Tiger

Specifications
Use	Assault Gear
Production Code	HACS-04HG-AST
Manufacturer	Northco
Height	4.3 meters
Speed	Walker: 37 kph SMS: 61 kph

The Hunter and Wildcat Gears used by the armies of the Northern hemisphere were good machines, but neither used the many technological advances that had occurred after their entry into military service. The United Mercantile Federation Army did not have the budget to commission new designs, and neither the Northern Lights Confederacy nor the Western Frontier Protectorate could be convinced to invest in a joint venture. The updating of the Hunter in the 1850s — with the release of the Hunter Mk II — further stalled development of a high-technology trooper Gear.

This changed in TN 1862, when a group of Mercantile businessmen and corporate CEOs, concerned with the safety of the state, offered to finance part of a new Gear project in exchange for a small share of the profits. Several of these business leaders were involved in the financing of the UMFA as a whole and their offer convinced the military leadership to approve the commissioning of a new cutting-edge Gear. An advanced design called the Tiger from Northco was the result.

The Tiger had a thicker armor than either the Hunter or Wildcat, made from the newest composite materials then available. It also had exceptionally strong and fluid articulation systems for its time, which gives it very good maneuverability for a machine of its bulk. The Tiger’s engine was a marvel of compactness. It powered a strong secondary movement system that gave the machine a higher than average combat speed, which, coupled with its good maneuverability, made it a fearsome adversary.

The weapon complement consisted of an autocannon rifle and a 70 mm shoulder-mounted rocket pack. The AR-25 autocannon rifle, firing 30 mm shells, was unusually powerful for a mass produced Gear and heralded an era of heavier weaponry for trooper Gears.. A standard anti-personnel grenade launcher was mounted on the left shoulder for defense against marauding infantry. All this cutting edge technology did make the Tiger expensive to produce, but those who were able to pilot it always reported that it was well worth the expense. Indeed, the Tiger outperformed the Hunter Mark II in many important ways and served for several decades as the best Gear on Terra Nova.

Usage

The Tiger was an extremely advanced Gear design, and many consider it to have been well ahead of its time. This sophistication meant it was expensive to produce and the Tiger was always distributed sparingly. The only military force to ever have plentiful Tigers was the United Mercantile Federation Army which has signed the original contract for its production. Crack teams of the Northern Guard and some units of the other Northern national armies did purchase some Tigers, however.

The 7th Northern Guard Gear regiment — known as the Cat’s Paws — built much of its deadly reputation on the Tiger. Previously known only to the Southern forces they had faced in combat, the Paws used the introduction of the Tiger to the Northern Guard in TN 1870 as a vehicle to increase their own prestige. Several of their operations — featuring Tigers — were recorded for media usage and served in both advertising campaigns for Northco and in recruiting campaigns from the Northern Guard. It was these images that first established the notion that the Cat’s Paws were the best of the best within the Northern psyche.

Since the introduction of the Jaguar, the Tiger has found itself eclipsed by even greater performance. The increased production and distribution of the War of the Alliance propelled the Jaguar across the armies of the North, virtually guaranteeing that the Tiger would fade into the background in near-record time. The model has refused to vanish into obscurity, however, and remains a favorite among Gear pilots. Northco continues to dedicate a small production line to the Tiger and the United Mercantile Federation Army still field it extensively, no longer as an elite commando unit (for which they use Jaguars) but as a “heavy trooper” which can replace the Hunter for more demanding missions.

The Cat’s Paws and other units which made the Tiger famous have also refused to part with machines that have served them well. The Paws, who have access to almost any Gear model, still use the Tiger as their standard training Gear. Northco has also begun to sell the Tiger to independent forces such as city-state militias and Badlands homesteading counties, ensuring that the machine will continue to have a long life.

Variants

• Sabertooth

Media

• 

External links

• Tiger Miniature - DP9 Store