I'm a bit slow on the uptake I guess.
So we have been talking about the Warhawk lately and how its almost extinct in the Inner Sphere. Which lead me to read about how after the Wars of Possession design specs for the Warhawk went to the Goliath Scorpions, Fire Mandrills and Clan Diamond Shark.
So my thoughts were, "I didn't see them make a production run of the Masakari in the home worlds. I wonder if it is still possible for them to make them. Maybe they can build them on the mobile factories or Tukayyid." But looking at the RATs Clan Diamond Shark/Sea Fox doesn't have a lot of Masakari's.
So then I thought, "The legs on the Mad Cat and the Warhawk are the same." Then realized that the MK II isn't that different from a Warhawk in other design ways either...
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/File:MadcatMkII.jpghttp://www.sarna.net/wiki/File:3050U_Masakari.jpgSo then I also remember that the Mad Cat Mk II came out in fifteen months with no problems. So I flip back to the Technical Readout to verify:
By basing their new design upon an existing Battlemech, the Diamond Shark engineers cut their development time sharply, putting the Mad Cat Mk II into full-scale production in less than fifteen months
I always assumed that by basing their design off of the Timber Wolf they were easily able to put it into production...
But it isn't based off the TimberWolf.. and the Warhawk isn't quite dead. It may even be doing quite well these days.
Edit: Extra stuff
Mad Cat MK II
64.8 kph top speed.
45 tons of weapon space
13 tons of armor.
6 ton difference in heat sinks
Masakari
64.8 kph top speed.
32.5 tons of weapon space.
13.5 tons of armor