V5.00ˆÿÿd King CrabKGC-100ò @ ªæ€ÇD€ÇDøAPA @MA 8 8 5 4 14 3 , ")") - W(Defiance ThunderWDefiance Thunder`Holly3ExostarWWWWWWWWWWçççç``ðWWWWWWWWWWçççç  33âÿ0gCosara Weaponries, newly rebuilt and expanded, has already begun production of certain Star League-era mechs, specifically the Highlander, and the new Schiltron OmniVehicle. In addition to these successful endeavors, the engineers and techs at Cosara have tinkered with a few other designs, including the King Crab, of which Cosara was the original producer.aProblems had surfaced with the King Crab even back in the days of the Star League. At worst, it was slow, had limited ammunition, had little long-range weaponry, and was not armored enough to protect the vital AC/20s of the original King Crab. ComStar's successful field upgrade of the King Crab showed that its misgivings could be improved upon, and once their production lines were fully up and running, Cosara started out with a redesign of the King Crab. The techs working on the project decided to swap out the original Ferro-fibrous armor for standard armor and an Endo-steel internal structure. It has been shown that, on a space-for-space basis, endo-steel has a better weight efficiency than does ferro-fibrous armor. This, combined with a switch to double heat sinks, gave the techs enough tonnage to improve the King Crab without using a vulnerable extra-light engine. Armor has been beefed up to near maximum, which is already significant on a 100-ton mech. The biggest changes were weaponry-wise. Not only were the original AC/20s upgraded to Defiance Thunder Ultra versions, but each was supplied with an impressive four tons of ammunition, which will allow the King Crab to slug out most close battles to the end before having to reload. Unfortunately, the tonnage needed for the ammunition required downgrading the old Simpson LRM-15 rack to a pair of Holly LRM-5 racks, which has reduced the already small long-range punch of the King Crab. This was partially remedied by upgrading the old Exostar Large Laser to Exostar's Extended-Range version, but the mech still remains undergunned at long range.  ÷One variant has already surfaced, from during the redesign phase. A direct reflection of ComStar's KGC-001 upgrade, the KGC-101 King Crab boasts a pair of Imperator Light Gauss Rifles, from the same stockpile used for construction of the Black Watch mech. 2 tons of ammunition for each ensure plenty of rounds for a long siege. The associated reduction in weight has allowed the short- and medium-range weaponry to be improved, with a pair of Shigunga MRM-10s and a Sutel Large Pulse Laser installed. ÃOnly a few prototypes have been built thus far, and all are within the various Northwind Highlander regiments for operational testing. The redesign was completed too late to take part in Operation Bulldog, but given the dark clouds looming on the Federated Commonwealth horizon, the King Crab may yet get a baptism of fire. Somewhat dubious yet persistent rumors place a half-dozen of the machines among Precentor Martial Steiner-Davion's ComGuards.  [ none ]Cosara Weaponries NorthwindVlarDurallex Heavy with CASEHollis Mark IIEDalban CommlineDalban HiRez-BNone