Age of the Mechwarrior is coming....

[DeSchaine]

It started with the Japanese company Suidobashi Heavy Industry. They gave us the Kuratas.



A 4-wheel, 4 meter high, 30 joint "robot" that can be piloted directly from the cockpit or with an average smart phone. For a nice price starting at a cool million and going up, you can personalize your own version with anything from a claw to a shield to a dual BB minigun.

In response, and not to be out done, the American company MegaBots has given us the Mk III. This builds on two previous incarnations of their bot, specifically made to fight the Kuratas and be the beginning of a new sport: true mech arena battles.



While not commercially available yet, the 12 ton, 430 hp MB Mk III also has a variety of weapons, from rocket packs and bowling ball cannons to dual chopping knives (just in case you come across a really large carrot). This dual piloted monster moves about on a set of tracks inspired by the Howe & Howe Tech Ripsaw tank.

And today comes word of a THIRD entrant into the world of large robot fighting. From the Chinese company GREATMETAL comes the Monkey King!



Monkey King is a single pilot, 4 ton beast that can fight on all four legs as well as two. The official release video doesn't let slip much more than that, unless you can read Chinese.

FASA is seeming to be somewhat prophetic. It's only a matter of time before we see Fafnir and Mad Cats (or Timberwolf if you're a Clanner) in the open country, and Urbanmechs and Shadow Cats in the city streets.

Add in the US Army TALOS project, and it wont be long until we have Longinus battle armor....

[Adwest]

Wait, these hunks of scrap heap are actually armed with blades and guns? are all these projects initiatives from the private sector or government funded?

My government should use taxpayer moneys to provide healthcare to young'uns, not build them doombots of doom e_e

[Ayzek]

FUCKYEAHROBOTS.

[DeSchaine]

I can't speak to the Chinese project, but the American Megabot is a private concern by a group of people who want to make the Solaris Games a real thing. They also created it in response to the Kuratas, which is a commercially available model from a private Japanese company. Yes, if you can a cool million to just blow, you can own one to freak out your neighbors.

[DeSchaine]

As if there needed to be any more, enter the Koreans and movie effects expert Vitaly Bulgarov. Now, there is some controversy surrounding this one. Lots of people (myself included) doubt that the Method series designs actually exist. BUT! Just to be a devils advocate here, check out the vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_conti...vuQ5ULM70E

News articles showing both sides:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/02/asia/south...index.html
https://futurism.com/meet-the-massive-me...hollywood/
http://www.wired.co.uk/article/korea-bui...robot-mech

The company website:

http://hankookmirae.tech/main/main.html?...A03+PM+KST

Fact, or Fiction?

[DeSchaine]

So they apparently had the battle on the 17th. It was kinda lackluster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-ouLX8Q9UM

A heavily modified Kuratas beat the seriously top heavy Megabots Mk II. From the vid it looks like Suidobashi bolted on a heavy forklift drive section to the back. It couldn't survive the Mk. III though.