SPHA-T pic

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2003-02-09 03:32am

I don't think this has been mentioned on this board yet, so everybody check out the latest Image Attack at starwars.com:

http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/imag ... 30207.html

EDIT: Oh yeah, the reason this is cool, if you didn't notice, is it's a shot from the rear quarter of the vehicle, which, to my knowledge, has been previously unshown.

Lord Sander · Post by **Lord Sander** » 2003-02-09 01:20pm

I hadn't noticed before, but those 'insect' legs just make it look really silly, IMHO.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-02-09 01:27pm

It looked a lot cooler in the movie for some reason. Maybe it's the scale.

nightmare · Post by **nightmare** » 2003-02-09 02:10pm

It should be slow but steady with all those short legs. I wonder if there is a reason besides "coolness" that it has 12 legs and not threads.

Icehawk · Post by **Icehawk** » 2003-02-09 02:36pm

From what I read in a previous Star Wars insider magazine, it originally had treads but Lucas decided later that it should have legs instead. Kinda stupid decision IMO, but if it works, meh.

jaeger115 · Post by **jaeger115** » 2003-02-09 02:53pm

How could it even move fast if it has catepillar -like legs?

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-02-09 02:59pm

jaeger115 wrote:How could it even move fast if it has catepillar -like legs?

I don't think it's meant to move very fast.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-02-09 03:01pm

jaeger115 wrote:How could it even move fast if it has catepillar -like legs?

I thought it was moving slowly in the movie?

Post by **Kuja** » 2003-02-09 03:20pm

jaeger115 wrote:How could it even move fast if it has catepillar -like legs?

They don't need to. They were firing all the way across the battlefield in the movie.

jaeger115 · Post by **jaeger115** » 2003-02-09 03:48pm

It could move much faster if it had tanklike treads instead of legs.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-02-09 04:49pm

We see the rears in AOTC's, but from pretty far away. As for the legs, there probably just for positioning. Repulsorlift's are likely holding up 99+% of the weight just like on Starships. Such small areas of ground contact could never take the weight. But they can provide stability under the recoil of firing.

Jason von Evil · Post by **Jason von Evil** » 2003-02-09 08:54pm

What the hell is with the Old Republic and warmachines with bug legs?

Post by **Kuja** » 2003-02-09 09:27pm

jaeger115 wrote:It could move much faster if it had tanklike treads instead of legs.

Hello, are you paying attention, Jaeger?

It doesn't need to move quickly! The dropships will palce it at the edge of a battle and pick it up if it needs evac. It's not like the walkers or tanks, all it needs to do is sit back and plug enemy units from the edge of the battlefield

Post by **Kuja** » 2003-02-09 09:31pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:We see the rears in AOTC's, but from pretty far away. As for the legs, there probably just for positioning. Repulsorlift's are likely holding up 99+% of the weight just like on Starships. Such small areas of ground contact could never take the weight. But they can provide stability under the recoil of firing.

I like that idea. I think it holds weight as well, since in SW: GB, the SPHAT moves on repulsorlifts.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-02-09 09:34pm

IG-88E wrote:
jaeger115 wrote:It could move much faster if it had tanklike treads instead of legs.
Hello, are you paying attention, Jaeger?

It doesn't need to move quickly! The dropships will palce it at the edge of a battle and pick it up if it needs evac. It's not like the walkers or tanks, all it needs to do is sit back and plug enemy units from the edge of the battlefield

I expect that the SPHA-T is too heavy to be deployed by the same sort of dropship as we saw on Geonosis. The point stands, though.

Post by **Kuja** » 2003-02-09 09:48pm

Howedar wrote:I expect that the SPHA-T is too heavy to be deployed by the same sort of dropship as we saw on Geonosis. The point stands, though.

I doubt they'd have any trouble. They were delivering AT-TEs with seemingly no problems.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-02-09 10:26pm

Yes, and if I'm not mistaken the SPHA-Ts were quite a bit larger.

Post by **Kuja** » 2003-02-09 10:29pm

Howedar wrote:Yes, and if I'm not mistaken the SPHA-Ts were quite a bit larger.

Or they might have a larger type of dropship for them.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-02-09 10:36pm

A possibility, certainly.

Post by **Kuja** » 2003-02-09 10:45pm

Howedar wrote:A possibility, certainly.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm almost certain.

A textbook Republic ground battle:

1: Acclamator-class transports descend into the atmosphere of a planet.

2: Fighters, gunships and walker dropships are released and head towards the battlefield.

3: Once a battlefield has been set up, SPHA-T dropships carry the heavy artillary to the rear of the Republic forces to hit any major targets from their relatively safe position.

4: If the battle drifts too close to the artillary, dropships come back in for evac or repositioning (if the SPHA-Ts can't move quickly enough to reposition themselves before coming under attack).

What do you think?

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-02-09 10:47pm

http://www.theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/aotc/bog54s526.jpg
I think that they are definately too large for the normal dropships.

Makes sense though.

Post by **Kuja** » 2003-02-09 10:49pm

Howedar wrote:http://www.theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/aotc/bog54s526.jpg
I think that they are definately too large for the normal dropships.

Urk...I forgot just HOW big they were! Yeah, they're way too big for the walker dropships.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-02-09 11:13pm

The pre visualization for the battle, of which clips are found on the AOTC DVD, shows the SPHA's being unloaded by ramps and gantry's under the noses of transports. two are side by side. However the Scale seems a off compared to what was later in the movie, but that could just be me. The SPHA's are much bigger compared to the Assault Ships.

Still, that likely is how they get into action. The SPHA and walker storage area shown in ICS is fairly close to the bow.

Clone Sergeant · Post by **Clone Sergeant** » 2003-02-09 11:16pm

Slightly of topic but I was reading this:http://www.starwars.com/databank/vehicle/sphat/eu.html

Supposedly the cannon is modular. And can be fitted with an ion cannon, anti vehicle laser cannons or concussion missile launchers instead.

The missile launchers are interesting because they would solve the SPHA-T's limitation to attacking targets within line of sight.