The MPL97 (AV-T) was a prototype patlabor manufactured by Shinohara Heavy Industries (SHI). The type is the direct predecessor to the AV-98 Ingram, and served as a training machine in the later years of its existence. The type appeared in the Patlabor: The Early Days OVA in episode 6: "SV2's Longest Day (Part 2)", where it was piloted, and subsequently destroyed by pilot Isao Ohta.
Design & Development[]
MPL97 Rear View
The MPL97 closely resembles the AV-98 Ingram with much of its armor stripped. The most striking difference between the two models is that the prototype does not have a head unit, reducing the type's sensor capabilities. Instead, the cockpit has been moved up such that the pilot's head and upper torso are entirely exposed, greatly enhancing visibility at the cost of physical protection.
Many of the type's joints have not received the cloth coverings found on the production machine, due to the fact that SHI's testing facility is sterile in comparison to the actual operating environment of a police labor. The type is also missing the signature lighting equipment of the production Ingram, entirely omitting the shoulder strobe lights and replacing the waist-mounted "turn signals" with what appear to be standard floodlights. The prototype has no visible hatches for the retractable strobe lights located at the top of the torso of the production type.
Several pieces of armor, such as the shoulder plates, back armor, and chest vents are different from the production type. Finally, handles have been installed at various points which were removed on the production model, presumably for ease of maintenance and to make entering and exiting the cockpit easier.
Operational History[]
The lone MPL97 was constructed in 1997, and was used to test the high-power control and propulsion mechanisms of the AV-98 Ingram. After the rollout of the Ingram, the type was relegated to training duty for SHI test pilots and select police labor pilot candidates.
In the Original Animated Timeline, elements of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) stage a coup and occupy the city of Tokyo. In the effort to resist this occupation, members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Special Vehicles Unit Section 2, Division 2 commandeered the MPL97 and equipped it with a heavy gatling gun stolen from a military base. They loaded the labor onto a truck and attempted to rush down a barricade of JGSDF soldiers, armored vehicles, and tanks located on an overpass. After opening fire, the truck and labor fell off the damaged overpass, resulting in the total destruction of both machines.
Specifications[]
Empty Weight: 4.95 tons
Maximum Operating Weight: 5.35 tons
Maximum Lifting Capacity: 2.40 tons
Minimum Revolving Radius: 1.87 meters
Armor Material: Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics
Gallery[]
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