Experimenting a Bit with Shadow Hawk LAMs

[Giovanni Blasini]

Was playing around  a bit with the Shadow Hawk LAM in MegaMek/MekHQ, and thought I'd see what I could come up with for modifications.

First up, since ammo weapons without CASE make me nervous any era where CASE is available, and because the ERLL has great utility, a Shadow Hawk LAM with twin ERLL and a single medium, replacing the bomb bay (which won't work in MegaMek anyway) and the LRM rack.  An extra two double heat sinks are thrown in for good measure.

Code: [Select]

Shadow Hawk LAM SHD-X2b
IS experimental
55 tons 
BV: 1,238
Cost: 4,720,473 C-bills

Movement: 4/6/4
Engine: 220
Heat Sinks: 12 [24]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 91
Armor: 152/185
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso               18       23
Center Torso (rear)                  8
Right Torso                13       18
Right Torso (rear)                   6
Left Torso                 13       18
Left Torso (rear)                    6
Right Arm                   9       16
Left Arm                    9       16
Right Leg                  13       16
Left Leg                   13       16

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Medium Laser                    RA     3
ER Large Laser                  LT    12
ER Large Laser                  RT    12

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Standard                       None
Standard                       None

Next up was one that fell back to commonly-available Succession Wars era technology.  Single PPC, twin medium lasers, 14 single heat sinks.  No bomb bay, obviously:

Code: [Select]

Shadow Hawk LAM SHD-X3a
IS experimental
55 tons 
BV: 1,095
Cost: 4,373,273 C-bills

Movement: 4/6/4
Engine: 220
Heat Sinks: 14
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 91
Armor: 152/185
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso               18       23
Center Torso (rear)                  8
Right Torso                13       18
Right Torso (rear)                   6
Left Torso                 13       18
Left Torso (rear)                    6
Right Arm                   9       16
Left Arm                    9       16
Right Leg                  13       16
Left Leg                   13       16

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Medium Laser                    RA     3
PPC                             LT    10
Medium Laser                    RT     3

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Standard                       None
Standard                       None

And, of course, the obligatory Blazer Cannon version of the Shadow Hawk LAM.  Use your Blazer responsibly:

Code: [Select]

Shadow Hawk LAM SHD-X3b
IS experimental
55 tons 
BV: 1,064
Cost: 4,305,073 C-bills

Movement: 4/6/4
Engine: 220
Heat Sinks: 12
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 91
Armor: 152/185
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso               18       23
Center Torso (rear)                  8
Right Torso                13       18
Right Torso (rear)                   6
Left Torso                 13       18
Left Torso (rear)                    6
Right Arm                   9       16
Left Arm                    9       16
Right Leg                  13       16
Left Leg                   13       16

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Medium Laser                    RA     3
Blazer Cannon                   LT    16

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Standard                       None
Standard                       None


[Col Toda]

The only way to recover some tonnage of the LAM equipment is to have Composite Internal structure and a Small Cockpit . I would replace one ER Large laser with a Medium Variable Pulse Laser and a iOS Steak SRM launcher ( s ) . Alternatively a bigger engine and a jump jet.

[Giovanni Blasini]

With a Shadow Hawk LAM, 5/8/5 nets you 6 tons for weapons if you keep the 9.5 tons of armor.  I didn't look at composites because of the era it was built: in later eras, trimodal LAMs give you better options.

[lucho]

The new LAM rules are interesting; you don't want them anywhere near a battle. Basing one on a Shadowhawk without an autocannon is odd, but the ER Large Laser is an effective substitute.

[Giovanni Blasini]

The new LAM rules are interesting; you don't want them anywhere near a battle. Basing one on a Shadowhawk without an autocannon is odd, but the ER Large Laser is an effective substitute.

The bimodal LAMs certainly struggle more than the later trimodal ones, but they make for an interesting "primitive" version of LAM technology, and give people who don't really like AirMechs another tabletop option.  The extra mass, though, does make it more of a struggle to eke out a competitive LAM, though.

And, yeah, when I saw it in TRO 3085, I thought the ERLL was a great substitute for the autocannom on the SHD LAM. The only thing I would have liked was a five-ton, instead of four-ton bomb bay, so it could carry a Davy Crockett, but that would take away too much from the WSP-100.

[Daryk]

Blazer variant FTW! :D

[Dave Talley]

we need a fighter with a blazer or two for strafing

[Daryk]

That's the spirit! ;D

[Giovanni Blasini]

The biggest problem with the Blazer LAM is that, to be practical, it needs double heat sinks, and those had pretty much fallen by the wayside by the time the blazer cannon debuted.  Right now, I'm trying to figure out where the last ton went on that one, since my laptop with MML isn't handy. I suspect I kept one ton for "cargo" (ie. a bomb bay), but I'm not sure.

As it is, movement heat puts you at 6 heat over when firing the blazer cannon, which isn't a great place to be.

I also tried a variant of the PHX-HK2 with a blazer cannon, two medium lasers, and the stock 12 single heat sinks, which works out comparably.  While both have backup medium lasers and jump jets for when their heat is high, neither can fire that blazer each turn, which in this case makes for a poor Hunchback alternative, which a blazer Shad LAM would probably function like.

[Daryk]

An every other turn fire rate wouldn't be bad, I think, especially if strafing is your main intent...