I do apologize, Jal; i jumped to conclusions. But the 'resculpt the line' guys have their finger on part part of the problem that Battletech has: that too many of its minis are static and boring. For me, it's not a problem, as I've got the skills to mod their grilles so I give the thrills - but it's a turnoff to a new player when they can look at the visually striking Malifaux or Warmachine stuff and then see how 80% of Battletech minis are just standing, feet flat, arms half-bent with guns kinda-sorta pointing forward...
IWM did do that a few years ago. Although they archived them instead of stopped selling them completely. We see how well that seemed to have worked out.
Aren't TROs the best selling product that FASA/FanPro/CGL produce? By a large margin? OR am I misremembering a couple of BattleChats?
I guess I do have to clarify my opinion - and make it clear that it is my
opinion, and not something that I'm arguing as straight-up fact. Also, I KNOW that a lot of these decisions I see as mistakes are long-past and unfixable.
TROs are definitely the most popular items, of course - it's fun to read about new designs and see new art. However, far too many of the designs were created not to add to either the universe lore or to the tabletop, but to fill pagecount and deadlines. What purpose did the Sentry (TRO3060) serve when the Watchman (TRO3055) was still being produced, and could have been simply reprinted in 3060 as a Watchman II? Why should St. Ives have created the Cossack when they had Stinger/Wasp facilities?
Why does the Yeoman exist when there are already a round dozen fire support 'Mechs in its size and capacity? TROs 3058, 3060, and 3067 were definitely the worst offenders when it comes to adding crap just for crap's sake.
By creating those TROs with more of an eye towards filling pagecount and getting some quick cash, FASA hurt Ral Partha (forcing them to make minis for each new design, which just by the nature of how many designs were filler meant that only a few would sell), and hurt themselves by over-saturating their market with books that meant very little.
However, just because these books were written with deadline and filler in mind doesn't mean that there aren't visually striking and dramatically useful designs from those books; but the worst scale-creep victims are from these TRO years (aside from the Celestials!)
Naturally, CGL is doing a helluva lot better. I adore TROs 3075 and 3085, and honestly want to get the new one because some of the MWDA minis did have nice designs.
On a side note, my attempts to use the re-MAD's hip/feet has been successful in reducing the Sagittaire's height to just above the King Crab's, and while it is still broad I can forgive it. I do wish I had the time to mod it as jumping, but I've got too many projects on my plate and I prefer to get things DONE.