(Answered) Revised Customization Rules and Engine-Mounted Heat Sinks

[Giovanni Blasini]

A point of discussion has come up with the Revised V2 StratOps Refitting and Customization Rules on pages 188 and 189 of Strat Ops, the errata for which I linked to above.

In numerous examples, including that of refitting a MAD-3R to a MAD-5D and a JVN-10N to a JVN-11A, swapping a BattleMech's heat sinks from single heat sinks to double heat sinks are used as an example.  However, in neither case does it indicate whether this is a Class A, B, C or D type refit.  The refit type appears instead to be defined by the placement of heat sinks external to the engine.

Based on this, I have two questions:

1. In instances where you are changing the total number of heat sinks on a BattleMech, but not changing heat sink type, when adding heat sinks to a BattleMech whose engine still has room for more (such as a 'Mech with a 360-rating engine but only 12 heat sinks), what class of refit would this be considered?

2. Would the class of refit change if other items, such as weapons, mounted in the center torso are removed at the same time?

3.  If instead of maintaining the same type of heat sink, the heat sinks were changed to a different heat sink type, would this also create a scenario where the class of refit is different from that in my first or second question?

Thank you.

[Xotl]

It looks like there will be room in the reprint to add a specific note, so I think I'll add a simple note that any work involving engine heat sinks (i.e. removing them, adding them, or switching their type) is Class B.  I was planning to treat it as Class C, which the rules sort of imply, but there are at least two mech variants that are field refits and involve switching to double heat sinks, so I don't want to break canon.

I'll update the website draft to reflect this.  Thanks.