From TRO:3075
The Crimson Hawk is an unremarkable ‘Mech with a truly remarkable inception. Its origins found with Clan Blood Spirit, Diamond Shark Galaxy Commander Stephan Faulk would spy a prototype on York in 3069 and issue - and win - a trial for it and its scientific team. With their hold upon their Homeworld enclaves becoming more and more tenuous, the Sharks would shuttle these winnings all the way to their outpost on Itabaiana. The Crimson Hawk would then quickly enter production, and gain the distinction of becoming the first Diamond Shark ‘Mech produced within the Inner Sphere in 3071.
It is to be noted that at one point during the bloody trial for the Crimson Hawk’s specs, a deal was struck. The Sharks would not only bring the Crimson Hawk to fruition, but would improve upon it - and would eventually bring a shipment to the Spirits. A total of eight Overlord-Cs would be filled with over a cluster of the ‘Mech, to then be delivered to York. And it is here that the Sharks sacrificed a Potemkin and half of their dropships in order to fulfill their bargain, although the exact reasons
why this deal was struck would be lost with the presumed death of Stephan Faulk.
~ ~ ~
The Crimson Hawk itself comes in at 25 tons, the same weight as other Clan staples such as the Mist Lynx or the Locust IIC. Even though an XL engine is used, the Crimson Hawk has a remarkably slow movement profile of 5/8/5. A full 5 tons of ferro-fibrous armor protects the Hawk as much as possible, although the 12(4)/9(3) (center/side torsos), 8/12 (arms/legs) armor layout means that a Gauss or ERPPC blast can rip off any of the side torsos or arms. Even so, this is to be expected of a 25-ton ‘Mech and is not a fault of the design itself.
The armament is simple and blunt: two ER Large Lasers. The two lasers are of different models, with subterfuge put forward as a key reason as to why. This gives the Crimson Hawk the ability to force PSRs at very long ranges, although having only 10 double heat sinks will force any pilot to use firing patterns or shoot-and-jump tactics in order to avoid shutting down.
The first variant came out in 3073, and is quite straightforward - although somewhat lunatic. The two ER Large Lasers are replaced with two Heavy Large Lasers. This is a straight swap, so no tonnage is freed - which means that if the Crimson Hawk 2 stands still and shoot both Heavy Larges, it’ll skyrocket up to +16 heat and a shutdown roll. Decided to run/jump then shoot? That shutdown roll just got worse. Piloting one of these is like piloting half of a Hunchback IIC; standard Clan economics tell me that beating
anything with this should win roughly two times the glory.
The Crimson Hawk 3, churned out by 3075, goes in the opposite direction (you can thank Clan Wolf-in-Exile for that). One of the ER Large Lasers gets swapped for an ER Medium and three points of armor are sacrificed for an extremely dubious choice: six Improved Jump Jets. That’s right, while the Sharks thought it was reasonable to give the Crimson Hawk a loadout that runs hot enough to melt sand, Clan WiE thought it would be great to sacrifice a substantial chunk of damage and reach for an extra 30 meters of jumping ability. They must really love (or hate) Stingers and Wasps.
The final variant, appearing in RS:3145NTNU, tries to become a generalist. One ER Large Laser is once again lost along with the three points of armor, but an additional two jump jets are sacrificed. Two ER Medium Lasers are added to the improved Endo Steel frame, alongside a Heavy Flamer with 10 shots and a Targeting Computer. The Crimson Hawk 4 can take on light targets - no matter the type - with a certain amount of confidence, although heat as always remains an issue and the drop to 90 meters of jumping distance has to be taken into account. By the way, I know Heavy Flamers are an extremely rare weapon. If you are unfamiliar with them, look them up. You'll be hard pressed to find a better way to burn toast.
~ ~ ~
How do you use one? Depending on the model, treat it like an introtech Griffin or Phoenix Hawk packed into a condensed little package. Heat is always going to be an issue, so pay close attention to it. Otherwise, stick around cover and use it to your best advantage. Never forget that you are a 25-ton ‘Mech that, even fully armored, cannot take any amount of attention. Aping classic Panther tactics and sticking close to larger and more dangerous friends will also help you out.
How do you kill one? Send something after it. The classic Clan secondline 6/9/6 movers will all take the Crimson Hawk apart. It also can’t build up any movement mods worth noting, so Pulse Lasers will quickly wreck their day. Even certain Inner Sphere lights can threaten the Crimson Hawk if they move quickly enough. If you somehow can, aiming for the Right Torso is also a great idea. All of the weaponry on the first three models is concentrated on the right side of the ‘Mech. A single 15-point hit, and the Crimson Hawk is no longer worth its weight in BV.
For more info, check out the MUL over here:
http://masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/721/crimson-hawk-standardAnd hey! Check out camospecs* while you're at it:
http://www.camospecs.com/MiniList.asp?Action=Detail&ID=976*Pretty sure the model represents the Crimson Hawk 4.