Thursday 31 January 2013

Re-purposed robot/walker vehicle

 Came aross this old beastie whilst rummaging through boxes of gaming stuff in the loft last weekend.  Although designed for 25mm gaming I think it'll do as an addition for 15mm (though the pilot might be rather cramped - unless I still treat it as a robotic vehicle).


It's a Ksirus Fury Helcat CBU (Cybernetic Battlefield Unit) from Fantasy Forge's Kryomek games system.  The authors did love their acronyms and abbreviations as shown by the description of the Helcat [with my explanations in square brackets]: "The Ksirus standard BWP [Battlefield Weapons Platform] is built around the MOA [MOA is a subsidiary of the Hajunka Megacorp] BBC ([Bipedal Battlefield Chassis] mk VIII-2 chassis".

The Helcat comes with two front-mounted HAK A20 submachine guns and a pair of side-mounted hardpoints.  This is the "Fury" variant, equipped with twin Kotor ACG 5  II assault chain guns on each hardpoint.  It is controlled by an ACM series X2 Active Cyberneural Matrix, powered by a Tokamak ring reactor anc carries Iridio-steel plated Weave-Shell.


As you might be able to tell from the colour scheme, this was part of my Crimson Fist Space Marine detachment, created circa 1992 using the 1st edition WH40K robot design rules ("Chapter Approved - Imperial Robots and the Legio Cybernetica", Warhammer40,000 Compendium, 1989).  You calculated the points cost for the robot, then added additional points for the robot programme which you assembled from little cardboard squares.  The more advanced and flexible the programme, the more effective the robot would be in battle, but the more it would cost.  This one was, of course, armed with 4 assault cannon, making it a fearsome opponent.  Or at least it would have been if I'd managed to use it in more than the one game, where it got into an altercation with a Land Raider which resulted in both of them being taken out of action!

A quick coat of an appropriate camo mix and my Helcat can stride into battle once more!

I've got bits of another one somewhere that I got from the second hand bin in a games shop, missing a leg and an arm but might prove useful as an objective marker or something.

4 comments:

  1. Nice mini, fits well, I'd imagine that the guy is lying right back using his SAS (Sensory Array Suite) to navigate and target.

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  2. These old Kryomek miniatures always reminded me of the ED-209 droid from Robocop with some additional minor putty work you could have a nemesis for the recently released (not) Robocop figure from Rebel miniatures.

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    1. Yes, definitely on the same lines as ED-209. I've got several of the Terminator inspired Talos Units too, a few Colonial Marine style Nexus Marines plus lots of their Aliens inspired Kryomek warriors and Helions.

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  3. You could always assume the pilot is laying face down to control it. Mimbari fighter style (I always thought that looked uncomfortable, lol).

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