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Subject: 
Re: Define Mecha Types Por Moi...
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.build.mecha
Date: 
Sat, 12 Jan 2002 06:53:50 GMT
Viewed: 
1364 times
  
In lugnet.build.mecha, Mark Sandlin writes:
> In article <GpswMI.7yJ@lugnet.com>, "richard marchetti"
> <blueofnoon@aol.com> wrote:
> 
> > Could someone please explain the differences between light and heavy mecha
> > for me?  Does it describe function or appearance?
> 
> I guess it depends on the person defining, but as for my mecha, I have
> Light, Medium, and Heavy. They generally refer to the size and armament of
> the mecha. I don't have very strict rules for this. I usually just build a
> mecha and then take a look at its size and armaments and make a judgment
> call :^)
> 
> Here are my loose definitions:
> 
> "Light" mecha have only a few small guns, with perhaps a missile rack of
> light missiles, and are generally small and quick, with light armor.

These are also well known as powersuits or power armor. These were a step up in
size from Iran Man's armor. Iron Monger would be a good example of the smallest
type of power armor. 12-14 feet tall at the highest. Chicken walkers like the
AT-ST might be considered light necha if you have apply loose definition to it.

> "Medium" mecha would have more armor and perhaps both light and heavy
> weapons in addition to missiles.

Yep. These would be the extra-bulky powersuits commonly shown to be 20-40 feet
tall. These are the ones that can withstand sustained automatic gunfire.

> "Heavy" mecha would be fairly loaded-down with weapons, especially heavy
> weapons, and would most likely have at least two missile racks (if it
> carries missiles)

Think of a tank with legs. :) 60-150 feet tall depending on the source of the
info. These would cost more than the GNP of most countries to build (Japan
excluded, obviously) :)

I'd agree with your definitions, Mark. I do recall one additional element to the
definition but I don't recall where I read it. Light, medium, and heavy refer to
the 'weight class' of the mecha. Light was something like 15-30 tons, medium
weighed in at 40-60 tons, and heavy mecha were 75-100 tons. Anything larger was
too big to support it's own weight. I suspect this might have been part of the
FASA mech definition, but I really don't remember.

> Not every mecha needs missiles, but it sure is cool to let fly with a
> missile swarm of Macross proportions. :^)

No doubt!

> > Be advised that I haven't seen much material on the subject beyond Voltron,
> > Zoids, or some such thing -- all of which don't really qualify as mecha, or
> > so I assume.
> 
> Sure they do. They're just not Gundam-style mecha.
> 
> Voltron is one of the first "super sentai" mecha, where there is a
> super-team of heros who pilot various mecha that combine (like Power
> Rangers)
> 
> Zoids are animal-shaped mecha, but they still have little pilots in the
> heads, so as far as I'm concerned, they're mecha. :^)
> 
> The only things I don't consider mecha are the big ugly square-looking
> things that FASA came up with for their Battletech game. They then went on
> to copyright the term "mech" and were very nasty about it for a while.
> This is especially ironic because some of their "mechs" were direct
> ripoffs of various mecha from Macross (Robotech)

I'd disagree with you here simply because these 'chicken walkers' owe more to
the AT-ST for their existence than they do traditional mecha. They too have
pilots and similar firepower to all other mecha. I do prefer to call these
mechs, though, as I consider them to be the predecessors of the more refined
versions of mecha we see today.

> HTH
> 
> ~Grand Admiral Muffin Head
> --
> Mark's Lego Creations
> http://www.nwlink.com/~sandlin/lego/

-Dave 'Lego Mecha' Johann



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Define Mecha Types Por Moi...
 
(...) Incorrect. The Zentraedi mecha we see in Macross/Robotech were directly ripped off and used in Battletech and Mechwarrior. Case in point: (URL) Battle pod was used by FASA and renamed the Marauder. They stole the Veritech in Battroid mode and (...) (25 years ago, 12-Jan-02, to lugnet.build.mecha)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Define Mecha Types Por Moi...
 
(...) I guess it depends on the person defining, but as for my mecha, I have Light, Medium, and Heavy. They generally refer to the size and armament of the mecha. I don't have very strict rules for this. I usually just build a mecha and then take a (...) (25 years ago, 12-Jan-02, to lugnet.build.mecha)

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