best IWM mini for a 3028 marauder?

[mooonmagic]

Hey y'all. Putting together a Kurita lance circa 3028 and wondering what IWM mini you would recommend to stand in for the MAD-3R?

[Cazaril]

I'm going to assume two things, if either is wrong please clarify;

1) You either didn't participate in the Kickstarter, or you did and can't wait.

2) You want something mostly out of box, with almost no need to do modifications.

If both of these are correct, then I would suggest IWM's Marauder IIc 2 (20-236).



Caz

[mooonmagic]

Those are correct assumptions. I did participate in the Kickstarter (star colonel), but I want to put all the mechs that I have into lances before I get a bunch more. Right now I have a Vindicator and a Charger that need lances, but they are mainly used by different houses, so I'm putting them each in their own lances.

I'm not quite ready to kitbash yet, I'm still new to painting minis in general. Excited to make my first IWM order.

[worktroll]

Seconding the Marauder IIC as a start, but it fails the basic MAD test for me - the arms aren't in front of the legs.

When you're ready to kitbash, you can easily rectify this if you want:



The MAD IIC is the one on the far right. Basically removed the shoulders from the arms, and moved them forward.

You can also do things with the Reseen MAD (2nd from left) - get the 9S/7D, it's much less fiddly. Then remove the shoulders from the arms, and put them in the leg spaces, then move the hip connection to the back.

It looks potentially intimidating, but is not as hard as it might seem.

[mooonmagic]

Thanks a bunch! I can't seem to find the 9S/7D on the website; there's the 7D/9D (20-5160), or the 9S/5R (20-264).

Still nervous to kitbash! But I'll give it a try?

[worktroll]

My mistake - elder's moment. The 9S/5R is the one you want; the 7D/9D can be jokingly compared to a pile of metal filings you need to assemble ;)

And welcome to the club. Once you kitbash, there's no going back ... ;) "This is a Marauder. There are many like it. But this one is mine!"

[mooonmagic]

Aha! That's good to know going in.

How did you handle the rotary autocannon? Did you just swap it out with something else?

[Luciora]

The Hector and the Marauder 4X can proxy well too with some kitbashing.

[worktroll]

Aha! That's good to know going in.

How did you handle the rotary autocannon? Did you just swap it out with something else?

The 9S/5R comes with two AC parts. The AC on top of my modded one is one part; I just stuck it on an old-style stalk mount (piece of styrene tube).

The third from the left has an old-school plastic Unseen AC on the Reseen chassis ;) I've got a Reseen Rifleman with a propeller beany Garret array too.

Got to get me those minis Luciora mentioned. There's no such thing as too much Marauder. I'm insanely lucky to have a prototype 3D print of the Classic MAD, but won't paint that until I can get the minis required to make the Red Duke's "Red Hunters"

[Colt Ward]

-4X is great for -9M and -9M2 . . .

[Cazaril]

The Hector and the Marauder 4X can proxy well too with some kitbashing.

I'm not a huge fan of the Hector, when there are better options...

The MAD-4X Marauder (20-5085) is actually my second choice, but one that requires entirely too much modification to make a good looking Unseen stand in.





(Note: The arms and dorsal turret are parts that would be hard to find, so bashing an exact copy is not recommended)

Seconding the Marauder IIC as a start, but it fails the basic MAD test for me - the arms aren't in front of the legs.

Obviously I feel the same way... But I am looking for the best option, that doesn't require any modding.

And welcome to the club. Once you kitbash, there's no going back ...

This is also true... I seldom paint anything that hasn't been bashed/reposed in some fashion anymore.

The thing is, modding is a skill set that actually encompasses skills like; cutting, pinning and sculpting. And, these skills all require their own tools (yes, makeshift ones can be used, but there does come a point that one does need to invest).

I would take the entry into modding in steps. Start by just learning to pin; you'll need a pin vise, some type of pinning material (I prefer .020 music wire) and the appropriate drill bit (for .020 you use a #76). Multiple piece 'Mechs are a good place to practice. Then maybe add in a little sculpting (green stuff/Kneedatite is commonly used). Use this to clean up your joints and fill in spots where you pinned parts together. If you can get a result you are happy with, then maybe next time cut up/off an arm or a leg and repose it... I would do all of this over a few Mechs, building on each to give you confidence to do the next.

As Worktroll has said, "It looks potentially intimidating, but is not as hard as it might seem" (granted, I am taking him slightly out of context)...

Modding is the gateway to a unique collection, and the answer to "I can't find what I am looking for", but until you are ready, it is something that can wait.

Caz

[worktroll]

Agreed, tools are important - the right tool for the right job.

- Stanley knife. Used for scraping edges, and for making cuts where you don't want to lose material. They'll cut pewter - usually with a firm rocking motion works best. Use a Stanley knife not a craft knife, or those scalpel-ish things, because you can exert 7 control force better.

- Flat-sided wire cutters. Sometimes you can just cut stuff away.

- Razor saw/jeweller's saw. The best way for serious surgery, and surprisingly controllable.

- Pin vise/hand drill, as mentioned. I have an old roll of heavy fuse wire I use - it's soft and flexible, and strong enough, for pinning.

- Files. A needle-nosed file, and a standard rat-tail file for big jobs ;)

- Glue. I swear by cyoacrylate (superglue) gel

- Eye protection. You'd be surprised how useful this is. My ordinary glasses have pinged off broken bits (including broken drill bits) before.

- DIsposable facemasks if you're doing a lot of sawing/filing, or if you're filing resin. The "sawdust" can be very bad for you. You should be modding and painting in a well ventilated area anyway

- I probably agree on the greenstuff, but I've never used it - I use modelling clay. It's good enough for covering gaps, but unlike greenstuff isn't structurally strong. Call it an elder's predjudice ;)

I must add, plastic minis are even easier and (for me) just as satisfying to mod - just visit the Chop Shop!

[Luciora]

If you do a search on the board, using Marauder and my username, I have a number of converted Marauder IIs and a Mad 4X all redone in the classic Arms forward and legs full aft look that were all created post Mech of the Fortnight.  The standard PP marauder doesn't have the proper overall look I like for the conversions.

[Psycho]

My mistake - elder's moment. The 9S/5R is the one you want; the 7D/9D can be jokingly compared to a pile of metal filings you need to assemble ;)

Wow. Harsh. There were a few bits that needed to be left separate for the distinct variants (SBGR vs. RAC, and the head-mounted laser on the -9D), but it should be no more difficult to assemble in general than the -5R. Not a fan of lifting the look from a Capellan source I take it?

[mooonmagic]

Thanks for the support, y'all. Honestly, this community is the reason I'm falling so hard for Battletech (aside from the stompy robots), it's so lovely. I'm ordering the 9S/5R; it's the only one I'm PLANNING on modifying, but we'll see how it goes :)

Here are my lances:

Liao:
Victor VTR-9A
Catapult CPLT-C4
Vindicator VND-1AA (leftover from Alpha Strike Support Lance box)
Wasp WSP-1

Kurita:
Charger CGR-1A1 (the other Support mech. What a donkus)
Marauder MAD-9S / MAD-5R (the MAD-3R)
Shadow Hawk SHD-2H
Jenner JR7-D

Just making some basic one-of-each kind of lances (light, medium, heavy, assault). Obviously the Kurita lance is going to be harder to win with due to the Charger.

[Weirdo]

Don't underestimate that Charger, it's a beast in melee combat, and fast enough to catch a lot of things smaller than it.

I really want to try that match out, actually. Keeping the Charger away from the Victor while still advancing would be a challenge, but if I can pull that off, it can very realistically take down any one of those other mechs, possibly more than one.

[Luciora]

Are you locked to the 1A1 version specially? There are other versions that could be used as well if you want a change up.  The 1A9 is the Kurita remodel that gives you jump and LRM support for example.

[mooonmagic]

Are you locked to the 1A1 version specially? There are other versions that could be used as well if you want a change up.  The 1A9 is the Kurita remodel that gives you jump and LRM support for example.

Not at all! I was using the Xotl tables to choose models. My goal is just to make mostly-appropriate kind-of balanced lances to play against each other as we (my wife and daughter and I) learn to play.

[worktroll]

Okay, don't knock the Charger. Seriously. It'll dent ...

If you're buying minis, consider the Charger 1A5 from IWM. It also subs for the 1A9. If you want to stick with the 1A1 mini, it's not hard to convert it into the 3K and C models. And if none of this means much, try here. Sarna's a great resource for getting an overview of things in this game.

And can I point out another great resource? The Master Unit List. If you want to know what units the Combine fields in the Late Succession War, go to Factions, pick the Combine, then pick the era you want. It doesn't give BT stats - it does provide Alpha Strike stats - but between the MUL and Sarna, you can get most of the information you like!

[mooonmagic]

Ah, thanks for the Master Unit List suggestion. I had previously only used it to get Alpha Strike stats; didn't occur to me to use it to see era-appropriate mechs, although it seems obvious in retrospect..!

My next question: I'm trying to decide on a paint scheme. I was browsing the Unit Color Compendium and I can sort it by faction but not by era; is there a place to sort historical units by era? Not necessarily on that site. If not, that's ok: I can do some reading and cross-referencing, just want to know if there is something easy and obvious that I'm missing.

[worktroll]

The Unit Color Compendium is a fan effort, which came out of the MWO community. Not all schemes are canon - they do acknowledge and identify such. And on a personal level, I've seen schemes that make sense as a computer graphic, but would be over-complex to try and paint.

There is an official site for BT schemes - www.camospecs.com. IT is, admittedly, rather slow ... and a replacement is being worked on.  But it has all the canon paintschemes by faction, if not by era.

When I'm looking for paintjobs, I go through CamoSpecs for the faction I'm thinking of, and then check Sarna to see if the unit was operating in the timeframe I'm looking at.

The 'life hack' for BT painters is to remember while units have their parade schemes, most use 'appropriate camo' in the field. Not Sword of Life or Marik Militia, true, but most.

[mooonmagic]

That's helpful to know. There is a lot of Battletech lore!

I KNOW camo is most common but I just can't resist the parade colors. Time to do some research...

EDIT: Wait a second! Kurita and Liao weren't really at odds during 3028. Guess I'll have to make some Davion and Steiner lances too. This is how it starts, isn't it.

[Sartris]

This is how it starts, isn't it.

i envisioned an entire fedcom battalion and passed out. when i woke up i was surrounded by hundreds of minis and i was completely covered in CA glue. no one saw me leave the house.

[.RL]

EDIT: Wait a second! Kurita and Liao weren't really at odds during 3028. Guess I'll have to make some Davion and Steiner lances too. This is how it starts, isn't it.

Pretty much...

And then you'll want to add depth to your current forces, and expand them... and so the story goes.