Type: BNC-4MC Banshee
Production: Magistracy of Canopus (Majesty Metals and Manufacturing, Canopus IV)
Combat Value: 1840 BV (4MC1), 2033 (4MC2), 1843 (4MCS)
Total Cost: 8,652,930 C-Bills (4MC1), 9,444,630 C-Bills (4MC2), 8,828,430 C-Bills (4MCS)
Internal Struct (std): 9.5t
Engine: Rawlings 285: 16.5t
Walking: 3
Running: 5
Heat Sinks: 13(26): 3t (2LA
Gyro/Cockpit (std): 6t
Armor Factor (std): 18t (288 pips)
Head 3/9
Center Torso 30/45/14
R/L Torso 20/30/10
R/L Arm 16/32
R/L Leg 20/38
Quirks: Rugged 1 (2x time between maintenance)
WEAPONS INVENTORY (BNC-4MC1)
2x AC-10 (14cr, 24t) RT/LT
3x Ammo (AC) 30 (3cr, 3t) RT
3x Large Lasers (6cr, 15t) RT/CT/LT
WEAPONS INVENTORY (BNC-4MC2)
2x LB 10-X (12cr, 22t) RT/LT
4x Ammo (LBX) 40 (4cr, 4t) RT/LT
3x Large Lasers (6cr, 15t) RT/CT/LT
+1 Double Heat Sinks (3cr, 1t) RA
WEAPONS INVENTORY (BNC-4MCS)
1x Sniper Artillery Piece (20cr, 20t) 8RA/12RT
3x Ammo (Sniper) 30 (3cr, 3t) LT
1x Flamer (1cr, 1t) H
2x Large Laser (4cr, 10t) CT/LT
6x Medium Lasers (6cr, 6t) 2RA/2LL/2LA
+2 Double Heat Sinks (6cr, 2t) LT
As part of an effort to rebuild the Magistracy Armed Forces following their disastrous showing in the Andurien Secession, Magestrix Emma Centrella heavily subsidized the nation’s armaments firms, with Magesty Metals and Manufacturing foremost among them. The Dunianshire facility was ground zero for the MAF’s efforts to develop a Canopian-specific assault ‘Mech variant, based on upgrading the widespread (and, until the Clan Invasion, relatively low-cost) Banshee 95-ton ‘Mech. Canopian merchants did much of the leg-work, scouring the Inner Sphere for cheap Assault ‘Mechs for their star realm, including the Banshee.
Work on creating an MAF-specific refit variant actually began prior to Emma Centralla’s ascendance to the Magestrix, but clearly has her fingerprints all over the design process. The first variant produced, the 3MC, replaced the AC-5 of the 3E with a heavier AC-10, but sacrificed heat sinks in order to make the design work, causing the final variant to run a bit hot. However, even with the greater hitting power, the ‘Mech still was somewhat underpowered, leading to the development of the 4MC variant, which first saw deployment in 3049, about a decade later.
The original 4MC model (now designated the 4MC1) stripped out the massive GM 380 engine entirely, instead fitting a modified Rawlings-schematic fusion engine with a lower 285 rating, and some of the excess shielding stripped out – the 300-rated variant had been manufactured for centuries for MMM’s Marauder lines. Preserving the original Star League XT chassis, the MMM-Dunianshire refit includes three more tons of armor than the original, using a full eighteen tons of Maxmillian 43 weave from their Shadow Hawk line. As part of its modifications, the Rawlings engine has double-strength heat baffles, with two additional double-strength heat-shunting vents in the left arm and shoulder assembly of the Banshee, for an effective strength of thirteen “freezers” of heat sinking.
The modifications turn the Banshee into a true Assault ‘Mech, with a lumbering 53kph speed and near-maximum effective armored protection. Within that frame, MMM designers fit no less than two Pontiac 50 AC/10 autocannons, one in each of the original torso weapons mounts of the BNC chassis and fed by three tons of ammunition in the right torso, then added three Martell Large Lasers for additional firepower – one in the center torso, in line with the Pontiac 50s, and one mounted just below each massive Pontiac 50 autocannon barrel in each torso. This variant Banshee has somewhat limited effective range, but is devastating against most opponents, particularly once it reaches middle-ranged brawling distances.
However, MMM-Dunianshire wasn’t done, as they released an upgraded 4MC2 just a few years later, in 3052. This variant is nearly identical to the 4MC1, but swaps out the Pontiac 50s for a set of Mydron Excel LB 10-X Autocannons, which are apparently being sourced from Bithinia Ballistics of the Capellan Confederation, at least until MMM-Dunianshire develops the capability to manufacture their own. This suggests a degree of friendly co-operation between the two stellar nations that is worrying some observers, even as the Third Marik Civil War heats up, and with both the Magistracy and Confederation close on the League’s borders. Regardless of the politics, the LB 10-X are clearly superior to the older AC/10s in nearly every way, including weight reduction – the weight savings are plowed into an additional ton of ammunition (making four tons total for the two autocannons), and adding an additional double heat sink to make for an extremely cool-running ‘Mech.
Finally, in what might be one of the largest departures, a few variants of a third Canopian variant appears to have surfaced in a few units along the League border – this version has one less large gun barrel, but is peppered with Martel Medium Lasers in swivel-mounts on the “hips” and left arm. The unofficial designation for this variant, the 4MCS, reflects the understanding that the “big gun” in the right torso is probably a Sniper Artillery Piece, with an effective range of 9km, and able to hit with the raw strength of an AC-20 at direct-fire ranges of just over 500 meters. The artillery Banshee may be a reaction to the artillery-equipped Catapult in the Confederation arsenal, but regardless, artillery-supported MAF forces in more effectively optimized ‘Mechs are bound to be quite formidable, and avoid some of the mistakes of the recent past.
