Retractable Blades: Lost tech?

[Wrangler]

I guess that does mean you can use retrac blades as "bayonets" of a sort, slinging them directly under a gun without the need for LA and hand actuators.

I'd love to see one put in a hand-held weapon for BattleMechs just for visual. :D

[Empyrus]

I'd love to see one put in a hand-held weapon for BattleMechs just for visual. :D

Probably not legal to add one to a hand-held weapon. Would be cool for sure.

[mbear]

Can't figure out what they're for in industrial use. Are they meant to be like a knife for 'mechs that are going to be moving stuff around but may occasionally need to cut something?

I think they're just like 'Mech sized machetes for cutting through jungle growth, heavy forests, and plastic clamshell packaging.

(If so, i'm kind of surprised no one has made "hand-held knife" for 'mechs that can be magnetically carried at waist/hip. Seems like more practical option. Of course, since hand-held weapons never gained any popularity in BTU, this may apply to "knives" as well.)

'Mechs aren't as dextrous as you and I are. They have a hard time with the motor control you'd need to get the knife in hand. Try cutting a potato while wearing gauntlets from plate armor to see what you'd be dealing with. Sure there are exceptions (Morgan Kell, Kai Allard-Liao) but overall it's probably easier for Average Joe to use an arm mounted knife than fumbling around at the waist of his 'Mech trying to juggle the knife.

[Empyrus]

I think they're just like 'Mech sized machetes for cutting through jungle growth, heavy forests, and plastic clamshell packaging.

'Mechs aren't as dextrous as you and I are. They have a hard time with the motor control you'd need to get the knife in hand. Try cutting a potato while wearing gauntlets from plate armor to see what you'd be dealing with. Sure there are exceptions (Morgan Kell, Kai Allard-Liao) but overall it's probably easier for Average Joe to use an arm mounted knife than fumbling around at the waist of his 'Mech trying to juggle the knife.

Pretty sure it has been established most hand-equipped 'mechs can pick up humans without harming them. Don't think dexterity is an issue.

At least, it isn't my head-canon, where 'mechs are reasonably flexible and agile. (I hate MWO-like stiff walking tank portrayal of 'mechs, might as well have actual tanks rather than humanoid robots if the dexterity offered by a humanoid form is not used.)

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Pretty sure it has been established most hand-equipped 'mechs can pick up humans without harming them.

It is.  It's shown up multiple times in the novels.

At least, it isn't my head-canon, where 'mechs are reasonably flexible and agile. (I hate MWO-like stiff walking tank portrayal of 'mechs, might as well have actual tanks rather than humanoid robots if the dexterity offered by a humanoid form is not used.)

Mechs aren't supposed to be as stiff and clunky as the video games make them, they're officially about halfway between the walking-tank of the video games and the agile-as-a-human portrayal of most Japanese mecha- reasonable manual dexterity but they can't bounce around like they only weigh 100 kilos, either.

[JenniferinaMAD]

Mech arms are perfectly precise and dextrous within their designed range of movement, multiple sources state this. They possibly even compensate for pilot clumsiness to some degree, if that was ever needed.

It is, however, rather obvious that not all mech arms are capable of a human arm's full range of movement. For example take the Awesome's left arm. It has a hand, but with that armour shield, it'll never be able to raise that arm up sideways, it's shoulder is basically an axle joint, not a ball joint (in the words of the Terminator: Why didn't god use more ball joints when he made humans?).

The ability to stow a weapon on its person(?) might simply not be an efficient design for mechs. The quickdraw with the lift hoist arrangement from one of the XTROs seems to require extra equipment to do so, it stands to reason most designs would.

[jklantern]

Retractable blades are like Mass Drivers: Most of the time they don't do much, but every once in a while the stars line up, the Elder Gods smile upon you(or at least you hope it's a smile under all that writhing), and the results are hilarious.

Whenever Weirdo talks about random technology, comedy gold seems to happen.

[pheonixstorm]

That's why everyone wants to pull a "Weirdo" at least once in their life. He deserves his own smiley  O0

[Nahuris]

The retractable blade is kind of fun.. yeah, it is not as efficient as a punch, and yes, you really need the TO rules to make it effective.... but it can be a fun thing to consider.
It has worked a couple of times for me --- as noted above, and once, managing to crit both gauss ammo bins on a fairly undamaged opponent, effectively taking the Gauss out of the battle....
Outside of that, it is really just a punch.... not something you want to try and build a whole combat force around.

Nahuris

[Lazarus Jaguar]

Anyone ever feel the urge to build a WVR with Retractable Blades in each arm?

[JadeHellbringer]

That's why everyone wants to pull a "Weirdo" at least once in their life. He deserves his own smiley  O0

He has one, it's just so amazing that the human eye can't comprehend it properly, so it looks like nothing is there. Next time you see a cat staring randomly at something that isn't really there, it's looking at a Weirdo smiley.

[Charistoph]

Anyone ever feel the urge to build a WVR with Retractable Blades in each arm?

What are you saying, bub?

[martian]

Anyone ever feel the urge to build a WVR with Retractable Blades in each arm?

You have already got one Wolverine with a pair of Claws.

[Kitsune413]

Most melee weapons added were probably already in use at Solaris and just not utilized by real military units.

[marauder648]

Most melee weapons added were probably already in use at Solaris and just not utilized by real military units.

The Kungsarmee would like to have a word :p

[mbear]

Anyone ever feel the urge to build a WVR with Retractable Blades in each arm?

There's a Legacy variant that has claws on each hand...

[Fear Factory]

When you play these you have to allow the TacOps shank.  It's glorious when it happens!