Neurohelmets size in Pictures

[Stjames]

In just about all the pictures I see of the Neurohelmets they are small football sized like helmet. 

When did they stop being big and clunky sized helmet?

Have they been revise in the new core rulebooks?

[Sigma]

The big clunky ones are 3rd War vintage. Think of them like AoW designs. They get a lot smaller once you start getting reintroduction of lostech.

When Kai became champion of Solaris, his was little more than a headband.

[SteelRaven]

Above
Lyrans started sporting smaller Neurohelmets before the 4th SW, (though they had to shave their heads)

Artistically, it made less and less sense after the 80's for helmets to be bulkier than computer monitors in the 31st century.

 

[Blackjack Jones]

The big clunky ones are 3rd War vintage. Think of them like AoW designs. They get a lot smaller once you start getting reintroduction of lostech.

When Kai became champion of Solaris, his was little more than a headband.

+1

Here's an image from the old Star League book of a SLDF mechwarrior. Notice the Neurohelmet looks to be the size of a motorcycle or fighter pilot's crash helmet.

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/images/thumb/3/36/Cameronuniformmechwarrior.png/456px-Cameronuniformmechwarrior.png

There's still the old clunky ones around, but they tend to end up in less well to do units- militia, small merc units, periphery, pirates, etc.

[Kendo]

Waco ranger sport some prety small neuro helmets in the original merc handbook. The  Marik feild manual has mechwarriors wearing bigger ones though. I really think its as much about protection and asthetics as the actual technology, even in the good old days of 3025.

[DancingTofu]

Wasn't there someone that had built a really sweet MechWarrior getup based on the Neurohelmet art on the back of the Wolf's Dragoons sourcebook? Or was it a Mercenaries sourcebook?

[Drasius]

Yeah, imagine faceplanting an Atlas at 50kph, I'd want to have something pretty solid protecting my noggin. Having said that, I know 1st hand that having too heavy a helmet on for any decent length of time can get pretty annoying, so you'd want to limit the weight to >3-4kgs where possible. Most decent full face motorbike helmets are under 2kgs these days and can usually protect a rider from most accidents.

[StCptMara]

Yeah, imagine faceplanting an Atlas at 50kph, I'd want to have something pretty solid protecting my noggin. Having said that, I know 1st hand that having too heavy a helmet on for any decent length of time can get pretty annoying, so you'd want to limit the weight to >3-4kgs where possible. Most decent full face motorbike helmets are under 2kgs these days and can usually protect a rider from most accidents.

How about having the shoulder supports, though? Does that change the weight allowance whenit is not supported by your head, but by huge shoulderpads?

[Onisuzume]

Neurohelmets remain bulky, afaik.
Most militaries have simply upgraded to Combat Neurohelmets, which are lighter&smaller.
Standard neurohelmets do provide more protection, though.

[PhoeniX0302]

Actually, I liked the way MW4 depicted the neurohelmets in its campaign opening. Sure, these are standard fighter pilot helmets, but they look cool imho.

[Sigma]

Wasn't there someone that had built a really sweet MechWarrior getup based on the Neurohelmet art on the back of the Wolf's Dragoons sourcebook? Or was it a Mercenaries sourcebook?

You mean this one? It was based on a hybrid between the one on the front of Tales of the Black Widow and the back of the original Merc Handbook. Still need to upgrade to a real patch on the vest, fingers crossed the new mini carriers will sell them separately.

[guardiandashi]

the medeval torture device neuralhelmet was a compromise design towards the end of the succession wars due to the devices being almost lostech basically the equivalant of loosing the capacity to make modern IC's but still having the capacity to build low grade ic's and transistors.

they could make the parts needed to go into the helmets but they were bigger...

with the unlocking of the helm core (and others) one of the side effects many side techs were improved so the more compact neural helmets were able to be built

the clans have an improved varient design that moves most of the processing componants to a removable module,

the innersphere as far as I can tell can make the equivalant of a combat neuralhelmet by ~3050-3060ish

the innersphere appears to still be unable to make a "true" SLDF neuralhelmet IE the one that gives a -1 bonus to piloting checks.

[Stjames]

So in game turn: 3025 to 3049 big old clunky helmets and 3050 to up small and lightweight helmets?

[Kendo]

I don't know if it is that simple. The First Merc Handbook identifies a mechwarrior from either the Eridani Light Horse or Waco Rangers as wearing a neurohelmet about the size of a motor bike helmet. I can't remember if it speaks about the helmet and its origin, but that is in the 3025 era.

Addendum: Its the Waco Rangers. The image can be found by google imaging david r dietrick artist battletech and the picutre is located in Sarna Wiki.

[guardiandashi]

not completely

lets say from 29xx to ~3030 most factory new neural helmets will be the clunky ones (of various types)
by ~3030-3039ish an additional % (whatever makes sense in your campaign) start being newer models being phased in at some %/year
~3039-3049 newer designs are phased in at a pregressively faster rate
same from ~50-60
etc

by say late 60's the production of the old style "torture device" helmets are almost gone, except a limited production continues for "personal Preference" reasons, that and the stupid things are CHEAP

in the RPG
neuralhelmet std (AKA torture device) av's 4/4/3/2  6kg, -2 perception penalty, encumbering  900 cbills
neuralhelmet combat av's 2/3/2/1 5kg, -1 to perception, encumbering may be sealed in hostile enviornments 1hr air supply 1400 cbills
neuralhelmet clan av's 2/3/2/1 3kg   5000 cbills

[DancingTofu]

You mean this one? ....

That's the one! Very nice work!
I remember you posting up the process as you worked on it, but I can't remember if that was before or after the forum reset.
Did those posts survive?

[SteelRaven]

Addendum: Its the Waco Rangers. The image can be found by google imaging david r dietrick artist battletech and the picutre is located in Sarna Wiki.

[TigerShark]

I recall reading a book in the old days which stated that neurohelmet technology was considered "lostech." Automated factories made neurohelmets and there were only a few such facilities remaining. Obviously that was from the 1980s, but doesn't any recall which book that was?

[MOrab46019]

Don't forget the helmets the Magistracy of Canopus has the largest helmets until they sign on with Liao. When they get smaller helmets. The Periphery book #1629.

[Cache]

When Kai became champion of Solaris, his was little more than a headband.

I believe it was mentioned that the headband was used purely so spectators could see the 'Mechwarrior's face on camera and that military neurohelmets were big and bulky to protect them from impacts and shrapnel.  This wasn't as big a concern on Solaris VII because emergency crews always were on standby. (One of the Jihad stories mentioned Solaris VII 'Mechwarriors dying more often in the fighting due to lack of emergency crews on the battlefield.)