Let's talkabout 'Mechs bay-bee

Figured I’d try and keep the paint train rolling so started in on some heavier support for the Kell Hounds. with some solid battle-line units. To whit, from left to right along the front row:

• Morgan Kell’s Archer from the Legendary Mechwarriors set – kindof a no brainer, and the Archer is just a solid fire-support chassis even if the Grand Duke of Arc Royal is not on the field.
• Marauder – Iconic, and great to see the design back in play and bearing a lovely resemblance to it’s forebear, the Zentraadi Officers Battlepod from Macross/Robotech, whilst being distinctly Battletech in it’s styling.
• Thunderbolt – if my time playing HBS’ Battletech videogame has proven one thing, it’s that the T-Bolt is just a wonderful brawler at all ranges that can absorb horrific amounts of punishment. It was either this or the Black Knight for my list to take to War of 3039 at the end of the month, and the Black Knight just pipped it…
• Warhammer –  I know it’s the Robotech/Macross fan in me, but goshdammit I can’t get enough of that Excalibur silhouette.

And on the back we have a trio of Mad Cat’s – The OG Timber Wolf, the Assault-class Mad Cat Mk.II and finally the Mad Cat Mk.IV “Savage Wolf”. If I can find a decent Mad Cat Mk.III to match the scaling of these, this could make a fun support lance…

And I finally picked up a bunch of decent sized hex-bases and mounted some of my 3d prints:

• Mad Cat Mk.III – I love the idea of a Medium-class Timber Wolf, but the scaling on this is just a tad off. I think it needs to be a third smaller? Something to raise with the chap I purchased it from. Still a lovely print though.
• Gurkha – A really nice take on the Wobbie Light close-assault ‘mech, based on some great artwork (I think from BT community stalwart Bishop Steiner?) that stripped away the rounded armour and swapped the sword for a far more appropriate blade riffing on the iconic Kukhri’s wielded by real-life Gurkhas. Probably still a little larger than it should be, but in fairness I think if this one got much smaller it would be incredibly brittle…
• Warwolf – In essence a Timber Wolf that swaps one of the ranged weapon arms for an arm with a functional hand/claw, and wraps it all up in a chassis designed to evoke Clan Wolf’s namesake totem beast. Honestly I just dig the idea that the Kell Hounds commander as of 3150 (Callandre “Calamity” Kell) might take to targeting & salvaging “totem” ‘mechs from across the Clans to fit across the Kell Hound command as calculated atagonizers to draw out Clan warriors offended to see Spheroids using chassis designed to embody the spirit of their Clan against them…..
• Fafnir – A fave going back to the Mechwarrior 4 days, the Fafnir is pretty much the epitome of the trope that battlemechs are gun turrets with legs. Need to see if if I can build my old variant; and Rotary Auto Cannon 5 in each torso, paired with an ER PPC in each arm. The time it takes for a PPC to recharge is just shy of how long continuous fire takes to jam an RAC, so you can nearly fire continuosly and just shred most things until ammo runs out.