OVERVIEWA 40-ton machine, the Scarecrow is a true anti-infantry design. So far only fielded by forces of the Federated suns, this 'Mech comes in two varieties; the first, the UCU-F4 is built to take on both traditional infantry and their armored comerades. After the design became publicly known (and denounced) a refit version, the UCU-F4r, appeared. This model, although not as murderously dangerous towards infantry, is somewhat more of a brute-force design for dealing with Battle Armor.
COMPONENTSFirst appearing in 3099, the Scarecrow is a technological marvel. Built by one of the most experienced companies in the Federated Suns - Corean Enterprises - its endo-composite chassis would be one of the first of its kind mass-produced by the Davion industrial complex. Only borrowing its tried-and-true targeting system from other accurate designs such as the Sagittaire and its jumpjets from the Hellspawn, the remainder of the Scarecrow is entirely custom-built.
This is a bigger deal than it sounds; the Scarecrow is the only Federated Suns design to use a GM 200 XL, although theoretically Nissan engines could be salvaged or taken out of older BJ2-O Blackjack Omnis to compensate for any engine shortages. The weapons array is also completely unique; not a single weapon system found on the Scarecrow can be found on another 'Mech. Of particular interest here are the ExoStar Pinnalce ER Medium Lasers; in TRO:Prototypes we saw the Federated Suns producing (albeit with some difficulty) Clantech medium pulse lasers to use on its Fulcrum Hybrids. The lack of these very pulse lasers on the Scarecrow - and their replacement with Clan ER Mediums - is a bit of an oddity, and shows how the FedSuns might still have difficulty mass producing Clantech weaponry.
DEPLOYMENTThe Scarecrow quickly made its first showing during the Victoria War, where period RATs put it in the 12-spot for Medium Mechs. Its relative rarity would change over the years, with the arrival of 3145 putting it instead in the 8 slot. Interestingly enough, this means that A-ranked commands will majoritarily no longer field the Scarecrow, with many of the machines being found in D and F-rated forces. The fluff supports this, stating that the Scarecrow has now mostly been posted on the periphery border, although a quick scan of FedSuns D-rated commands in FM:3145 places most of them around the Alliance Salient on the Draconis border.
COMBAT EFFECTIVENESSThe Scarecrow is built to deal with Battle Armor and infantry and it is certainly well-equipped for that task. The centerpiece of this machine is the Chameleon Light Polorization Shield. Functionally similar to Stealth Armor, it gives the Scarecrow a +1 to-hit at medium range and a +2 at long range - however, these penalties apply to every unit on the battlefield, infantry included. This alone makes it quite a menacing sight for many Battle Armored units, and its 5/8/3 movement profile makes it even more dangerous. Only a few types of infantry can catch up and overtake this movement profile, while the 3 jump allows the Scarecrow to kite common Battle Armored designs such as the IS Standard, Elemental, Fa Shih, and so on.
Its armor, although at roughly 93% of the maximum, can feel a bit low for its speed. This is unavoidable and a part of being a 40-ton machine. The armor layout is decent, but not spectacular. Armor is layed out in a 18/14/11 pattern (center torso/side torsos/arm), with 18 points in the legs and 5 on each rear torso location. I can't help but want to shift a single point from the arms to the torsos, making them gauss proof, and would even be tempted to bring a point down from the head to the center torso in order to have it survive 2 direct gauss rounds to that location with a single point of internal structure left. It is a surprisingly sturdy machine, however. The compact gyro and well-armored legs mean that it'll come home more often than not - a definite plus for such a high-tech and classified machine - while CASE II in the absolutely crit-packed right torso makes an ammo explosion less than threatening.
Now for the weaponry: 3 Clantech ER Mediums, 2 Medium Pulse Lasers, 8 Light Machine Guns put into arrays, and 2 ER Flamers. This firepower gives the Scarecrow an amazing array of options for dealing with infantry of all types - the ER Mediums give it a powerful punch able to one-shot most light BA at good range brackets, while the Medium Pulses give it accuracy and a continued punch against harder-to-hit foes. The Light Machine Guns and ER Flamers tear traditional infantry apart, dealing up to 12d6 damage at ranges few grunts can effectively reply at. The ability to start fires cannot be discounted; it can make the ghostly Scarecrow even harder to hit while reducing the ability of BA and infantry to maneuver. Finally, its arms are flippable - and its arms contain nearly all of its weaponry. There is no safe angle for BA or infantry to attack from.
The lot is tied together with a Bloodhound Active Probe, an extremely useful piece of equipment. The Scarecrow is not only able to sniff out any hidden BA and infantry save tradional infantry using dedicated camouflage, but if using optional rules, can also reduce the modifier for firing through or into tree cover.
The most obvious disadvantage to the Scarecrow is its speed. Once it begins encountering dedicated scout-hunters it'll have difficulty escaping from them. Its three Clantech ER Mediums are a bit of a deterrant, but once weapons such as ERPPCs start coming into play the Scarecrow is at a noticeable disadvantage. You also have to pay very close attention to the heat guage when piloting one; with only 10 double heat sinks, a full jumping alpha with Chameleon LPS on will bring you up to a shutdown-inducing +22 heat...you definitely have to pick and choose which combination of weapons and systems you want to use every round.
Another disadvantage is the type of Battle Armor the Scarecrow can expect to face in the 3145 era. Many of the newer models (especially on the Combine front) are now equipped with Reflective Armor that the Scarecrow has a lot of trouble burning through. BA designs are also becoming more specialized, and dedicated anti-BattleMech units with large amounts of firepower can definitely punch through the Scarecrow's armor; the Cuchulainn or new Medium VSPL Phalanx are two examples of this. Their accurate weapons will mostly ignore the Chameleon LPS, while the ranges of those weapons makes it harder for the Scarecrow to unroot or kill them.
The refit UCU-F4r "Hobbled Scarecrow" tries to turn the machine into a bit more of a line 'Mech. Getting rid of the Light Machine Guns and CLPS, it replaces these with three tried-and-true Medium Lasers. This makes the heat woes even more problematic, but gives the machine even more options for dealing with Battle Armor and makes it quite menacing at close ranges.
USESAttacking soft targets with it is your best bet. Supply trains or depots, MASHs, administrative offices...they're all valid targets for the Scarecrow. It also works exceedingly well as a bodyguard for certain Anti-Mech formations, disuading infantry from getting anywhere close from the column. It is a definite threat to any combined arms operations, and can work well in nearly any environment. You can also pick on some lighter Mechs using those Clantech ER Mediums, but try not to attract any attention you can't fully deal with - in the 3145 timeframe, there are even 80-ton machines that can run you down and take you apart.
Both the standard and refit versions also have no difficulty at completely wrecking older 3025-era machines. Posting Scarecrows on the Periphery border is an excellent idea, since most level 1 infantry, vehicles and 'Mechs will be unable to deal with its combination of range, firepower and accuracy. If I were a pirate, I'd avoid these things like the plague.
How to deal with them? Their range is strictly medium and their armor isn't fantastic. Using weapon systems like LRMs or PPCs in the limits of the short range or in their medium range brackets will allow you to quickly go internal and start dealing costly damage while being at minimal risk yourself. Try not to use light jumpers to backstab - it'll most likely end in misery for you - but a few lights staying out of Medium Pulse Laser range can be a definite problem.
No mini exists for the Scarecrow so far, but you can find it on the MUL here:http://www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/6336/scarecrow-ucu-f4
