DS2 Slugger
    Leonard Dixon and his sons, Frank and Oliver, had found surprising success with their first design, the Mallard, and hoped to strike gold again with their next aircraft. Unfortunately they didn't know where to start with the new one, as this time they did not have a specific goal. Oliver had always been fascinated by flying-wings like the Coyote and Firebrand, and suggested they work with that idea. Frank was interested in creating something with a strong punch, while their father wanted to try something small but with heavy armor. In July of 1936, they bought a Northrop ZF-2 Black Bat to study its characteristics. Working closely from that design, they came up with the DS2 Slugger.
     The new design outwardly resembles the Black Bat, the major differences being that the rudders were moved to the ends of the wings, and the wing guns were removed. However, the specs on the Slugger are quite different. The Dixons had piled on as much armor as they could, fully 1,320 lbs, giving it incredible survivability. The Pratt & Whitney R600 engine is more powerful than the Black Bat's, but the Slugger is still no faster, due to the heavy armor. The armor also weighs down the wings quite a bit, hampering the plane's agility, and leads to stalling problems at lower speeds. The punch Frank was hoping for comes from a single M777 Trainwrecker .70-caliber cannon, slung under the fuselage, as well as three rocket hardpoints.
     Remembering the criticism of the Mallard's poor visibility, the Dixons made sure the Slugger did not have the same problem. They somewhat over-
compensated, though, and ended up with a very exposed cockpit. Great for tracking the enemy, but easy to get shot in. 
     While the heavy armor holds some appeal, the Slugger has not sold very well. Critics point to the lack of weaponry options, as well as the rather dangerous cockpit. Most customers have been shipping companies, augmenting their Black Bat zeppelin escorts. Careless pirates sometimes confuse the Slugger for the Black Bat, usually with grave consequences.



 

DS2 Slugger
Game Statistics

Base Target Number     8    3,000 lbs

Max Speed:                  3       360 lbs Max Gs:                       2       300 lbs Acceleration Rate:         2       150 lbs

Armor Points             440    1,320 lbs
Nose                                 80 
Port Wing Leading             70 
Port Wing Trailing              70 
Starboard Wing Leading     70 
Starboard Wing Trailing      70 
Tail                                    80 

Weapon            Arc                Mass
70 Caliber      Forward           850 lbs

Special Characteristics
Poor Landing Gear
Improved Cockpit Visibility
Poor Stall Speed
Rocket Hardpoints: 3

Cost
Engine             $1,910 
Airframe          $2,938 
Cockpit            $375 
Armor              $1100 
Misc.               $150 
Weapons          $900 
Total               $7,373
 

Back


 
 
Crimson Skies is a registered trademark of FASA Corporation, and is used without permission, but with the greatest of respect. Pages built and maintained by Andreas Harrison, [email protected]