STATISTICS
| Mass: 500 tons | Structure Type: Airplanar Aerodyne |
| Power Plant: TME 3K Fusion Drive | Armor Type: TME 3000 Standard |
| Comm Systems: TME Mattick ScanDesk | Cruising Accel/Airspeed: 6G, 1100 kph |
| Targeting/Tracking Systems:
TME 3051 WireGuide |
Maximum Accel/Airspeed: 9G, 1650 kph |
| Spaceframe: RevEng XL5-SP Fireball XL Series | |
| Armament: 2 TME/BTSTS-SBMAS:3049 "Astrophetes" Spaceborne Arrow-IV Artillery Missile Launchers 2 TME/BTSTS-GR:3049 "Relativistic Slugger" Gauss Rifles 4 TME/BTSTS-PLL:3049 "Bren Laser" Large Pulse Lasers |
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OVERVIEW
The TME-47 XL-5 Interceptor is a direct rip-off of the "Fireball"-class XL Space Patrol Ships in the Fireball XL-5 Space/Time Sphere. A long-ranged spacecraft designed for general interplanetary patrol duty as well as insystem defense, the Fireball XL Interceptor has been serving its home universe faithfully since the early- to mid- 2060s. The department heads of TME Industries loved the design and decided to capitalize on it.
CAPABILITIES
The TME-47 version of the Fireball XL is an extremely light assault DropShip, armed with Arrow IV missiles, Gauss rifles, and large pulse lasers. While the Gauss rifles provide long-range support and the pulse lasers are effective anti-fighter deterrents, the twin Arrow missile launchers ensconced within bay doors in the sides of the command module are the XL-5's primary weapons. These weapons are mounted on the XL-5's aerodyne frame as they would be on a smaller fighter craft, allowing all of them to be controlled by the pilot. The radar/communications/weapon officer within the fuselage often operates the tracking systems for the Thunderbolts.
The XL-5 is an effective and inexpensive system defense craft capable of quickly responding to distress signals and outfighting pirates. Although it has minimal cargo space, the XL-5 is intended to secure an area until a larger cargo DropShip can reach the area.
DEPLOYMENT
The TME-47 is one of the more common insystem patrol ship designs.
VARIANTS
While the TME-47 does meet most of the design specifications for the Fireball XL Interceptor, it does lack the interstellar capability of its parent design. TME engineers hope to rectify this in a later design loosely based on the Star League Defense Force Bug Eye-class survelliance WarShip. A production variant of the TME-47 does exist, the TME-47/a, which mounts Ferro-Aluminum armor to increase protection.
TME-47 Fireball XL-5 Interceptor |
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| 500 tons | Aerodyne Dropship | Safe MP: 6 (3G) | Max MP: 9 (4.5G) |
| Engine mass: 195 t | Control Mass: 3.75t | Integrity: 15 (7.5G) | Structure Mass: 37.5 t |
| Armor Mass: 67.5 t | Armor Points: 1080 | Fuel: 49 t (3430 points) | Tons/Burn-Day (1G): 1.84 |
| Fuel Pump Mass: 1 t | Crew: 3 | Passengers: none |
No Lifeboats |
| No fighters | No small craft | Cargo Mass: 4.25 t | |
ARMOR (Capital Scale in Parenthesis) |
EQUIPMENT |
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| Front: | 365 (37) |
2 Spaceborne Arrow-IV launchers | Front |
| Left/Right Side: | 285 (29) / 285 (29) |
2 Gauss Rifles | Nose |
| Rear: | 205 (21) |
2 Large Pulse Lasers | Left Wing |
Heat Sinks: 30 (60) Double Heat Sinks |
2 Large Pulse Lasers | Right Wing | |
| 50 Arrow-IV shots | Front | ||
| Exact game rules for spaceborne Arrow-IVs can be found here, but just in case: Arrow-IVs have Extreme Range and cause 20 points (2 capital) of damage in the attacked arc and 10 points (1 capital) of damage in each adjacent arc. A hit on the nose of a Warship would damage the Nose, Front-Left and Front-Right arcs. Arrow-IVs cannot attack fighters. | If you don't like Arrow-IV's then use Thunderbolt-20s instead (8 pts. heat, Medium Range, 20 damage (2 capital damage)) |
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DESIGNER'S NOTES: The Fireball XL-5 was the spacecraft in the 1965 Gerry Anderson show of the same name chronicling the adventures of dashing Colonel Steve Zodiac, cantankerous genius and science officer Proffesor Mattic, and ditsy "doctor of space medicine" (read "coffee-maker") Venus. These three marionettes, ordered around by Commander Zero and Lieutenant Ninety, would save the Earth and its colonies from various alien species, mad doctors, and the occasional world-smashing planatomic missile. Launched from a heavy-gauge accelerator track with a big sled, the XL-5 was powered by conventional (nuclear?) rockets yet somehow made and maintained FTL speeds. Its primary weapons were wire(?)-guided Interceptor missiles which were launched from an extendable missile rack which rolled out once hatches on the sides of the command module opened. The number of Interceptors carried is uncertain, but they never used more than three or four in a single episode. The nose-cone-like command module could detach from the fuselage and act as an orbital shuttle called Fireball Junior. Fireball Junior was often disengaged from Fireball proper to land on alien worlds.
All this was before my time, but my dad loved it and has an infatuation for it to this day (which I share to a degree). This is my tribute to the best old-school space rocket design I've ever seen. Knocks Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon into a cocked hat.
The blueprints and CG models are not my own work, follow the links to see where they come from. The lower-left hand picture is from the show. The billowing yellow smoke from the main engine is representative of most of the special effects involved.