IMU/Stinger Parts Compatability list (unofficial)

[Jaymz]

This is for use in conjunction with the Improvised Mecha Unit aka "Frankenmecha" section in the supplement: Robotech The New Generation Sourcebook, published by Palladium Books for the Robotech The Shadow Chronicles Roleplaying Game.

I however HATE the term "Frankenmecha" and for that reason I will using the term "Stinger" from the novel Robotech The Zentraedi Rebellion. I will also use the term I-Moo.


Notes -

Official and Unofficial Arms, Legs and Weapon systems can be used by either of the Official or Unofficial Chassis types.

Sensor systems by and large can be jury rigged from any mecha to another thus they are not given a seperate entry. This includes targeting systems, RADAR etc.

Gunpods - Typically gunpods from smaller units cannot be used by large units as their hands are too big to hold and fire the trigger. However the opposite is not true of gunpods from larger units. They can be used by smaller units but may be awkward and unwieldly to use.

In the vast majority of cases used limbs not originally meant for a transformable unit will negate the transformability

Also MANY of the unofficial units listed are uncommon to extremely rare in availability.


Parts compatability list


Chassis type - Extra Large

Official - Regult, Glaug, Nousjadeul-Ger, Queadluun-Rau

Arms That can be used

Official - Any but the Monster.

Unofficial - Any except the REF MAC III.

Legs that can be used

Official - Any Large or Extra Large legs.

Unofficial - Any Large or Extra Large legs.

Weapon systems that can be used

Official - Almost anything can be used except for the systems off the Monster. Use a little common sense.

Unoffical - Almost anything can be used except for the systems off the REF MAC III. Use a little commons sense.

Note - A special cockpit unit would need to be installed/jury rigged for use by micronians/humans.



Chassis type - Large

Official - Tomahawk, Defender, Phalanx, Spartan, VF-1, Beta, Condor

Unofficial - VF-4 Lightning III, VF-X-5 Series (my own take on it but includes the VF-1X from Strike Force and VF-1V Vindicator from the Sentinels RPG), VF-7 Sylphid, Crusader, Gladius, EBSIS Juggernaut, EBSIS Soldier, EBSIS T-99 Surgut

Arms That can be used

Official - Any, including Queadluun Rau, and Officer Pod but not the Monster.

Unofficial - Any except Mini Monster and MAC III.

Legs that can be used

Official - Defender, Phalanx, Spartan, VF-1, Beta and Condor

Unofficial - VF-4, VF-7, VF-X-5 series, Crusader, Gladius, Mini Monster, EBSIS Soldier, EBSIS T-99 Surgut, EBSIS Soldier

Weapon systems that can be used

Official - Almost anything can be used except for the systems off the Monster. Use a little common sense.

Unoffical - Almost anything can be used except for the systems off the Mini Monster (Mini MAC) and the REF MAC III. Use a littel commons sense.



Chassis Type - Medium

Official - AGACS, Alpha

Unofficial - Defender (Strike Force), Super Alpha, Zentraedi Striker Battloid, REF Excalibur, REF Gladiator, REF Raidar X, REF Spartan

Arms that can be used

Official - Any except those originally from a large Chassis and the Monster

Unofficial - Any except those originally from a large chassis, the Mini MOnster or the REF MAC III

Legs that can be used

Official - Only legs from other Medium Chassis can be used

Unofficial - Only legs from other medium chassis can be used

Weapon Systems that can be used

Official - Any exept those from the Monster. Use a little common sense as well.

Unofficial - Any exept those from the Mini Monster and REF MAC III. Use a little common sense as well.



Chassis Type - Small

Official - Logan, Spartas, Myrmidon, Cyclops, Dryad, Salamander, Satyr, Golem, Blue Bioroid, Upgraded Blue Bioroid, Green Bioroid, Red Bioroid, Upgraded Red Bioroid, Bioroid Scout, Bioroid Invid Fighter, Bioroid Interceptor

Unofficial - LRV-588 Veritech Car, Light Insurgence Battloid, Super Logan, Heavy Assault Battloid, EBSIS Destroyer, Merchant Republic Protector, Bioroid Cannon, Micronian Bioroid, Z-1 Battlepod, Z-2 Officer Pod

Arms that can be used

Official - Any Small or Power Armour sized.

Unofficial - Any Small or Power Armour sized.

Legs that can be used

Official - Any Small or Medium sized legs can be used. Anything larger just won't work.

Unofficial - Any Small or Medium sized legs can be used. Anything larger just won't work. Also Z-1 and Z-2 Pod legs won't work on anything but Z-1 and Z-2 Pods. Z-1 and Z-2 pods however can use legs other than their own.

Weapon Systems that can be used

Official - Any weapons used by Small, Medium or Power Armour sized units cna typically be used. Use a little common sense.

Unofficial - Any weapons used by Small, Medium or Power Armour sized units cna typically be used. Use a little common sense.



Chassis Type - ASC Power Armour

Official - Basilisk, Fenris, Kraken, Manticore, Triton, Unicorn, Silverback

Unofficial - Garland Series Vertich Cycles, Hargun, MODAT.

Arms that can be used

Official - Power Armour Sized arms only.

Unofficial - Power Armour Sized arms only.

Legs that can be used

Official - Power Armour or Small sized legs only. Anything larger just won't work

Unofficial - Power Armour or Small sized legs only. Anything larger just won't work

Weapon Systems that can be used

Official - Any weapons from power armour or small sized unit should work. Use a little common sense though.

Unofficial - Any weapons from power armour or small sized unit should work. Use a little common sense though.



Chassis Type - Monster

Arms that can be used

Official - Any

Unofficial - Any

Legs that can be used

Can only use it's own legs.

Weapon Systems that can be used

Official - Any

Unofficial - Any



Chassis Type - Mini Monster

Arms that can be used

Official - Any except the arms of the MOnster.

Unofficial - Any except the arms of the REF MAC III

Legs that can be used

Can only use it's own legs

Weapon Systems that can be used

Official - Any except those off the Monster

Unofficial - Any except those off the REF MAC III



Chassis Type - REF MAC III

Arms that can be used

Official - Any but those of the Monster.

Unofficial - Any.

Legs that can be used

Can only use it's own legs. Nothing else will work.

Weapon Systems that can be used

Official - Any

Unofficial - Any



Chassis Type - Agressor and Gaurdian VTOL

Arms that can be used

Official - Gaurdian can use any small or Power armour sized arms to replace it's one arm.

Unofficial - Gaurdian can use any small or power armour sized arms to replace it's one arm.

Legs that can be used

Official - Any small or medium sized legs can be used by the Gaurdian. Only Medium sized legs can be used by the Aggressor

Unofficial - Any small or medium sized legs can be used by the Gaurdian. Only Medium sized legs can be used by the Aggressor

Weapon Systems that can be used

Official - Weapon systems from other Medium sized or smaller units can be used. Use some common sense however.

Unofficial - Weapon systems from other Medium sized or smaller units can be used. Use some common sense however.

[basara549]

Of course, your parts list would make it difficult to make the MBR-04 Mk XV from one of the Macross model art books.

It's effectively a Tomahawk chassis with a single 40cm gun from a monster mounted on it. I'll see about putting a pic up for you.

imageshack.us/photo/my-images/260/mhw038ug.jpg/

[MacrossMike]

Dec 5, 2013 3:52:30 GMT basara549 said:

Of course, your parts list would make it difficult to make the MBR-04 Mk XV from one of the Macross model art books.

It's effectively a Tomahawk chassis with a single 40cm gun from a monster mounted on it. I'll see about putting a pic up for you.

imageshack.us/photo/my-images/260/mhw038ug.jpg/

's for the best, I think... the Earth Trekker and variant designs from the Macross Model Hobby Handbook were never official, and a fair few (esp. that Tomahawk) border on the absurd.  It's rather doubtful that the Series 04 drive train could function adequately with that massive cannon's extra, off-center mass throwing its auto-balancer out of whack.  Firing it would be absolutely out of the question.  The Monster's chassis can adequately handle the recoil force because it's got the very secure gunmount and plenty of recoil compensation features.  The Tomahawk chassis has none of those features, which means that the equal and opposite reaction of firing that massive 40cm cannon is going to either rip the gun right off the top of the mecha and/or knock the destroid on its ass.

In a way, it's like a way more extreme version of the ARX-8 Lævateinn from Full Metal Panic!, which needed to use its near-magical lambda driver technology to prevent its demolition gun from damaging or destroying the mecha with its recoil.

Then again, I've never been a fan of the "Frankenmecha" concept... especially where Robotech is concerned.  Humanity barely understands how to use its own technology, and the actual secrets of how to put this stuff together and make it work is the exclusive territory of a handful of "military scientists".  The idea of civilians slapping this stuff together when humanity's brightest and best barely know how the stuff works is pretty silly... and then there's the fact that scale is right out between various sagas.  The IMUs in the books themselves BLATANTLY do not work for a variety of scale and transformation-related reasons.  Plus at no point does the series ever really establish that this sort of thing is going on... there's no evidence of the sort of plug-and-play parts functionality we see in the later Macross sequels or, most blatantly, in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion with Knightmare Frame limbs.

[Jaymz]

Yeah....I just THINK about the Tomahawk with a 16 inch cannon and my brain goes "Uh......no"

[colonel wolfe]

Thou those designs are disturbing... I'm more disturbed by what looks to be a child in a see-thru neglige over the words "my baby"... dammit japan, your doing it wrong.

[MacrossMike]

Dec 6, 2013 2:55:39 GMT Jaymz said:

Yeah....I just THINK about the Tomahawk with a 16 inch cannon and my brain goes "Uh......no"

Never mind that, in the configuration we're shown, the gun would never be able to carry more than about two rounds total... not exactly a good trade-off.

[basara549]

yeah, the XV would about be only good as an improvised barrier breaching mecha. Do it as a stinger, running up to a defensive fortification like that orc in the LotR movies to blow itself and the wall up..

[basara549]

Dec 6, 2013 4:02:56 GMT colonel wolfe said:

Thou those designs are disturbing... I'm more disturbed by what looks to be a child in a see-thru neglige over the words "my baby"... dammit japan, your doing it wrong.

Do remember, though, in Macross, the three Zent spies names said together, translates to "I'm a lolicon."

And people think the Robotech dubs are suggestive....

[MacrossMike]

Eh... briefly setting aside the Macross Model Hobby Handbook's non-official status, the off-topic commentary about fan-made materials, and one poor sap's rather childish and inept attempt to troll the Macross fans on the board, I'd think that the Earth Trekker series machines might be the best bet for IMU-type mecha.

I'm not entirely sure what the Earth Trekkers were made from, model-wise, but they have a decidedly slapdash look to them that fits well with the idea of making improvised combat mecha by fitting surplus weapons to something like a workloader or similar labor-saving robot.  The idea works better, IMO, than trying to build some kind of viable combat robot out of parts of many different combat robots.

[colonel wolfe]

Earth Trekkers have been done elsewhere, (specifically by Kenneth Olson, who's fan site is mentioned in the Robotech books as a source Kevin used (tsc pg m-192/f-134)...) the conversions are right here. www.robotechresearch.com/rpg/mecha/rdf/pre_destroids/earth_trekkers/earth_trekkers.htm

[Jaymz]

Dec 6, 2013 4:26:00 GMT basara549 said:

Dec 6, 2013 4:02:56 GMT colonel wolfe said:

Thou those designs are disturbing... I'm more disturbed by what looks to be a child in a see-thru neglige over the words "my baby"... dammit japan, your doing it wrong.

Do remember, though, in Macross, the three Zent spies names said together, translates to "I'm a lolicon."

And people think the Robotech dubs are suggestive....

And this is why i dislike most Anime... if its not about misogynist male lead chracters abusing and bashing on the pathetic fan-service females... its things like that...

Aside from the vast majority of the above being off topic, taking potshots at an industry that, as a whole, has done this since it's inception is in pretty poor taste at best. If you want to that, do it in mouth off or the anime and manga forum please.

To get back to the topic, robotech research is an excellent site for use with 1st Ed but needs work to bring it up to 2nd Ed standards obviously. My personal opinion however is that I like the Trekkers. For me it's an example if where Earth's tech was pre crash.

[Rabid Southern Cross Fan]

Unless I missed them, you forgot the Armo-Soldiers:

Official - Jackal (The Invid Invasion), Tiger (Love & War comics)
Unofficial - Boxer, Cougar, Jaguar

[Jaymz]

Yeah I need to add the Jackal and Tiger.......as for the Boxer, Cougar and jaguar......I really didn't like them all that much and wasn't planning on using them at all unless i could get a hold of some halfway decent art. What we have looks like utter crap to me....