Mr. Save-The-Galaxy
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Craft a personal podracer for Cotan Sar'andor to use in the upcoming race
- Image Source: Deviantart Source
- Canon Link: N/A
- Primary Source: Utapau Condor Speeder
- Manufacturer: Cotan Sar'andor
- Affiliation: Cotan Sar'andor
- Model: The Condor
- Modularity: None
- Production: Unique
- Material: Durasteel, Plasteel, Plastoid
- Classification:: Podracer
- Role: Personal Transport/Racing Vehicle
- Size: Average
- Weight: Light
- Minimum Crew: 1
- Optimal Crew: 1
- Propulsion: Repulsorlift, Turbocharged combustion engine, Turbofan engines
- Speed: Extreme
- Maneuverability: Very High
- Armaments: None
- Defenses: Very Low
- Squadron Count: None
- Passenger Capacity: 0
- Cargo Capacity: Very Small
Variable-nozzle Turbocharger model HUK-V: The same turbocharger engine that was present in the Utapau Condor speeder, Cotan managed to salvage it from his own destroyed speeder and rework it as one of the engines for the podracer. Per the description from the original manufacturers:
Lightweight Construction: Crafted primarily out of plasteel and plastoid, Cotan's podracer is far lighter than the average podracer. This enables it to reach higher speeds more efficiently and with less overall power needed, at the cost of durability.
Shock Couch: In order to help absorb some of the shock from the quick acceleration and the hard turns, Cotan had a salvaged shock couch used for the seating rather than an average seat.
Inertial Compensators: Another safety measure, to help deal with the quick acceleration and hard turns and the g-forces those produce, as well as to help keep the craft controllable during such events.
Microrepulsors: Salvaged from the Utapau Condor speeder or bought new, the podracer incorporates various microrepulsors that enable it to hover or jump over obstacles, though as a primarily ground-based craft, its maximum altitude overall is rather low. It's a podracer, not an airspeeder.
Rudimentary Shielding: Protecting the mostly-open cockpit is some rudimentary shielding, consisting of low-strength ray and particle shields to deal with rocks and sand that might get kicked up during use, or to deal with potential backlash from the engines in terms of heat. Neither offers any real protection from weaponry beyond slightly mitigating the damage that would be dealt after weaponsfire demolished the shielding, though.
Triple-engine construction: With two standard podracer turbofan engines and then the salvaged engine from his Utapau Condor speeder, the podracer possesses an unusual, triangular-shaped engine layout, with the Condor engine in the center and just below the other two; this construction lends extraordinary power to the vehicle, enabling it to accelerate extremely quickly to its top speeds.
Strengths:
- Gotta Go Fast—Thanks to the extremely lightweight construction and the presence of three high-powered engines on the craft, this is a ridiculously fast podracer, even compared to numerous others.
- Department of Redundancy Department—The three-engine construction means that, should one of the engines fail, the podracer can continue to function reasonably well, with the timely use of some special maneuvering flaps and braking to counteract the suddenly-lopsided propulsion.
- Comfort—The seat/cockpit area was designed around Cotan's body and is rather comfortable. I mean, just look at those armrests. They're beautiful.
- What's this thing made out of, plastic?—Well, yes. It is far from the most durable of podracers, with the emphasis being on light construction for high speed and maneuverability.
- Very fast. Very Dangerous.—Cotan's podracer is extremely quick, forcing him to rely on the Force and concentrate extremely hard to be able to pilot it. If his concentration should slip, normal human reflexes will get in the way, and the podracer will crash shortly after that point.
- Utterly Defenseless—The podracer has no weapons and barely any shielding whatsoever; it has next to no defense beyond the ability to move extremely quickly. If it gets hit by anything larger than a blaster rifle, it's dust in the wind.
After the Battle of Coruscant and the fall of the Galactic Alliance, Cotan's Utapau Condor speeder that he'd received for helping defend Utapau when it was invaded by the Mandalorian Empire was fairly heavily damaged. However, unwilling to let the craft be gone completely, he decided to repurpose it, with the knowledge that the Harvest Day Invitational Podrace was coming up soon. He put in quite a bit of work alongside a few more mechanically-minded friends within the ORC to repair the main engine from the Utapau Condor, as well as salvaging or purchasing (with what limited funds Cotan had) various other parts and implements to construct an extremely lightweight, fast, and fun podracer.
So far, Cotan has been able to take it for a few test runs, though it will never manage to be much more than a working prototype, like most other podracers in existence. With the solid repairs on the main engine from the Utapau Condor speeder, that engine works fine; the other two, however, have proven to be somewhat spotty, requiring quick thinking to activate maneuvering flaps, decrease thrust, and apply repulsor-brakes to keep the craft from instantly careening off to the side and crashing. Still, in preparation for the race, Cotan thinks that he's managed to work...
Most of the bugs out.
