CM-28 Nexu Artillery Crawler

After serveral reports from commanders in combat that the CM-16 howitzer and even the CM-20 Dewback Artillery Mech were proving ineffective on certain enemy defenses, Grelfucan engineers reached out to consult with their counterparts from Arnhem, and together they developed a much more powerful cannon, a 280 mm mass driver, capable of firing both various ballistic rounds as well as self-propelled guided rounds, with a blast radius of half a kilometer on some of the designs. While this allows for an even more accurate NLOS weapon, it also means a much lower rate of fire when using the guided rounds, as they require their own targeting information to ensure a lock upon descent, acting much like the 21st-century Javelin missile.

Affixing the cannon to an old design the engineers of Arnhem saw as obsolete, Grelfucan engineers revitalized the large, robust crawler into a much more effective and useful design, which they designated - as usual, based on the mounted cannon - the CM-28 Nexu Artillery Crawler. While this version of the Nexu is much more capable than its previous assault tank design, and has a much greater level of destructive power, the CM-28 Nexu is still a rare sight on the battlefield, given its costs as well as its somewhat limited role. While klick-wide craters are a wonderful thing to create, they aren't often what the task requires or desires, and a hole that big could be detrimental to Marine operations. As such, like the Dewback, the Nexu is kept in sizable reserves that can be tapped on request and immediately sent to the appropriate battlefield.

Nexu:

I've already told you how epic this thing is, but it's so awesome I can't help but saying it again: easily the best LDD artillery piece I've seen ever, really conveys the feeling of "powerful juggernaut".

As for the stats/info, they actually seem pretty balanced as-is. I mean, perhaps a klick-large crater is a bit much (even if it were just normal ground and not bunkers it was blowing them in), it overall seems pretty well balanced, so good job on that.

Tetrahedron wrote:I've already told you how epic this thing is, but it's so awesome I can't help but saying it again: easily the best LDD artillery piece I've seen ever, really conveys the feeling of "powerful juggernaut".

As for the stats/info, they actually seem pretty balanced as-is. I mean, perhaps a klick-large crater is a bit much (even if it were just normal ground and not bunkers it was blowing them in), it overall seems pretty well balanced, so good job on that.

From a nuke? Klick-wide crater's not much, dude.

*whistles* Wow, that thing is beautiful! That heavy cannon just looks amazing. The tread pods are great, too. Love it!

How on earth did you manage to get two Nexus side-by-side in a single model?! That's, what, like 8,000 pieces? And not small ones, either, since the Nexu uses several plates and larger bricks if I recall correctly...

Anyway, it looks gorgeous. Once again, brilliant idea pairing the two up like that. Now I just need to get my computer working so I can get my hands on it and mess around some. Especially to add the new desert camo as a replacement to you getting rid of the OD green. (I'm so weird... "Dead middle of summer? Winter snow camo! Early January? Ooh, let's do desert camo!" )

Do recall that my computer handled the Deferat-class. It was laggy as all get-out, and froze a couple times, but I managed to get it done. I'm glad I did, too - the main pic looks awesome.
*Double-checks* The model, with both Nexus and the two CM-28 cannons, is a total of 6,523 bricks...I don't know how it's an odd number. But it also took forever to load. I don't think it froze on me, but it's possible.
The Deferat, on the other hand, is...6,126 bricks, opening it immediately froze LDD, and then took several minutes to open anyways, much longer than the pair of Nexus. And the cargo bay is empty...SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS NONSEN-oh yeah the shuttle's absolutely massive.

And yes, your body/mental clock seems to run like an Aussie's... I just stick with the greyscale-and-blue until such time as camo becomes necessary.

EDIT: I fixed it. Didn't figure out what the problem was, just deleted on Nexu that was seemingly missing a brick and replaced with with the one that wasn't, and then put the cannons back on to have one "mobile" and the other "firing."

I can't say anything but wow. That looks invincible.

Talmid wrote:I can't say anything but wow.  That looks invincible.

Given the fact that it has the massive cannon and four smaller forward-facing weapon emplacements for close-in defense (just as the Dewback has two), you bet your troops' lives they are.

I was thinking more it's big and armored and bulky. No phaser would get through it.

ARC: Agreed. Sadly I doubt I'll be able to repeat it, short of getting my comp really well fixed-up and upgraded a bit. Oh well.
As to the Nexus vs. Deferat, it has to do with the pieces themselves and how many polygons each piece is made up of. Plates have oodles of polygons from all the little studs and the tube-thingies underneath. Meanwhile a lot of my models (though the Nexu not as much so) tend to be mostly smaller pieces with fewer polygons, and thus a bit easier for a computer to handle. Though not by much, so I'm still amazed you pulled off the two Nexus. ...And the Deferat must be enormous.


Yeah, pretty much. Though considering we just got our first snow up here yesterday, it's not totally preposterous...

Talmid wrote:I was thinking more it's big and armored and bulky.  No phaser would get through it.

Assuming you even got a phaser close enough.

Lord Admiral Ariklego wrote:ARC: Agreed. Sadly I doubt I'll be able to repeat it, short of getting my comp really well fixed-up and upgraded a bit. Oh well.
As to the Nexus vs. Deferat, it has to do with the pieces themselves and how many polygons each piece is made up of. Plates have oodles of polygons from all the little studs and the tube-thingies underneath. Meanwhile a lot of my models (though the Nexu not as much so) tend to be mostly smaller pieces with fewer polygons, and thus a bit easier for a computer to handle. Though not by much, so I'm still amazed you pulled off the two Nexus. ...And the Deferat must be enormous.


Yeah, pretty much. Though considering we just got our first snow up here yesterday, it's not totally preposterous...

*Shrugs* either way I managed to make it all work out. That's good enough for me.

wow..... that's absolutely ASTOUNDING!!! I am left speechless. This is beautiful...ly destructive.  

Great job... this is INCREDIBLY good. My hat is off to you. I'm too tired now to do this thing justice, but I had to say SOMETHING.

Thank you kindly Dino, and I'm sure you recognize the Nexu from its original creator's original design, right?

I like mine better.

Brain failing... looks familiar... no results found. 

 

Sorry, I got nothing.

I'm pretty sure I already shared my feelings on this, yes, it's sooooo pretty.

Do they come in black cobalt blue?

They can, sure. In fact you'll notice the detail color is in fact that nice dark blue.