The Ubiquitous Bug - Driving You Crazy for 1200 Years!

[Giovanni Blasini]

So the inspiration for this was finding out today that, if you wanted to, you could buy pretty much every part of a VW Bug as new stock, right down to the frame of the car and build yourself your own Beetle out of all new parts, with your choice of body styles, ranging from buggies, Porsche replicas, or copies of the original, in a variety of materials, including metal, fiberglass or carbon fiber.

Classic Bug

Mass: 0.85 tons
Movement Type: Wheeled
Power Plant: Varies
Cruising Speed: 64.8 kph
Maximum Speed: 97.2 kph
Armor: Sheet steel[/b]
Armament:


Communication System: Yell loudly (AM/FM receiver extra)
Targeting & Tracking System: Nope
Introduction Year: 1950
Tech Rating/Availability: D/C-E-D-D
Cost: 3,894 C-bills

   

Overview
Despite having first been designed and produced in the early to mid 20th century, the Bug remains one of the most common cars across the Inner Sphere and Periphery, used in a remarkable number of roles, thnks to its relatively hardy design and ease of maintenance.



Capabilities
Two keys to the Bug's success are its relative ease of maintenance, with the entire car practically assemblable by hand tools, and its simplicity of design, allowing a ready market of reproduction parts, even chassis, to have sprung up over the centuries.  This has resulted in a myriad of customizations, to allow the humble Bug to fulfill roles ranging from family transport to military transport.



Deployment
Due to their low-tech, humble nature, light weight, and ease of manufacture and maintenance, Bugs can be found in various permutations nearly anywhere humans have settled and maintained at least a 20th century technology base.


 

Code: [Select]

Type: Classic Bug
Chassis Type: Wheeled (Small)
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Mass: 850 kg
Battle Value: 9
Cost: 3,894 C-bills


Equipment                                         Mass (kg)
Chassis/Controls                                  400.0
Engine/Trans.                                     255.0
    Cruise MP:6
Flank MP:9
Heat Sinks                    0                     0.0
Fuel                                               28.0
Armor Factor (BAR 2)          5                   125.0

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   1         2     
     R/L Side               1/1       1/1   
     Rear                    1         1     


Weapons
and Ammo              Location    Tonnage   
None

Cargo
    Bay 1:  Cargo (0.032 tons)      1 Door   

Notes:
Features Ultra-Light, Off-Road Chassis and Controls Modifications
Searchlight(2; 5 kg each)


Code: [Select]


Type: Electric Bug
Chassis Type: Wheeled (Small)
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Mass: 850 kg
Battle Value: 9
Cost: 3,512 C-bills

Equipment                                         Mass (kg)
Chassis/Controls                                  400.0
Engine/Trans.                                     128.0
    Cruise MP:6
Flank MP:9
Heat Sinks                    0                     0.0
Fuel                                               70.0
Armor Factor (BAR 2)          5                   125.0

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   1         2     
     R/L Side               1/1       1/1   
     Rear                    1         1     


Weapons
and Ammo              Location    Tonnage   
None

Cargo
    Bay 1:  Cargo (0.117 tons)      1 Door   

Notes:
Features Ultra-Light, Off-Road Chassis and Controls Modifications
Searchlight(2; 5 kg each)



Code: [Select]

Type: Solar Bug
Chassis Type: Wheeled (Small)
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Mass: 850 kg
Battle Value: 9
Cost: 5,237 C-bills

Equipment                                         Mass (kg)
Chassis/Controls                                  453.99999999999994
Engine/Trans.                                     213.0
    Cruise MP:4
Flank MP:6
Heat Sinks                    0                     0.0
Fuel                                                0.0
Armor Factor (BAR 2)          5                   125.0

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   1         2     
     R/L Side               1/1       1/1   
     Rear                    1         1     


Weapons
and Ammo              Location    Tonnage   
None

Cargo
    Bay 1:  Cargo (0.048 tons)      1 Door   

Notes:
Features Ultra-Light, Off-Road, Amphibious Chassis and Controls Modifications
Searchlight(2; 5 kg each)


Code: [Select]

Type: Fusion Bug
Chassis Type: Wheeled (Small)
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Mass: 850 kg
Battle Value: 10
Cost: 7,375 C-bills

Equipment                                         Mass (kg)
Chassis/Controls                                  452.99999999999994
Engine/Trans.                                     250.0
    Cruise MP:10
Flank MP:15
Heat Sinks                    0                     0.0
Fuel                                                0.0
Armor Factor (BAR 2)          5                    65.0

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   1         2     
     R/L Side               1/1       1/1   
     Rear                    1         1     


Weapons
and Ammo              Location    Tonnage   
None

Cargo
    Bay 1:  Cargo (0.072 tons)      1 Door   

Notes:
Features Ultra-Light, Off-Road, Environmental Sealing Chassis and Controls Modifications
Searchlight(2; 5 kg each)

Edit: Couple edits.  Fixed the naming conventions from the earlier version, where I was using the Beetle name to instead stick with the Bug name, which is more in keeping with what they're called.  Also changed the Solar Bug to be amphibious as well, switching the chassis to Tech C in doing so, making it literally a go-anywhere vehicle, at the cost of some of its speed.  Meanwhile, the Fusion Bug gets the benefits of Environmental Sealing, as well as the benefits of its fusion engine being a fixed mass below a certian power rating, making it the fastest of the Bugs.

[Lycanphoenix]

I could see the Fusion Bug being very popular in the Lyra Commonwealth.

[Gorgon]

I love it. The Solar Bug in particular seems like such a great Periphery car.

[boilerman]

Nice work.  ;D

[Daryk]

Hilarious!  :D

[idea weenie]

I'd be tempted to change the Fusion Bug to have the same chassis as the Classic Bug, so it is just an Engine change rather than an Engine+chassis change.

This way you could have the Bug factory on a Periphery world producing the Classic Bug for people, and every now and then when a Dropship arrives with a few dozen tons of fusion engines, there is a brief surge of refits going on as people change out their Classic Bug engines for a fusion reactor.

The Classic Bug being upgraded to Fusion will save ~33 kg while also getting 66% higher ground speed, but unfortunately nearly doubling the price.  So they would be used by the local police/military/millionaire, but not by the average user.

Having a Fusion Bug charging up a fleet of Battery Bugs would still be a useful idea.

[Giovanni Blasini]

I'd be tempted to change the Fusion Bug to have the same chassis as the Classic Bug, so it is just an Engine change rather than an Engine+chassis change.

This way you could have the Bug factory on a Periphery world producing the Classic Bug for people, and every now and then when a Dropship arrives with a few dozen tons of fusion engines, there is a brief surge of refits going on as people change out their Classic Bug engines for a fusion reactor.

The Classic Bug being upgraded to Fusion will save ~33 kg while also getting 66% higher ground speed, but unfortunately nearly doubling the price.  So they would be used by the local police/military/millionaire, but not by the average user.

Having a Fusion Bug charging up a fleet of Battery Bugs would still be a useful idea.

Gotta give up the environmental sealing to do that, though, which is why I switched to tech D for the chassis and armor on the fusion version, and tech C for them on the solar version to pick up the amphibious chassis mod.

[Argus1348]

Cool idea. But...

You made it "Tech C". The original but would be "Tech B". It's okay to have a "Tech C" rebuild but you also used the "Ultra-Light" Chassis Mod, which is "Tech D". Is that correct? I think Tech Manual demands the Structural Tech Rate to be at least as high as the used Chassis Mods (see Tech Manual page 123 "Choose Chassis Modifications").

I also think we need a "Tech B"-Rebuild for all those Deep Periphery-savages... ;-)

[Giovanni Blasini]

Uhhhhh, no.  Chassis on the Classic and Electric are both Tech B.  Tech C only got added for the Solar model to accommodate the Amphibious mod, and Tech D got added to the Fusion one to accommodate Environmental Sealing.

[DOC_Agren]

I love it..