Update on my painting quest! Apparently, Speedpaints are a better option for BattleTech ‘Mech painting, so I’ll be looking into that for my next faction. In the meantime, I’m learning to drybrush over these contrast-painted ‘Mechs, which so far is a painstaking process that I truly do not wish to repeat another two-dozen times. How any of you do this for entire armies is beyond me.
Oh well. One ‘Mech per day is my mantra. Just get it done, and it’ll never have to be done again. Or at least, it’ll be easier to do when the next box arrives.
The summertime heat is upon us, and that means some big BattleTech announcements are just around the corner. But even though July is often the calm before the storm, we’ve still got an HPG burst of BattleTech news to disseminate amongst the faithful. Join me in praising the Blessed Blake for this month’s news blast.
Catalyst Gets Ready For Gen Con And New July BattleTech Releases
Before we get to previewing what’s coming at Gen Con, the Blessed Blake has blessed us with new releases for July. Now available at Catalyst’s store are BattleMat: Legendary Battles Thunder Rift & Misery, McCarron’s Armored Cavalry Assault Lance ForcePack, The Longest Day by Jason Schmetzer (which is a compilation of the serial novella first published in BattleCorps), and the Shrapnel Year 2 compilation omnibus. Head to the New Releases page on Catalyst’s online store for more details.
Now, let us discuss what is expected to be released at Gen Con. According to the latest Tuesday Newsday and Catalyst’s official release, we’ll be further blessed with the Third Star League Battle Group ForcePack, Battlefield Support: Emplacements, BattleTech: Gothic, Gothic Salvage Boxes, and a large-scale Gothic Atlas (similar to the Timber Wolf released with the Clan Invasion Kickstarter). We shall also receive Technical Readout: 3025: Centennial Commemorative Edition (which we’ll discuss further below), as well as new BattleTech Ammo Dice, Missile Dice, and Energy Crystal Dice.
Randall Bills will be present for handshakes and 40th Anniversary Badges, as will Chris Lowrey of PGI to talk about MechWarrior stuff, and Josh Derksen of Lynnvander Studios to talk about BattleTech: Aces (probably). There will also be an Intro to Catalyst Fiction, which will star BattleTech authors Michael Stackpole, Jason Hardy, Jennifer Brozek, Bryan Young, Jason Hansa, Michael Ciaravella, and Phillip A. Lee.
Also of note was an earlier Tuesday Newsday where Michael Ciaravella officially announced the expansion of Catalyst’s Affiliate Program to include WolfNet and Focht’s Network. We can expect to see the Focht’s folks at Gen Con putting on shows and also a one-shot adventure of the Mechnificent Seven before the release of the show’s second season. We may also see some BattleTech: Aces introduction games, considering Aces is now available for pre-order at your local games store.
Michael Stackpole’s Catastrophe Unlimited will be released with a new cover on August 1, swapping Alex Iglesias‘s Locust (and painted by Marco Mazzoni) for the one designed by Anthony Scroggins. Does that mean the novella is to become canon? Perhaps!
Last but not least, we have some preview renders for the Kurita ForcePacks and the 21st Centauri Lancers ForcePack. Will they be at Gen Con? I hope so, because I really want that Shockwave.
BattleTech Technical Readout: 3025: Centennial Commemorative Edition Previews The New Leopard CV & Stingray
We’ve got another preview for Technical Readout: 3025: Centennial Commemorative Edition, this time showcasing the Leopard CV—that’s the aerospace fighter-carrying cousin of the venerable Leopard lance carrier. I’ve honestly never really seen this thing anywhere outside of a few pictures of dogfights in space.
I am noting that the redesigned Leopard CV tries to look a bit more like its DropShip forbear, with a somewhat less angular design (although it still has those magnificent wings and forward canards). The CV is getting a significant facelift compared to its TRO: 3025 original, but I expect the Leopard redesign will be somewhat subtler. Some slight updates to the design are likely hinted at here with the CV, such as the cockpit and nose.
The Stingray, on the other hand, is getting a huge glow-up. The original 3025 lineart basically looked like a squashed Grumman X-29, but the new Stingray looks like a proper sci-fi fighter craft, with variable intakes, ailerons, and sensor bulges on the vertical stabilizer and canards. I especially love the lens on the nose reminiscent of FLIR on an SU-27 or J-10.
The Stingray preview also gives us a look at the table of contents, which confirms we can expect over 200 pages of modern refinements. We’ll find out for sure when Technical Readout: 3025: Centennial Commemorative Edition arrives at Gen Con.
Free Record Sheets Now Include Latest ForcePacks And UrbanMech LAM
All the ForcePacks come with their respective Alpha Strike cards, which is great for us Alpha Strike players, but not all that helpful for Classic BattleTech players. If you don’t already own the appropriate TRO and Record Sheets for whichever ‘Mech you’ve got, you’re out of luck.
But not anymore! The BattleTech Downloads site has been updated to now include free Record Sheet downloads for all the ‘Mechs (and the variants represented on the Alpha Strike cards) found within every currently available ForcePack. This includes the brand-new Third Star League ForcePacks, the upcoming House Kurita ForcePacks, and the UrbanMech Lance ForcePack.
It also includes Record Sheets for a certain flying UrbanMech that had previously been declared non-canonical. Does this mean that the Urbie LAM might one day find itself depicted in-universe? Could some long-forgotten Star League cache unearth this noblest of transformative BattleMechs to once again rain destructive terror down upon the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere?
Probably not, but at least you can play with the Urbie LAM in a game of Classic now. Head over to the BattleTech site for your Record Sheets, and here for the Urbie LAM Record Sheets.
Here’s How BattleTech: Gothic Is Being Assembled
If you’ve seen previous videos of Liya International assembling the Mercenaries Kickstarter boxes, it’s mostly the same. Still, it’s interesting to see how these plastic miniatures arrive out of their molds. They’re basically like tiny model kits that people then clip out of their supports and glue together.
You can see a couple of those fancy new Atlases being assembled alongside spikey King Crabs and Scorpions. There’s also some funky music in the background, so if you’re looking for some jazzy background visuals, you could do worse.
GMG Unboxes BattleTech: Gothic
If you’re looking for a better preview of BattleTech: Gothic than what you can find on the Liyu International assembly line, then look no further than Guerrilla Miniature Games. GMG got to unbox BattleTech: Gothic to showcase what’s inside, including the customizable Atlas with different heads depending on what faction you want to represent.
Besides the eight spikey ‘Mechs (and one bag of Atlas heads), you also get Support Cards for all the Abominations that litter BattleTech: Gothic, Alpha Strike cards for both the Abominations and ‘Mechs, full-color recordhseets for the ‘Mechs (and a few blank ones to create your own Abominations), a few pilot cards, a Universe Primer, a decal sheet, a two-sided map, and a rulebook. There’s also a glossy poster of the Gothic Inner Sphere, and the novella Reclamation and Rise by Herbert A. Beas II.
GMG also offers several in-depth looks at the universe, minis, and rules, if you’re so inclined. Head over to their YouTube page for more.
Ral Partha Europe Announces Price Increases
Ral Partha Europe might not have to contend with mad tariffs, but those tariffs (as well as other global factors) have pushed metal prices to “the highest they’ve ever been,” according to their statement. Combined with increased energy costs, Ral Partha Europe has been forced to increase prices for its products by 10% to 20% starting August 1.
“Thank you for your support over the past 25 years,” the store wrote. “We really do appreciate every order and would like to continue supplying metal miniatures for some time to come.”
Ral Partha Europe is also expanding its new line of plastic printed BattleTech terrain to include two more industrial-type buildings. Check them out over on the Ral Partha site here.
MechWarrior 4 Overhaul Mod Aims To Bring Classic Game Back For Modern Systems
Icy-Economist6574, also known as RivvidGunner on YouTube, has posted a rather intriguing video. It showcases an upcoming mod that aims to bring MechWarrior 4: Vengeance and Black Knight to modern systems, with new weapons, new ‘Mechs, and updated enemy AI.
If you’ve ever tried to get these decades-old games working, you know it can be a difficult process. I’m all for someone else gathering up these old, unloved, and abandoned games and giving them a fresh coat of paint, and maybe an installer that’ll make it easy to play on Windows 11 with a cutting-edge video card.
MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries received something similar some time ago, so it’s good to see Black Knight getting its due. This is still a work-in-progress, so there are some audio lines and visual effects that are being ironed out. There’s also an engine limitation that’s interfering with modern screen resolutions, so things look a little squished. Here’s hoping that gets fixed, too.
Party On, PartyBack
This machine kills clanners #battletech
— sniperserpent.bsky.social (@sniperserpent.bsky.social) July 2, 2025 at 3:54 PM
The PartyBack (or DiscoBack, as many of you prefer to call it) is a well-known Hunchback variant that was best showcased in a Tex Talks BattleTech video a while back. I’m not surprised to discover that somebody made a printable version of the PartyBack, or that somebody tore apart a perfectly good Hunchback to convert it into the PartyBack. I’m just happy that such a rockin’ ‘Mech exists. Thanks for sharing, SniperSerpent.
Opinion: Should BattleTech Let Some ‘Mechs Die?
Courtesy of Eldoniousrex
Tons of ‘Mechs still have yet to be redesigned for the modern era, and more than a few that are officially extinct by the time the ilClan rolled into town. The Kintaro used to be one such ‘Mech, but thanks to the recent Third Star League Strike Team ForcePack, the KTO-22 variant now exists in BattleTech’s most modern era.
I’m glad for that. I quite like the Kintaro (as I like all bad ‘Mechs), but it got me thinking: is there a ‘Mech out there that’s so unloved that it doesn’t deserve to be preserved? Are there any ‘Mechs that deserve to be left behind, forgotten, as BattleTech proceeds into the future?
There are certainly some Dark Age ‘Mechs that we can just assume continued production into the ilClan era, so we don’t need to worry about the Gambit, Arbalest, or Ghost, but what about the Falcon? Or the Grim Reaper? Or the Mandrill? These ‘Mechs aren’t terrible, but they’re no longer being produced according to all official sources. Should they remain dead to the ilClan era, or should we bring them back? Or are there other ‘Mechs you’d love to see brought back from the dead? Discuss in the comments below.
Chaos Versus Order In Alternate BattleTech Universes
Pretty sure this is specifically stylized to look like the Chaos faction of Warhammer 40K, but it’s similar enough to BattleTech: Gothic that I think you can use it in that universe too. It might be a little spikier than the Gothic Marauder and have a few more chains and bony protrusions.
On the other side of the Warhammer 40K spectrum is this Imperial Assassin with some Astartes-style appliqué armor. Don’t think it’ll stand up to the forces of Chaos, but few things can in the long term. Thanks for the posts, AutumnArchfey.
Mitch Gitelman And Jordan Weissman Talk About Making Games At Microsoft And Harebrained Schemes
YouTube’s algorithm successfully targeted me with a new podcast starring Jordan Weissman and Mitch Gitelman, who discussed their careers in game development for over an hour. Topics included discussing their time working at Microsoft on creating MechCommander, followed by their time working at Harebrained Schemes on both Shadowrun Returns and BATTLETECH.
Then things sort of take a bit of a dark turn as they talk about the future of game development in the face of AI and mass layoffs. Both Weissman and Gitelman state that most new game developers won’t be able to break into the games industry from graduation, and nearly everyone will have to get their start as hobbyists with a day job.
“They’re going to have to start as a passionate hobby to demonstrate your skills in public,” Weissman said. “As the tools become more and more democratized and available, the onus to use them shifts to the people to demonstrate their capabilities with them before you get the job. Didn’t used to be the case—it used to be that those tools were inaccessible, so you weren’t expected to have made a brilliant game […] before you got the job.”
It’s not just bad out there for individuals. Weissman also noted that even well-established studios aren’t getting funding to start development of new video games, and the expectation is moving to providing a finished (or mostly finished) product first. It’s quite the change from even 2013’s Shadowrun Returns.
The folks working on Wolves, the MechAssault fan game, are a perfect example of this economic shift. These guys have been toiling away in their spare time for years, and what you see is better than half the shlock that gets released on Steam. I can only hope and pray to the Blessed Blake that these guys see some money for their efforts someday.
VTuber Of The Future
For a second, I thought we were looking at the Catapult C3 with its massive Arrow IV launcher, but no, those are just massive amplifiers. Why are they mounted on a Catapult in place of wholesome high explosives? We may never know. But at least Miku seems to be having fun. Thanks for the post, Electrical_Song756.
The Gang Is All Here
Iulia Crimson wowed us last month with her MechWarrior 5: Clans fan art, but this time she’s gone back to Mercenaries. Why do I like this one so much? Because that’s the VTR-9A1 Victor! That’s the one with machine gun nipples, like an Austin Powers sexbot! Besides being deliciously risqué, it’s also extremely convenient for quickly wrecking building objectives. Plus, it’s got just enough firepower and agility to satisfy my inner speed demon. But maybe next time, get that Atlas out of the way so I can see my boy shine!
Popular But Confusing MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Mods Now Have Their Own Wiki
Sarna would like to be your one-stop shop for all things BattleTech, but even we admit that certain niche topics should probably have a wiki unto themselves. The Yet Another series of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries mods is just one such topic.
For starters, there are a lot of them. There’s Yet Another Mechlab, perhaps the most popular of them all for adding a ton of new ‘Mech customization options, but there’s also Yet Another Clan ‘Mech, Yet Another Weapon, Yet Another Weapon Clan, Yet Another Special Variant, and the list goes on. What do each of these mods contain? Well, Yet Another Wiki explains all in the sort of detail you’d expect from Sarna.
I’ve certainly played Mercenaries with mods before, but I’ve yet to really dive into the Yet Another series of mods. I fully intend to fix that eventually, but that’ll likely have to wait until after the upcoming Shadow of Kerensky DLC. The good news is that the Yet Another community seems to be in touch with PGI and is often the first mods to receive updates for the latest patch.
The Shadow Hawk IIC Is Coming To MechWarrior Online
The Shadow Hawk IIC is one of my favorite ‘Mechs. It’s way better than the original Shadow Hawk, having greater speed and firepower, but it also looks way cooler. And now look at this beautiful rendition courtesy of Alex Iglesias at PGI. This is some fine ‘Meching right here, although I think the windscreen might need a small adjustment.
The Shadow Hawk IIC is available for pre-order now and will arrive in-game on September 16. We’ll be getting the original Shadow Hawk IIC, as well as the 2, 4, 5, and 6 variants. There will also be an “A” and “B” variant, which are likely to be original creations from PGI. No word on a hero variant, but I’m hoping we see a nod to Star Colonel Rikkard of the Spirit Cats.
This month’s patch notes also reveal the new 2025 Tournament Support Pack, which comes with cool variants of the UrbanMech IIC, Black Lanner, Summoner, and Gargoyle, as well as the usual assortment of balance tweaks. ATMs have had their range brackets adjusted to generally let them deal more damage at range, and the Thunderbolt missile‘s maximum arc has been reduced to 60 meters. Javelins and Gauntlets have seen buffs across the board, while variants of the Hunchback IIC, Timber Wolf, and Gargoyle have received minor tweaks.
As always, check out the MechWarrior Online site for the full patch notes. And there’s also a Legendary Beach Party event going on that can award Hero and Legendary ‘Mechs.
MechWarrior 5: Clans Update Fixes New Game +
This month’s MW5: Clans update gives us a small fix to the New Game + feature added last month. While players could replay the game with everything they’d already unlocked, they couldn’t acquire new merits to continue unlocking more stuff. That’s been fixed with the latest update, so now you can keep replaying MechWarrior 5: Clans and Ghost Bear: Flash Storm to unlock every ‘Mech and upgrade.
Other improvements include Elementals following dynamic jump jet paths ordered by the player, the escape key closing the Radial Menu without pausing the game, and a mission UI that indicates what difficulty level the player has completed each mission.
Hired Steel Episode 4 Coming August 22nd
Hired Steel is set to return next month with the thrilling conclusion of the battle that began over four years ago. This is quite possibly the best fan-made BattleTech video on the internet—so good that it actually got the guys who made it hired to create some of the cutscenes in MechWarrior 5: Clans.
Stay tuned to TMC’s YouTube channel on August 22 at 6 PM CEST to watch Hired Steel Episode 4. I’ve been informed that there’s going to be a cool surprise that you don’t want to miss!
The Bagpipes Be Callin’
I thought it was only one, very specific Highlander that had external speakers loud enough to broadcast music over an active battlefield, but maybe that’s standard issue for all Highlander models. I’m not sure, never been a Highlander fan, but I can at least appreciate the history behind this impressive machine. Pour one out for that Viper, though.
Not sure what that leather strap is over the Highlander’s chest, unless it’s meant to imply that the Highlander itself was playing bagpipes and not broadcasting on an open channel. Better subscribe to Masaka for more cool animations like this one!
Run, Urbie, Run!
Little something I grabbed at Connecticutcon
byu/LeibolmaiBarsh inbattletech
We all love UrbanMechs, for reasons that nobody can quite explain. I suspect it’s a collective delusion. Anyway, here’s a running UrbanMech that LeibolmaiBarsh picked up at ConnectiCon. Isn’t it cute? Then head over here to pick up a print for yourself, courtesy of artist JP_Nichts. She’s also got a really cool one-page RPG if you’re inclined to throw in way more romance than most BattleTech stories usually contain.
Yet More UrbanMech Art (And My Monthly Allotment Of Furries)
I’m not going to try to explain this away as more Belter or Magistracy nonsense, but for some reason, this UrbanMech is being repaired. Why? Couldn’t tell you. I thought it was usually cheaper just to throw a brand-new UrbanMech into the meat grinder than it is to repair the old one, but I guess I was wrong. Thanks for the art, Charzea.
Modder Celebrates MechWarrior 2’s 30th Anniversary With Remake Mod
Thirty years ago, MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat arrived and changed BattleTech forever. This game, more than any other, made me a lifelong PC gamer, a lifelong fan of MechWarrior, and brought me into the BattleTech universe. This game was groundbreaking for its time and deserves to be celebrated by every BattleTech fan.
Most of us might honor this treasured title by reinstalling the original game via an emulator and blasting through the campaign in 30 minutes (perhaps with the aid of the Fire Moth), but not Emil. He’s been working hard at recreating the MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat experience in MechWarrior 5: Clans, bringing back that classic feel with modern graphics.
The results are pretty spectacular! You can see them for yourself in the preview video above, or download and experience them via Nexus Mods and the Steam Workshop. Currently, just the first mission of the Jade Falcon campaign is available (titled “Silent Thunder,” in case you’ve forgotten), but that’s expected to expand over time. There are also options to include the modern or original ‘Mech designs, the original soundtrack or the remixed and remastered version from Timothy Seals, and either the original Betty voice or the new one. For updates, join Emil’s Patreon here.
And that’s it for July! Join us next month as we discuss the fallout of Gen Con to see what else we can expect from the rest of 2025.
And as always, MechWarriors, Stay Syrupy.
Why didn’t you mention about the MWO Urbanmech being ported to Source Film Maker’s Steam Workshop by yours truly in the previous articles?
here’s the link to the item:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3506362171
It’s entirely fair to leave units “dead”, it’d be kinda silly and a design nightmare to create variants for every old mech, especially when their narrative purpose is done and dusted.
Agreed, some ‘Mechs and units have done their part for the storyline. Their time has come and gone. I may think the Waneta looks neat, but I fully accept there is no more place for it in the canon of 3152, and no real reason why it shouldn’t be declared Extinct on the MUL.
I mean, isn’t there already an Obsolete system? Where you can use older Mechs, but they’re more costly to run and repair post their production runs having ended?
Might be time to add a few more Mechs to that list, yeah. Like even iLClan isn’t going to last forever, and some Mechs in Battletech have been quietly there since the real-life 80s without much fan-fare.
Could even make for a cool book. Technical Readout: Museum Pieces or such. With the designs in that book getting a final hurrah slash one last source for those that want to keep playing with them.
You’re right, Obsolete is a valid quirk, but in this case I mean actively removing the unit from further use altogether in the canon. As private players we can use certain units all we want of course, but I feel like there’s no need to keep adding variants for them or adding them to new stories that advance the current timeline.
Using the Waneta as an example again, there is no real reason for any of them to remain functional in 3152, and therefore no reason to try and doll one up for inclusion in a hypothetical TRO 3155 or something. Its time in the storyline is done, and the line devs should not have to worry about adding variants to keep the Waneta relevant.
I agree, but there are some notable ‘Mechs that still need models that we have yet to receive. I’m not sure how many new ‘Mechs Catalyst plans on remodelling, but I hope they have no plans to stop soon.
I fully concur… but for different reasons. Not the games, but rather the stories. By necessity, gamers, both board and computer variety, have a preferred ‘Mech and variant, and will often use it in multiple games. That’s First-Person, in-your-face adrenaline stuff. You’re living it in the now. How many stories, novels, etc., use the same ‘mechs as background noise? None. Oddball and modified ‘mechs are the norm in certain eras… The 3rd Succession War was defined by ‘mechs so modified that they would be declared a FrankenMech under other circumstances. Most literary stories are chock-full of Deep-Geek trivia. This is the Third-Person-Omniscient BattleTech. I read a lot of my stories online now and use your website to geek-out with. As I read the stories, I look up information about a new platform; this action lends a feeling of ‘knowing’ by enhancing the believability. ‘Killing’ specific ‘mechs eliminates superfluous background information that can affect gameplay. But it also eliminates fodder for the literary side. I’m sure there’s an answer out there.
.
Love that Highlander burial video! With all the talk about Land-Air Mechs, I’m looking forward to seeing what the classic LAMs, the Stinger, Wasp, and Phoenix Hawk now look like in the Centennial of the 3025 Tech Readout; hopefully a lot cooler-looking than the originals all those years ago! What I want to know is if Battletech Gothic has LAMs of really weird designs like half-machine half alien life form abomination or something else even wilder!
Soundwave, why is the Hatsune Miku on a Catapult? You know the havoc she caused last time
I’m a little confused by what’s meant by “letting mechs die” but if we mean that, in-universe, some mechs just get phased out naturally as a result of technology marching onward, I don’t see any issue with that. It’s true to military hardware in real life and one of Battletech’s appealing qualities to me is its attempt at plausibility. The timeline got past that Mad Max extreme scarcity period where everything was preserved as best as possible no matter what and, even then, how many Star League designs went extinct? On the flip side, no reason a mech couldn’t be refit to endure into the future so long as it doesn’t somehow fly in the face of established canon. That happens in real life too. Just look at how long the B-52 has been in service in the US Air Force. Ultimately, I think anything is fair game so long at it’s logical and internally consistent with canon, but I’m a seriously stickler for continuity so take that for what you will.
On allowing for mechs to “die” in the ilClan era and onward, I certainly agree. There’s a few mechs all the way from TRO 3025 that have since been replaced by newer models, or their misguided roles on the battlefield were shelved or repurposed. The Charger, I think we can all agree, is one such mech that can be left behind to the dustbin of history. The same with the Assassin, Cicada, rich have both seen newer models fulfill their role much better or cheaper.
This statement may be controversial, but I would argue any mechs that saw a massive rework into a new designation should also be allowed to retire. This includes venerable mechs like the Dragon (succeeded by the Grand Dragon and the Dragon II), the Enforcer (Enforcer III), and the Jagermech (Jagermech III). With upgraded models, there’s little sense in keeping the previous models around, except as maybe museum pieces.
Even then this would be for the Inner Sphere. Who’s to say there’s not a few ancient Chargers or Dragons hobbling around in the Deep Periphery somewhere, slapped together with nothing but duct tape, chewing gum, and prayers?
When Battletech started, Ral Partha wanted to give a Middle Ages feel to the universe: ” A dark age has befallen mankind.” That, and with societies based on Princes, Dukes, Earls, and the feudal system after the fall of Rome, with the Star League standing in it’s place instead, and with advanced weapons systems now in private hands and passed down through generations of owners and users, with no way, until the Gray Death Legion found, copied in abundance and spread all over the Inner Sphere the Helm Star League Memory Core, a lucky one-in-a-million find, to repair of build new systems, so the Inner Sphere had to use what was available all throughout centuries of Succession Wars and lots of destruction and make it last for as long as possible, literally held together by “spit and baling wire”, as the phrase goes! And that meant using Mechs that were now no longer in service but were still around and beggars can’t be choosers, right?
Oh, not actually related, but while I’m here: I just got around to reading Pirate Point #1, and quite enjoyed your story in there, Sean!
Thank you! :D
Look for instance the WOB Jihad, for instance: Mech designs from the Age or War, long since obsolete, pressed into service, like the Capellan Firebee, a personal fave of mine because of it’s looks, as well as others because the Inner Sphere was, to put it mildly, DESPERATE for equipment to counter the WOB fanatics, many of whom were enhanced, again to it mildly, by cybernetic implants!
Every time I read your last line, I can’t help but think that, living in Vermont, I have no problem being syrupy with the REAL thing…
Look. I’ve wanted a modernized Mackie to get built by the Taurian Concordat for a couple of IRL decades, let alone the Talos, but sometimes it’s not meant to be. Why the hell we keep refitting the Quickdraw still irritates me, and why do the refits keep sucking?
Because the Mechs and their refits were made by people, and last time I checked, nobody’s perfect, and people have to live and learn, trial and error, and make mistakes just like in real life! Even in the future, it’s going to be like that, no matter how advanced we get, and with a Mech like the Quickdraw, it needs all the help it can get, to say nothing about the Targe!
I do like miniature painting, though i‘m not good at it. But i am a bit experimental. Depending on your color selection, washes under a speedpaint can actually work.
I‘m really looking forward for the TRO 3025 CCE. Started with the Succession Wars Era over 30 years ago and today have a soft spot for those uncomplicated times. Definitely will get this.