===GL-115 Space Mobility Armor===
A large scale humanoid mecha designed primarily for megastructure construction operations in space. The GL-115, often nick-named the "asteroid crab", is a ubiquitous design amongst Magnetic Assembly space dwellers, and is highly modular with many variants. Despite what propaganda and daytime tv shows might depict, it's primarily designed for low-G environments, and is distinctly not very mobile or useful in a planetary surface environment.
In a military capacity, it can be equipped with various large-scale autocannons and missiles, and the apogee thrusters are superior to other multi-role mecha, but is also inferior in speed to a true space fighter. The one saving grace is that existing civilian vehicles in MA colonies can be converted on masse, swamping intruders on asteroids and space colonies with some rather robust and agile bodies. Police forces on the colonies use these as standard.
General Information
Name: GL-115 Space Mobility Armor
Operators: The Magnetic Assembly
Manufacturer: Magnetic Assembly (Yelton Veda Arm)
Height: 12 Feet.
Crew; Supports one pilot for six days, but can also be operated remotely.
Engine Type; 2x "Nuclear Lightbulb" Closed Gas Hydrogen/Uranium, set on independently rotating pods.
Pros;
-Surprisingly agile in space.
-Robust construction that is modular and easy to repair.
-Cheap to manufacture compared to the land-mecha of other nations.
Cons;
-Exposed joints not really constructed with combat in mind.
-Doesn't have access to many specialist high-power weapons.
-A sitting duck when fighting faster enemies in open space.
History
The four-legged GL-80 was a mainstay of the Yelton Veda economy in 2250, and was rapidly developed into various combat types as the civil war progressed. When the Assembly was founded and the war abruptly ended, this 'gun lander' was then used as the basis of several derivative construction vehicles, desperately trying to get the colony back on it's feet. Many now consider the sudden popularity of the GL-115 in this area simply to be a propaganda scheme, as it was the first humanoid model, which rather lined up with the colonist's new transhuman self-image.
Such is the extent of this model's cultural influence, that versions of it still remain in service 70 years later, and it is now seen somewhat as a national symbol.
During the New Years Revolution, it was used almost exclusively in this role of propaganda, since no actual space colony combat took place on home turf. It's a bit of an open secret that the Exemplar now questions the validity in continuously using such an old design, but can't afford to replace the incredibly vast production lines dedicated to constructing parts for it. As long as it's publicly popular and there isn't a pressing need for a new space combat mecha, it likely won't be replaced.
==Variants==
GL-110
The original version, known for it's problematic engine assembly, and knees that have a habit of exploding when landing with too much lateral rotation.
GL-115
Fixed the problems of the early production models, and made them much easier to maintain. This version is normally shipped with an excavation claw on the right arm, and a whipple shield on the left for deflecting small meteors and debris.
GL-115-D
Effectively the law enforcement version, equipped with a magazine-fed 20mm autocannon on the right arm, a superior camera assembly in a top-mounted turret 'head', decoy launchers, and a small four-barreled missile launcher on the left shoulder.
GL-115-D-MD
The same as the above model, but equipped with a large mass driver instead of the machinegun. Known to have serious handling and recoil issues due to weight distribution, but is much more capable of fighting large-scale enemy vessels. It was proposed as the military version at one point before the New Years Revolution, but as of 2321, only about one in thirty units are actually equipped in this way.
A large scale humanoid mecha designed primarily for megastructure construction operations in space. The GL-115, often nick-named the "asteroid crab", is a ubiquitous design amongst Magnetic Assembly space dwellers, and is highly modular with many variants. Despite what propaganda and daytime tv shows might depict, it's primarily designed for low-G environments, and is distinctly not very mobile or useful in a planetary surface environment.
In a military capacity, it can be equipped with various large-scale autocannons and missiles, and the apogee thrusters are superior to other multi-role mecha, but is also inferior in speed to a true space fighter. The one saving grace is that existing civilian vehicles in MA colonies can be converted on masse, swamping intruders on asteroids and space colonies with some rather robust and agile bodies. Police forces on the colonies use these as standard.
General Information
Name: GL-115 Space Mobility Armor
Operators: The Magnetic Assembly
Manufacturer: Magnetic Assembly (Yelton Veda Arm)
Height: 12 Feet.
Crew; Supports one pilot for six days, but can also be operated remotely.
Engine Type; 2x "Nuclear Lightbulb" Closed Gas Hydrogen/Uranium, set on independently rotating pods.
Pros;
-Surprisingly agile in space.
-Robust construction that is modular and easy to repair.
-Cheap to manufacture compared to the land-mecha of other nations.
Cons;
-Exposed joints not really constructed with combat in mind.
-Doesn't have access to many specialist high-power weapons.
-A sitting duck when fighting faster enemies in open space.
History
The four-legged GL-80 was a mainstay of the Yelton Veda economy in 2250, and was rapidly developed into various combat types as the civil war progressed. When the Assembly was founded and the war abruptly ended, this 'gun lander' was then used as the basis of several derivative construction vehicles, desperately trying to get the colony back on it's feet. Many now consider the sudden popularity of the GL-115 in this area simply to be a propaganda scheme, as it was the first humanoid model, which rather lined up with the colonist's new transhuman self-image.
Such is the extent of this model's cultural influence, that versions of it still remain in service 70 years later, and it is now seen somewhat as a national symbol.
During the New Years Revolution, it was used almost exclusively in this role of propaganda, since no actual space colony combat took place on home turf. It's a bit of an open secret that the Exemplar now questions the validity in continuously using such an old design, but can't afford to replace the incredibly vast production lines dedicated to constructing parts for it. As long as it's publicly popular and there isn't a pressing need for a new space combat mecha, it likely won't be replaced.
==Variants==
GL-110
The original version, known for it's problematic engine assembly, and knees that have a habit of exploding when landing with too much lateral rotation.
GL-115
Fixed the problems of the early production models, and made them much easier to maintain. This version is normally shipped with an excavation claw on the right arm, and a whipple shield on the left for deflecting small meteors and debris.
GL-115-D
Effectively the law enforcement version, equipped with a magazine-fed 20mm autocannon on the right arm, a superior camera assembly in a top-mounted turret 'head', decoy launchers, and a small four-barreled missile launcher on the left shoulder.
GL-115-D-MD
The same as the above model, but equipped with a large mass driver instead of the machinegun. Known to have serious handling and recoil issues due to weight distribution, but is much more capable of fighting large-scale enemy vessels. It was proposed as the military version at one point before the New Years Revolution, but as of 2321, only about one in thirty units are actually equipped in this way.