Hull Mass: 11t
Mass (Fully Laden): 45t
Internal Capacity (No Drive): 34t
Retro Thruster Acceleration: 9 Earth G
Main Thruster Acceleration: 16.1 Earth G
Crew: 1
Gun Mountings: 2
Fuel Scoop: NO
Missile Pylons: 1
Hyperspace Ranges: Class 1: 6.66 Class 2: 26.66 Class 3: 60.00
Standard Drive: Class 2
Internal Capacity (With Class 2 Drive): 9t
Typical Cost: 66,000
Designer: Robert Bream
Manufacturer: Ace & Faber HullWorks
Inservice Date: 2852
Allegiance: Independent
Designed by Robert Breem, the Gecko is mainly remembered for two things. The first is a long-standing myth that its retro thrusters were more powerful than its main thrusters (9G and 6G respectively). The source of this is believed to be an old ship guide that came with a popular computer game, the incorrect figure resulting from a typograpical error. The real figure is 16.1 Earth G.
The Gecko earned most of its noteriety during the mid-3100s thanks to the various activities of the Gecko User's Club (GUC). They were already somewhat notorius for their curious lack of emphasis on members proving that they had purchased their Geckos. The GUC's most infamous coup was the bulk acquisition of a large amount of ECM systems, which were then made available to members at exceptionally low prices. The end result of this was the Great Gecko ECM Plague, a period in which so many Geckos had ECMs fitted that many commanders encountering one would simply not bother firing a missile at it and would instead engage with lasers.
Nowadays, the popularity of the Gecko is very much on the wane as newer ships have hit the market. In the combat role it is generally outclassed by more dedicated fighter types such as the similarly priced and sized Spar and, as a multi-role ship, is considered to be a little cramped compared to ships such as the ever-popular Cobra series.
I flew a Gecko for around a year, largely because I fancied trying different ships to those I usually buy. The purchase of a Military Drive is highly recommended and unless you really need the extended range of the Class 3 your best bet is a Class 2 as this will free up room for equipment or trading. A Naval ECM is a must and while I managed for a while with a 1MW Pulse Laser I eventually decided I needed the greater hitting power of the 5MW version.
In the end the Gecko has to be summed up as mediocre. Even with a Class 2 Military drive the internal space is cramped and, unless you're only going to be operating in perfectly safe areas, by the time you've equipped it to stand a decent chance in a fight there's only really enough room for small quantities of cargo if you're planning on trading as well.
Rating: **
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