Miniatures of the Fortnight #102: LAM special!

[Xiwo Xerase]

So I've got a new network switch, a null modem cable, and a hot new game loaded on my computer.  It must be time for a... LAM party.

(For those of you who get the joke, remember when those were good times?  For those of you who don't, let's just say multiplayer computer games have come a long way since then.)

Land-Air 'Mechs have been with us since Technical Readout: 3025.  They may be the earliest contentious tech added to the game.  I figure it started with "Hey, we licensed the rights to Macross and we've got these nifty transforming mecha designs.  Let's do something with them."  Which quickly turned into "These are neat but they're really, really hard to balance."  Which then led to the last known LAM factory being destroyed by Clan Nova Cat in 3050 (Invading Clans sourcebook).  Which turned out to be convenient when they became Unseen.

So, of course, the Word of Blake had to bring them back, although briefly, with the three LAMs seen in Jihad: Final Reckoning.  Then the once Unseen LAMs became Reseen again in Technical Readout: 3085, with new artwork, and gave us a new LAM, the "first" LAM, the Shadow Hawk LAM.

In case you're not familiar with them, LAMs have three forms: 'Mech, fighter, and AirMech, a hybrid of the two, looking like a jet fighter with legs and arms.  The Shadow Hawk LAM only has two forms, 'Mech and fighter.

Ral Partha released miniatures for the original Unseen LAMs but only in the AirMech form:

• Phoenix Hawk LAM PHX-HK2 (20-884)
• Stinger LAM STG-A5 (20-878)
• Wasp LAM WSP-105 (20-883)

The Phoenix Hawk LAM had two more versions of the mini, a limited edition version with the Crescent Hawks logo on the wings and leg and a custom hex base, and a general release version that had plain wings but had the Crescent Hawks logo on the right leg (released under the same SKU as the earlier mini, 20-884).  My guess is this had something to do with one of the early BattleTech PC games (probably BattleTech: Crescent Hawk's Revenge).

After Technical Readout: 3085 came out, Iron Wind Metals produced minis for the LAMs in that book.  Each of the LAMs received a mini for each form:

• Phoenix Hawk LAM PHX-HK1: 'Mech (BT-331), AirMech (BT-332), and fighter (BT-333)
• Shadow Hawk LAM SHD-X2: 'Mech (BT-323) and figher (BT-324)
• Stinger LAM STG-A1: 'Mech (BT-325), AirMech (BT-326), and fighter (BT-327).
• Wasp LAM WSP-100: 'Mech (BT-328), AirMech (BT-329), and fighter (BT-330).

Iron Wind Metals also produced minis for each form of the Word of Blake LAMs:

• Pwwka S-PW-1LAM: 'Mech (BT-334), AirMech (BT-335), and fighter (BT-336)
• Waneta S-WN2-2LAM: 'Mech (BT-340), AirMech (BT-341), and fighter (BT-342)
• Yurei S-YR-1LAM: 'Mech (BT-337), AirMech (BT-338), and fighter (BT-339)

If you have any of these painted, 'Mech, AirMech, or fighter, please share pictures.  We'd love to see them!  And, as always, thank you for reading!

I'm planning the next quarter of Miniature of the Fortnight.  If there are any 'Mechs you'd like to see covered through the rest of the year, please leave a comment in the planning thread!

Our next two fortnights will be:

• 9/14: Wyvern and Wyvern IIC
• 9/28: Whitworth

[Jhousdan]

I made a custom fighter mode for my LAM by chopping up an airmech version. Not the greatest job,  but its better than nothing (at least until I replace it with the kids logic version)

I also wanted a better way to distinguish between a standard PXH and a PXH-HK, and since the original 3025 art for the LAM was pulled from some VF-1S Strike Valkyrie art, i decided to create a custom dual cannon booster i could cast for LAM PXHs. Again, its not great, but it gets the job done! (And as a house rule, even on modern iteration,  the large laser remains in the right hand and both medium lasers get moved to the right torso)

I've got several other LAMs at the moment, but I recently stripped them and broke them all down for repaints, so they're not in a fit state to be displayed unfortunately :(

[Cazaril]

I have two... Neither avoided being modified.

Kurita - 17th Galedon Regulars - WSP-105 Wasp LAM



Personality - SkyWarp - PHX-HK2 Phoenix Hawk LAM



And for those interested, this is how much you have to chop up a Phoenix Hawk to make the above.



Caz

[Weirdo]

Here's my lance of SLDF LAMs:

[Renard]

I have two... Neither avoided being modified.

Kurita - 17th Galedon Regulars - WSP-105 Wasp LAM



Personality - SkyWarp - PHX-HK2 Phoenix Hawk LAM



And for those interested, this is how much you have to chop up a Phoenix Hawk to make the above.



Caz

There's something profane about that dismembered Phoenix Hawk.

These are awesome.  Do you use them on the tabletop, or do you think of them more like dioramas?

[Cazaril]

There's something profane about that dismembered Phoenix Hawk.

You are not the first person to say something like that... Mainly because I hack up almost every mini I touch, unseen or not.

These are awesome.  Do you use them on the tabletop, or do you think of them more like dioramas?

The short answer is: I don't play anymore, just paint.

The longer answer:

The Phoenix Hawk was just for fun and is some what too bulky for tabletop use. I don't think that one would ever be used during a game.

The Wasp though is really just a themed base. The 17th Galedon Regulars are city fighters, and I decided to make their bases little dioramas. I've got a Panther (although the site that hosts it is down), an Archer, a Custom Shadowhawk and a Charger so far. Given the right group, I would put those on the table, as I kept everything to basically the size of a hex base.

Caz

[worktroll]

LAMs! Marik Guard





Fighting Uruk-Hai - Roman's Bar Hounds

[Mendrugo]

The Phoenix Hawk LAM had two more versions of the mini, a limited edition version with the Crescent Hawks logo on the wings and leg and a custom hex base, and a general release version that had plain wings but had the Crescent Hawks logo on the right leg (released under the same SKU as the earlier mini, 20-884).  My guess is this had something to do with one of the early BattleTech PC games (probably BattleTech: Crescent Hawk's Revenge).

The Crescent Hawk LAM was for the "Crescent Hawk's Inception," not "Revenge."  The box came with a mail-away coupon where you were instructed to fill in the name of the 'Mech in the secret room, then send it in with a check for $5 and your address, and they'd send you a miniature of the secret 'Mech.  The secret room in the Star League cache, of course, contained Jeremiah's Phoenix Hawk LAM.  The reason that the general release version had the Crescent Hawk logo is that they re-used the custom piece's legs and arms, replacing the version where the arms and gun are one piece with legs, and pointing off to the side.

[Jhousdan]

[Luciora]

2 Phoenix Hawks, a Wasp and a Stinger.

A modified Project Phoenix Phoenix Hawk and Mechbuster to represent a certain Nebula California Seeeker. 

[Luciora]

Crimson Hawks PP Phoenix Hawk in all 3 modes.  The fighter and Airmech modes share parts for convenience.

[Jhousdan]

2 Phoenix Hawks, a Wasp and a Stinger.

A modified Project Phoenix Phoenix Hawk and Mechbuster to represent a certain Nebula California Seeeker. 

Nice job adding the head units under the airmechs :)

I never knew the Crescent Hawks had a mech in Skull Squadron? LOL

[Daemion]

Generic Team Tan Stinger LAM and Wasp LAM

[Cazaril]

Ever surprise yourself with a mini you forgot you had?

I apparently have a third one...

Davion - Sakhara Military Academy



Caz

[Wrangler]

This is something i made while back when minis were inexpensive.  So  I wanted to see what i could do for a Dark Age LAM.

So i took the lower chassis (legs, Arms, & backpack) of a Metal Miniature of the MWDA Spider and fuselage of the  Clan Batu medium OmniFighter. 

Essentially it worked out fairly well.   I didn't have MegaMek Lab to make it work. I think it could at maybe 40 tonner.

[worktroll]

That worked out really well, Wrangler!

[Wrangler]

Thanks, Worktroll!