Stingers - Improvised Mecha Units

Improvised Mecha units, more commonly known as "Stingers" or the more derogatory "franken-mecha", are piloted mecha created by rebuilding mecha using parts from other, usually dissimilar mecha. IMU's are a common means for non-UEG aligned nations and Anti-UEG militant groups to obtain functional mecha, and IMU's saw extensive use during the Reconstruction period before 2028. It was during this time that they gained their nom de guerre of "Stinger", after the codename one particularly industrious band of human and zentreadi Anti-UEG militants in The Southlands (South America) used for their improvised mecha. However the heyday of the IMU was during the invid occupation, where intact mecha were relatively rare, and both Anti-Invid resistance fighters and Bandit groups employed salvaged mecha components to create IMU's. for the Resistance, these patchwork mecha were often the only effective means to combat the higher caste invid forces, at least until the Shadow Fighter equipped Jupiter Division of the United Earth Expeditionary Force arrived in the Sol system in 2044 and began landing forces and supplies with Shadow Device equipped transports, to bolster the resistance and pre-position ground forces for the assault on Reflex Point.

These IMU's are some of the more notable examples, broken down by era of introduction/appearance.

Early Reconstruction era (2012 - 2022)

Zarafahs---Regult-based Improvised Mecha Units (By Taalismn)

Zarafahs (Arabic transliteration for ‘Giraffe’)* are the product of Africa’s predilection for producing ‘technical's’. Zarafahs are arguably the first Third World IMUs to appear, well before any other types. The basic Zarafah is essentially a mobile weapons platform improvised from the lower torso/pelvis-and-leg unit of the ubiquitous Regult Battle Pod, thousands, if not millions, of which littered Earth after the Rain of Death. Typically little remained of the upper section of the Regult unit, a crude control cabin and command rig being constructed on a platform atop the legs, then case mated over with armor. Some of the earliest Zarafahs used the armored hulls of terrestrial AFVs and MBTs, complete with turrets, and appliqued in additional armor; later models used the readily available hulls of LACV-60s, or M2200 Janissaries. Few Zarafahs retained any of the original Zentraedi weaponry, but were fitted with whatever magazine-fed weapons were available; typically a bristling mix of RPGs, rocket launchers (TOW and aircraft rocket pods being the most common), rapid fire machine guns (especially supplied with SLAP ammunition), automatic grenade launchers, light auto-cannon, recoilless rifles, and whatever Zentraedi sidearms could be mounted and bolted on to the AFV hulls. Some even carried Katyusha artillery rockets for long range attacks. None of the Zarafahs retained their jet thrusters, flight, or jump capabilities, but were strictly ground-walkers. Their cross-country terrain capabilities, however, were impressive, and many were still capable of a very fast running speed, able to outdistance conventional ground vehicles in rough terrain. Though never quite as fast or agile as proper Regults, the Zarafahs were still surprisingly responsive, thanks to the rugged nature of the original Zentraedi gyro stabilization systems and articulation. Early Zarafahs were powered by the last dwindling remains of Protoculture in their engines. As government salvage teams and black market piracy stripped the Zentraedi wrecks of their Protoculture, many Zarafahs built by wealthier or more technically capable groups were switched over to SLMH systems, the fuel itself looted from UEG sources.

The first Zarafahs were encountered during the Reconstruction, and they were active well into the Southern Cross era. These ‘poor man’s mecha’ were mainly constructed by African and Arab (later Asian as well) mechanics who were ironically trained in Robotechnology during the heady days of the pre-Rain ‘Earth Unity’ movement, but who later left UEG service to return to their blighted homelands, dissatisfied with the lack of attention paid to their regions. During the regions’ descent back into chronic warlord-itis, Zarafah IMUs were an increasingly common sight standing watch over the fortified oasis's and wasteland fortresses of regional warlords. Though crude in comparison to other mecha, and piloted by poorly-trained locals, the Zarafahs could pose a threat to dismounted Zentraedi, damaged Zentraedi mecha, or ambushed UEG mecha, though they were just as often used to terrorize local populations. Used in numbers, or if they could get in close enough, Zarafahs could bring down even Veritech battloids for salvage. Against isolated UEG convoys and platoons in Africa and the Middle East, Zarafahs were as much a threat as Zentraedi renegades...at least until the Southern Cross established the network of Desert Division garrisons, and rushed VHT- and Basilisk -equipped forces to pacify the regions.

Zarafah construction and deployment had ceased and tapered off by the time of the Second Robotech War, as the government seized more and more of the supply of Protoculture, and the ASC increased its presence in the regions. Most Zarafahs simply shut down as their original-issue powerplants wheezed to a cold stop.

Ironically, it was the Invid who helped revive Zarafah construction, what with the shattering of ASC bases and the dispersal of trained personnel. Many of the wasteland communities and redoubts that had once hosted anti-UEG dissidents and independent warlords, now found themselves playing host to fugitive ASC engineers and rebel mecha technicians, carrying with them new weapons and equipment, and eager to strike back at the new alien overlords. As the Invid destroyed infrastructure and substituted their own Protoculture-based energy economy, optimistically believing it made it easier to control Human movement, the switch-over actually HELPED the African rebels by allowing them to re-energize many of the previously dead Zentraedi mecha power plants. With plenty of spare parts still lying around to choose from, the Resistance got into the business of manufacturing new Zarafahs.

Though the Zarafah was nowhere near agile or fast enough to contend with the Invid on even terms, the Resistance learned how to use the improvised mecha to best advantage. Compared to such assets as the VHT and Alpha, Zarafahs were considered ‘throwaways’, typically assigned to skirmishing roles and distraction attacks. Though early models were piloted and were little more than gun platforms, later variants were used as mobile radar stations and sensor platforms. In combat, the Zarafahs were used as missile launchers and anti-aircraft gunnery platforms. The Resistance even learned to copy Invid tactics, by pre-positioning Zarafahs in the wastes, leaving them hidden under camouflage or even buried in sand dunes, activating their reflex systems only when it was time to spring traps that had lured the Invid within range. The most sophisticated Resistance units were able to fit their Zarafahs as remote control drones, commanding the UMVs from a hidden command post(the M2204 Janissary Command Vehicle was a popular control vehicle), using them as expendable assault units. These units proved especially effective, as the Invid often recognized the hated Zentraedi Regult chassis, and were often too distracted in destroying the pilotless Zarafahs to notice other, more conventional, Resistance forces moving elsewhere. Zarafahs remained an Old World innovation; none were KNOWN to be used by the Resistance in South or North America.

* The term ‘Ostrich’ continued, even in local languages, to be used as slang for fully functional Regults and Glaugs.

Quel-Glaug Officer's EW Command Pod (By Taalismn)

The Quel-Glaug was an IMU used by both Malcontent and Terran Militia forces. Essentially, the 'Q-G' was a Glaug Officer's Pod with its missing top cannon replaced with the antennae of a Quel-Regult Elint Pod mounted in its place, and as much of the Quel-Regult's advanced electronics shoehorned into an armored 'hump' atop of the Glaug. The Q-G sacrificed firepower for sensor and EW power. Full-sized Zentraedi Q-G conversions required the single pilot to have the necessary skills to operate the added electronics to make the most of them. The necessity of having to attend to the added electronic warfare systems with the various new control panels crammed into the cockpit made the Glaug's normally roomy interior nearly as cramped as a standard Regult's, and divided the pilot's attention. Because of this, and the step-down in raw firepower, the Quel-Glaug rarely engaged in front line combat, but typically stood back and served as a coordinator of units from behind. This didn't sit well with more glory-hungry officers, and so the unit was frequently assigned to less openly aggressive pilots who willingly gave up the opportunity for fully equipped front line mayhem for the power of more calculating strategy and attack coordination (interestingly enough, most Q-G conversions in the Malcontents showed up in the hands of female officers). Micronian conversion Q-Gs suffered no such problems. With room for a crew of four human-sized operators, there was manpower enough for dedicated communications and EW officers, resulting in no reduction in combat efficiency. However, given the value of the Q-G's electronics, they continued to be used in a command and support roll in the militia forces that employed them.

History records several showdowns between Malcontent and militia Q-Gs. As both sets of operators recognized the value of their machines, they targeted their opposite numbers, resulting in multi-level duels of electronics and physical weaponry. One such conflict saw two opposing Q-Gs stalk each other through the Andes for a week before the militia commander managed to call in enough firepower to saturate the area she suspected her opponent was hiding in, overwhelming the Zentraedi officer's jamming efforts through sheer weight of ordnance. When the ASC swept to power, Q-Gs disappeared as new equipment was issued, although some users derided the M2204s they received as poor exchanges for their Q-Gs. So a few nations mothballed theirs; these units emerged again during the Invid Invasion. Their jamming abilities may have been of little use against the Invid, but their communications and sensors proved invaluable to the Resistance, at least until the Invid began dedicated sweeps for the mecha of their old Zentraedi foes.

Jotuns---(aka 'Joats') (By Taalismn)

"Jotun" is a general term used to refer to IMUs based on the Zentraedi Male Power Armor (Nousjadel-Ger), which were more numerous in battlefield salvage than the much-sought FPAs, but less common than the ubiquitous Regults. "Jotuns" or 'Joats' became fairly common IMUs both for Malcontents and struggling 'Third World' nations looking to build up their mecha forces without UEDF support. A common 'Joat' configuration in Africa and Central Asia Quadrants consisted of a refurbished Nousjadel-Ger with its central crew cavity refitted to hold a four man (micronian) crew. The chest cannon was maintained (or substituted with a Terran-made MBT 100- or 120-mm cannon), but the thruster pack was gutted(damaged or the parts used for other flight-capable mecha), and where possible, the shoulder particle beam cannon retained (if not, often a heavy recoilless gun or 'bundle' of them was substituted. Later models saw external loading 120mm cannons mounted, based on black market conversion kits coming out of surviving German arms factories). Wherever possible, the original head and sensor systems were retained, but sometimes a missing head was replaced by a secondary turret mounting a pair of heavy machine guns or a light rapid-fire cannon (20mm or the popular Soviet 23mm). The arms, if no usable units could be salvaged, were often replaced with the missile pods from defunct Regult Artillery Pods (light or heavy), to create what was sometimes called a 'poor man's Phalanx.' * Jotuns continued to plague UEG forces well into the Southern Cross era, when dwindling uncatalogued Protoculture supplies and attrition wore down most of the machines and their crews. More plentiful ASC-supplied mecha, such as the Salamanders, also replaced Jotuns in legitimate government forces. Still, there were plentiful reports of old Jotun units lumbering out of warehouse mothballs and training base retirements to oppose the Invid, though wear and tear and decades of neglect meant most of these old warhorses were slaughtered by the Invid invasion forces.

* (Often, though, UEDF Phalanx crews came to abhor these lash-ups in sectors and circumstances where the UEDF forces could not deploy their Phalanxes as intended; as stand-off weapons platforms kept to the rear of the close combat lines. Under such circumstances, the Joats' secondary armaments proved more for a match for the otherwise-unarmed Phalanxes in close combat, until the Phalanxes' support units could come to their rescue)

Iron Guardsmen (By Taalismn)

A creation of the Caucasus Autonomous Region (though later appearing in various affiliated client states and allies) Iron Guardsmen are simply modified Nousjadel-Ger Male Power Armors refitted for operation with micronian crews (2-4). Almost all (80%) have lost their jet thrusters and shoulder PBC, so instead CAR engineers have mounted a ‘calliope rack’ for 122mm Katyusha-style free-flight rockets, 40 tubes in all (some models mounted 80), earning the mecha the nickname ‘Church Organists’ or ‘Wurlitzers’. About 40% of the Iron Guardsmen also lacked the tribarrel 64mm grenade launcher in the chest, instead mounting a 120mm tank cannon or 30mm Gsh-30-4A1 auto-cannon in its place. A smaller number of experimental refits added as many as THREE Gsh-30-4A1s to the chest, hard points for rocket pods on the forearms, or TWO Particle Beam Cannons to the shoulders of the Iron Guardsmen. Various personal experiments saw Guardsmen carrying massive shields (often made from Regult shell) and Spartan-style maces, or even swords and axes, into combat. Other experiments saw the Iron Guardsmen carrying a variety of locally-designed gunpods, including over sized ‘AK’-pattern weapons (the CAR and EBSIS would later claim that the UEG would copy those weapons for the design of the EU-13). Other modifications included directional antipersonnel charges on the legs and applique armor kits. Because of their relative simplicity, Iron Guardsmen could be easily converted and deployed to protect the communities of the CAR from both Malcontent marauders and the bandit raiders who’d emerged from the chaos of destroyed Europe and Old Russia. Iron Guardsmen remained in service among the longest of the first-generation IMUs, with examples continuing to serve well into the Invid era.

Iron Troll (By Taalismn)

The Iron Trolls were simply the upper torsos of Nousjadel-Gers, modified to the Iron Guardsmen standard, and mounted on the treaded chassises of main battle tanks. Though not as mobile as their fully-legged comrades, the Iron Trolls enjoyed a lower target profile, lower maintenance, and expended less fuel/protoculture (the Trolls could be easily modified to run with less sophisticated fission reactors and even internal combustion power plants) than the Iron Guardsmen. Just as many Iron Trolls were deployed as Iron Guardsmen, and it was not uncommon for older and severely damaged Guardsmen to be withdrawn from service and converted to Trolls. Iron Trolls saw even more variation in weapons and secondary systems than the Iron Guardsmen, as it was understood, at least initially, that as mecha the Iron Trolls were at the tail end of their operational life spans, and as such, variants in equipment were considered to be life extension modifications.

Combat-wise, Iron Trolls were little better than standard MBTs and fire support vehicles, but the retention of the Nousjadel -Gers’ arms meant that the IMUs were very useful in logistical support and combat engineering units (often fitted with dozer blades and shoulder-mount cranes). Sometimes derided by EBSIS and CAR mecha pilots as ‘wheelchair warriors’ owing to the fact that the Trolls didn’t require specialized mecha combat training to operate, making them very popular with ground troopers, and giving many the opportunity to pilot a ‘mecha’ without rigorous qualification. Like the Iron Guardsmen, Iron Trolls enjoyed a very long operational lifespan, even when wholly indigenous-designed mecha (or imports from elsewhere, especially the EBSIS) began taking the front line roles in CAR formations. There were even reports of examples appearing during the Invid Occupation in the Asian and European sectors, operating in militia units and resistance cells.

IB-04 Amazon Battloid (by ShadowLogan)

When the State of York officially succeed from the UEG in 2015 it took with it one of the few functioning Phalanx Destroid production lines (and a sub-factory producing the head and arm assemblies for VF-1 Valkyrie Veritechs). The UEG did have one military base within the boarders of York, but most of the personnel were not citizens of York. In a move for a peaceful transition, York negotiated a “one year lease” for the base to the UEG, at the end of which the UEG would have to vacate it and anything left behind would be considered York’s property. The idea behind allowing the UEG to “lease” the base would give them time to expand and update the York militia into a proper defense force. To this end they would need Battloid mecha supported by a force of conventional platforms (fighters, attack helicopters, armored vehicles, etc) in a manner similar to the emerging ASC. This led to their first IMU Battloid based on the Phalanx Destroid: the IB-04 Amazon Battloid.

The basic IB-04 Amazon Battloid uses the Phalanx Destroid at its core and has removed the missile drum arms and replaced them with newly manufactured Valkyrie arm limbs. They would replace the top mounted searchlights with a VF-1 head case, though the head would be equipped with indigenous systems (one GAU-20A1 .50cal machine gun with 800 rounds, and optical sensors with 3/4th the capability of UEG VF-1.) The mecha is usually issued a mecha gun pod using the M61 20mm Gatling, with 1200 rounds. To offset the light integral weapons load six additional hard points were fitted to the mecha's forearms, shoulders and lower legs, able to mount ejectable MLOP pods holding 3x 190mm short range missiles or 15x 70mm mini-missiles each, for a maximum load out of 18 missiles. York also produced a small number of electronic warfare pods to be mounted on the hard points for support roles, and developed a number of alternate weapons pods allowing the mecha to fill multiple battlefield roles.

While not considered “true” Amazons, knock off variants have appeared in other regions that would substitute modified Spartan arms if Valkyrie limbs where not available. Some times a Tomahawk lower body was used in place of the Phalanx, giving it the RDS-2 Missile system in addition to the lower leg hard points. The design was seen well into the Invid Occupation, usually refitted with protoculture reactors taken from wrecked Condor battloids, with the last verifiable sighting in 2039.

Late reconstruction era (2023 - 2030)

Jovian Station 'Glennis' Space Combat Battloid (By Taalismn)

The 'Glennis' SCB was a rude and crude chop and weld devised by the engineers of Jupiter Base when they were cut cut from re-supply from Earth during the Second Robotech War to bolster their forces against the chance that the Masters might come out into the outer solar system to hunt Terran resistance. In order to get as many mecha space worthy as possible, the engineering staff took still-operational first-generation Spartan destroids and bolted refurnished propulsion packs pulled from Queadluun-Rau Power Armors from several Zentraedi wrecks found in the Jovian moon system(believed to have been fleeing the catastrophe following the destruction of Dolza's command fortress), and control linkages installed in the destroids' cockpits. Where possible, the missile launchers were repaired and modified to accept UEEF-manufactured missiles, and provision was made to route the exhaust from the Spartans' existing shoulder launchers around to the sides of the new propulsion pack. The 'Glennis' proved extremely cumbersome (the propulsion pack being nearly as big as the destroids themselves)on the ground and would have proven nearly immobile in any sort of gravity other than the micro-gravity of the Jovian moons. In flight, however, the 'Glennis' proved a speed-demon, so much so that the improvised control rigs in the ground mechas' cockpits barely proved able to control them. The 'Glennis's' proved to be tempermental beasts, and required much re-balancing and fine tuning of both mountings and controls, to the point that were it not for the desperate news from Earth, the Jovian Station technicians would have given up in disgust. Even when they had reached a happy medium between the attention-hungry Queadluun-Rau engines and the stodgy Spartans, piloting one with the sort of fine control needed for deep space dog fighting was an effort. Pilots assigned to flying the Glennis's quickly got to calling the design 'The Beast'. Only about a dozen 'Glennises' were ever constructed, and they proved nearly as dangerous to their pilots during training as they were predicted to be to the enemy. The difficulty of repairing and maintaining the engines(the Female Power Armor being a rare commodity) limited the number of conversions carried out.

The Glennis saw no action during the Second Robotech War, though the mecha did see some combat against a handful of straggler Tirolians attempting to flee the anticipated Invid Invasion. The Glennis's again saw activation during the Invid Occupation, when it was feared that the Regess, after consolidating her hold on Earth, would sweep out to attack the other Human outposts in the Solar System. The anticipated Invid attacks never came, though the Glennises stood ready, alongside the handful of ASC space mecha and even some salvaged Bioroids, that had been gathered to mount a defense. In time, however, returning UEEF forces arrived bringing fresh mecha, such as Alphas, Condors, and Betas, and the need for the Glennis's in the role of space defense battloid was downgraded and many of them were re-converted to ground mecha or scrapped.

A variant of the design, using the lower-powered, less temperamental, and far more available thrusters from Nousjadeul-Ger power armors, and nicknamed the 'Armstrong', was also devised by Jovian Station engineers. The 'Armstrong', though somewhat slower, proved a tamer beast, and several dozen were built, almost totally using up the Jupiter Station reserves of Spartans. Many retained the particle beam shoulder mount, though where working examples of that weapon proved unavailable, technicians substituted re-mounted gun pods with extra ammunition, or added an extra SRM or MRM pod from other motor pool salvage. Armstrong's tended to be used for patrols around the main Jovian facility and satellite bases, their mobility endearing them to their pilots. Like the Glennis's, the Armstrong's were put on alert during the chaos following the Second Robotech War, and during the Invid Occupation, seeing some small combat dealing with Tirolian stragglers. When the UEEF arrived back in Sol System in force with fresh mecha, the Armstrong's were not decommissioned like the temperamental Glennis conversions, but were more often than not modified for space utility work, a tool armature or engineering pod replacing the shoulder weapons mount. These revamps continued to serve in the staging area facilities set up in the Jovian moon system, helping load/offload supply ships, and perform hull work on UEEF ships.

"Rhian" (By Taalismn)

Rhian was the work of the Southern Cross's 731st Engineering Company, assigned the task of re-opening a sector of oil fields in Rain of Death-battered Alaska. Assigned not only the task of restarting petroleum production under harsh conditions, but defending the small community of wildcatter civilian employees also working in the area, the 731st was chronically short of equipment, especially specialized engineering vehicles, as fronts elsewhere drew away available vehicles. However, the 731st was NOT short of salvage, and they made the most of their 'hangar queens' and 'gribble bins' as they called their salvage pool. Rhian was the result of mounting the upper torso of a Salamander battloid(its legs having been irreparably damaged in a landslide) atop a modified M2200 Janissary APC, resulting in a decidedly centaur-looking vehicle. For protection, the slow-moving IMU was modified, the back thruster of the Salamander replaced with a rotating armored box-mount holding a gun cluster from an older UEDF MBR-04-Mk.VII Tomahawk destroid found wrecked and abandoned on the tundra.* A dozer blade was fitted to the front, and equipment racks added to the sides of the APC, within easy reach of the hands of the upper torso. A gun rack along the side held an EU-10 Gun Pod for additional protection. The whole of the vehicle was painted a fire engine red, and for help in putting out oil well fires, the mecha could carry a handheld shield made of thermal resistant material cut from the hull of a crashed Zentraedi Re-Entry Pod. Though too slow to engage in effective front line mecha combat, Rhian served the 731st quite well as an engineering vehicle, firefighter, and garrison defense mecha, assisting greatly in getting oil(still valuable, even with the advent of fusion and Protoculture power, for both fuel and chemical feed stocks) flowing again to the Reconstruction.

* (the mecha is believed to have been one of the contingent of a satellite base to the Grand Cannon; the mecha was presumed to have been walking out in an attempt to reach civilization; no record was found of what became of its pilot after he or she apparently abandoned the machine).

Dragon Heavy Support Battloid (By ShadowLogan)

Southern Cross Battloid teams in hot zones fighting rogue Zentreadi sometimes found their mecha lacking for firepower as UEDF Destroids began to be retired. These teams took it upon themselves to up-arm some of their Battloids by removing limbs and mounting a weapon station in it’s place (always done in pairs, no mixed weapons or mixed weapon/arm assemblies). Weapons used where modified ASC EU style gunpods, captured Zentreadi Z-ML Mk3 missile launchers, or salvaged Zentreadi Gluag forearm weapons (only requires the Glaug’s forearm, and the Battloid retains it’s upper arm). The tandem EU gunpods would result in a very Defender like Destroid image. This setup was not geared toward anti-aircraft defense (due to the range), and was typically used for added fire support. Aside from being modified to fit into the arm sockets and fire without a trigger pull, the weapons where tied directly into the mecha’s power system increasing the weapon’s performance by 25% (initial units would damage their systems if they where not careful until a cooling jacket was developed). The tandem Z-ML MK3’s resulted in a Phalanx Destroid image, and could even operate in a similar role. The weapons had to be modified to fire human missiles as they where easier to procure. The modifications allowed it to carry human SRMs or Mini-Missiles (uses adapter w/increased payload) in place of the Zentreadi SRM. In some cases Z-ML Mk3s and EU gunpods would occasionally be seen doubling up on the platform per station (so 2 per arm, still the same weapon). This wasn’t done very often because the Z-ML Mk3s would cause balance issues. The second EU could not tap into the mecha’s power system without overloading the unit, so would have to run off it’s own “capacitor” which had to be charged back at base. The tandem Glaug “Derringers”, as they are sometimes known, would conjure up images the Phalanx Destroid because of the way they where mounted to the arms. This was the most rare conversion owing to the availability of Glaug’s to “salvage” the units from. Salamander Battloids where the most common to see this modification before the Invid Occupation as they did not have specialized equipment in the arms for their primary mission (Dryad and Satyr) or their role was not to be combat intensive (Cyclops). With the Invid occupation the Salamander was the least common due to battle losses during the invasion.

Invid Occupation (2031 - 2044)