V5.00ˆZSunderSD1-C3iò ”ÜÆ°8E°8EB°A0AMA 7 3 5 4 21 4 omni, c3i h!! ) 4 (Unknown); (Unknown)Z (Unknown)G (Unknown)w (Unknown);;GGGGGGG××444 ZZ  wwâÿF Like the Avatar, the Sunder was an attempt to re-engineer captured Clan equipment to make it compatible with Inner Sphere technology. The Sunder used captured Loki and Thor chassis as its basis. Unfortunately, this 'Mech's development process was plagued with false starts and technological failures. The first problem to crop up involved the chassis design and weight allocation - the Sunder was intended to carry twenty more tons of equipment than the Clan Loki and Thor OmniMechs on which it was based. The engineers at Luthien Armor Works believed they could easily add this extra weight, and it is true that the additional stress did not cause catastrophic failures in the skeleton. However, the Sunder's actuators wore out at an alarming rate and had to be replaced with larger and more robust versions. The upper torso was redesigned to accept a bulkier Inner Sphere engine. This change meant rearranging the 'Mech's internal spaces, and so the designers moved the torso weapons bay above the cockpit. This reconfiguration posed no problems when the weapon pods were loaded with energy weapons, but firing missiles sprayed caustic gasses all over the cockpit canopy and sensor arrays. The engineers eventually fixed the problem, but the delays made the Sunder one of the last DCMS OmniMechs to be authorized for full-scale production._ When compared to other Inner Sphere assault 'Mechs, the Sunder is an extremely capable machine. However, the inferior quality of its Inner Sphere weapons technology makes it no real match for the Clan Masakari and Gladiator assault 'Mechs. The Sunder's bay can accept an equivalent weapon load, but Inner Sphere weapons tend to be bulkier and less efficient than their Clan equivalents. One configuration of the Sunder, intended to serve as a company command vehicle in a C3 network, is equipped with two C3 master units - one for the company commander's lance and the other to coordinate the activities of the remaining two lances. The prevalence of C3 systems in other DCMS OmniMechs offers a real hope that the Draconis Combine's technological innovation may turn the balance of power back to the Inner Sphere when the conflict with the Clans resumes. ¨With the close contacts that the ComGuards and the Draconis Combine are currently enjoying Precentor Marshal Victor Davion requested a OmniMech design that could reduce Word of Blakes heavy hitter, the VQR-2A Vanquisher weight supremacy over anything that the ComGuards are currently fielding. The only "Mech currently avaliable is the SD1 Sunder. And at 90 tons it may be grossly out matched by VQR-2a's massive 100 tons. h The Sunder is being deployed with DCMS assault lances along the border with the Clan occupied zones.>TRO:3058 Record Sheets - 3055 & 3058 Entered by Rick Raisley [ none ]Luthien Armor WorksLuthien (Unknown) (Unknown) (Unknown) (Unknown) (Unknown) (Unknown)