Pallas miniatures by DCleyne.
The Pallas is a TOG medium grav tank, predecessor to the Horatius MBT. Its rounded top and rear hull have earned it the nickname "turtle". The original name Pallas is one of the by-names of the goddess Athena.
Design Philosophy and Operational Role[]
The Pallas grav tank: top, side, back and front view and schematic of turrets turned sideways.
The Pallas´ unusual turret design, with twin synchronised turrets operated by a single target acquisition computer, has sparked controversy from its introduction in 6801. Each turret holds a LeBaron 25mm Gauss cannon and a 1.5/5 laser. The triangular "back" of the tank gives the turrets a surprisingly unobstructed arc of fire - although the tank has to tilt slightly to engage targets to the sides, which requires a good teamwork between the driver and gunner. The turret design also complicates maintenance somewhat. On the other hand, the two turrets can adjust more easily to the distance of a target, making it easier for a skilled gunner to put all her shots into the same hole. To achieve this, the firing computer needs to be tweaked a bit to achieve a slight "squint" of the turrets on closer targets. Needless to say, this modification is against TOG rules and regulations.
With all the controversy about its turrets, the main design flaw of the Pallas was nearly overlooked: with its powerful Gauss and laser armament, the Pallas does not carry a single missile. Ironically, the multi-turreted tank is capable of engaging less targets simultaneously than other, more conventional tanks.
The main strength of the Pallas is its high acceleration and an armament suited to protracted close-in dogfights. With three Gauss cannons, usually firing a mix of hammerheads and HEAP, the Pallas can mix it up with other tanks of the same class or larger without infantry support or the need for painting. The turreted lasers are often used when retreating. Since it is significantly faster than other medium grav tanks, hit-and-run tactics are one of the Pallas´ strengths.
Against smaller and more nimble opponents, the Pallas is less effective, due to its hull-mounted main gun and its lack of missiles. Soldiers who use it consider it an excellent tank against medium combat vehicles and one that can hold its own against heavies, but will try to avoid battle with large numbers of light tanks.
Variants[]
Pallas-M[]
The lack of missiles was cited as one of the main weaknesses of the Pallas´ design. FitzWarren Gravitics, the manufacturer of the tank, was forced to provide a missile-armed variant, and has done so grudgingly. Currently, the missile variant is deployed at a rate of one Pallas-M to every two standard Pallases in the Alaric March. Most of those variants replace the two lasers with two turreted TVLG-4 racks, and have been very well received by the troops.