Hey, what’s this in the bottom of the box?
When did I pick this thing up? How did I get that nice white? And what the wack is it?
*One Sarna dive later* Kabuto, TRO 3060. Probably picked it up at Chaos before they went under. (RIP)
OK, let's hit the Mech of the Week. No mech of the week?
Months later - “Oh, whatever, I’ll just write the thing.”
In a dissonance of lore, the DCMS had a lack of light mechs (Since when?) and wanted more. They liked the new Hitman, but not necessarily the price, so they commissioned a lighter Hitman.
At 20 tons, the Kabuto is half the C-bill price of its predecessor, despite the XL engine and endo steel. It can run fast enough to get a +4 under ideal circumstances or reliably get a +3 if you take care. The lack of jump jets really hurts in some terrain, but helps keep the BV down enough that you can get one for well under 600 points.
The weapons take up a whopping 7 tons, 35% of the total. What do you get for this? Two point hits, up to eight of them, maximum range 9
*Crickets chirping*
Ok, two SRM 4 streak isn’t overwhelming. It helps if you realize that it’s roughly equal to an old Javilin’s output. This firmly dictates the Kabuto’s role; going after soft targets, whether that is bugmechs, crit-vulnerable vehicles, ammo & coolant haulers, or heavier mechs that have had holes punched in them. The little guy will never be a superstar, but can be a good cleanup unit.
Defensively, it’s even more dreary. The thing is utterly allergic to Gauss and equivalent hits; one anywhere will wipe out a section, one to any torso and it’s dead. A PPC or equivalent will get through the armour anywhere, or an arm is gone. Fortunately the arms don’t contribute much besides punching or carrying things. An XL means you can get engine crits from a side torso, and single heat sinks mean that taking two of those hits is the next best thing to a mission kill. It’s got maximum armour for the frame, but it’s still a mere twenty ton mech.
In summery, you get what you pay for, or maybe a hair less in this case.
There is a variant that comes during the Jihad. Light PPCs replace the missiles, for less damage, more concentration, and double the range. There is a minimum range, which is less of a burden than you’d think since you usually don't want to get close anyway. An extra single heat sink means that a running alpha isn’t quite heat neutral, but holding back a shot every few turns will keep in running fine.
It costs about a hundred-ten BV more, but I think it’s the better of the two. Among other things, it can do a better job of watching a heavier mechs back
I don’t regret having a Kabuto in my collection, and have had opportunity to use it one or two times to acceptable effect. (Still haven't managed to get the nice white again though.)
Edit - apparently a Kabuto was a type of helmet. I google'd it half expecting a type of bug, so I could proclaim it an honorary bugmech. Mercer Ravannion would've loved them Edit second - see Decoy's post below.
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