[1/1250] SSM-45C Jungle Swordsman Class Assault Cruiser

Alright, the final research on the SSM-45 hull is complete~!

By design, this is Apex Power's officially researched bombardment-specialized vessel for the SSM-45T Night Heron-class assault ship

SSM-45C Jungle Swordsman Class

Hope you like it~

Overview

• Also 1/1250 scale
• Also a model series from the Panyuan Universe
• Also significant adjustments made to the Night Heron-class
  • Similarities:
    • Retains the Night Heron-class's SSM-45 standard medium hull
    • Retains the SSM-45 fixed armament: Roaring Triple-Barrel Railgun
  • Differences:
    • Adopts an asymmetrical subsystem design
    • The left subsystem has two "Cut Iron" Interceptor Laser Turrets
    • The left subsystem can store 2 "Mirage" Decoy Drones
    • The right subsystem also has two "Cut Iron" Interceptor Laser Turrets
    • The right subsystem is equipped with a "Fatal Rapier" Twin-Barrel Long-Range Railgun
• Non-printed Bill of Materials:
  • 6*2mm N52 strong magnets, 4 pieces
  • 4*2mm regular magnets, 8 pieces

Settings and Assembly Instructions

Backstory - Destiny

Near Lunar Orbit - Outside Blood Scorpion Headquarters

The metal wreckage of the Blood Scorpion base was still drifting in space. Mark Roger was just about to order a return to base when the radar alarm sounded at an inopportune moment.
"Boss, three ships are approaching us from about 600km at a speed of 200m/s. Identification code is... LCSF, Night Heron-class!"
"Oh? These guys are quite quick on their feet today, aren't they!" Mark said disdainfully.
The public comms channel timely played a familiar broadcast.
"Marauder Fleet, this is LCSF Ship 083. You are suspected of illegally destroying mining facilities! Stop your ship immediately for inspection!"
"Well, well, well! Who would have thought! It's our old friends 'Lunar Security'! Mark Roger salutes you~!" Mark Roger said sarcastically.

"Mark... Roger." Zhao Ruixi's heart tightened.
"Mark Roger! You are suspected of multiple serious crimes! I order you to stop your ship immediately and surrender your weapons!"
"Am I really that bad? I don't remember doing anything bad, Sheriff!" Mark still said with a smirk, "But I advise you to turn around immediately, let's pretend nothing happened, okay? That way you can continue to sit in your office and drink your expensive coffee~!"
"This guy is extremely cunning. All ships to Condition One! All weapons loaded. Notify Ships 017 and 096 to assault at full speed, to be the first to enter the 210km effective range of Tempest Missiles!" Ignoring Mark's taunts, Zhao Ruixi ordered the bridge and accompanying ships.
"Boss, they've accelerated! Speed is now 320m/s, current distance is 550km!" the副 officer reported.
"Minor issue. Bloodaxe, Barbarian, turn around, free fire." Mark commanded.
The three Marauder-class ships immediately turned towards the three LCSF warships. Moments later, three armor-piercing projectiles sped towards them.
"They're firing, evasive maneuvers!"
"Ship 017 not hit, projectile grazed the shield."
"Ship 096 hit head-on! Shield system collapsed!"
"Ship 096, get behind me! I'll cover you from the impact!" Zhao Ruixi ordered.
"Interesting! A single-file formation! I like this. Barbarian, continue. Bloodaxe, Windbreaker, cease fire. What's the distance now?"
"480km, Boss." The observer replied.
"Good, let them get within 400km, then take them out with one shot." Mark's eyes gleamed with madness.
The pirates cheered.

"They seem to have ceased fire," Ship 017 reported, "but they might also have poor aim and are waiting for us to enter the kill zone!"
"Don't let your guard down! Overload all ship engines by 10%, continue the charge!"

The distance in deep space rapidly shortened on the dashboard. After overloading their engines by 10%, the three LCSF ships' speed surged to 352m/s, their hulls glowing with a faint blue thermal haze from the overload. Zhao Ruixi stared at the numbers "450km→420km" on the screen, his knuckles white: "As soon as we're within 210km, Tempest Missiles can lock on!"
But in the bridge of Mark's Windbreaker, the observer's shout boomed first: "They've accelerated! Distance 410km! Almost at the kill line!"
Mark's lips curved into a pirate's smile, and he tapped the fire button: "Accelerating to their deaths, how amusing! Bloodaxe target 017, Barbarian, Windbreaker, fire directly at the lead 083—don't give them a chance to launch missiles."
The main cannons of the three Marauder ships simultaneously lit up with a silver-blue glow, this time without hesitation—armor-piercing projectiles traveling at 80km/s streaked with a sharp whoosh, heading straight for the LCSF fleet.
"It's railguns! Evasive maneuvers!"
017 dodged left, while 096 and 083 simultaneously dodged right. However, Ship 096's attitude adjustment power was set too low, and an armor-piercing projectile went straight for its left subsystem, causing an explosion.
"Ship 096 report status!"
"Left subsystem severely damaged, no sympathetic detonation, fires being extinguished..."
The second railgun round directly grazed Ship 083's front left shield.
"Shield nearing critical!"
The third railgun projectile passed through the gap between 017 and 096.
"Lucky kids," Mark scoffed, "I'll allow you to advance 8km."
A burst of laughter erupted on the bridge.

"Damn it! Can we still accelerate?" Zhao Ruixi asked the onboard AI.
"Not recommended! Further acceleration will directly disrupt the current ship's energy balance." The AI said emotionlessly.
"Speak English!" Zhao Ruixi roared.
"Further acceleration will directly render the shield system unusable, and the enemy's armor-piercing projectiles will directly penetrate our hull."
"The good news is," the AI paused, "through multiple rounds of firing, I have calculated their minimum firing interval to be approximately 25 seconds, meaning they will be ready for the next round of firing in about 15 seconds. Since the projectile speed is about 80km/s, it will take approximately 4.5 seconds for the projectiles to reach this ship. We can change direction beforehand to evade some damage."
"All ships synchronize timers! Immediately change direction by 15 degrees when the timer reaches zero!"
"096 received!"
"017 received!"
"5"
"4"
"3"
"2"
"1"
"Turn!!!!"

"Fire!"
Three railgun rounds arrived as scheduled. Zhao Ruixi had won his gamble, but not entirely—Ship 096, due to severe subsystem damage, had its maneuverability greatly reduced. Although it wasn't penetrated from end to end, the armor-piercing round still obliquely sliced through the entire vessel.
"Ship 096 severely damaged, about to aban..." Before the words were finished, Ship 096 suffered a series of explosions, and moments later, turned into a fireball.
"Ship 096 sunk!" The AI reported emotionlessly.
Before they could even mourn, Ship 017's starboard side also burst into flames.
"How wonderful, little one. You actually calculated my firing interval precisely, congratulations! But you overestimated the Night Heron-class's maneuverability, hahahahaha..." Mark Roger had transformed into a grinning battlefield commentator.
"Your wingman is about to explode. Surrender, retreat, or continue to die? Shall I give you another chance?" Mark asked with feigned concern.
But Zhao Ruixi knew that continuing would be suicide. Preserving their forces was now the top priority given the severe imbalance in firepower.
"I was lying! Hahahahahaha" Mark let out a maniacal laugh.
Then three railgun rounds went straight for Ship 017, destroying it directly.
"Bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

At this moment, Ship 083 suddenly requested encrypted communication.
"Captain Zhao, there's a communication coming in, it should be an ally."
"Patch it through." Zhao Ruixi seemed a little weak.
"Ruixi, you take the wounded and retreat first. I'll handle things here." A familiar yet unfamiliar voice rang out.
"You are...?" Zhao Ruixi couldn't remember.
"Liu Yunzhou."

Outer Lunar Orbit - Apex Power Secret Starport - 45 Minutes Ago

"You mean... you want to go 1-on-3 against the enemy, alone in a single ship, using our company's newest warship?"
"Yes."
"Are you kidding me?!"
"I was deeply involved in the development of the Jungle Swordsman Class, I know its capabilities very well."
"But... no matter how automated a ship is, single-person operation is almost impossible..."
"Don't we also have a 'Super Soldier' autonomous AI system? Connecting a person and an AI should basically do it..."
"No, no! At least the name hasn't been decided yet... So, coming back to it, what benefit does this bring the company?"
"If I win, the company can use this battle footage for extensive publicity, and the entire solar system will see the power of the Jungle Swordsman. Secondly, combat data of this intensity is crucial for the development of subsequent ships and ship AIs."
"What if... you fail?"
"The company has an old tradition, just deny it ever happened. The biggest loss for the company would be a ship—that's roughly 15 minutes of the company's revenue."

Five minutes later.
"...I have to say, the company's leadership really likes your drive. I discussed it with a few of them, and they think it's fine. Go for it, young man!"
"Thank you."
"But... are you really so determined for so-called revenge?"
"Yes."

Near Lunar Orbit - Outside Blood Scorpion Headquarters - Now

"Yun... Yunzhou! You..." Before Zhao Ruixi could say anything, Liu Yunzhou had cut off communication.
At the same time, radar detected a ship moving at high speed from behind Ship 083. The onboard AI immediately broadcasted.
"Ship detected 450km astern, approaching rapidly, speed nearly 450m/s."
"Model match complete. It's an Apex Power SSM-45 frame, presumed Night Heron-class."
"Impossible! A Night Heron-class cannot reach such high speeds!" the副 captain retorted.
"Friend-or-foe identification signal is active, it's an allied designation. Faction: Apex Power, model: SSM-45C 'Jungle Swordsman Class'"
"Jungle... Swordsman! It's that newly released warship, but 1-on-3 is too much! Stop him!" the副 captain shouted.
"Communication failed, the对方 has rejected encrypted communication." The AI replied.
"Yunzhou, don't go! They can fire at 400km! You can't beat them! Escape!!!!!" Zhao Ruixi shouted over the public channel.
"Oh? Another master?" Mark Roger was bewildered by this sudden public communication.
"Little one, what's going on? Has your brain broken? Is 10 minutes enough for you to go home, hahahahahaha." Mark continued to taunt.
"Boss, something's on radar! Behind Ship 083! A ship is approaching, very fast!" the navigator said, slightly panicked.
"Didn't we place reconnaissance drones over there? Do we have visuals?"
Camera footage appeared on the large screen.
A dark green warship was speeding forward, about to overtake LCSF Ship 083.
"A green ship, I see, it's the Jungle Swordsman Class! Open long-range comms, get me Brother Chao." Mark commanded.

At this moment, on the bridge of the Jungle Swordsman-class assault ship "Razor's Edge."

"Warning! Ship engines have been running at 35% overload for 9 minutes. Recommend immediate deceleration to normal speed, otherwise there is a risk of engine explosion."
"Agreed, decelerate to maximum cruising speed."
"Speed adjusted to 370m/s."
"Prepare for battle, old friend."

"Boss, the enemy is still 20km from the kill line."
"Free fire, distract him first, see what he's made of."
"Alright, Boss! Let's see who gets the first hit!"
Three railgun rounds sped towards the Razor's Edge, but missed due to being outside the accuracy range.
"Weak attack." Liu Yunzhou's voice came over the public channel.
"Oh? Someone who likes to trash talk? I like it!" Mark Roger said.
"You, Mark Roger, infamous space pirate, guilty of countless crimes, today, you will meet your end here."
"No! Why are you so serious? Making it sound like I'm some important boss you're fighting... Come on, relax. Dizziness and ringing in the ears are sometimes normal, because your ship has already exploded!" Mark said while gesturing. His subordinates understood immediately—the target had entered the 380km range, and the three ships immediately began bombarding the Jungle Swordsman.
"3, 2, 1... bang~!" Mark muttered to himself.

"Railgun attack detected."
"Trajectory prediction and projectile lock complete."
"Activate 'Cut Iron' interceptor turrets."
"Understood."

The 3 projectiles did not hit their intended targets as expected, but exploded at approximately 60 kilometers.
"Boss! It's impossible we missed! But we actually did!"
"Where's Wang Chao?! Why hasn't he responded yet!!" Mark felt that something was not right.
"What's going on? I'm here." Wang Chao said groggily.
"Stop sleeping, get up! We have a problem!"
"Huh? What? Are there a lot of enemy ships, are we in a tough fight?"
"No, there's only one enemy ship, it's the Jungle Swordsman from the news."
"Oh... huh?????"
"Yes, we encountered it! But it seems to have some defensive measures! Did you check the ship manual?"
"I'll look it up immediately, don't disconnect..."
"Hurry up, he's charging at me!"
"Continue firing!"

Three projectiles struck again.
"It's useless." Liu Yunzhou muttered to himself, "Block with the sword."
"Effortless." The Super Soldier replied.
Three projectiles again exploded at 60km.

"Again!!"
"Wang Chao!!"
"Found it, found it! It's the 'Intercept Sword'! The principle is 4 laser interceptor turrets! It can directly lock on to projectiles and missiles, with a lock time of about two seconds, and a maximum intercept range of about 60km."
"What, there's something like that?!" Mark found it unbelievable.
"But I don't think it's invincible," Wang Chao said, "because there's a limit lock time of about 2 seconds, and a cooldown of 3 seconds. And our projectile speed is about 80km/s, which means..."
"Get to the point, Boss!!!"
"If you get the distance within 160km, he's dead!"
"All ships continue firing! Let's have a desperate brawl with this guy!"

"Approaching 240km."
"Very good, prepare for battle."
"Warning, due to high-speed charge, engines are slightly overheating. Recommend the Intercept Sword system be taken offline for cooling, estimated time 30 seconds."
"Reasonable request, deploy Mirage Drones."
"Fatal Rapier loaded, position 1 Electromagnetic Composite Armor-Piercing Projectile, position 2 High-Explosive Armor-Piercing Projectile."
"Loading complete."

"Boss! It looks like there are two targets on radar! This isn't right!" A communication came from Bloodaxe.
"Who cares!" Mark was clearly agitated, "Just hit him with a shot first!"

"Railgun launch detected. Trajectory prediction indicates the target is 'Mirage-1', this ship does not need to evade." The Super Soldier AI reported, "Also, Bloodaxe has entered 230km, firing opportunity is yours to decide."
Two railgun rounds flew like golden streaks towards Bloodaxe, the first directly hitting Bloodaxe's bow, causing severe damage.
"Continuous attack." Liu Yunzhou muttered to himself.
The second round hit almost the same spot, penetrating Bloodaxe directly.
"Attack effective, score."

"Bo... ss..." Before Bloodaxe could send its last words, the entire ship exploded into a fireball.
"Barbarian, full throttle, blast this scumbag to smithereens!! I'll avenge A-Kai!!!!" A communication came from Barbarian.
"Don't rush in, you fool!!" Wang Chao roared at Barbarian through the established communication with Mark.
"This is a 'Mirage' decoy drone, it can create a decoy signal very similar to the Jungle Swordsman's electromagnetic signature, but we can lock on to different targets to attack him. What's the distance now?"
"I'm at 195km, Barbarian is at 155km."
"Then what the hell are you waiting for!!"

"Warning! Railgun launch detected, enemy has simultaneously locked on to the decoy and this ship..."
"Granting 'Super Soldier' supreme operational authority: autonomous defensive action..."

Before Liu Yunzhou could finish, two railgun rounds were already whistling towards two almost identical Jungle Swordsmen.
"Emergency eva..." Before the word "sion" could be uttered, both Jungle Swordsmen simultaneously suffered severe explosions, but at the same time, the Jungle Swordsman launched a "Fatal Rapier" at Barbarian, which was at the front of the fleet.
Both Jungle Swordsman and Barbarian signals disappeared from radar.

"Xiao... Jiu..." Mark Roger clenched his fists and muttered to himself through gritted teeth.
At this moment, the Jungle Swordsman's signal miraculously reappeared.
"Good, good!" Mark said with gnashing teeth, "But, farewell, genius!"
The Noisy Destroyer let out a thunderous roar, and a railgun shot directly hit the target.
However, a burning colossal ship slid out from the left side of the explosion's firelight.
Immediately, a railgun shot directly penetrated the bridge. All lights on the Windbreaker suddenly went out.

"Today is your end, Mark... Roger." Liu Yunzhou said, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"This shot is for Xiao Yu's revenge!" With that, a railgun shot directly destroyed the starboard "Noisy Destroyer" bombardment system.
"Engines severely overheated, this ship will be forced offline." The Super Soldier said.

5 Minutes Before

"Granting 'Super Soldier' supreme operational authority: autonomous defensive action..."
"Emergency evasion!" The Super Soldier AI activated the port side's "Agile maneuvering thrusters" in an attempt to dodge the incoming fatal blow.
Due to the close range, the port side auxiliary thruster position was still hit, causing a severe explosion.
"Evasion failed! This ship is highly likely to be destroyed by the enemy's next attack." The Super Soldier reported.
"Our mission is far from over!" Liu Yunzhou looked at the wounds on his body from explosion fragments and ordered, "Launch the second 'Mirage'. Do not fly out of the smoke screen area. Fly 300m to the right of this ship to create a holographic decoy. All ship systems silent shutdown."
"Mirage-2 destroyed." The Super Soldier AI reported expressionlessly.
"All ship systems online!" Liu Yunzhou commanded, "Full power to starboard thrusters!"
"Accept righteous judgment."

Now

In a field of wreckage, two powerless assault ships slowly drifted towards each other, like two exhausted behemoths fallen to the ground.
Mark Roger struggled to his feet, looking at the floating corpses of pirates in the bridge, then at the silent green leviathan opposite. He walked with difficulty to the navigation console and pulled the emergency engine restart lever. The Windbreaker's engines roared back to life. Mark Roger revealed a grim smile.
"Let's go to hell together, genius!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Marauder engine restart detected."
"Marauder warship detected accelerating, predicted to collide with this ship in 4 minutes."
"Can't we escape?"
"Based on this ship's condition, evasion is no longer possible."
"So, in the end... I still couldn't get my revenge..."
"..."

Suddenly, a golden light pierced the Windbreaker directly from the side, and then the Windbreaker exploded violently 10km from the Razor's Edge.

"Are there... reinforcements?"
"Radar and observation systems are restarting, unable to identify attacker's identity temporarily."
"Yo! I'm not too late, am I?" A voice came over the public comms channel.
A black colossal ship slowly emerged from the shadow of an asteroid 200km away.
"Radar restart complete, identifying target as friendly, ship model is SSM-45C Jungle Swordsman Class, ship name: Jinwu Guard, affiliated faction: Galactic Trade Alliance."
"Trade... Alliance? Jungle Swordsman Class?" Liu Yunzhou's mind immediately became a mess.
"Don't overthink it~! Don't overthink it!" The voice continued, "I was just passing by, saw a hero in a tough spot, and 'incidentally' took care of this chaotic warship with one shot..."
"Wait a minute... why would the Trade Alliance have a Jungle Swordsman?" Liu Yunzhou asked before the person could finish.
"That doesn't seem to concern you much, does it?" The person paused, "After all, your great revenge has been exacted."
Liu Yunzhou's heart clenched, and he asked, "Who... who exactly are you?"
"Why do you think 'Nightblade' went to take out those reckless fools from the Blood Scorpion gang? Why do you think LCSF was fighting Marauders here? Who do you think tipped you off about this once-in-a-lifetime chance for revenge?" The black ship replied as it sailed towards the moon.
Liu Yunzhou felt an invisible hand gripping him tightly, making him breathless.
"But..."
"General Hu."
"Who...?"
"Farewell! Solitary swordsman."
The Jinwu Guard cut off communications and headed into the distance.
On the other side of the radar, the icon for LCSF reinforcements appeared.
"This ship's probability of rescue is 96%." The Super Soldier AI said