SHELLCAIR GAR POWER ARMOR 

(Version 1.00 - Last updated: 03/27/01)  
Original design presented in Macross: 2036                               
Background by Kenneth Olson
Background Information derived from Robotech Technical Files

BACKGROUND 

Initial Robotech Master mecha designs for the Zentraedi were massed produced with little thought placed in the defensive capabilities of the unit.  The Masters believed that  mass quantities of units alone would intimidate most cultures into submission.  As such a majority of the Zentraedi designs were meant to be easily massed produced with little though placed in the defensive capabilities of the units.  

After the initial battles with the Disciples of Zor and the continuing conflict with the Invid, the Robotech Masters came to the realization that quality possesses its own quantity.  The Masters had always valued their officers more than the common soldiers by providing them more advanced and capable mecha.  

The Queadluun-Rau was the very probably the most effective and finest Zentraedi mecha to be developed in mass quantities.  However, the masters felt that an upgraded officers version was needed.  Designing improvements on a mecha which had already shown itself to be the ultimate balance between amour, weaponry, and maneuverability proved difficult.

Several attempts were made in improving the standard Quadlunn-Rau, the second design was the Shellcair Gar power armor.  The Shellcair took the basic frame of the Quadlunn-Rau including the leg mounted  Diwhaug Ratsatoul-8 missile launchers.; however, the top mounted missiles were replaced by two advanced  Makral Martszur-7 particle beam cannons.  Two 82mm grenade guided grenade launchers were added to either side of the center torso.  Although, they are of limited use against heavily armored units, their high rate of fire was designed to destroy large numbers of swarming Invid.  The armor protection was retained; however, the communication antenna was armored.  Master weapon designers found that during combat many Quadlunn-Rau formations would separate after their initial contact with Invid forces because their unarmored communication antenna would be destroyed.

Two hundred and fifty Shellcair Gars were produced for Krashaver's border fleet. Of these only 58 were destroyed during the years leading up to the Ebolian conflict with the RDF.  The Shellcair Gar proved to be a unsuccessful design not because of any inherent flaws with the mecha, but due to the simple fact that the elite Zentraedi warriors which piloted the Shellcair Gars found them undergunned in comparison to the standard Quadlunn-Rau.  Most of the pilots found that the replacement of 84 maggot missiles with two particle beam cannons was not an even trade.  During the conflict with the Earth Defense Forces the remaining craft were used in combat as replacements for Quadlunn-Rau in the later phases of the conflict.  All the remaining Shell Gars are believed to have been destroyed at the end of the Ebolian conflict.

An RPG supplement for Robotech Crystal Dreams will be released by Robotech Research in the near future (estimated release date March 2001)

RPG STATS

Vehicle Type: One person all weather ground combat mecha
Class: Zentraedi Power Armor
Manufacturer: Robotech Masters
Crew: One pilot
 

MDC BY LOCATION:

Location Shellcair Gar
* Communications Antenna (2) 5 each
Armored Antenna 30
** Face Plate / Sight system 50
Shoulder Particle Beam cannons (2) 100 each
Arms  (2) 70 each
Hands (2) 25 each
Grenade Launchers (2) 35 each
Leg Missile Launchers (2) 60 each
Engine Thrusters (2) 50 each
Legs (2) 120 each
*** Main Body 200  
		 
NOTES:
  1. *  Destroying the communications antenna will knock out all of the short range communication systems for the Shellcair Gar; However, attackers are -6 to strike
  2. ** Destroying the face plate of the Shellcair Gar will knock out most of the sensor systems including all of the optics systems (infrared, nightvision, thermal) and radar; however, communications will be unaffected.  Attackers are -6 to strike.
  3. *** Depleting the MDC of the main body will destroy the mecha

 

SPEEDS:

FLYING:
1300 kph in planetary atmospheres
RUNNING:
200 kph
LEAPING, SOLDIER CONFIGURATION:
30 m

STATISTICAL DATA:

HEIGHT:
16.8m
WEIGHT:
30.1 metric tonnes (empty)
PHYSICAL STRENGTH:
Equal to a P.S. of 60
CARGO:
None
POWER PLANT:
1 x Xot'zerr-8-DCr protoculture generator with multiple protoculture canisters
PROPULSION IN SPACEBORNE OPERATIONS:
Engines:   Two Varshtanna type 34 plasma-shock expansion engines with vectorable exhaust. The thrusters are located in the back. Each has a maximum burst output of 260 kN and a maximum sustained output of 170 kN.
DELTA V:
60 kps
GENERATOR ENDURANCE:
15 days of continuous use
 

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

  1. 2 x MAKRAL MARTSZUR-7 PARTICLE BEAM CANNONS: The Shellcair Gar possesses two advanced versions of the four -barreled rotary particle beam cannon -4 model found standard on the Regult Tactical Battlepod.  Each barrel can fire 5 MJ particle bursts every second.  All four can be fired at once or in series to increase the probability of a successful strike at the price of lowering the amount of energy on target.  

     

  2. 2 x DIWHAUG RATSATOUL-8:  Two standard Ratsatoul-8 circular missile launchers are mounted on the outside of either leg.  Each launcher carries 21 Maggot Universal Dogfight missiles, without any reloads.

     

  3. 2 x MOLDILE MISTRAEDKOR-50 (82.0 mm Grenade Launcher):  Two single barrel rotary liquid-fueled grenade launchers are mounted on either side of the center torso.  The Moldile Mistraekor-50 was taken from the Logran Low power armor and placed on the Shellcair Gar as an secondary armament.  The cannon fires semi-active laser guided HESH-grenades with a maximum speed of 300m/s at 200 rpm to a maximum effective range of 1000 m.  Each launcher has an internal capacity of 50 rounds. 

     

  4. 1 or 2 x KARATSZON QUILLO-171 ZENTRAEDI LASER:  The Shellcair Gar  is capable of holding one or two rapid fire pulse lasers.  The laser fires 12.5 MJ bursts and is powered directly by the main protoculture generator through energy conduits which connect to the gun pod in the hand. 

     

  5. HAND TO HAND COMBAT:.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT FOR SHELLCAIR GAR POWER ARMOR:

COMBAT BONUSES FOR SHELLCAIR GAR: 

SOURCES USED IN CREATION OF DOCUMENT

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