As the clock strikes midnight here in the Eastern Time Zone that brings us to the conclusion of Quicksilver Challenge number six. I really have to commend the entrants once again as they keep getting better and better. Honestly all six designs were well done with solid background stories that made for a tough judging. Good thing for you guys I like a challenge so let us get on with it, shall we?
6. Minotaur (Fitzgerald)
Unfortunately while I really liked this one failure to meet the design criteria was a killer. Despite that it really was an excellent concept. I liked the drunken Star League fluff and the Scorpions practicing on ancient Taurian models. I didn’t really buy the fact that this non-canon production was enough to justify this OmniMech. The fact that the 175 Fusion Engine was also available to the Clan via the Svantovit Infantry Fighting Vehicle is somewhat of a saving grace. Fitzgerald your explanation about added mobility was a little too indirect for my liking but the concept is so good I wanted to accept it for consideration. So the Minotaur goes 5/8/5, had 12.5 tons of pod space, and 6 tons of ferro fibrous that produce a near max 115 armor factor. While you finished last in this overall contest the Minotaur concept was so intriguing to me that I’d like to keep it as a new BattleMech deployed by the Scorpions. So congrats!
5. Steel Viper (JPArbiter)
Such a solid design with very good fluff – I especially liked the Natalie Breen working behind the scenes bit. A 210 Fusion Engine made this 35 tonner go 6/9 with that near max armor factor of 115 thanks to 6 tons of ferro fibrous. 12 tons of pod space was certainly high end. The weapon configurations especially the one in honor of the Wolfhound are nice and overall its another good job. However, I hate the name! Aside from non-Star League Stanard English names which are none starters for the Clans at this time I can’t stand ‘Mechs named verbatim after specific Clans. These Totem Designs are a little lazy to me. Personal pet peeve. You will not be hearing names like the Burrock or Nova Cat when it comes to Clan ‘Mechs in this setting. Otherwise it is a nice job JP.
4. Dust Devil (Abele)
Our lone Quad entry this time around is a very interesting joint effort from the Cloud Cobras and Goliath Scorpions. The fluff was alright and I liked the split in preferences between the warriors of the two Clans. With its 210 Fusion Engine the aptly named Dust Devil goes 6/9 with 6 jump jets giving it unmatched mobility in this contest. With only 8 tons of pod space this design had the lowest amount of mass available for weaponry. A little damaging to this submission were your armor calculations seem to be a little off as you only need 6.5 tons of Clan ferro fibrous to get a 125 armor factor – you have seven tons of plating listed which would take it well over design maximum. In spite of this the concept is intriguing and I considered you for the top spot however there were three submissions that were better.
3. Fire Spirit (LordGrayson)
Another presentation for the Fire Mandrill-Blood Spirit alliance is the solid Fire Spirit. I loved the name which combines two Clans to create cool sounding cooperative design. Liked the story behind it which builds on your previous designs, nice job. You also went with the 210 Standard Engine which gives the Spirit a 6/9 movement profile along with a MASC to increase this to 12 MP at critical times. 11 tons of pod space was on the high end and there were some nice weapon configurations. 6 tons of ferro fibrous produce that near max 115 armor factor that we see a lot in this contest. Could have been a winner but two better.
2. Fire Ant (masterarminas)
The silver medal goes to this OmniMech based on the Jenner which was a nice Draconis basis for a Kindraa Sainze entry. The fact that this design had a 245 Fusion Engine capable of 7/11 speed made it the fastest entry in this contest. With the 6 tons of ferro fibrous near max 115 armor factor it had superior survivability compared to its competition. 9 tons of pod space was pretty good considering the larger engine and it came armed with some good configurations. Quality control issues were a nice touch as well and added to the believability of this design. It is a very good design that I do not have much negative to say about. Great job bud just thought there was one better!
1. Coral Snake (drakensis)
You finally broke the bronze ceiling with this design drakensis, congrats! While the near max 115 armor factor bought to us by 6 tons of ferro fibrous was a regular occurrence in this contest along with the 210 Fusion Engine granting 6/9 MP this design stood apart. True the high end 11 tons of pod space was another repeated theme for this contest but there was the story. This Steel Viper clone had excellent supporting fluff that despite similarities to others separated it from the pack. The basis on the Adder which steals the thunder of the canon Jade Falcon Puma is a great touch. Salvaging engines from the Wolfhound is another stroke of brilliance and the integral ECM Suite is a nice touch. It benefits the design with increased survivability, a plus for a Zombie. While the Coral Snake name is alright you should thank JPArbiter for taking the Viper mantra and I like how you included your original name, Water Viper, as the InnerSphere designation. Awesome job drak, congrats on the win!!
Till next time folks……
Author
Topic: Quicksilver Program #6: 35 ton Zombie OmniMech (Read 1914 times)