http://www.sarna.net/wiki/images/9/90/Firefalcon.jpgWhoever designed this thing..you’re evil! It’s a little monster! When designing Mech’s the usual cry is speed, armour, firepower, choose two, the Clans even with their advanced tech tend to follow this dictate (Hellbringer for example, firepower and speed, armour Haha!) But every now and then, they manage to pull not a rabbit out of the hat, but a whole warren’s worth and make one that has all three. The best example of this is of course the classic Timber Wolf Prime.
At the opposite end of the scale Clan Jade Falcon also finally produced the light Mech their Trueborn had been yelling for with the introduction of the Fire Falcon and its larger running mate the Black Lanner. And there was no doubt much Falcon Mechwarrior rejoicing (and/or preening) when this Mech was rolled out and they could start replacing their Kit Fox's and Mist Lynx's with a far more potent machine.
At 25 tonnes the Fire Falcon is one of the lightest Mech’s in the service with the Clans and it’s also one of the newest and it was part of a new wave of machines coming from the Homeworlds to the battlefronts of the Inner Sphere in the early 3050’s when Operation Revival was still running. These machines included the feared Night Gyr or the Falcons beloved Turkina as well as lighter machines. It’s not known though if these were developed due to combat in the Inner Sphere or were already well in hand before Revival and were built in time to turn up a bit late.
Interestingly the Fire Falcon was also the first Jade Falcon Mech to be built in the Inner Sphere, all be it in small numbers as a form of quality control. This lead to expanded production of far larger machines. Stylistically the Fire Falcon reminds me very much of a Jenner, it has minimal arms, a low slung, forward thrusting head assembly as well as thin and narrow legs. I would not be surprised if the Jenner IIC was used as a template for this machines construction.
As with most Clan lights the full spread of weight saving went into the Mech’s construction with the 25 tonne machine being protected by 4 tonnes of Ferro-Fibrous armour and built round an Endo-Steel skeleton, whilst a 200 rated XL engine provides ample power and ground speed with the Mech hitting 129kph at flank speed (or 8/12/0 in game terms). This makes it slightly faster than the Koshi/Mist Lynx but it lacks the other machines Jump Jets.
The Fire Falcon definitely seems to have benefitted from the lessons learned in Revival in terms of what works and what does not and the Mech has been used as a replacement for the’generalist’ Mist Lynx (and I’m being generous there..dislike the Koshi thanks to its 3050 configs) in the Jade Falcons Tourman.
In terms of protection it is a light Mech but the armour is not bad, the legs can take a pair of standard Medium Lasers before being stripped and the arms can take one and still have a tiny amount of plating left. The centre torso requires an AC-10 to breach it whilst the side torso’s can absorb a hit from a large laser and have armour about as thick as Teflon protecting them after.
All this weight saving and the not maximised armour meant that there was room for weapons and the Fire Falcon has an incredibly generous 10 tonnes of space free to take equipment. No space is wasted with fixed heatsinks, or any fixed items of any note. This means that it can carry a staggering amount of armament for its size and the Falcons made sure to see what they could cram into the pod space of the Fire Falcon with its seven configurations.
ConfigurationsPrime – Another echo of the Jenner in regards to its armament the Fire Falcon Prime is built for medium to short range engagements, using its speed and manoeuvrability to keep it alive whilst it hammers away. The 10 tonnes of pod space really show off here as there’s probably few light Mech’s that carry as much (USABLE) firepower as this variant, and probably a few medium’s too. A pair of ER Medium Lasers are the Prime’s ‘long range’ weapons, but with their performance they are still long ranged enough for most engagements. Supporting these lasers are a pair of ER Small Lasers mounted co-axially with their larger cousins (all in the right arm) whilst the left arm has a single Medium Pulse Laser. But wait! There’s more, a pair of SSRM-4’s sit in the left torso, sharing one tonne of ammo between them. A full broadside will overwhelm the 20 heat the Mech can dissipate by 6 if you run but this is only at the shortest of ranges and if both SSRM’s hit.
Alfa – I have already said in other articles that I dislike the super-light AC’s be they LB or Ultra but here one finds a welcome home. A UAC-2 with a tonne of ammo sits in the Alfa’s right arm whilst an LRM-10 sits in the left torso, also drawing from a 1 tonne ammo bin. An ER Small laser in the left arm probably looks comically out of place compared to the long barrelled cannon in the right. With its speed the Alfa is a dedicated harasser and because the UAC and LRM share similar range brackets it can zip around at extreme range and make a pain of itself. Save for jumping into a volcano it is impossible to overheat this machine, even with two engine crits it could still run and alfa all day long.
Bravo – The Puma Prime’s smaller cousin (or a Mech that will evolve into a Puma who knows…) the Bravo is another dedicated sniper, but unlike the Alfa it trades all of its weapons for a pair of ER Large Lasers and a targeting computer. Whilst it does not have the raw throat ripping power of the Puma I would say this is a better machine. A Puma Prime will overheat badly if you start pressing the Alfa button. But the Fire Falcon Beta can dissipate all but 4 of its heat if it fires and stands still and if you’re sniping in this thing you probably will be stood still, at least at long range. On this machine the second laser is far from a replacement in case it loses one unlike the Puma’s PPCs.
Charlie – Definitely showing that the Clans were learning from fighting the Inner Sphere the Charlie is built to fight in close confines like cities or wooded areas and do horrible, horrible things to infantry and light tanks whilst still being able to slap Mech’s its size. A quartet of machine guns drawing from a tonne of ammo fill out the right arm whilst a Medium and Small Pulse laser sit in the left joined by an ER small. Like the Prime the Charlie also has a pair of missile racks, in this case a pair of SRM-6’s in the left torso that are fed by a 1 tonne ammo bin shared between the two launchers. An Active Probe in the head rounds out the armament and let it hunt down ambushing infantry and turn them into bullet riddled smears. Even when faced with battle armour the laser array and SRM’s can threaten them (especially if you’re feeling cruel and load Inferno’s) and the lasers and missiles can do a number on vehicles motive systems and disable their weapons.
Delta – Designed to be the spotter for its Star or Binary the Delta is fitted with a TAG system as well as a NARC Beacon for its LRM equipped and probably bigger brethren. The Charlie also features a pair of SRM-4’s and an ER Medium Laser for self-defence but in a Zell heavy situation, steer clear of this config. Otherwise you could find yourself tagging and Narc podding for your Star who then point blank refuse to help you out because of Zellbringen. Which would be vexing for the pilot of the Delta in most situations. Still for a spotter it is a well armed and useful machine and has 2 tonnes of NARC pods and 2 tonnes of ammo for its SRMs (perhaps one would be better used as an ECM instead?).
Echo – The first of the ‘new toy’ configs that started using the Clans latest weapons, in this case the Falcons managed to cram an ATM-12 into the left torso. The huge launcher still leaves enough room for three tonnes of ammo allowing you full access to all the ammo types used by the ATM system, all be it only 5 shots a pop. It would be a good idea to choose your ammunition wisely, personally I’d go with 2 tonnes of standard and one tonne of HE. Whilst tied to one weapon system the Echo’s flexibility is a strong plus and an ATM-12 firing HE at your back is also an utterly terrifying prospect as the Falcon is fast enough to get round behind you.
Foxtrot – Seemingly an upgrade of the Charlie that again has new toys, the Foxtrot is another infantry butcher. This variant accomplishes its role with a pair of MG Arrays each fitted with four machine guns, these guns are mounted in the left and right torso and are supported by paired arm mounted ER Small Lasers and ER Micro lasers to strip away battle armour protection. For hurting larger threats, an ER Large laser rounds out the Foxtrot’s armament and adds if needs be a BIG battle armour melting punch.
Hotel – The Hotel configuration like many Clan Hotel configs features Heavy Lasers and the Fire Falcon H is no different. A Heavy Medium lasers sit in each arm and co-axial to it is a Medium Pulse laser. Finishing off the armament a pair of Heavy Small lasers buried under the Mech’s chin. To counter the ferocious heat of the new lasers the Hotel is fitted with an extra three tonnes of heatsinks. A full broadside will generate 28 heat before movement and the Hotel can vent 26 of this, meaning that you can run and gun the larger weapons, only increasing your heat if you add the small lasers to the mix at point blank range. Like the Echo and many of the other configs the Hotel is a fearsome combatant and a dangerous backstabber and the heavy lasers let it be a threat to anything that can catch it or it runs down.
Final thoughtsI’ve heard some folks accuse the TRO3058 of being full of Mech’s that are a bit cheesy or over optimized when compared to the older TROs. In some ways I agree (*he says glancing at the Pillager and Thunderhawk who cough awkwardly*) but also it’s the first time we get an inkling of what happens when Clan Mech’s are for the most part, more rationally designed. Gone are 3 AMS’s on one chassis or 5 tonnes of SRM ammo all nicely stored in one place. In are far better designed and less…quirky machines, that don’t go into hyper tuned and balanced designs like later Mech’s (Yes Mr Hellstar I'm talking about you!). They still have their flaws and weaknesses but it’s a step away from the original 3050 designs and their quirks that were no doubt put in because of how powerful Clan Tech simply was against 3050 or 3025 equipment. By 3058 the Inner Sphere has enough new toys and Mech’s to present a challenge in a stand up fight and the Clan Mech’s change to show this.
As for the Fire Falcon, it’s a light Mech that is generally well done. Its fast but not too fast, the protection is good and firepower and space is superb. All in all it’s a well-balanced and well thought out design, that could maybe just get in over its head thanks to its firepower. Sure it’s got a punch, but if it gets punched back…well lets hope the return blow isn’t from anything too powerful, it’s still a light Mech after all.
Any thoughs and comments are most welcome.
