Knightgeist

This is my submission to the Seventh Sanctum contest "Mecha Mania".

Runner up in Seventh Sanctums "Mecha Mania" contest.

Thank you so much.

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The Mecha name generator gave me following result: "Transforming Warrior Weapon: Knightgeist" and this is what i made of it.

The generator itself can be found here: [link]
The site, providing a lot of name and thing generators with great inspiration, idea and humorous value: [link]

A Video with the complete animation can be found here: [link]

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Transforming Warrior Weapon: Knightgeist

Who ever came to the conclusion, that a transforming spacecraft would be useful might have read too many Japanese comics. The designer of the “Knightgeist” definitively has. While there are many – one could say transformable – utility craft in use within the Republic, this one is special in regard of it's walking ability. While other Crafts, such as the “Mulster” urban lifter are transforming to shift their balance point to ease the lifting and transport of heavy and bulky objects, the “Knightgeist” does this in three stages. The standing, or one could say “upright” position seems to have the sole purpose of easing walking. This also is the only stage, in which the secondary guns can be fired as projectile weapons. Use of the main gun – though possible, is not recommended in the “upright” stage, since it poorly compensates for recoil.
Second stage, that we are calling “crawling” for ease, is the default stage for landing or parking. This also is the only stage, the crew can exit the “Knightgeist” without using emergency ejection. The main gun may be operated at full function here, while the secondary guns may only be used as rocket launcher, since the flight engines, that serve as propeller for the projectiles can not be connected to the guns themselves.
Third stage, for the officials of the Fleet the “default” stage, since they count it as “medium gunboat with capability for landing and atmospheric flight” is the “flyer” mode. In this configuration the “Knightgeist” is able to fly, using it's main engines. Secondary guns can be operated as missile launchers, while it's not recommendable to use the main gun – at least while in atmospheric flight.

Due to the exotic concept of the design, the “Knightgeist” can do a bit of everything, but nothing satisfactorily good enough. It's space performance is – compared to the “Gunhawk” or the “B502” - relatively poor. In atmospheric, it is getting outmanoeuvred by a lot of heavy-range combat craft, and on the ground, it's fire-power is no match to most medium-range tanks, while it's not as agile as – for example the “Raptor” class ground support vehicle.

All in all, the “Knightgeist” is a real all-rounder. That's probably the only thing it is good at. Operative officers and privateers out of the whole Republic are arguing, whether or not the “Knightgeist” is a nice amendment or a big handicap for a successful task force.