6.00
1 Flamer HD 3 1 .50
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS: 27 66 30.00
Crits & Tons Left: 12 .00
Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 5,343,650 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,352
Cost per BV: 3,952.4
Weapon Value: 1,302 / 1,190 (Ratio = .96 / .88)
Damage Factors: SRDmg = 30; MRDmg = 19; LRDmg = 7
BattleForce2: MP: 6, Armor/Structure: 3/2
Damage PB/M/L: 4/3/2, Overheat: 0
Class: ML; Point Value: 14
Specials: omni
Config A is going to lose the Gauss (man, I can hear the screaming all the way down south in Dixie). Yeah, I said we are going to LOSE THE GAUSS. Instead it gets an ER PPC and a targeting computer. The PPC goes in the left arm and in the right we mount two ER Mediums. A Flamer rounds out the weapons (gotta have some anti-PBI guns), and 14 double heat sinks means a running Alpha is only +2 overheat. Same damage, better accuracy, no ammo. He shoots, he scores!
Code:
BattleMech Technical Readout
Type/Model: Kit Fox Config A
Tech: Clan / 3050
Config: Biped OmniMech
Rules: Level 2, Custom design
Mass: 30 tons
Chassis: Endo Steel
Power Plant: 180 XL Fusion
Walking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97.2 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor Type: Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
2 ER Medium Lasers
1 ER PPC
1 Flamer
Manufacturer: (Unknown)
Location: (Unknown)
Communications System: (Unknown)
Targeting & Tracking System: (Unknown)
--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model: Kit Fox Config A
Mass: 30 tons
Equipment: Crits Mass
Int. Struct.: 51 pts Endo Steel 7 1.50
(Endo Steel Loc: 7 RT)
Engine: 180 XL Fusion 10 3.50
Walking MP: 6
Running MP: 9
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 14 Double [28] 14 4.00
(Heat Sink Loc: 2 LA, 1 RA, 1 LT, 1 CT, 1 LL, 1 RL)
Gyro: 4 2.00
Cockpit, Life Supt.: 5 3.00
Actuators: L: Sh+UA R: Sh+UA+LA+H 14 .00
Armor Factor: 105 pts Ferro-Fibrous 7 5.50
(Armor Crit Loc: 7 LT)
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head: 3 9
Center Torso: 10 15
Center Torso (Rear): 5
L/R Side Torso: 7 10/10
L/R Side Torso (Rear): 4/4
L/R Arm: 5 10/10
L/R Leg: 7 14/14
Weapons and Equipment Loc Heat Ammo Crits Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
2 ER Medium Lasers RA 10 2 2.00
1 ER PPC LA 15 2 6.00
1 Flamer HD 3 1 .50
1 Targeting Computer RT 2 2.00
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS: 28 68 30.00
Crits & Tons Left: 10 .00
Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 5,151,900 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,475
Cost per BV: 3,492.81
Weapon Value: 1,485 / 1,485 (Ratio = 1.01 / 1.01)
Damage Factors: SRDmg = 28; MRDmg = 22; LRDmg = 10
BattleForce2: MP: 6, Armor/Structure: 3/2
Damage PB/M/L: 4/3/2, Overheat: 0
Class: ML; Point Value: 15
Specials: omni
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