Ah, natural progression! If you go back and look at the original Heavy Weapons Model, you can see that it is a prototype in every way. Granted, the original base model was changed to become the finished Heavy Weapons Model, but it was destined to be outclassed as I improved my various designs. Now the original HWM is quite lacking, and though it still performs in terms of carrying and using heavy weapons, it does not act as a heavy unit itself.
What I mean by this is that the unit was using the basic unarmored chest from the base Foostsoldier model - but even the Footsoldier has light armor on the torso! My original idea was to keep the HWM light, but strong (and keep it as a sort of homage to what started it all)...however, that has only served to have the HWM mowed down on the front lines. Thinking back, I can't imagine why I thought the HWM would be fine the way it was.
So, I present to you: The Heavy Weapons Model MK II! In terms of the legs, I went with the "don't fix what ain't broke" motto and left them alone. They more than carry the load of various heavy weaponry. The new ideas all come in from the waist up. On top you can see the torso I have been tinkering with recently (the original of which became HateRobo). It completely armors the original Footsoldier torso and the HWM arms. You'll notice that it also covers the solar array that powered the HWM, but I've compensated for that by covering the back of the HWM MKII with various compact versions of the array (a prototype of this type can be seen on the legs of the Infiltration Model).
As we move up, you can see that the head is also armored! It looks like a new design, but it is simply the original base head with armor around it; including a wide shield around the eye, making it look bigger than the original mono-eye (so fret not; the eye may look like a bigger target now, but it's simply more armored than the base eye). In the end, you have the HWM, but now with the ability to walk right on the front lines and protect the the ones behind them with thier heavily armored bodies. On top of that - of course - they continue to have the ability to hold heavy weaponry like the above displayed vulcan cannon or any manner of bazookas, heavy machine guns, or missile launchers.
Though I do hope to stay away from redesigning everything, I can still say that this has been an exciting remake and I'd like to look back at other previous entries in an effort to continue to improve the quality and durability of these machines.
