CLG is releasing some really banger products. I doubt many people would really field a Mackie in a current game, but who can truly say no to something as iconic and interesting to the setting like these early models of mechs? But I agree, designwise it might have been neat to go for a somewhat less refined look to make these old mechs distinct from all the "modern" versions. Give them a bit of an experimental and primitive feel, especially for the Mackie, that'd be really cool. But then again, the Mackie in this pack might be an already refined later overhaul of the first version, so there's that. Now I hope we'll get a CityTech and AeroTech Box at some point, too. Or in the meantime: Another ComStar Pack, with the Viking, Lightray, stuff like that.
Oh man - I still have my old citytech and aerotech boxes. So good. The citytech cover art of the Archer munching its way through the building is A+ iconic!
I think the path to truly primitive-looking mechs is to basically model whatever military vehicles were in use before mechs were a thing and put legs on those. The Champion looks like a very early mech to me, as does the Goliath. LAMs also make some strange form of sense for this reason. FASA's original Mackie had the benefit of looking like the Tin Man in a diving helmet- a big cylindrical boiler with a bubble head, arms and legs. That's fine for a proof of concept, but you know from there defense contractors would be modifying their existing fighter jet and ground armor concepts to embrace the advantages of an upright, legged machine.
I think the Mackie is the best one in the box. Great sculpt, nice and chunky, got curves and angles in all the right places, and it's a huge improvement over the original IWM sculpt. I named mine 'Hog Leg' and painted it in SLDF Olive Drab. I also put a skull and crossbones on it. I can use it for militia lances, for SLDF formations, and in later eras I can use it for pirates!
The Gladiator isnt just my favorite of the proliferation cycle; its my favorite mech period. I am even in the fun position of having commissioned art of the new Gladiator in color! I adore it so much. I hope we can eventually see the GLD-3R rendered. I want to know what that looked like!
Great review, very timely as my box arrived this morning (with the Northwind Highlander Lance). very impressed with the Proliferation Cycle box, although obviously would have been better if it had 7 Grasshoppers. Favourite Pro-Cyc mech - Battleaxe, because I'm a Davion wh*re.
It's Death From Above Wargaming Wednesday! The best day of the week! Watched the video, and enjoyed it. Something stuck in my craw though. They neglected to put in the Toro, which was the Taurian Concordat's first Battlemech, made in 2481.
Remember that those who contributed to the Clan Invasion Kickstarter got the original electronic re-release copies of the Proliferation Cycle short stories. So those who don't need the new code out of this box can give it to their friends! My favorite of these primitive designs are the Mackie (because it still pops up every once in a while in weird locations into the late Third Succession War era) and the Firebee because it is interesting design (not many really cool light mechs on the primitive tech era and the fact that it is a CC design makes it that much more unique).
Personally, i feel the Coyotl is a bit out of place in the box of primitive IS mechs. They either should've had like a Toro as a First Periphery mech or a Xanthos as the first Quadrupedal mech.
My favorite out of the bunch is the Coyotl. It's the first omnimech, and if you wanted to build a Clan Wolverine unit, it would approximate a Mercury II quite well.
This pack coming out inspired me too look into some of the age of war stuff. Then I realised just how crazy this era would have been. Real 'every man for himself' history where there is a massive arms race and the winners can go massive invasion marches. Still piecing it all together though, as the details are very sketchy from this era. Super keen for this pack. Great review, cheers.
5:23 Aaron pronounces "hegemony" the same way I do on Reddit. Extra juicy. Seven mechs in one box is enough to feed the whole family, so I'm happy to hear positive review.
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I've canonised that the people on Donegal pronounce it differently to the people who live in Donegal in Ireland so we can make this happen :D
So take the time to look at the alt eras rules and unless you are playing the RPG or needing to refit the mechs you don't need that section at all. For a normal game none of the mechs in here have any impact to that rules section as far as I can tell. Most of it is that it acts just like normal equipment but costs different. The one that would be good is the primitive jump jets that I think was on the griffin.
Firebee is my favourite and definitely a Liao mech. Got it as a starter mech in BT: Roguetech mod, and kept using it for a long time! Been using it in Override for a while and love it with an ER laser. I kind of love mechs that aren’t on paper strong. The Firebee is a unit that can move quickly to help another unit, and causing heat with the SRMs has some good utility. Mech dating profiles: Firebee Likes: helping his friends, anything that hates fire, bugswatting Dislikes: Bugswatters, TSM Battleaxe Likes: having a better long range firepower than the warhammer Hates: having weak arsed armour like a warhammer Gladiator Likes: Jumping and Pew Pewing, the jumping jack pilot skill Dislikes: The Guillotine, stupid copycat :P Ymir Likes: Being a bully Hates: Being bullied by good mechs the same size Icarus Likes: Being a mini wolverine Hates: Being a cursed wolverine Mackie Likes: milking time, being OG Hates: all these newfangled mechs, like the battleaxe Coyotl Likes: Speed plus extended torso twist Hates: Specialised mechs that are good at a battlefield role
It's thematically linked by being the first OmniMech. I don't mind as it has some very nice modern variants but a Mercury II or Pulveriser might have fit better.
The box is primarily a representation of the big milestones for everyone in the setting and as such much more a fluff box than most things we've seen so far. The Mackie is the first battlemech, but also the big achievement of the Terran Hegemony, the others all represent the big milestone mechs for the big five inner sphere powers in that they represent techonological leaps. The Firebee is important for inferno technology, the Battleaxe is for the general adoption of PPCs, the Gladiator is the first Kurita mech but also the first succesful private venture mech, etc. From that point of view the Coyotl being in there is perfect since it represents the one truly enormous technological leap the clans made in battlemech design and the one that is in-lore recognised as their biggest contribution to the battlemech as a weapons platform.
CLG is releasing some really banger products. I doubt many people would really field a Mackie in a current game, but who can truly say no to something as iconic and interesting to the setting like these early models of mechs?
But I agree, designwise it might have been neat to go for a somewhat less refined look to make these old mechs distinct from all the "modern" versions. Give them a bit of an experimental and primitive feel, especially for the Mackie, that'd be really cool. But then again, the Mackie in this pack might be an already refined later overhaul of the first version, so there's that.
Now I hope we'll get a CityTech and AeroTech Box at some point, too. Or in the meantime: Another ComStar Pack, with the Viking, Lightray, stuff like that.
Oh man - I still have my old citytech and aerotech boxes. So good. The citytech cover art of the Archer munching its way through the building is A+ iconic!
I think the path to truly primitive-looking mechs is to basically model whatever military vehicles were in use before mechs were a thing and put legs on those. The Champion looks like a very early mech to me, as does the Goliath. LAMs also make some strange form of sense for this reason.
FASA's original Mackie had the benefit of looking like the Tin Man in a diving helmet- a big cylindrical boiler with a bubble head, arms and legs. That's fine for a proof of concept, but you know from there defense contractors would be modifying their existing fighter jet and ground armor concepts to embrace the advantages of an upright, legged machine.
I think the Mackie is the best one in the box. Great sculpt, nice and chunky, got curves and angles in all the right places, and it's a huge improvement over the original IWM sculpt.
I named mine 'Hog Leg' and painted it in SLDF Olive Drab. I also put a skull and crossbones on it. I can use it for militia lances, for SLDF formations, and in later eras I can use it for pirates!
Lol Hog Leg … that is fantastic!!
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming Mare's Leg didn't have the same impact. And it was harder to paint in.
The Gladiator isnt just my favorite of the proliferation cycle; its my favorite mech period. I am even in the fun position of having commissioned art of the new Gladiator in color! I adore it so much. I hope we can eventually see the GLD-3R rendered. I want to know what that looked like!
Great review, very timely as my box arrived this morning (with the Northwind Highlander Lance). very impressed with the Proliferation Cycle box, although obviously would have been better if it had 7 Grasshoppers. Favourite Pro-Cyc mech - Battleaxe, because I'm a Davion wh*re.
Luv it, luv it. Great commentary review of a box opening, thank you Aaron & Thom.
Firebee is what you get when you "acquire" Icarus plans, but don't have the parts to build it
It's Death From Above Wargaming Wednesday! The best day of the week! Watched the video, and enjoyed it. Something stuck in my craw though. They neglected to put in the Toro, which was the Taurian Concordat's first Battlemech, made in 2481.
Kevin is a huge Toro fan!!
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I am still a huge Kevin fan, from watching the BatReps and podcasts he participated in!
I am a Kevin superfan!
Remember that those who contributed to the Clan Invasion Kickstarter got the original electronic re-release copies of the Proliferation Cycle short stories. So those who don't need the new code out of this box can give it to their friends!
My favorite of these primitive designs are the Mackie (because it still pops up every once in a while in weird locations into the late Third Succession War era) and the Firebee because it is interesting design (not many really cool light mechs on the primitive tech era and the fact that it is a CC design makes it that much more unique).
Think this is a great example of also “modernizing” old mechs. Great opfor choices in narrative. Pirate time if you get the Snord’s irregulars.
Personally, i feel the Coyotl is a bit out of place in the box of primitive IS mechs. They either should've had like a Toro as a First Periphery mech or a Xanthos as the first Quadrupedal mech.
Agree 100%. The lack of toro, when the reunification and periphery uprisings are such great battles to play out is a huge shame
My favorite out of the bunch is the Coyotl. It's the first omnimech, and if you wanted to build a Clan Wolverine unit, it would approximate a Mercury II quite well.
This pack coming out inspired me too look into some of the age of war stuff. Then I realised just how crazy this era would have been. Real 'every man for himself' history where there is a massive arms race and the winners can go massive invasion marches.
Still piecing it all together though, as the details are very sketchy from this era. Super keen for this pack. Great review, cheers.
I love the hotrodding old classic mechs aspect of this pack. Appeals to the petrolhead in me. Ordered one from the US as soon as it was available.
These are a bunch of mechs I didn't think we've ever get updated models of. Always been a fan of the Firebee. Nasty light that acts like a medium.
5:23 Aaron pronounces "hegemony" the same way I do on Reddit. Extra juicy.
Seven mechs in one box is enough to feed the whole family, so I'm happy to hear positive review.
Is there any other way to say Huhgemonie? 😁
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I've canonised that the people on Donegal pronounce it differently to the people who live in Donegal in Ireland so we can make this happen :D
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming People say the phrase "ACKSHULLY, it'sh pernounshed HA-GEM-INY" more than people say hegemony in any other context combined.
But how do people in House Kurita say it?
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming They say it however the Coordinator tells them to say it. The living Kuritans at least.
The Reunification War era is one of my favorite time lines so I wound up purchasing 4 of these boxes outright then added even more since.
I've been looking to see these, they look great, thanks guys.
This is one great idea for catalyst game labs.
It’s gotta be the Coyotl or battleaxe. Love the channel, keep it up guys
Great unboxing, gentlemen. As always, the House Master approves!
Great review! Looking forward to more videos.
For a Dollar a day you can send this Mech to college. Awesome 👍
Been waiting on this one. This is a cool box and including the book too is very sweet. I love the Mackie but all the mechs are pretty awesome.
Should we expect to see a classic battle report with these mechs in the future? Or a alpha strike?
So take the time to look at the alt eras rules and unless you are playing the RPG or needing to refit the mechs you don't need that section at all. For a normal game none of the mechs in here have any impact to that rules section as far as I can tell. Most of it is that it acts just like normal equipment but costs different. The one that would be good is the primitive jump jets that I think was on the griffin.
4:35 “I’ve got n1pples Greg, can you milk me?”
Love this box set!
Firebee is my favourite and definitely a Liao mech. Got it as a starter mech in BT: Roguetech mod, and kept using it for a long time! Been using it in Override for a while and love it with an ER laser. I kind of love mechs that aren’t on paper strong. The Firebee is a unit that can move quickly to help another unit, and causing heat with the SRMs has some good utility.
Mech dating profiles:
Firebee
Likes: helping his friends, anything that hates fire, bugswatting
Dislikes: Bugswatters, TSM
Battleaxe
Likes: having a better long range firepower than the warhammer
Hates: having weak arsed armour like a warhammer
Gladiator
Likes: Jumping and Pew Pewing, the jumping jack pilot skill
Dislikes: The Guillotine, stupid copycat :P
Ymir
Likes: Being a bully
Hates: Being bullied by good mechs the same size
Icarus
Likes: Being a mini wolverine
Hates: Being a cursed wolverine
Mackie
Likes: milking time, being OG
Hates: all these newfangled mechs, like the battleaxe
Coyotl
Likes: Speed plus extended torso twist
Hates: Specialised mechs that are good at a battlefield role
Amazing comment as always tinbane
The 9h was the last star league militia version before amaris happened
It's weird that they put the Coyotl in this when it's centuries newer and more advanced then all the others in the box.
Then clan players might buy boxes? :P
@@TinBane that's fine. It's just out of place with the others in my view.
It's thematically linked by being the first OmniMech. I don't mind as it has some very nice modern variants but a Mercury II or Pulveriser might have fit better.
The box is primarily a representation of the big milestones for everyone in the setting and as such much more a fluff box than most things we've seen so far. The Mackie is the first battlemech, but also the big achievement of the Terran Hegemony, the others all represent the big milestone mechs for the big five inner sphere powers in that they represent techonological leaps. The Firebee is important for inferno technology, the Battleaxe is for the general adoption of PPCs, the Gladiator is the first Kurita mech but also the first succesful private venture mech, etc. From that point of view the Coyotl being in there is perfect since it represents the one truly enormous technological leap the clans made in battlemech design and the one that is in-lore recognised as their biggest contribution to the battlemech as a weapons platform.
Anyone else get black video in the middle? Around 10:30?
Yep
I blame the editor (it was me).
you guys are Hilarious! lol
haha thanks for watching & commenting! We try not to take gaming tooo seriously 😁
BATTLEAXE I HAVE A ORIGINAL PAINTED BATTLE AXE SOLD UNDER BATTLE DROIDS NAM
Proto tech?
🌊🦊 best 🦊. 😅
Why are you doing this video? didn't this set come out months ago?
Horrible sound