Powered Armour

[Mikey]

I think the new feet are large enoguh without being too much of an impediment to mobility. What kind of weaponry will this thing be facing? It does have a rather high target profile.

[Graham Kennedy]

Similar to itself, basically.

I'm actually thinking of scaling it down. The determining factor is that the hull needs to be big enough to take a person... so if I deepen the hull, extend it further down between the legs, I could get the height down to about 3.7 metres.

[MetalHead]

Well I was thinking anit-personell weaponry would be mounted a bit lower down on the machine, maybe some fixed weaponry on the shins (or wherever is chest level for your average human/alien/crysal/whatever) to defend against troops planting explosives directly on the mecha or its leg/feet.

[Graham Kennedy]

This is what a scaled down version would look like. It comes in at 3.6 metres - 11 feet 10 inches tall.

[Mikey]

Holy hopping snot, it's hung like a mule!

JK. I assume the "cockpit" is in that dropped area?

[Graham Kennedy]

Holy hopping snot, it's hung like a mule!

JK. I assume the "cockpit" is in that dropped area?

The cockpit is everything from the top of the head - the sensor cluster would be about where your forehead is - down to the bottom of the main hull. The lump on the bottom of the main hull is the fusion reactor.

Though if I stuck the fusion reactor on the shoulders I could use that space to extend the hull further, and scale the whole thing down by another 15 - 20%; making it just about three metres tall.

[Graham Kennedy]

Okay, this is about as small as I can get this before a complete redesign. It now weighs in at 3.44 metres tall - 11 feet 3 1/2 inches.

[Tsukiyumi]

Now it looks a little cramped.

[Graham Kennedy]

It would be.Being in the cockpit would be much like being in a coffin.

[Monroe]

people can sit you know
That said I think the design before this last one is the best. But maybe not make it hung so well Make the people sit.

Also I can see that already not all Coalition races can operate it. Only the largest one it seems like they all can. Maybe have both?

[Mikey]

That's actually only a little bigger than a fully power-armored Space Marine from WH40k. Of course, there's no cockpit - they're actual suits, but Space Marines are genetically engineered and implanted and tend to be considerably larger than normal humans, even unarmored.

[Graham Kennedy]

There's going to be a powered armour suit too. Think Iron Man, though I probably won't be able to make it that cool.

[Monroe]

Yeah I wouldn't worry about the smallest image you got going. I'd go with the one size up and say that they sit in the cockpit not stand. They're suppose to be semi-mech aren't they?

[Graham Kennedy]

I am leaning towards the middle one too, though I may still move the reactor to give the hull more clearance above the ground.

I don't really want to go with a seated cockpit, though. I want to keep a more humanoid-ish shape to it. Though there's no reason why there couldn't be other models, older versions, different roles, etc.

[Graham Kennedy]

Okay, I've settled on the midsize version and am starting to add some detailing. I've put lights on, and added defence pods to the shoulders which can detect incoming projectiles and fire a little short range interceptor at them. I've also put a hatch in the bottom so the operator can climb into it.