Background

"Happy Joe" Kolanski, founder of the Happi-Cola Beverage Company, has always been offended by the damage people do to his vending machines. Malfunctioning machines get attacked by people who feel they have been cheated, criminals break into them for money or free drinks and vandals attack because they have nothing better to do. Every year Joe saw perfectly good machines - his machines - destroyed by hoodlum and ignoramus alike. Every attack was an assault on his company, his life's work, his pride. Something had to be done, but no security measure was perfect. His engineers could not give him what he wanted, and there was nowhere else to turn - until Stanley Barton approached him.

Barton had been working on combat A.I.s before his career was ended by a series of regrettable accidents involving a robot tank, an expensive Army base and several visiting generals. Blacklisted from his old profession, he came to Kolanski looking for work. Something clicked in "Happy Joe's" mind (some might say "snapped") and the Vending Machine, Autonomous Defender was born.

VMAD-1: Little more than a lightly armored vending machine with a few special features, the VMAD-1 was equipped with a simple robot brain. Anyone attempting to pick the lock, pry the door open or tip the machine over was given a ten second warning before the electrified hull was activated. The VMAD-1 proved successful, but has been phased out of service by more capable designs.

VMAD-2: A major flaw of VMAD-1 was its lack of ranged weaponry, since many attackers avoided the electrical defense by simply shooting the vending machine to pieces. Barton's answer was to add a pop-up turret to the top of the machine. This usually carries a sub-machine gun, fed by an internal magazine holding several hundred rounds of ammunition. The VMAD-2 responds in the same way as the earlier model, but can also return fire on anyone attempting to engage it at a distance.

If the VMAD-2 has any shortcoming, it is a lack of mobility. Some street gangs make a game of baiting the machines - the usual method is to have one gang member fire a shot from around a corner, then duck back. Someone else will do the same from another location, with this being repeated until the machine is destroyed. Drive-by shootings are also a problem in some areas. An A.I. upgrade has improved the robot brain's ability to deal with these situations, but Kolanski wanted a better solution.

VMAD-3: The newest model is a complete redesign featuring an enhanced brain, greater firepower and wheels to allow movement. The wheels are mounted inside armored wells on both sides of the body and are normally hidden from view. When the robot brain decides it needs to move, it simply jacks up the "hull" to free the wheels. The turret now carries either a light machine gun or grenade launcher (the VMAD-3a and 3b, respectively) and the unit is capable of creating its own smoke screen. A radio is standard in this model, allowing it to summon assistance, receive another machine's call for backup and alert the local distribution center that it needs resupply (of fuel, ammunition or Happi-Cola).

All VMAD-2 units are being refitted with the same radio system and Kolanski is placing several VMAD-3s in each district to give his machines greater ability to deal with threats. If need be, any unit under attack can simply call for reinforcements. Barton is working on a fire support variant of the VMAD-3 (mounting a small multiple rocket launcher system), but this is still in early development.

The Model

I've done a basic card model of the VMAD for use with 28mm figures, as well as a smaller version that should be better for 25mm figures (such as Denizen or GZG). It lacks a turret or wheels, but these should be easy to add. Mine will probably be made from foam core and card, with a bit of brass tubing for the weapon barrel.