I'm interested in learning more about the predecessor of my favorite mech of all time. Can anyone tell me how the Battleaxe works in combat? Is it a decent mech or not? Can anyone link me to it's mech of the week article?
It's decent for the time period in which it existed (2400s - 2600s). The heat curve is nasty and you'll find that the (2) PPCs rarely fire together. A typical firing pattern might be:
Turn 1: (2) PPC
Turn 2: PPC + LRM-5
Turn 3: PPC + LRM-5
Turn 4: (2) PPC
The jump jets have a special purpose for this design, as its close quarters armament is poor (a single, SRM-6). Your
Battleaxe is a fire support platform like the
Rifleman and
Warhammer and should rarely see close combat. Use its maneuverability to get into partial cover, on top of a hill or into heavy woods. By standing still, you'll be able to mitigate some of the bad heat dispersal and utilize the above firing sequence better.
That being said, it's one of my favorite 'Mechs to use during the Age of War and early Star League period. It does the job of the
Warhammer adequately and (in some circumstances) is better-equipped as fire support. Using it outside of these two eras is rather dicey, since the heat curve is not competitive with units sporting double heat sinks.
A simple mod (if your campaign uses them) is to remove the SRM-6 for additional heat sinks and a ton of LRM-5 ammunition.