Things sit quiet, then, for the Urbie, until the Star League Civil War, where the poor ‘Mech took it in the shorts, reportedly dying in droves. This worked out well for no one, and the harmless armless UrbanMechs died in droves, becoming essentially extinct. This did not end well, as the armless Urbie proved to be mostly harmless Urbie, dying far too easily to weapons fire. Somewhere along the line, someone must have misread “harmless-looking” as “armless-looking”, because that’s the next thing the SLDF and Orgus tried. ![]() That you’re also lacking in anti-personnel weapons meaner than a small laser is also a benefit here: the UrbanMech is obviously here to be your cuddly local defender, not a tool of oppression, right? It doesn’t look like a big, mean, scary-looking BattleMech, and as a result, equipping your militia units with them won’t necessarily scare the pants off the locals. I mean, let’s face it: the UrbanMech looks like a cross between a trash can with legs and R2-D2 with a pituitary problem. This is also where anther feature of the UrbanMech comes into play: it doesn’t look threatening. You have to be insane to use it as an offensive platform.which means that it will undoubtedly happen from time to time. Keeping in mind, then, the slow speed, heavy gun and decent armor pretty much tells the story of how the city-fighting Urbie was meant to function: while a Wyvern might function on the offense and defense in a city, the UrbanMech is a defensive platform. Jump jets will certainly help it leap small buildings in a single bound and get around a city better, but this is not a fast 'Mech by any stretch of the imagination. Actually, 2/3/2 would be pretty damn slow for an assault 'Mech. At 2/3/2, the Urbie is painfully slow for a light 'Mech. The UM-R60 UrbanMech is "I can outrun it on a bicycle on a good day" slow, with a top speed of only 32 kph. There's not much more room for extra armor here, with room for 2 more in each leg and side torso, and 1 more in the CT. However, this is in no small part due to 8 points of armor CT rear and 4 in each side torso rear. Yes, there's more armor in each leg than the front CT. Forward armor consists of the maximum 9 points in the head, 11 points CT, 8 in each side torso, 10 in each arm (protecting the guns), and finally 12 in each leg. An eleventh heat sink, often speculated to have replaced a machine gun, is added both for crit soaking and for keeping the UrbanMech going in the event of engine damage, fire or direct attack by Infernos.Īrmor on the original UM-R60 is similarly heavy for a 30-ton light 'Mech, with 6 tons of standard armor plating spread around. However, its primary weapon is an AC/10, backed by 10 rounds of ammunition. "How heavily armed?" you ask? Well, like many light 'Mechs of the era, the original UM-R60 UrbanMech carries a small laser. In fact, at that cost, only the Hornet (151, 152, 161 and 171) and WSP-1 primitive Wasp are cheaper in C-Bill cost than the UM-R60 UrbanMech. Why, then, build the UrbanMech? Because, at 1,464,125 C-Bills (or equivalent in other currency), you can buy 2.3 UrbanMechs for the cost of one WVE-5N Wyvern. That's because only 15 years earlier, in 2660, the Star League had commissioned the "ultimate urban war machine", the Wyvern. Now, 2675 is a particularly odd time period for the Star League to be looking for a new city fighter. ![]() That said, Tech Readout 3050 Updates still spells it “Orguss”. The manufacturer themselves lost an ‘s’ in their name, presumably to decrease the resemblance to the anime name. ![]() It’s interesting to note that, at one point in time, Orgus (spelled “Orguss” at the time) was also responsible for the Phoenix Hawk, though that's no longer the case as of Tech Readout 3039, which changed the manufacturer to Earthwerks, and the chassis type from Orguss Stinger to Earthwerks PXH. In-universe, though, the UrbanMech isn't quite so old, first reaching production in 2675 by Orgus Industries (anime fans are now chuckling), when the Star League was looking for a 'Mech that would be a cheap city combat unit. It's also one of the most simultaneously loved and reviled of all BattleMechs in the game, most often referred to as the Urbie by fans and detractors alike. Dating back to the original Tech Readout 3025, the UrbanMech is one of the oldest 'Mechs in the game. So, obviously, this week we're talking about the UrbanMech. 'Mech of the Week: UM-R* UrbanMech and UrbanMech IIC
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |