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swordtart · 06-06-2020, 02:05 PM

Shiruken Taxi by Swordtart:
Luxury; Light chassis; Light suspension;
Large PP w/HTMs;
4 PR Radial tires.
Driver.
1s Turret T with Machine Gun w/20xExplosive.
Fire Extinguisher; Mini-Safe - Small;
2 x Passenger (150lb, 2 Spc each)
Armour 60 pts. Plastic (F: 10 R: 10 L: 10 B: 10 T: 10 U: 10);
2x5 pt. Plastic Hubs F; 2x5 pt. Plastic Hubs, 2x5 pt. Plastic Guards B;
1x10 pt., 2 spc. Plastic CA (Driver); 1x10 pt., 6 spc. Plastic CA (Plant); 1x10 pt., 2 spc. Plastic CA (2 x Passengers); 1x10 pt., 1 spc. Plastic CA (Minisafe).
Cargo 1 Spc, 50lb
Cost: $10,540, Wgt: 4,900, HC: 2
Top Speed: 102.5 (77.5), Accel: 5 (10).

Option A:
Upgrade turret to two space. Replace MG with RL (10 x std ammo). Remove 1spc and 50lb Cargo. Cost: $10,390, Wgt: 4,950.

Option A1:
Upgrade turret to two space. Replace MG with 2 x linked MML (20 x std ammo). Remove 1spc and 50lb Cargo. Cost: $10,990, Wgt: 4,950.

The Shiruken when new was one of the cheapest Luxuries on the market. Most customers upgraded to a better car as soon as their finances allowed it however the second hand value offered by car lots reflected the designs worthlessness.

Sadly the underfunded businessmen who had been forced to buy a Shiruken as Taxi or Courier were unable to simply write-off their purchase and buy something less lethal. As a result of the thin margins such business men operated within these vehicles were usually upgraded gradually as funds allowed and technology became available. Often the eventual result cost as much as a far more capable vehicle.

This design has been optimised for urban combat (if optimised can be applied to a vehicle that has "growed" like Topsy). The biggest threat such vehicles could realistically withstand are pedestrians (and usually poorly armed ones at that). The use of explosive ammunition also indicates that pedestrians were the primary target of this vehicle.

As a consumable, tires would need replacing in time anyway and the additional cost of Radials to improve one of the major failings is an cost effective upgrade. As in this case, owners might upgrade to a more durable tire at the same time. The addition of even minimal wheel guards and hubs can greatly improve the longevity of these expensive consumables especially against hand weapons, which often cannot penetrate them at all.

Shirukens have plenty of space for cargo and passengers but so little weight that this space is often wasted. This operator has chosen to focus on managing a reasonable two passenger allowance and used the remaining space to armour every component on the vehicle but the weapon (which is probably safe enough up in the turret). CA is light and cheap and easy to retrofit. For the majority of components this is no more expensive (and is lighter) than adding extra armour layers and has the benefit of guaranteeing protection (as opponents seldom need to strip all external armour from every facing before they start damaging the internal components, but have to destroy all of the component armour). Internal armour also has the benefit of providing a buffer against fire damage if the extinguisher takes a few seconds to work. The mini-safe provides additional protection and with its component armour provides a useful extra slab of armour that may find itself between a vital component and harm.

The cargo capacity even with all the CA is not unreasonable and allows profitable runs.

Up-gunning is usually recommended, but there isn't actually much that can be usefully done with the poor weight budget. Additional (effective) weapons are usually too expensive for an incremental purchase. Here the single MG has been kept, but it has been placed in a turret to provide some all-round defence. The fighter configuration was suicidal in the basic model, but here at least the driver can draw a bead without having to slew an ungainly vehicle to gain a firing arc. This was probably the most expensive upgrade and required re-modelling of the roof, so it was probably the last update.

Alternative configurations have a larger turret and a rocket launcher (or twin Micromissile Launchers), these are more use in Dreg ghettos where the the inherent inaccuracy of rocket weapons is less of an issue.

At some point HTMs were added to improve the performance (now the upgraded handling makes control loss less likely). This is comparatively expensive upgrade but might allow more scope for escape and evasion and so may pay for itself in the longer run.

At this point the vehicle becomes woefully inefficient. The next logical upgrade is to remove every component and re-fit it into a new chassis that is worth upgrading. It should be remembered that the whilst the chassis, suspension and armour are very poor, they were designed to be cheap. If you toss all that in the trash, you are therefore not loosing much either (about $640 for the body and another $1200 for the armour - so you might recoup a few hundred dollars in salvage). You local dealer may even be able to swap those armour panels onto an improved body.

Basically next time you need to make major armour repairs you should be looking to recycle the Shiruken body and get a better one with a decent chassis and suspension. If you have survived this long you deserve it and don't let sentiment prevent you.

That car has been trying to kill you since you bought it!

06-06-2020, 02:05 PM	#13
swordtart Join Date: Jun 2008	Re: The shurkin challenge. Shiruken Taxi by Swordtart: Luxury; Light chassis; Light suspension; Large PP w/HTMs; 4 PR Radial tires. Driver. 1s Turret T with Machine Gun w/20xExplosive. Fire Extinguisher; Mini-Safe - Small; 2 x Passenger (150lb, 2 Spc each) Armour 60 pts. Plastic (F: 10 R: 10 L: 10 B: 10 T: 10 U: 10); 2x5 pt. Plastic Hubs F; 2x5 pt. Plastic Hubs, 2x5 pt. Plastic Guards B; 1x10 pt., 2 spc. Plastic CA (Driver); 1x10 pt., 6 spc. Plastic CA (Plant); 1x10 pt., 2 spc. Plastic CA (2 x Passengers); 1x10 pt., 1 spc. Plastic CA (Minisafe). Cargo 1 Spc, 50lb Cost: $10,540, Wgt: 4,900, HC: 2 Top Speed: 102.5 (77.5), Accel: 5 (10). Option A: Upgrade turret to two space. Replace MG with RL (10 x std ammo). Remove 1spc and 50lb Cargo. Cost: $10,390, Wgt: 4,950. Option A1: Upgrade turret to two space. Replace MG with 2 x linked MML (20 x std ammo). Remove 1spc and 50lb Cargo. Cost: $10,990, Wgt: 4,950. The Shiruken when new was one of the cheapest Luxuries on the market. Most customers upgraded to a better car as soon as their finances allowed it however the second hand value offered by car lots reflected the designs worthlessness. Sadly the underfunded businessmen who had been forced to buy a Shiruken as Taxi or Courier were unable to simply write-off their purchase and buy something less lethal. As a result of the thin margins such business men operated within these vehicles were usually upgraded gradually as funds allowed and technology became available. Often the eventual result cost as much as a far more capable vehicle. This design has been optimised for urban combat (if optimised can be applied to a vehicle that has "growed" like Topsy). The biggest threat such vehicles could realistically withstand are pedestrians (and usually poorly armed ones at that). The use of explosive ammunition also indicates that pedestrians were the primary target of this vehicle. As a consumable, tires would need replacing in time anyway and the additional cost of Radials to improve one of the major failings is an cost effective upgrade. As in this case, owners might upgrade to a more durable tire at the same time. The addition of even minimal wheel guards and hubs can greatly improve the longevity of these expensive consumables especially against hand weapons, which often cannot penetrate them at all. Shirukens have plenty of space for cargo and passengers but so little weight that this space is often wasted. This operator has chosen to focus on managing a reasonable two passenger allowance and used the remaining space to armour every component on the vehicle but the weapon (which is probably safe enough up in the turret). CA is light and cheap and easy to retrofit. For the majority of components this is no more expensive (and is lighter) than adding extra armour layers and has the benefit of guaranteeing protection (as opponents seldom need to strip all external armour from every facing before they start damaging the internal components, but have to destroy all of the component armour). Internal armour also has the benefit of providing a buffer against fire damage if the extinguisher takes a few seconds to work. The mini-safe provides additional protection and with its component armour provides a useful extra slab of armour that may find itself between a vital component and harm. The cargo capacity even with all the CA is not unreasonable and allows profitable runs. Up-gunning is usually recommended, but there isn't actually much that can be usefully done with the poor weight budget. Additional (effective) weapons are usually too expensive for an incremental purchase. Here the single MG has been kept, but it has been placed in a turret to provide some all-round defence. The fighter configuration was suicidal in the basic model, but here at least the driver can draw a bead without having to slew an ungainly vehicle to gain a firing arc. This was probably the most expensive upgrade and required re-modelling of the roof, so it was probably the last update. Alternative configurations have a larger turret and a rocket launcher (or twin Micromissile Launchers), these are more use in Dreg ghettos where the the inherent inaccuracy of rocket weapons is less of an issue. At some point HTMs were added to improve the performance (now the upgraded handling makes control loss less likely). This is comparatively expensive upgrade but might allow more scope for escape and evasion and so may pay for itself in the longer run. At this point the vehicle becomes woefully inefficient. The next logical upgrade is to remove every component and re-fit it into a new chassis that is worth upgrading. It should be remembered that the whilst the chassis, suspension and armour are very poor, they were designed to be cheap. If you toss all that in the trash, you are therefore not loosing much either (about $640 for the body and another $1200 for the armour - so you might recoup a few hundred dollars in salvage). You local dealer may even be able to swap those armour panels onto an improved body. Basically next time you need to make major armour repairs you should be looking to recycle the Shiruken body and get a better one with a decent chassis and suspension. If you have survived this long you deserve it and don't let sentiment prevent you. That car has been trying to kill you since you bought it!