one point short of a star.

[theCrowe]

So I got the old Shadow Cat, Timber wolf, Adder, Dire Wolf box set. As I understand it clans do this dance in groups of 5 so I'm one point short of a full star.
I'm painting these up as smoke jaguars so I'm looking for suggestions for that last mech. 

[Pa Weasley]

Hmm, Smoke Jaguar you say ....

Lights - Arctic Cheetah, Mist Lynx
Medium - Storm Crow, Grendel
Heavy - Cauldron-born/Ebon Jaguar, *special bonus Mad Dog*
Assault - Warhawk

That's just a few thoughts off the top of my head. Figured it was best to break them down by weight classes since I don't know which way you'd want to got with that last point.

[martian]

So I got the old Shadow Cat, Timber wolf, Adder, Dire Wolf box set. As I understand it clans do this dance in groups of 5 so I'm one point short of a full star.
I'm painting these up as smoke jaguars so I'm looking for suggestions for that last mech. 

Well, this collection of 'Mechs is quite disparate, ranging from the Puma (35-tonner) to the Daishi (100-tonner).

If you want my personal recommendation, you should go with the Cauldron-Born.
What's not to like here?


Other Smoke Jaguar 'Mechs are the Masakari ...


... the Ryoken ...


and the Vulture.


If you need a light 'Mech, the Smoke Jaguars fielded the Hankyu.

[noisenerd]

When I read the title, I was expecting a joke of some sort. Even though it wasn't, I'm using it that way from now on. :)

Also, my vote goes to the Ebon Jaguar. The Mad Dog would also be a fine choice.

[worktroll]

My vote goes for the Grendel. Ebon Jag is a fine design, but you could use a little more speed in the star, IMHO.

W.

[GhostCat]

Mist Lynx all the way.  It's light, fits the weight class of a heavy Lance for the whole star, is a jumpy mech that can keep the Shadow Cat company.  And, 7/11/6 is relatively fast for those good move mods. 

Barring that, the Vulture is a solid heavy for the Smoked Jaguars (I'll never call it a Mad Dog, there's already too much Clan Wolf favoritism in naming the mechs as it stands).

And the Stormcrow is also a reliable medium mech that can do everything the Vulture can.

One more Heavy mech I find useful is the Summoner (Thor).  It Jumps, has a wide variety of weapon choices and the Nova Cats like it too.

GC

[Pa Weasley]

The Jaguars named it the Mad Dog as a slight toward the Wolves.

[cold1]

It's the Jaguars you need moderate speed and LOTS OF GUNS!
Ebon Jaguar or Warhawk

[theCrowe]

Thanks for all the input guys, I've got a couple of great choices there depending on if I want to go for star tactics, individual greatness, or good old fluffiness.

I was thinking though. What about a point of elementals? Is that a Smoke Jag thing to do or really not so much? 

[Kommando]

 Seconding the Grendel

7/11/7 speed.
Well rounded Omni configs.

[worktroll]

Not so much a Jag thing. But 5 points of Elementals, then you can talk binaries, or a Nova!

[martian]

...
I was thinking though. What about a point of elementals? Is that a Smoke Jag thing to do or really not so much?

Lincoln Osis is very pleased ...

[Natasha Kerensky]

So I got the old Shadow Cat, Timber wolf, Adder, Dire Wolf box set.

You've got two mechs with 6/9 speed (S-Cat and Adder), one with 5/8 speed (T-Wolf), and one with 3/5 speed (D-Wolf).  Given the mobility gap between the D-Wolf and the other three mechs, I'd go with something on the bigger/slower side, either a Warhawk or an Ebon Jaguar.  That way, your Dire Wolf is less likely to get left behind/alone.
 

[Hellraiser]

I second Natasha's reasoning, but choose MadDog-Prime  O0
Its exactly what the DW needs as a friend but w/o the "I'm so cool in a Warhawk/Ebon Jag" feel that would just scream cheese when combined with the T-Wolf/D-Wolf pair. 
And its generic as all hell so you can use it for anyone really.

[GhostCat]

Here's something to think about.  How about taking a DCMS mech as Isorla?  Let's face it, It's a Smoke Jaguar Star deep in the Draconis Combine, surely we can think of possibly a Jenner, or some other typical Dragon mech that isn't doing very much. 

Of course, I'm ready to side with Hellraiser and say the Vulture/MadDog Prime is a Classic Jaguar choice.  Plenty of firepower, good speed, and who needs jump jets when you can stand and deliver at long range?

GC

[theCrowe]

Here's something to think about.  How about taking a DCMS mech as Isorla?  Let's face it, It's a Smoke Jaguar Star deep in the Draconis Combine, surely we can think of possibly a Jenner, or some other typical Dragon mech that isn't doing anything.

Oh you've picked up on my Surat freebirth heritage have you? 

[GhostCat]

Oh you've picked up on my Surat freebirth heritage have you?

Well, a Smoke Jaguar Bondsman might feel the need to single himself out in the middle of a Trueborn Sibko, but you can believe the Trueborn Warriors already noticed the unique quality of the freebirth.

You might find the Nova Cats are a little more tolerant, but we'd still mention that each gender has a separate plumbing facility in the barracks.

GC

[theCrowe]

Is there any info out there concerning Kurita bondsmen? I'd imagine it'd be a case of hide the knives before they'd be trusted with an armed mech. If the novels are anything to go by most of my kurita mechwarriors would rather use styrofoam cups in their tea ceremony than choose life in bondage over an honourable death.

Then I always felt that no self respecting clan warrior would take an IS mech for anything more than a joyride or the 31st century equivalent of a vintage car rally.

All this is to say that I won't be fielding any DCMS merchandise in my Smoke Jaguar Star

[worktroll]

Right on, Jaguar brother O0

The Jaguars would be pretty much the last to even consider touching Spheroid stuff. Even the Falcons threw some hasty IS refits in on IIRC Coventry (the C mechs, like Rifleman C), but let a Spheroid escape bond status? You would have to be a soft Wolf to let a captive become a Warrior ...

W ;)

[Archangel]

Is there any info out there concerning Kurita bondsmen? I'd imagine it'd be a case of hide the knives before they'd be trusted with an armed mech. If the novels are anything to go by most of my kurita mechwarriors would rather use styrofoam cups in their tea ceremony than choose life in bondage over an honourable death.

Then I always felt that no self respecting clan warrior would take an IS mech for anything more than a joyride or the 31st century equivalent of a vintage car rally.

The Ghost Bears' 115th Striker Cluster fielded captured a full battalion of the First Sun Zhang Cadre on Tinaca, many of whom would later serve in the unit as MechWarriors.

The Smoke Jaguars didn't permit freebirths in their ranks so they were likely relegated to lesser castes.  Captured DCMS filled out Jaguar garrison/solahma clusters.

Joining later in the invasion, the Nova Cats didn't have as many opportunities to capture Kurita warriors.  The only known "bondsmen" being Minoru Kurita.  I believe the remaining bondsmen were released after the Nova Cats changed sides.

As far as IS 'Mechs are concerned, many of the 'Mechs fielded by the garrison forces on Huntress were captured from the DCMS but then they weren't exactly respected warriors were they?  The other Clans likely also deployed captured IS 'Mechs in second-line/solahma/training units as well, reserving imported Clan-tech equipment from the Homeworlds for more high-profile front-line and in rare cases second-line units.

[Hellraiser]

IS refits in on IIRC Coventry (the C mechs, like Rifleman C),

Twycross

[ActionButler]

I don't know a ton about the Jaguars, but I am fairly confident that, given the option of using a captured IS mech or throwing rocks at an opposing Atlas, most SJ mechwarriors would run headlong at the Atlas and start punching and kicking.

Because not even Spheroid rocks are good enough for the Jaguars.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Yeah, that sounds like the Jaguars, all right.

[worktroll]

Because not even Spheroid rocks are good enough for the Jaguars.

Damned straight, quiaff!

[haesslich]

Damned straight, quiaff!

That is supposed to be "Better a Clan rock than a Spheroid Mech, quiaff?"

[theCrowe]

I think there are a bunch of Falcon guards still on Twycross who might  have,  Shall we say ... A unique perspective on the effectiveness of a carefully employed spheroid rock.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Yeah

Getting back to the original question of filling out the star, what about a second-line mech like a Warhammer IIC 2 or Behemoth?

[truetanker]

Kingfisher C

TT

[theCrowe]

And the grand reveal of the choice of Mech you've not been waiting for is...

Mad Dog Prime! Hellraiser has it. Take a bow, well bid and all that.

I just ordered a wee vulture off RPE there, a nasty little original sculpt to match my nasty orginal sculpt other mechs. No fancy new rescult nonsense in my star. Thanks for your input folks, keep an eye on the appropriate section for some shameless Jaguar spotted self promotion in the probbably not so near future.

[rebs]

Seems to me this thread title is a wonderful Clan-like verbal expression  O0

[Hellraiser]

Mad Dog Prime! Hellraiser has it. Take a bow, well bid and all that.

/takes bow.   :D

[theCrowe]

Just glad to do my part for the complicated linguistic animal that is clanspeak.

[rebs]

 O0