 | For an overview of the M42 "Fat Man" Launcher throughout the Fallout series, see Fat Man. |
|---|
Fat Man | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Fat Man is a tactical nuclear catapult in Fallout 3.
Background[]
The M42 Fat Man was developed at Fort Strong near Boston, Massachusetts. Development began in February 2076, with the goal being the development of a man-portable tactical nuclear launcher easy enough for use by troops on the ground, to destroy reinforced and entrenched positions.[1][2] Problems manifested instantly, as warheads were simply too heavy to clear the blast radius fast enough to provide safety for the operator. Even stripping them to the minimal possible size failed to produce an acceptable effect. Instead, the development team decided to increase the power of the launcher unit, even considering using railgun technology to accelerate the warhead. The notion was largely academic, as it would require for the overburdened soldier to carry an additional power pack the size of a suitcase and turn the Fat Man into a crew-served weapon.[3] Concurrent development ran on the MIRV version of the launcher. Live-fire testing claimed lives, in fact, with two soldiers killed during a test. No remains were recovered and the commanding officer in charge of the project, General Brock, covered up the incident, ordering his subordinates to send sand packed in an urn to their relatives.[4]
The project hit a breakthrough in December 2076,[5] when the project lead discovered a solution for the launcher problems. Six hours, fourteen cups, and one concerned night shift lab crew later, the future M42 launcher was conceptualized: Based on the spigot mortar mechanism, the launcher would only have to accommodate a firing through and system, relying on mechanical launching, rather than chemical or electrical means. Much like the 130 year old PIAT launcher, the Fat Man warhead would be propelled by a sub-charge embedded inside the warhead, "catapulting" the warhead through the air to the target - giving plenty of range with the added bonus of not producing a smoke trail that could reveal the firing team to the enemy.[6]
By September 2077,[7] after one hundred test firings the weapon were complete and ready to be shipped to units overseas. A large number of units was manufactured and shipped together with the appropriate warheads to select locations throughout the United States.[8]
Characteristics[]
The standard M42 "Fat Man" Launcher is a man portable nuclear payload, anti-materiel weapon platform. It can contain a single mini nuke only.
The mini nuke projectile is very heavy, and if simply fired straight ahead, it will travel only a short distance before falling to the ground and detonating (causing you to be caught well within the very damaging (and often fatal) mini-nuclear blast). For optimal range, the Fat Man should be fired in V.A.T.S. mode at high skill levels (which automatically compensates for the projectile's downward trajectory), or at an upward angle to catapult the mini nuke further so that it impacts at a safer distance.
The Fat Man has an estimated range of about 150+ yards. The blast zone will be mildly irradiated for a short time after detonation, giving out up to 5 rad/s.
The Fat Man's condition can wear down surprisingly fast with frequent use (though its firepower is still devastating at any state of repair).
Variants[]
- Experimental MIRV, an incredibly destructive weapon, the MIRV fires eight mini nukes in a single shot.
- Sim version (Operation: Anchorage add-on), a sim-only version of the weapon which differs only in health (essentially non-degrading). Found only on American T-51b units.
Comparison[]
| Name | Type | Dmg/shot | DPS | Att/sec | Crit mult | Crit dmg | Spread | AP cost | Ammo | Ammo cap | Weight | Item HP | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fat Man | Tactical nuclear catapult | 10 + 1600 
|
2542 | 1.6 | x0.0 | 0 | 2.0 | 65 | Mini nuke | 1 | 30 | 100 | 1000 |
| Experimental MIRV | Tactical nuclear catapult | 80 + 12800
|
20336.2 | 1.6 | x0 | 0 | 13.0 | 65 | Mini nuke | 8 | 30 | 300 | 2498 |
Locations[]
- Capitol Building, during or after the fight with the super mutant behemoth. One of the Talon mercs is armed with it, as well as a single mini nuke.
- Evergreen Mills - at the top of the Foundry in a locked room.
- Fort Bannister - in the Fort Bannister Main building in an Average locked room at the bottom of the concrete stairs.
- Fort Constantine - along with 2 mini nukes. You will need all 3 of the special keys from the You Gotta Shoot 'Em in the Head quest to access the room.
- GNR building plaza, on a dead Brotherhood soldier with 8 mini nukes, during the quest Following in His Footsteps. (The corpse of the Brotherhood soldier will not appear if the normal GNR quest is skipped and Sentinel Lyons is not encountered.)
- Germantown police HQ - in the basement armory in an Average locked closet near the firing range.
- Old Olney sewer - in a small room in the center of the sewer. The same room has three locked safes and a missile launcher.
- White House - in the ruins, near a skeleton. Next to the Fat Man are three mini nukes. The White House can be accessed from a Utility manhole at White House Plaza, south of the building on Pennsylvania Ave.
- Flak and Shrapnel in Rivet City sell one.
- The first time you go to Fort Bannister Ground Zero after The Waters of Life, you will encounter an Enclave soldier carrying one, plus a mini nuke.
- In a random encounter, a dead scavenger is carrying a Fat Man and a mini nuke.
- Towards the end of the Operation: Anchorage quest, four American soldiers with T-51b power armor will equip Fat Men, which can be knocked out of their hands or pickpocketed, and kept using the Gary 23 glitch.
Behind the scenes[]
- The names of Fat Man and Little Boy are references to the code names of the atomic bombs dropped by the United States on Japan during World War II: Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima while Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki. For this reason, the weapon's name has been renamed as the Nuka Launcher in the Japanese translation of both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas due to its relation to Japanese history. However, the Little Boy modification still retains its name.
- The bell heard after reloading is actually the lunch bell at Bethesda.[9]
- The designation M42 is shared with a couple of other pieces of military equipment, such as the M42 Duster SPAA gun and the M42 submachine gun.
- The M42 Fat Man is similar to the real-life M-28/M-29 Davy Crockett miniature nuclear launch device.
Gallery[]
A Fat Man in action.
Fallout 3 Fat Man concept art.
Mini nuke
Videos[]
Sounds[]
|
|
||
|
References
- ↑ Fort Strong terminals; Bravo Team Testing Terminal, Bravo Team M42 Report 001
- ↑ Fort Strong terminals; General Brock's Terminal, General Brock's Report - February 2076
- ↑ Fort Strong terminals; Bravo Team Testing Terminal, Bravo Team M42 Report 002
- ↑ Fort Strong terminals; Bravo Team Testing Terminal, Bravo Team M42 Report 003
- ↑ Fort Strong terminals; General Brock's Terminal, General Brock's Report - December 2076
- ↑ Fort Strong terminals; Bravo Team Testing Terminal, Bravo Team M42 Report 004
- ↑ Fort Strong terminals; General Brock's Terminal, General Brock's Report - September 2077
- ↑ Fort Strong terminals; Bravo Team Testing Terminal, Bravo Team M42 Report 005
- ↑ GameInformer magazine article on Fallout 3 trivia.