The Silverscale Hears Everything

Heavy Gear Blitz

Jun. 8

OACS-03M/COM ELINT SILVERSCALE

The Basilisk proved its worth to the armies of the South by becoming the basis for a variety of technically advanced variants which belie the chassis’ humble beginnings. The rugged and reliable frame came to house valuable electronics carried into the battlefield for various specialized roles. The Elint Silverscale — part of the Silverscale family of Basilisk variants — was just one such model, a very effective electronic intelligence platform. The Gear was designed to travel quickly over contested ground and monitor enemy frequencies, jamming them if need be, but, more importantly, gathering valuable tactical information from intra- and inter-unit communications. The Elint was heavily modified for its task, having many of its composite steel alloy armor plates replaced by lighter ballistic cloth in order to reduce overall weight and increase speed. In addition to the target designator/sensor mast used by the Silverscale, the Elint was also equipped with secondary sensor pods on each shoulder and with a large listening dish. Together this package consisted of some of the most sophisticated electronic signal gathering equipment on the battlefield at that time. Offensive firepower was very limited, however, with the Elint shedding its Vogel rocket pod and PR-25 autocannon. A simple DP76 20 mm pack gun was provided for defensive purposes. All in all, the Gear was not designed for combat, with few weapons, light armor and very vulnerable systems.

Despite its weaknesses in combat, the Elint Silverscale was a valuable (if limited) resource for the units who wielded it. The ability to eavesdrop on enemy conversations and keep their own channels open could give regiments a great tactical advantage. The position and deployment of Elints was always one of the most closely guarded secrets among these units. While the Basilisk and most of its other variants have faded into second-line duties with the introduction of newer Gears, the Elint remains in active service to this day. While the Loudmouth (a variant of the Iguana) is even better at covert listening than the Elint, its introduction has only meant a wider distribution of electronic intelligence resources.

OACS-03M/EW BLACK BOX SILVERSCALE

While the Silverscale variant of the Basilisk brought a certain amount of electronic warfare capability to the battlefield, the Black Box Silverscale was developed as a further step in that direction. Released in TN 1857, the Black Box mostly involved a modification of the electronics package of the Silverscale. Compared to that variant, the Gear was combat-shy, having shed its Vogel-6 rocket pod in favor of a shoulder mounted electronic counter-measures pod. The Silverscale’s target designator was also removed since it has little to do with the operational profile of the Black Box. Additional electronic warfare antennae were fitted to the outside of the Black Box’s body, making it a visually distinctive Gear. Together with the improved sensor and communications packages provided in the standard Silverscale, the Black Box was able to make a dangerous and effective electronic warrior out of the straightforward Basilisk. The Gear nonetheless had several important weaknesses, including the vulnerability of the shoulder-mounted electronic warfare pod to damage during combat. The offensive capabilities of the model were limited as well, making it difficult for the Gear to accompany an assault force.

The Guardsmen regiment of the MILICIA became very adept at denying their enemy the valuable tools of clear communications and reliable sensors. This regiment of Humanist conscripts made use of the Black Box Silverscale to an extent that few other units did, using whole cadres of the Gear to plunge enemy companies into chaos and confusion. While the Chatterbox variant of the Iguana has become the leading electronic warfare platform for the Republican Army and the MILICIA, the Guardsmen still maintain a healthy number of Black Boxes as a less-expensive alternative. During the initial assaults of the War of the Alliance the regiment was caught in the Badlands by CEF landing forces and had to rely on their expertise and skill to escape. Forced into a retreat, the Guardsmen were able to escape the waves of hovertanks which decimated the other units in their brigade by relying on Black Boxes and other Gears to interfere with the attacker’s tracking ability.

Silverscales in Heavy Gear Blitz!

These profiles replace the Silverscale entry South model list in Heavy Gear Blitz!. These additional profiles are Extended Content.

	
		Model
		TV
		Roles
		MR
		Arm
		H/S
		A
		GU
		PI
		EW
		React Weapons
		Mounted Weapons
		Traits
		Type
		Size
	

	
		Silverscale
		9
		GP, RC, FS
		W/G:7
		5
		3/3
		1
		4+
		4+
		4+
		LAC, LVB
		LRP, LAPGL
		Hands, Comms, ECM+ (Aux), ECCM (Aux), Sensors:24, TD, Sensor Boom
		Gear
		1.5"
	

		Elint Silverscale
		8
		GP, RC, FS
		W/G:7
		5
		3/3
		1
		4+
		4+
		4+
		LSMG, LVB
		LAPGL
		Hands, Comms, SatUp, ECM (Aux), ECCM (Aux), Sensors:36, TD, Sensor Boom, Vuln:H
		Gear
		1.5"
	

		Black Box Silverscale
		9
		GP, RC, FS
		W/G:7
		5
		3/3
		1
		4+
		4+
		4+
		LAC, LVB
		LAPGL
		Hands, Comms, ECM+, ECCM, Sensors:36
		Gear
		1.5"
	

Silverscale in Heavy Gear RPG

Based on the Basilisk trooper gear, the Silverscale comes equipped with an even more advanced communications and electronic warfare suite. The target designator can extend out from the head and can be used to peer around corners. Territorial Arms claims the Silverscale is the finest recon gear on Terra Nova today.

Manufacturer: Territorial Arms
Unit Type: Recon Gear
Height: 4.2 m / 13.8 ft
Weight: 4,890 kg / 10,781 lbs

	
		Location
		Stock
		Strip
	
		Torso
		2
		6
	
		R Manip
		0
		2
	
		L Manip
		0
		2
	
		R Shoulder
		0
		2
	
		L Shoulder
		0
		0

	
		Variant
		TV
		PL
		Crew
		MR
		Arm
		HI
		GU
		PI
		EW
		Weapons, Equipment & Traits
		Type
		Size
	

	
		Silverscale
		9
		6
		1
		W/G:7
		5
		6
		+0
		+0
		+1
		LAC (Manip), LVB (Manip), LRP (Shoulder), LAPGL, Advanced ECM Suite, Recon Sensors, Target Designator, Sensor Boom
		Gear
		1.5"
	

		Elint
		8
		6
		1
		W/G:7
		5
		6
		+0
		+0
		+1
		LSMG (Manip), LVB (Manip), LAPGL, ECM Suite, Satellite Uplink, Elite Sensors, Target Designator, Sensor Boom, Vuln: Haywire
		Gear
		1.5"
	

		Black Box
		8
		6
		1
		W/G:7
		5
		6
		+0
		+0
		+1
		LAC (Manip), LVB (Manip), LAPGL, Advanced ECM Suite, Elite Sensors
		Gear
		1.5"
	

      Hands, Comms Suite, ECCM Suite
    

Building Silverscale Variants

The two new Silverscale variants add a bit more specialized electronics warfare troops to South armies, so to build them I first looked at what kind of bits South models had to offer. Right away the sprue of Chatterbox bits jumped out, since it’s just littered in electronics. The SatUp dish was used in place of the LRP, with a Pack Gun instead of LAC to create the Elint. The Black Box was a little trickier. There aren’t any bits available that readily match the unique pod and multi-antenna array on the backpack. Instead I decided to use parts for the Black Box and Chatterbox Iguana to load it up with extra electronics. The ECM pod went on the shoulder in place of the LRP, while the chest piece for the Chatterbox fit perfectly on the chest of the Silverscale. To make it a bit more unique I used a spare V-Engine on it’s back, though you could use the standard Silverscale backpack just fine, without the Sensor Boom.