Heavy Lifter
The Heavy Lifter was a spacecraft produced by Patel Ironwerks, significantly larger than the Utility Tug manufactured by the competing Nicholas/Gordon Spacewerks.
Characteristics
Commonplace throughout the Galaxy, this craft could be seen towing heavy loads from place to place. The craft had powerful tractor beams that gave it the ability to manipulate and haul loads far greater that its own mass.
Unlike a Utility Tug, the Heavy Lifter was fitted with a hyperdrive, so it could be used for intra-system ferrying and haulage.
Variations
Patel Ironwerks produced two different versions of the Heavy Lifter:
Type 1
Mottled in color, the Type 1 had a significantly different array of intakes on its nose section when compared to the Type 2. Also, this version had a much smaller, blue-tinted front viewing window.
Type 2
The Type 2 Heavy Lifter was a more uniform gray color, and often sported brown identification markings. The nose appeared to have fewer intakes, and on the roof to the rear of the vehicle there was a prominent circular device of indeterminate function. This design also had an entryway on both sides of the vehicle.
Notable craft
Behind the scenes
The Type 1 Heavy Lifter was featured only in Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. Possibly due to the improvements made to the graphics engine, all subsequent games that were released used the Type 2 design.
Appearances
- Star Wars: TIE Fighter (First appearance)
- Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
- Star Wars: Balance of Power
- Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
Sources
- TIE Fighter: The Official Strategy Guide
- TIE Fighter: Defender of the Empire: Official Secrets & Solutions
- TIE Fighter Collector's CD-ROM: The Official Strategy Guide
- Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia