Robot Week - day 1 V15-69A wheeled drones with autocannon

At the weekend I was going through the Tomorrow's War rules for robots.  I've never got around to doing much with robots, but I have quite a few ready for action now.  They're mainly GZG, unsurprising given the huge range of robots they have available.

We'll start with V15-69A - wheeled drones with autocannon.

These will be operating with my OUDF forces.  I've taken a mainly wheeled theme with them - they use DLD Kamodo IFVs and have a wheeled scout car.  Giving them the wheeled drones seemed in keeping with this.  The drones received a coat of Humbrol matt 75 bronze-green with a matt 86 olive green drybrush.  Camo stripes are Matt 33 black with a drybrush of matt 67 tank grey.  Wheels and autocannon are also black.  Sensors on the gun mount are GW red gore and Vallejo gloss black (not sure if it's really meant to be gloss as non of my other Vallejo paints are).  The final touch was a light dusting of Humbrol 93 desert yellow.  Most of my robots have been mounted on 1p pieces which I've found to be just the right size.

These small drones can provide useful fire support when required.  The light autocannon they carry can be used to maul unwary enemy infantry, and it can also present a threat to lightly armoured and softskin vehicles.  The wheeled chassis may not be as manoeuverable as a tracked, walker or grav unit, but ease of maintenance is a big factor in its favour.  Most troops have some idea of how a wheeled vehicle works and can have a go at fixing problems in the field.  The software systems are also a good deal less complicated; the programs required to control a grav or walking chassis are substantially larger than those needed for a wheeled system.  Gun-mount stability is also a consideration; tracked and walker units are just as stable, but a grav mount can be more susceptible to "platform rock" from autocannon recoil.  Weight is also a important, the wheeled drone system being one of the lightest weapons carriers in common use.  Lower ground pressure means the cross-country performance is not too different from a larger tracked unit, and when every kilogram of mass on an assault lander has to be carefully accounted for, any chance to squeeze in extra ammunition or troops is important.

These drones are deployed in a variety of ways, sometimes acting as an additional squad member to provide fire support, but also being used as remote sentry systems or ambush units.  Their low height, similar to that of a crouching human, makes them easy to conceal in this latter role.

My Tommorrow's War stats:

"Dumb 'Bot"
Tech Level 2
Troop Quality D8

Light Autocannon: TL2, AP:4 / AT:2 (L)