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[Crew Shuttle Blueprint] MEC VCS-3 'Tropica' Dropship

The Muthos Engineering Consortium's "Deployment R&D Division" doesn't get a lot of press, but their work is vital to the continuing success of the MEC Signature line. Based out of Lab #5, they are tasked with developing and perfecting technologies for moving resources and personnel safely and efficiently. The Squamosa's shipping crates, the MEC's handful of IPRR-gauge rail cars, and the Mandarinia's three-axis crew elevator are examples of the type of work Deployments does.

The latest innovation from Lab #5 is the technology that powers the VCS-3 'Tropica' dropship. This shuttle carries a pair of wing-mounted personnel drop pods, which pack thrusters for precision maneuvering, braking, and even return trips (fuel and gravity permitting). Drop pods can each safely carry up to five passengers, including fully-geared combatants of above-galactic-average stature.

The 'Tropica' itself carries a twin anti-personnel machine gun to provide covering fire in hostile drop zones. Some customers elect to swap the machine guns out for a firefoam cannon, which can turn the 'Tropica' into an effective emergency-response vehicle around stations.

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The VCS-3 'Tropica' is exactly 200 blocks. It is designed to be used as a crew shuttle for boarding (Avorion 0.24+), but can also be used as a cargo shuttle. The ship is named for the greater banded hornet of southeast Asia (Vespa tropica), which raids the nests of bees and other wasp species, stealing their larvae. The larger-than-average yellow stripe is also derived from the ship's namesake. Note: drop pods and machine guns are purely decorative.

Screenshots (besides the auto-generated preview image) show shuttles at true scale - when you use this blueprint to produce shuttles, that's the level of detail you can expect from the final product.

This ship is intended for use as a crew shuttle blueprint, as it lacks the critical ship components necessary for player control.