Beetle Omni-Mech
Tech: Inner Sphere LoreLong wanting to break into the highly profitable bug mech scene, Quicksell had been hard pressed to carve a niche in the highly lucrative market which had long since been dominated by well entrenched companies who proliferated the Wasp, Stinger and Locust Battlemechs. Unable to secure rights to these ubiquitous mechs, Quicksell chose instead to invest into a original and durable design; featuring omni capability to aid their mech in standing out within this hyper competitive market.
Built with a strange level of care by this normally corner cutting company. The Beetle deviates from most 20 ton mechs by emphasising protection, while still maintaining modest mobility. This is most notably shown by its four-ton reinforced frame: allowing it the ability with its three tons of heavy-fero-fibrious armour to endure hits which would cripple most light mechs. Based around endurance, the Beetle was advertised with the ability to endure a AC/10 barrage to the arms, Gauss rifle blows to the side torso and legs, and even proven stress tests against rated AC/20 hits to the main reactor in the centre chest: which while would leave the mech heavily damaged, did allow for it to survive, though any further hits would leave it non-operational.
This all aided by the mechs very cheap price for a omni-mech, indeed costing just over one-point-five million to manufacture and a sparse two-hundred thousand C-bills to arm, the adaptable omni design could be pushed out the door, with Quicksell taking advantaged of other pod manufacturing agencies to supply the equipment for their adaptable frame. Indeed the Beetle proved highly popular amongst the house militaries, militias, security companies and even cash strapped colonies unable to secure the money for multiple mech types, and instead adapting the Beetle to serve logistic roles in settlements, like mining, policing, farming and firefighting: before reequipping it swiftly to deal with actual combat duties. As while the Beetle never excelled in any one task, it was cheap, efficient, easy to manufacture and while not endlessly customisable could be cheaply afforded and deployed.
The only downside to the Beetle, was that many buyers noted that the immovable 10 single heat sinks in the engine proved to be a barrier to its sturdy design. Quicksell notably avoided advertising this feature, which while not a excessive barrier, and when bought up lauded as a logistic feature: many buyers are well aware that the mech has a high heat curve if one was to invest heavily into energy weapons.
Weapons and EquipmentFamously limited in terms of equipment, the Beetle carries a puny pod space of 4.5 tons, which makes its ability to carry heavy equipment limited: further hampered by its limited ten single heat sinks. What it does allow for however is a focused arsenal, most notably seen in its prime variant similar to other bug mechs.
Hosting 1 ER medium laser which it can fire and jump with no heat issues, 2 wrist mounted machine guns on its opposite left arm add a decent long range fire support and a head mounted SRM-2 launcher which allows the unit to fire its weapons freely even with BA support and if its arms were removed. In total this modest armament is more of basic affordance in the 32nd century, but is cheap, easy to deploy and inexpensive: and is allowed to stay in the fight longer thanks to its durable frame and decent cavalry speed.
Beetle Prime
Mass: 20 tons
Chassis: Reinforced Biped
Power Plant: 100 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 54 kph
Maximum Speed: 86.4 kph
Jump Jets: Standard
Jump Capacity: 150 meters
Armor: Heavy Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
4.5 tons of pod space
Manufacturer: Quicksell
Primary Factory: Ares
Communication System: Bingo-Ram C
Targeting & Tracking System: Adapta21
Introduction Year: 3151
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-X-D
Cost: 1,787,675 C-bills
Type: Beetle
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Tonnage: 20
Battle Value: 475
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure Reinforced 4
Engine 100 Fusion 3
Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 5
Heat Sink 10 0
Gyro 1
Small Cockpit 2
Armor Factor (Heavy Ferro) 59 3
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head 3 6
Center Torso 6 9
Center Torso (rear) 2
R/L Torso 5 6
R/L Torso (rear) 2
R/L Arm 3 5
R/L Leg 4 8
Weight and Space Allocation
Location Fixed Space Remaining
Head None 2
Center Torso Heavy Ferro-Fibrous 0
Jump Jet
Right Torso 6 Heavy Ferro-Fibrous 3
Jump Jet
2 Heat Sink
Left Torso 6 Heavy Ferro-Fibrous 3
Jump Jet
2 Heat Sink
Right Arm 4 Heavy Ferro-Fibrous 4
Left Arm 4 Heavy Ferro-Fibrous 4
Right Leg Heat Sink 0
Jump Jet
Left Leg Heat Sink 0
Jump Jet
Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand
Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand
Weapons
and Ammo Location Critical Heat Tonnage
SRM 2 Ammo (50) RT 1 - 1.0
2 Light Machine Gun LA 2 0 1.0
Light Machine Gun Ammo (100) LT 1 - 0.5
SRM 2 HD 1 2 1.0
ER Medium Laser RA 1 5 1.0
Features the following design quirks: Easy to Pilot, Rugged (1 Point)
VariationsType ABV: 523
Cost: 1,832,150 C-bills
Unable to support the LRM barrage support normally found in most A type IS Omni Mechs, the A type Beetle mounts a Light PPC to the head of the Beetle to provide long range support. While modest the unit is also backed up with a right arm mounted Magshot with 1 ton of ammo, which while removed one lower arm actuator and hand, give it some additional punch without over stressing the heat systems if on the move.
Type BBV: 560
Cost: 2,762,900 C-bills
Considered the most expensive suggested model by Quicksell, the Type B is designed as a cheap and easy to afford electronic warfare platform for combat units. Mounting a Guardian ECM in the Right Torso, and a Bloodhound Active Prove in the Left Torso, this variant can scout, screen other units, and spot in urban centre and counter enemy ECM and stealth armour. The variant itself is also notable as part of Quicksell's marketing strategy to build a Omni Mech frame, but take advantage of the now well formed Omni Mech market, without having to supply podded examples of the expensive electronic warfare themselves. To balance out the variant it is equipped with 1 ER Medium laser in the head.
Type CBV: 555
Cost: 2,031,800 C-bills
Sitting on the mildly more expensive side, the C type Beetle, tries to offer the best reliability and bang for buck a bug mech can. Equipped with 1 standard medium laser in each arm, the two lasers being tied to a targeting computer in the right torso and only slightly pushing the heat curve when it jumps, while a Active Probe in the head gives the bug mech excellent awareness to compliment its accuracy.
Type DBV: 478
Cost: 1,816,550 C-bills
Sticking to the tried and true basics for the Beetle, the D Variant again features a ER Medium in the right arm. However this variant equips a three light machine guns to a machine gun array in the left arm, removing the left hand to do so. This provides improved anti infantry ability at good range and the standard ER medium laser punch. To add squad support and aid, the head plays host to a TAG, for spotting and helping it fit into a combined arms formation with infantry.
Type EBV: 690
Cost: 2,140,550 C-bills
Built first and foremost to support battle armour squads, the Type E is the first variant to use and deploy using Clan Tech as a focus. Armed with a potent plasma cannon in the right arm, with one ton of ammo, the limited ten shots while sparse are more than sufficient to back up a Battle armour team aiding it: helping them flush out infantry or other BA teams. A clan ER Small laser in the head to provide heavier punch at the close ranges BA operate at. While the clan tech does stand as a barrier to many units fielding this variant, it is semi common amongst house armies needing to dig out entrenched enemy positions.
Type FBV: 402
Cost: 2,438,675 C-bills
One of the stranger variants, the F devotes 3 tons of its tiny 4.5 tons to a head mounted Boosted C-Slave system, and has a TAG mounted in its left arm, with a clan ER Small in its right arm. Focused around spotting and team supported, the F forgoes front line damage, to instead put emphasis on evasion and helping other team members score the kill, with the boosted C-3 punching through enemy ECM interference.
Type GBV: 730
Cost: 1,851,800 C-bills
Designed to take advantage of Clan salvage or well armed house units, the G variant goes all in on a pair of arm mounted Clan Medium pulse lasers, these two accurate weapons give the unit great staying power for even inexperienced units, while the Light Active probe in the head allows the unit to fulfil a more upgrade duty of the C-Variant.
Type HBV: 358
Cost: 1,665,800 C-bills
Heavily advertised by quick sell, the H variant of the Beetle is purely civilian in focus, sporting a head mounted fluid and a right arm mounted vehicle flamer, the former of which is loaded with water or flame retardant, and the latter is loaded with water. Designed for city firefighting, the H had very littlie use in combat, but was highlighted how the Beetle could prove of use for settlements who could not afford multiple mechs for specific duties like mining, fighting, cargo loading ETC..
Type IBV: 426
Cost: 1,694,800 C-Bills
Dedicated to anti infantry, the I type equips two standard machineguns to the head for better target tracking, and puts a flamer in each arm for flushing out infantry with only a slight taxation to the heat load. A single medium laser on the right arm provides modest anti tank ability to this Beetle variant.
Type JBV: 610
Cost: 1,856,025 C-Bills
The J type is a simple clan rebuild of the Prime variant, swapping out the IS ER medium for a clan in the right arm, a SRM2 for a SRM 4 in the head and swapping the two light MGs for 3 light MG array in the left arm by removing the hand actuator in a similar vain to the D type. While not especially Steller it boasts near double the firepower of the Prime variant with only a slight increase in heat curve. The main advantage of the J type is that the clan tech used in its makeup is not especially difficult to get a hold of.
NotesThe Beetle has come about through a mix of testing and also redesigning a longstanding idea which I have wanted to field. Starting initially as cheap BA transport, my initial ideas were based around stealth armour and very fast light fusion engine, paying homage to the Dasher omni mech, but with IS tech. However while such a mech is still in the cards its 3 million cost at base made it unfavourable, so I thought... 'are there any omni mechs for the affordable market?' And to my surprise I struggled to find a single omni mech which could be found for under 2 million C-Bills.
The Beetle is the result of me trying to get a omni mech under that price point: as proliferation of omni tech would likely be a sure-fire market in Inner Sphere. If its cheap, it can be proliferated to a similar rate as other Bug Mechs, which I based the unit around. Through testing I came to a fun realisation that I can put just enough armour on a piece of 20 ton frame with reinforced armour to endure just enough damage to keep a arm attached after a AC/10 or PPC hit: and then further pushed the armour with reinforced structure to keep the legs, side torso and centre durable enough to endure Gauss and AC/20 hits respectfully. Still such damaged would leave the unit disabled by any further shots to those areas, but it makes the Beetle dam durable when handling low end point games where the smallest damage unit would be 5 point damage, or when facing clans would be a 7 point damage on average.
Now with this durability, omni flexibility and a cavalry mech speed of 5/8 (one less that the 6/9 of other affordable bug mechs), the Beetle can perform a lot of generic duties you now don't have to assign more expensive units in defensive instillations. It can escort BA, scout, hunt, focus on anti infantry, spot for artillery, be a swarm unit, raid, train techs on omni mechs at a affordable price, perform civilian duties etc.
As for flaws, the biggest issue is cooling: with reason I went with single heat sinks is first off the amount of crit space on the mech would have been hyper limited if I had used DHS. If I had used doubles I would only have around 8 crit slots; while using single heat sinks I have increased that to around 20 slots. As for the choice of Heavy ferro, I played around with it quite a bit, as by going for standard ferro would have forced me to lower the pod space to 4 tons, which while sounds nice, it does not save enough space to make double heat sinks viable on the design. Second I was already pinching tonnage space and armour points, and heavy offered the best balance. Also single heat sinks feel appropriate on a quicksell mech. As for why I did not increase speed or use a light fusion engine, most of the variants I made all cost around 3 million C-Bills, which while cheap, is still twice the price point of other bug mechs: making it unviable.
Aside from that, the Small cockpit while is annoying for piloting, the unit is cheap enough that upping piloting is not to expensive.
Also by going through Quicksell inventory I actually found out they have never produced their own mech.
