Steve's Rhino Review Hi folks, I've been called up to bat for my favorite ship, the Rhino! First up, the biggest bonus - Cargo Space This dependable flying brick gives you eighty (80, count em) units of cargo space, meaning you can net a pretty profit whether you trade or shoot n scoop. It's the best stepping stone ship for breaking out of liberty, because you can get profit from trade fast, and pretty soon you'll be wanting to bring in the bigger bucks by stepping out of the system. Turrets! There's too many of them! ChoiceofWeapon might be right when he says the Rhino looks like the 'back end of a bus', but I doubt he'd complain about the five class 3 turrets and 3 class 3 front weapon mounts. Although four turrets are incapable of firing to the rear, all eight turrets fire to the front, giving some serious punch with the right weaponry. Maneuvrability Well.. the Rhino does take an awful long time to turn. It's pretty sluggish in a firefight, so you're best using Turret View to get at more maneuvrable opponents, but flying in a relatively straight line while shooting is definitely not advisable. The best advice i can give you is to use the Rhino's massive frontal firepower to make heavy, blasting hit and run attacks, like a jousting knight or something. Power & Resilience You can have all eight turrets firing lavablades and the battery will still last you through more firepower than you'd usually need, unless you're a bad shot. Because of the Rhino's poor turn speed, you'll need to be careful with your weapon power or you'll find yourself trying to outmaneuver much faster ships while you recharge. It's best advised to get a shield upgrade as soon as you get the Rhino, because that extra protection will be needed, especially as it's so damn slow. The hull is pretty weak, so make sure you can still drift out of trouble in one piece. Summary Its a great little ship, and early on in the game nothing will get you cash faster, providing you know a good trade route or two. The Rhino demands as much work as it saves sometimes, so it's not for everyone. But having said that, it does give you eight forward firing class3 weapons, thats unprecedented firepower for a low level ship. Pros Cons Eight forward firing class 3 hardpoints Slow turn rate Large cargo capacity Sluggish movement Affordable price Large, easy to hit profile Even though it turns on a giant three hundred foot dime, its punch can mean wiping out a bunch of transports and getting away before anyone can get a bead on you (shoot you with any accuracy). So don't neglect its capabilities, it's the ideal small starter package for traders, salvagers and cargo raiders. Click here to go back to the top!

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