Thank you, I understand the love and respect for the original art. But there's two problems.
1) Its not ours, especially the Dougram/Macross stuff.
2) Anything that wasn't Macross/Dougram is just aweful.
3) Okay, 3 problems, people now days expect more. They want stuff to look flashier, to be more detailed and the like. Unless they are really into minimalizim/Brutalism designs. And if we want this hobby to survive and to grow, then art from the 80's is not going to cut it. The asthetic and design, yes, but looking at TRO3025 and saying "all of this is perfection" will help kill Battletech.
Imagine if the MWO folks produced their Mechs that looked perfectly like the 3025 stuff. A collection of boxes and eggs with haphazardly glued on limbs and said "Behold the future." people would think they were high. It just don't look good. Not by todays standards and by what people want and expect.
And lets be utterly honest with ourselves here. This poorman's rip off of an AT-ST
Is not interesting to look at, its not in any way shape or form dynamic, it does not speak of the setting, of it being advanced technology. Its a small rectangle on gimpy looking legs with wee lil feet with 'toes' that look like flippers.
Where as ths
Is immediately visually more interesting to look at, you can see its weapons, see the joins and go 'yes, I can see how this would move', you can see things like storage bins for its pilot, little sensor parts etc. Its FAR more eye catching than "I AM BOX! IMPRESSIVE AM I NOT!!" of the original one. And this is before it goes off to collect sea greens from the sea.
Walking rectangle with sunglasses. or "Yo dawg, heard yo like body pannel lines so I put body pannel lines on yo body pannels"
VS
Something actually imposing looking.
When I move what part of my leg will break? Hip, ankle, knee? And how DO I walk with this swivel knee..do I move like a man with his leg in cast?
VS
Hi I'm a Scorpion, no I won't make killing you gentle.