Rebel RUM-V System, Part 8

The Titan Marine APC can best be characterized as...well...a battle box.  A combat taxi, meant to emulate the old M113 APC in form.

But it is that spartan simplicity that I believe will endear it to buyers.  It's a blank canvas, full of promise.

Oh, sure, it will say "Titan Marine" on the eventual purchase link, but this little APC, and its dozens of potential variants, will fit into nearly any force imaginable, from near-future to far-flung space opera.  I like that.  So will you, I think.

Here is the basic hull, on a RUM-V frame, with the standard tread units on it.  It's a tabla rasa, brimming with potential.

 And here's a rear view.

Well, blank canvases are nice, and all, but people want weapons.  So I've made a few Titan Marine-specific variants.

 Here's the forearm suppressive weapon from the Titan Recon HAMR suit.  I've reworked it slightly, and fused it to a turret cup so it can be used by any of the other RUM-V vehicles.

 I also adapted the backpack double missile launcher from the Titan Fire Support HAMR suit.  A central sensor eye was fused in, as well as a turret socket.  It gives the APC some anti-armor punch.

 Both hatches can be used as turret points.  I figure the turrets can lift on hydraulics just like regular crew hatches, for theoretical access. 

Now, let's start playing with propulsion systems.

The basic six wheels look a big undersized in the digital view, if only because the APC is big and bulky.  We'll have to see how it looks in real life.  That's the problem with a universal system.  Everything won't look perfect with everything else.

The hoverskirt is another propulsion system with lines that just don't flow with the boxiness of the APC hull.  That's just the artist in me talking.  

The old, broke-down grunt in me would say, "Screw prettiness, I just hope that hull stops incoming rounds.  And it beats walking.  Now move over, and let me in that death trap."

  On the other hand (leg?), the six legged version is probably my favorite.  There's just something about walking vehicles that makes me giddy.

 Another strong design variant is the anti-gravity version.  Those a-grav "pontoons" just kick ass, and make it look like a transatmospheric shuttlecraft with a battlefield purpose.

 At the behest of some great feedback, I redid the chin mount.  This is a more rounded affair, small in profile.  The turret mounting hardpoint is the main means of connection, enabling you to use the new suppressive weapon as a chin gun.  This mount, of course, carries across all RUM-V units that use the basic frame.

   I kept the old manipulator arms, but made a new "turret" that enables them to attach to the chin mount.  Any 1/8th" ball weapon will work on these, either in doubles or singles.

 Here's a close-up of the manipulator arms, and the new mount.  The chin mount has a tiny camera eye sculpted in, to give the remote operator a better view of what he/she's doing.  This would make a good EOD variant, I think.

So, there you go.  I'll play around, and put the heavy armor plates on the side of a tracked hull, put a dozer blade on the front, and give it an anti-armor missile turret.  Easy peasy.

Coming up, what I did for the last week:  The Titan Marine Light Tank.

Best,

John Bear Ross

PS, this post was the debut of the "Ghost Waldo."  Waldo's great in solid form, on his One Red Cent, but he tends to get in the way of screen shots.  With him 75% transparent (Object Settings), he can still give size reference, but not block the view.  I kinda like it.  Let me know what you think.