PNT-20K PANTHER

media: Painter 9.5
July 2008

The PNT-20K is one of my old BattleTech custom jobs on one of my favourite Inner Sphere BattleMechs, the Kuritan Panther.
For the image below, I wanted to do soemthing different and instead of the usual emulation of a 2B pencil in Painter I went for artistic oil paints and used a very quick sketch on the background to have a very basic idea on how the 'Mech should look like and then switched to paints and used quick, hurried strokers and sharp contrasts to define the 'Mech.
I used an intense red to paint the 'Mech while blue and green came after.
The whole effect is completely different from the yet unnamed 'Mech, which uses a more traditional approach.

click to enlarge

Type: Panther

Mass:	35 tons
Chassis:	Alahain 56-Carrier modified
Power Plant:	GM 175
Cruising Speed:	43 kph
Maximum Speed:	65 kph
Jump Jets:	Lexington Lifters
Jump Capacity:	150 m
Armor:	Maxmiliian 42
Armament:	1 Hoverteck Streak SRM System 1 Lord's Light ER PPC
Manufacture:	Philadelphia Armor Works
Communication System:	Sipher CommCon CSU-5
Targeting and Trackin System:	Cat's Eye 6

Overview

After losing the Alshain plant to the Ghost Bears and Luthien Armor Works in the following years, the DCMS needed to find other capable light 'Mechs to fill the role the Panther once had.
With new, capable designs reaching the front lines, a new version of the Panther seemed unlikely.
However, after opening a new on Philadelphia, a mere jump from Luthien, one of the first designs to emerge from the production lines was a new version of the venerable design.
The new Panther 20K is almost identical to the old version, with only slightly redesigned armor layout. Performances, however, have been updated to modern battlefield standards and surely the new version will quickly find its place in the present days.

Capabilities

The 20K version of the Panther is a very simple, yet effective, variant. The weapon loadout is still centered around two paradigms: energy/missile and long/short range, just like the original Panther.
The main weapon is a Lord's Light ER PPC, a proved long range, hard hitting energy weapon used on a number of 'Mechs, both in and outside the Combine.
On the 3050 version, the original Telos SRM rack was slaved to an Artemis IV FCS, but the 20K replaces the whole system with a Streak SRM launcher; the single ammo bin for the SRM sits in the left torso, protected by CASE. Although the Streak system has no weight advantage over the previous SRM and Artemis system, it has an edge over critical space, ammo management and damage curve.
The engine is upgraded to a more power 175-rated power plant, making the 'Mech even more agile than before without sacrificing survivailability, which is already enhaced by incresed armor protection.
Three extra heat sinks have been removed but the engine standard coolers have been replaced by double strenght models, saving considerable weight.

Deployment

These new Panthers, along with their variants, have been slowly replacing their obsolete versions since production started. Panthers are being issued to Dispossesed MechWarriors who used machines with similar duties.

Variants

With C3 computers so widespread in the DCMS, a variant using a C3 slave has been produced, but it has seen mixed results. The PNT-21K retains the original Hermes 140 power plant, maximizes armor load and a C3 slave is installed in the head, tied directly in the 'Mech battle computer.
A variant switches the standard 175 power plant for a light version, allowing the BattleMech to keep its newfound maximum speed and C3 slave.

Technology Base: Inner Sphere BattleMech
Tonnage: 35