BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
BattleTech Game Systems => General BattleTech Discussion => Topic started by: Gray_Noton_4lfe on 27 March 2024, 11:32:19
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Which one is the most iconic?
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Timber Wolf should be on this list.
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Absolutely the Timby for me, and I'm not even a Clan player. With the Warhammer and Marauder as numbers 2 and 3.
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Locust why?
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Add the Timber Wolf and it's very much 'all the above' with maybe the exception of the Locust.
The Locust is popular within the community and in universe but hasn't been on too many cover spreads. The other choices have all been on game boxes, novels, books, t-shirts and even memes. The Marauder and Warhammer where the two icons of the game through the 80's as the Timber Wolf and Atlas through the 90's and early 00's. The Awesome just sums up Battletechs design philosophy and you can id the era by the Battlemaster used in the art. No matter if it's unseen or reseen, you know it's a Battlemaster.
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Warhammer above all.
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The Phoenix Hawk, the Wasp, the Rifleman and the Stinger should be on this list. So should the Orion, the Highlander, the Zeus X, the Black Knight (especially the BL-9) and the King Crab.
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Mad Cat (Timber Wolf) added
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I went with Atlas. Because it was the face of the game for a long time. I understand why people picked the Warhammer. I just refused to go with a Robotech design. If the most Iconic mech in your universe is a borrowed mech then you haven't done a good job of growing your universe in my opinion.
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I went with Atlas. Because it was the face of the game for a long time. I understand why people picked the Warhammer. I just refused to go with a Robotech design. If the most Iconic mech in your universe is a borrowed mech then you haven't done a good job of growing your universe in my opinion.
Well said. Atlas has been on boxes and covers since the beginning, is still going, and is immediately recognizable as “Battletech”. It never had the “unseen” issue like the Warhammer. The Timber Wolf/Mad Cat would be my runner up, another original creation that is immediately recognizable as Battletech.
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Also went with the Mad Cat, since I started in the early 90’s and the Mad Cat was on the cover of the Battletech Compendium of the time. (See my avatar!)
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I'd say the Mad Cat is more iconic since the 90s and onward. The Atlas seems to be the poster-boy of 1986+, while sadly the Warhammer and Marauder were iconic for a limited time, 1984-1996. Even though I'm a Spheroid :P
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It was a tossup between the Atlas and Timberwolf for me. So I went with the Atlas because I am an unrepentant spheroid supremacist.
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Timber Wolf for me, but in general I would say Battlemaster.
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Timber Wolf by far
Others barely qualify in comparison
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Warhammer.
Prior to the whole Unseen ordeal, the Warhammer was on the cover of all the box sets and
a part of a HUGE amount of artwork.
I was honestly hoping to see the Whammy on more 40th anniversary items.
A 40th anniversary Box Set with a Whammy on the cover would feel like a
MASSIVE victory after what we went through.
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Tossup between Atlas and Mad Cat.
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timber wolf
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Atlas for me (if assault), Warhammer (for heavy), Shadow hawk for medium and Locust for light.
Clan its gotta be the madcat.
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Absolutely the Timby for me, and I'm not even a Clan player. With the Warhammer and Marauder as numbers 2 and 3.
I fully endorse this top 3.
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Timber Wolf collectively.
Personally, the Locust was the first Mech I knew about from a old Dragon magazine ads — and so holds space in my head. However, overall? Timby, by far.
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https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=74938.msg1772333#msg1772333
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There's only one 'Mech so iconic that Catalyst brought a 100% scale inflatable statue to conventions to represent the brand, one so iconic, it became the first official plushie' Mech and the first star of a children's book, and it ain't on this list? For shame. :grin:
Holding my vote until the UrbanMech gets its proper recognition.
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I feel like it should be the Atlas, but it is almost certainly the Timber Wolf.
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There's only one 'Mech so iconic that Catalyst brought a 100% scale inflatable statue to conventions to represent the brand, one so iconic, it became the first official plushie' Mech and the first star of a children's book, and it ain't on this list? For shame. :grin:
Holding my vote until the UrbanMech gets its proper recognition.
Urbanmech added!
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Commando added
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Atlas for me (if assault), Warhammer (for heavy), Shadow hawk for medium and Locust for light.
Clan its gotta be the madcat.
This
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I went with Atlas. Because it was the face of the game for a long time. I understand why people picked the Warhammer.
Respectable and fair. Atlas is pretty damn ico-
I just refused to go with a Robotech design. If the most Iconic mech in your universe is a borrowed mech then you haven't done a good job of growing your universe in my opinion.
Spoilsport.
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The Warhammer has had a few looks at this point and I would say it's still on brand. Even the Hammerhands is recognisable as part of the Warhammer family tree.
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I would sooner see certain units as being iconic of certain Eras, for various reasons.
For example: the Timber Wolf is arguably the iconic Clan 'Mech of the era of Operation REVIVAL, to the point of it being used to mark the Clan Invasion Era by CGL themselves.
Yet might the Savage Wolf be considered a more representative Clan 'Mech of the Dark Age era? Not just in terms of being one of the "new" designs bequeathed to the setting by MechWarrior: Dark Age/Age of Destruction, but also in-universe as the chosen 'Mech chassis of both Alaric Ward and of Anastasia Kerensky. Indeed, with the latter's Savage Wolf being used on the front cover of the IlClan sourcebook (and the former's on the back cover), that design's prominence in the universe does not appear to be going away any time soon...
But then, one could also argue that the Ares is an icon of the Dark Age, from an Inner Sphere perspective. There are few "new" MW:DA/AoD designs which, for good or ill, have been as symbolic of this era. Yet while the Republic it was originally built for no longer exists, it too is now beginning to proliferate across the setting, as more factions gain access to these superheavy tripods in the ilClan Era.
Although, I might also wonder what designs, be it Clan or IS, would be emblematic of Catalyst Game Labs' stewardship of these new eras. I think of new Clan designs like the Hammerhead, which is already being used as one of the 'Mechs featured on the cover art for BattleTech Universe. If the Timber Wolf and other TRO:3050 'Mechs spoke to the Clans of the REVIVAL era, the Hammerhead symbolizes the degree by which the Clans known to exist as of the 3150s have adapted from over a century of life in the Inner Sphere and known Periphery.
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I would sooner see certain units as being iconic of certain Eras, for various reasons.
By all means, start a poll for what you want to see. But there's nothing wrong with having a poll for BattleTech's most iconic Mechs regardless of era.
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The Commando is a little iconic right?
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The Commando is a little iconic right?
Sort of. Iconic to the Lyrans, definitely. Iconic to the Succession Wars and the Invasion, I suppose. Iconic to the game as a whole, probably not.
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Timber Wold, Marauder, Atlas. They are the big three from the first years of BT.
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Sort of. Iconic to the Lyrans, definitely. Iconic to the Succession Wars and the Invasion, I suppose. Iconic to the game as a whole, probably not.
Its greatest claim to fame is as the starting mech in Mechwarrior II: Mercenaries. That was no small deal and influenced a number of fans, particularly since its custom variant was exquisite.
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Voted for the Warhammer but the Archer is most iconic for me.
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The Atlas needs more iconic pilots. There was Frederick Steiner, back when he called himself that, but we didn't see much of Focht in the cockpit (player's option in the old Tukayyid scenario pack). Are Jonah Levin and Aaron DeChavilier big enough names?
Meanwhile the Marauder has Natasha Kerensky, the Bounty Hunter, and Grayson Carlyle; the Mad Cat has Aidan Pryde (briefly but ultimately), Vlad Ward, and the Bounty Hunter.
If you allow the Atlas II then you get Devlin Stone and Nicky Kerensky, but then do you compare that against the Marauder II and the Savage Wolf?
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The Atlas needs more iconic pilots. There was Frederick Steiner, back when he called himself that, but we didn't see much of Focht in the cockpit (player's option in the old Tukayyid scenario pack). Are Jonah Levin and Aaron DeChavilier big enough names?
Meanwhile the Marauder has Natasha Kerensky, the Bounty Hunter, and Grayson Carlyle; the Mad Cat has Aidan Pryde (briefly but ultimately), Vlad Ward, and the Bounty Hunter.
If you allow the Atlas II then you get Devlin Stone and Nicky Kerensky, but then do you compare that against the Marauder II and the Savage Wolf?
I never got a hold of one, but I forget if the Bounty Hunter figurine was a Marauder or Marauder II in Dark Age.
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I still say the atlas is the most iconic due to its place on BT products over the years
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I would say that the commando is probably more iconic then the Urbanmech. The Urbanmech been around for what, like 5yrs
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The Atlas needs more iconic pilots. There was Frederick Steiner, back when he called himself that, but we didn't see much of Focht in the cockpit.
According to Legends, IIRC, by the time he became Focht, his active combat days were behind him and he only piloted his Atlas to keep his qualification current. He wanted to serve frontline, but IIRC ComStar felt he was worth more back safe than in harm's way.
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I would say that the commando is probably more iconic then the Urbanmech. The Urbanmech been around for what, like 5yrs
Not even close.
The Urb has been in MWO since 2015 and tabletop a looong time before that.
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The Urbie has been around since the original TRO 3025 back in 1986.
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The Urbie has been around since the original TRO 3025 back in 1986.
Ok, didn't realize that
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Both the Commando and Urbammech were in TRO: 3025 and also debuted in Crescent Hawks Inception.
The Commando was a hero mech, from Crescent Hawks Pilot Rex Pearce while the Urbanmech was a mook mech that generally only showed up when you were playing in arena matches and possibly salvageable if you were able to take one out while busting up the Arena, but that was generally a bad thing to do.
Ok, didn't realize that
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I'm extremely surprised the Atlas is trailing that far behind the MadCat. Or, for that matter, the Warhammer.
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I'm extremely surprised the Atlas is trailing that far behind the MadCat. Or, for that matter, the Warhammer.
IMHO the Warhammer would have scored even higher in this poll if not for decades of the unseen issue.
Back before the term unseen was even used for anything Battletech the Warhammer was on the cover of an
unbelievable amount of Battletech merch. To this day I'm surprised that it wasn't on the cover of
the original TRO 3025.
Just off hand it was on the cover of the 1st 3 box sets, all of the TCI model sets, the back cover of
Tales of the Black widow, the back cover of The Fox's Teeth, and the Back cover of The Gray Death Legion.
That's just what I can name offhand.
Considering how long it was unseen it's understandable that the T-Wolf would be chosen as more
iconic especially from younger players.
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The multiple generations of fandom aspect is indeed key.
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For me it was the WH. Mostly because I started pre Clan. It's hard to shake the image of the WH from the marketing of early years.
Plus add in the fact that gaming wise we seemed to use lots of medium/heavies. Love the balance of this 3025 mech. You need to manage heat with this one, but it was a ton of fun on the table top.
If we had the technology to build mechs today. If I was the designer it would look like a WH.
I could see introduction date to the game being huge to your perspective.
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Would anyone say the Catapult is Iconic?
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Iconic to the Capellan Confederation, but not to the game as a whole.
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Remember that Mad Cat comes from Marauder-Catapult based off of aesthetics. Outside of the game, the Mad Cat might be seen as the refined version of the Catapult.
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Only thing off the top of my head i can remember it gracing the cover was Mechcommander. That would be what I would consider it iconic for.
Would anyone say the Catapult is Iconic?
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I don't think that showing up on the cover of one product (especially one as peripheral as MechCommander) is enough to qualify as "Iconic." Every mech that had ever gotten cover art on a novel would qualify by that logic. Including the Defiance.
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I don't think that showing up on the cover of one product (especially one as peripheral as MechCommander) is enough to qualify as "Iconic." Every mech that had ever gotten cover art on a novel would qualify by that logic. Including the Defiance.
Even if that Defiance was actual a Warhammer? (I love that cover but Loveless kept getting mech legs wrong)
The Catapult really is a great BT mech; original, popular, easy to identify no mater the art, it was even one of the mechs in the MW: DA started set. I also think other mechs on the list over shadow it but it's defiantly one of the mechs that help define Battletech.
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The Catapult has a more distinguished record than you think, including being the mech that KOs your commander in the opening of Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries, and one of the best pieces to grace Bannson's Raiders (Meghann Tenclay).
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I meant to say the Catapult would be iconic for Mechcommander to me.
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If you have never seen it, the opening video to Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries is quite memorable. In your first hirable campaign, you are mentored by a Catapult pilot named "Deadeye."
Just tell me, am I the only one who thinks the commander's mech is a cross between a Victor and a Zeus?
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Just tell me, am I the only one who thinks the commander's mech is a cross between a Victor and a Zeus?
It may be because someone made a fan animated remake of the openning of MW2: Mercs with MWO assets and replaced the Zeus with a Victor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZQn3OwvVQE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5ezgEzpQBg
The original, the Zeus' LRMs take out the Atlas, the fan remakes switches to a Victor so it's a AC/20 that takes the Atlas out.
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It may be because someone made a fan animated remake of the openning of MW2: Mercs with MWO assets and replaced the Zeus with a Victor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZQn3OwvVQE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5ezgEzpQBg
The original, the Zeus' LRMs take out the Atlas, the fan remakes switches to a Victor so it's a AC/20 that takes the Atlas out.
I honestly always thought the second arm was firing an autocannon. Still, it is awesome to see an upgrade of the original to a higher resolution--it was already fantastic in its time. As for the second video, I just consider it an artist's take.
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I honestly always thought the second arm was firing an autocannon.
The Zeus Zeus-6S uses a A/C 5 which I believe the arm that was blown off (and yes, it is still one of the best intro)
The fan remake was the artist take. The original description, the artist mentioned they liked the id that the Atlas was taken out by a AC/20.
Just thought that both videos get circulated on fan sites enough, it's enough to overlap the two subconsciously. The fan remakes is very faithful to the original in terms of animation and camera angle, almost shot per shot.
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Honorable mention: Rifleman.
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For a true icon, it would have to be the Atlas or the Timber Wolf, for me, though the Urbanmech is the meme icon (memicon?).
While the Warhammer graced the cover of the boxes for a decade (and its predecessor and look-alike Hammerhands a little later), it runs in to the Unseen problem head-on.
The Atlas is unique, part of the original TRO: 3025, and the only thing it doesn't bring is being part of Battledroids (but those all have the Unseen issue).
With the introduction of the Clans, we have the Timber Wolf. It graced the cover of the Compendiums. It was the most commonly seen Clan Mech of The Battletech cartoon (even if we never saw a single pilot of one). It's also a great blend of speed, armor and firepower along with its unique and frequent appearance. They've made 3 more chassis based off it now, too!
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The Zeus Zeus-6S uses a A/C 5 which I believe the arm that was blown off (and yes, it is still one of the best intro)
The fan remake was the artist take. The original description, the artist mentioned they liked the id that the Atlas was taken out by a AC/20.
Just thought that both videos get circulated on fan sites enough, it's enough to overlap the two subconsciously. The fan remakes is very faithful to the original in terms of animation and camera angle, almost shot per shot.
The original arm that is blown off was clearly the AC/5. A Victor would have the Autocannon in the second arm, leading me to the theory that they had merged the two mechs for effect. It is now clear to me that it was an LRM launcher the whole time and not the video's take on an AC/20.
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The original arm that is blown off was clearly the AC/5. A Victor would have the Autocannon in the second arm, leading me to the theory that they had merged the two mechs for effect. It is now clear to me that it was an LRM launcher the whole time and not the video's take on an AC/20.
Yet the Foley matched an Autocannon, not a missile launcher.
Could have been a custom job, but they would have had to pull a lot out to make it work.
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Honorable mention: Rifleman.
That makes me think of the Mechwarrior RPG, both the original 1e cover and Destiny.
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According to Legends, IIRC, by the time he became Focht, his active combat days were behind him and he only piloted his Atlas to keep his qualification current. He wanted to serve frontline, but IIRC ComStar felt he was worth more back safe than in harm's way.
Specifically, Focht was the Atlas pilot. Fred drove a Zeus. He was apparently a bit of a gearhead when he was young, as his bio in the House Steiner says that he was also an expert technician for it.
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Yet the Foley matched an Autocannon, not a missile launcher.
I agree. That was one of the reasons I thought it an AC/20 (And you can compare the sound with the volley from the Catapult without playing the game). It simply made sense on every level. If it were a Victor, the AC/20 would be in that arm. This is why it is best to simply file it as a Mechwarrior game problem that we live with because the game, opening included, itself was gold.
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That makes me think of the Mechwarrior RPG, both the original 1e cover and Destiny.
Exactly. Regardless of reviews regarding performance, combat durability, tissue paper rear armor, etc... It's fairly iconic. I would put it behind Whammy/MAD/Timby (everyone can pick their own order), and put the Rifleman at #4.
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I had to go Atlas as every other mech listed but 2 (Awesome/Urbie) are technically from other games/toylines etc etc.
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How are the Mad Cat and Commando technically from other games?
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How are the Mad Cat and Commando technically from other games?
1. I missed Commando was even on the list. Doh!
2. I was thinking the MadCat was ripped off from Exosquad, but maybe I have that reversed & the toy came after the T-Wolf was released?
Either way I'm still saying Atlas since I was ignoring the Robotech models.
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Exosquad ripped off the Mad Cat, that lawsuit is what led to Harmony Gold suing FASA and the emergence of the Unseen.
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Specifically, Focht was the Atlas pilot. Fred drove a Zeus.
ilClan Rec Guide 24 says Fred, still answering to that name, swapped out his Zeus for an Atlas during his fateful mission on Dromini VI in 3029. So a bit of an Aidan Pryde situation: you drive one 'Mech your whole life, then get into trouble while driving a substitute, and you become known for that substitute.
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ilClan Rec Guide 24 says Fred, still answering to that name, swapped out his Zeus for an Atlas during his fateful mission on Dromini VI in 3029. So a bit of an Aidan Pryde situation: you drive one 'Mech your whole life, then get into trouble while driving a substitute, and you become known for that substitute.
In fairness, he willingly took a cursed mech, then added Jump Jets to it, and even then one upped it with what is now known as a Battletech superweapon.
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The Battlemaster is on alot of Art .
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ilClan Rec Guide 24 says Fred, still answering to that name, swapped out his Zeus for an Atlas during his fateful mission on Dromini VI in 3029. So a bit of an Aidan Pryde situation: you drive one 'Mech your whole life, then get into trouble while driving a substitute, and you become known for that substitute.
Hmm, so if we ever find out who the new Duke of Duran is, they'd probably be driving a very famous Zeus. Interesting.
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The Battlemaster is on alot of Art .
It is. Know what else spent a lot of time on the art, in fact, was the default silhouette on the 'Mech record sheet, making it an Iconic 'Mech we didn't even know the name of? The VP-* Viper (https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Viper_(BattleMech)) 'Mech series.
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It is. Know what else spent a lot of time on the art, in fact, was the default silhouette on the 'Mech record sheet, making it an Iconic 'Mech we didn't even know the name of? The VP-* Viper (https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Viper_(BattleMech)) 'Mech series.
I like the Viper but we didn't even know the mech existed until last year.
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Hmm, so if we ever find out who the new Duke of Duran is, they'd probably be driving a very famous Zeus. Interesting.
assuming it's survived the clan invasion, the fedcom civil war, the Jihad etc, yeah. That said according to Sarna is was basicly ignored in all those conflicts swo it's reasonably possiable it survived.