BATTLETECH: The Scarecrow
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2023
- Sometimes nightmares, can become reality.
In the world of #Battletech, it would be ironically the #FederatedSuns, or #HouseDavion, during the #DarkAge of the setting, that would bring this one to life. We'll be covering a medium #InnerSphere #Battlemech in this piece, more precisely the #Scarecrow, and one which frankly twists the stomach in terms of its intended purpose and use.
Links will be in the top pinned comment, regarding this machine. But if you dare, watch it through. Crimes of the highest order, and misery, await.
#Battletech #Mechwarrior #Periphery #DraconisCombine #Ilclan #CapellanConfederation #TaurianConcordat #RepublicoftheSphere
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Note: I am not associated with the Battletech / Mechwarrior IP, and create this under fair-use. Ownership of the Battletech IP resides with several companies at this time. I support all official releases. - Ігри
Huge thank you to Chapter Master Valrak for lending his voice to this video for the TRO quote. Valrak's channel, which covers Warhammer 40,000, can be found here:
www.youtube.com/@ChapterMasterValrak
Master Unit List information:
Resources:
www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/6336/scarecrow-ucu-f4
www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/6337/scarecrow-ucu-f4r
TRO Dark Age: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-technical-readout-dark-age
Record Sheets Dark Age: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-record-sheets-dark-age
Iron Wind Metals Scarecrow Miniature: www.ironwindmetals.com/index.php/categories/cat-battletech/cat-bt-bm/product/battletech-20-5175/category_pathway-2
I thought that was Vals voice but then was thinking Battletech isn't really his sort of cup of tea, but what do you know it was!
I was like I know that voice, can it be So 😂
.. and then I saw this comment, and was immediately less impressed by my ability to guess voice actors. I mean, I was right, but still.
Average Scarecrow pilot keeping a copy of the Ares Conventions in the cockpit just to laugh at it.
And rightly so!
It's not evil. It's just designed to deal with the threat that is infantry and especially battle armor spam.
It's not evil? Every infantryman would like a word with you about facing flame-based weaponry.....
There's a reason the flamethrower soldier was not a very popular job to take.
@@alexhurlbutso does that mean that soldiers in general are evil? Soldiers engage in warfare, which is brutality, and violence. This is the problem with subject morality. Without an objective, an ultimate, without something, someone greater than our feelings or cultural norms… Then it is all completely meaningless.
@@mitch7235 again this is from soldier's PoV. Flamethrower soldier is an unpopular job not because you're attacking civilians but because you're inflicting flames on other soldiers and the soldiers hate it the most.
@@alexhurlbut yeah, I get what you are saying, and I understand. It’s cruel, horrific, and seemingly unnecessary. At least the majority of the time in war. However, if there is no objective basis for those feelings, then they don’t matter. In the grand scheme of things, nothing matters if there’s no ultimate good.
I mean by that logic the Vulcan, Firestarter and every other flamer equipped design is evil
"Did you ever hear the tragedy of the Dark Scarecrow? I thought not. It's not a story the Federated Suns would tell you."
Hah!
The Scarecrow, because if you have to kill infantry you might as well be efficient about it.
That is right and proper.
It's the firestarter after it grew up, went to the gym, and starts to become an unhinged psychopath. And I love it...
That would imply that the firestarter wasn't already a favorite of psychos.
No, this is more like Firestarter finally figured out that yelling "FIRE FIRE FIRE HAHAHA FIRE FIRE FIRE" from 2km away just gets you Gaussed in the face. So it learned to be sneaky.
@@leoismaking Also that people are slightly less hateful of you if you mainly use bullets and photons instead of burning everyone alive.
It scares everything but actual crows.
I don't know... 8 LMGs would probably scare those off
@@RyeFieldsBe surprise how fesrless Crows can be.
*thinks*
Wait. Is there a Crow Clan?
@@Qardo No, but there are (Snow) Ravens. And some of them have the blood name Crow. (Otherwise, the Crow is a scout VTOL. I don't know enough about VTOL rules to know if the Scarecrow would be particularly good against it.)
Oh, I don't know, the noise, heat, bright light, and movement of mass would all likely scare most avian populations away.
@@josepholiveira2873 Aren't Snow Ravens known for having a lot of naval assets? If so, I'd keep quiet about this 'mech. You really don't want to get into a war crimes competition against a faction known for having WarShips. Those things are basically giant war crime dispensers.
“War crimes oriented battlemech” is my new favorite classification for a mech.
Not as fast as a vulcan, but better armoured, armed and stealthy. Also more expensive of course.
what I'm hearing is a vulcan but worth the price of putting new armor on it instead of selling the salvage for 2 packrats
@@robrib2682nah stealth armor's pretty gas
@@argokarrus2731 bruh, I'm saying this thing is worth keeping around unlike the base vulcan... unless you mean a variant of the vulcan that has stealth armor in which case sarna needs to update
Sometimes, you need everyone in that trench, foxhole or bunker dead really fast. The solution obviously is to make something so good at doing it, there any survivors cry foul and declare it a warcrime to use it. But enough about the Trench Broom. The Scarecrow really hammers the point home that when you need dead infantry, you send this guy.
The greatest danger to a Scarecrow pilot is not an enemy infantry formation, nor the BattleMechs's that support them, it is neither the artillery of far-distant guns. The greatest threat to a Scarecrow pilot is hubris and its best friend, overconfidence.
"Can't hit what you can't see!"
Runs straight into a minefield while laughing too hard to pay attention.
Take a Vulcan, improve it in every way, sick it on Kurita infantry.
you mean make the vulcan a viable weapon platform and then sick it on the weeabos
And Capellans. It's not war crimes cause kuritans and Capellans aren't people.
I have not delved into the later eras of Battletech yet, but if and when I do-this mech will be on my list and will be assigned to (Classified Ultra Secret)
Love hearing Chapter Master Valrak's voice in the intro. A true 7th Legion man! Glory to Dorn and House Davion!
I was with you right up until you said Davion. Y'all realize that someday you'll have to stop coasting on Victor's accomplishments, right
@@orbitalbutt6757 More of a Hanse guy myself to be honest. Man definitely knows how to put on a wedding!
Damn.... that chassis can fit so many warcrimes... I love it.
I like that guest appearance from valrak. Wasn't expecting to hear his voice in a battletech video lol.
As I mentioned, I used to mod for Valrak, he's been a huge help to the channel and I'm super happy he agreed to do the part for this video. :)
@@BigRed40TECH lol yeah I posted the comment in the middle of the video and at the end I heard your story with him. It's cool to know he's a good person outside of UA-cam. Its clear both you guys really have a passion for the subjects you cover.
I love the mech warrior's take on war. What? 200 soldiers killing another 200 is FINE, but not a mech designed to do the same?
Cry harder, Federated Suns journalists
It's the potential to do it to a sleeping company out of nowhere or to massacre a town and get off scot free that irks them. Also, that just means freedom of the press is still alive in the Federated Suns.
As a FedSuns player, I like it. As for SpecOp Mechs, this isn't the first time they have done this; the Stealth was designed for the same thing: deep raiding and assassinations. The only thing this thing really needs is a Plasma Rifle. As for Valrak, I've been watching his channel for quite awhile, even though he is a dirty Dorn fan!
Dorn would sign off on the Scarecrow.
@@BigRed40TECH I'm thinking it's more of the Alpha Legion or Night Lords Style. Dorn would get a Construction Mech.
@@gregdomenico1891 I see Dorn being fond of the Hermit Crab for versatility, though overall I see him favoring artillery and breakthrough mechs to fit the mind of assaulting fortifications.
Great video! As a Fedsun, this just proves that we're the good guys. We're just making sure that all the bad guys dont go home!
*Davion savior complex invasion intensifies*
Onwards my glorious mech friend!
I think the other houses are mad they didn't think of it first
Damn right.
@@BigRed40TECH Given house Liao's history of pioneering both stealth tech AND advanced antipersonnel systems, I imagine they were especially envious and annoyed they didn't come up with it.
Wow, wasn’t expecting Valrak to show up there!
Just looked this up on sarna. This is gonna be great.
If it’s called a scarecrow why wasn’t it designed to fight stormcrows?
Because of their storm attribute, scarecrows are vulnrable to high winds...
Just call it scarecorvid and have it kill ravens too
"Killing utensils", I'm adding that to my vocabulary.
It’s like a walking Klingon Bird of Prey, another stealthy vehicle designed by another honorable warrior race.
Honour in victory friends! honour in victory! :P
this one has an escape pod though
I've posited that a stealth hunch IIC would be ideal for Klingon values.
@@BigRed40TECHagreed👍🏻
Killing your enemy with flamethrowers before the kill you is not a warcrime
Edgar Grantham is pretty spot on.
I can't speak for its clandestine operations as I am unfamiliar with them. But attacking military targets and attacking infantry is no crime if it's carrying a machine gun or 8. With rubber bullets (something that BT does have exist and why so many security 'mechs use or depend on MG's) is also a non-lethal way to deal with crowd dispersion too.
The 'mech has a job that is merely filled already by other 'mechs and tanks for millennium. They can argue about it not being 'sportly' but this isn't a game (well... in setting it isn't), it's a war, and people participate in wars to win as quick and efficiently as possible.
What would make it more controversial though is if it took a page from the Liao book and just loaded it up with inferno SRM's and an assortment of flamers or plasmas... Though even so, I see no evidence that the Ares conventions forbade use of these weapons against infantry, tanks, or people in general beyond non-military targets.
Nice! Such a cool mech and back story. I have one painted up in 1st Fed Suns Armored Cavalry scheme.
The Federated Suns would never commit war crimes. Surely you are confused about this.😊
Capellan propaganda at its finest
Also, there is no war in ba sing se
Just remember when I first got a look at this monster when I first saw the 3145 tro for house Davion and fell in love with it first sight. I like special missions mechs a ton and plan on putting one of these with a stealth a vulpes and gunsmith as part of a special missions lance. I can't think of a mech that is better at hitting infantry formations and ammo dumps and field bases than this thing. The shear psychological effect this thing has. The fire breathing demon in the dark. If you are in the business of winning wars, you build something like this plan and simple. Have a feeling if the fedsuns is going rise again, this thing is still going to be used a lot in times to come.
4 out of 5 😊.
Thanks for the mech video.
Another predator style mech like exterminator. The specialized designed means while it has weaknesses it does its job very very well.
Thanks for covering the mech always on the lookout for new and exciting mechs.
Hopefully megamek has this mech , and their is a 3d printable version to pickup
Thank you very much Xandar!
For all the talk about war crimes, I see this thing as a raider. Logistics are a valid target, and a couple of these things ambushing a convoy are going to raise absolute hell, and the lasers give them enough punch to deal with escorts.
War is cruelty, and the Scarecrow is a reminder that even the supposed idealists embrace that fact. Just not when people are looking.
I, a member of the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces, condemn the existence of this mech!
*whispers* and would like to be able to get 20 of them
it looks like the bastard lovechild of a BJ-1 blackjack and a vulcan (don't get me wrong, I love the look). Glad to know that the inner sphere hasn't forgotten what both of those were made to bully
Well the BJ-1 was meant to bully insurgents and civilians. The Firestarter was built ready to bully actual professional infantry.
So the scarecrow is just as elusive and obscured as the Julian Davion's honor.
That vile snake shot an unarmed man in his cell. #neverforget #toranagaistheman
It's just a modern recon/rear area raider mech, as long as It's not used against civilian populations its far from being a "walking war-crimes factory". The controversy sounds more like a traditionalist Clan viewpoint of this type of combat unit.
The mech looks like a Blackjack and a Vulcan had a lovechild.
Yeah, people are acting like this thing shoots radiation
I've always seen the Scarecrow as a Dark Age replacement for the Vulcan. Similar mission profile, the same weight, and the Vulcan was nicknamed "Scarecrow" by the SLDF. On top of that, the main configuration of the Scarecrow is basically a better version of the Vulcan-5T, which was a variant predominantly in the Federated Suns. It makes you wonder if Corean looked at the Vulcan-5T, said "Hold my beer" and decided they could do "better."
Definitely a War Crime machine (MG).
I thought the Vulcan was nicknamed the Scarecrow so not sure why anyone would want THAT legacy!!
This mech is an ugly anti-infantry terror, like a mechanical monster from nightmares.
Able to become near invisible, appearing out of nowhere striking the back of the enemy.
Even mechs can be threatened if it gets in their backs.
I wonder if catalyst will ever make this mech. Such a cool platform I’ve never heard of before. Great video!
Ironwind does, and a link to it is in the pinned post.
@@BigRed40TECH awesome thank you!
Anyone who runs is a Capellan, anyone who stands still is a well disciplined Capellan!
Well, it is war, atrocities happen. May as well be efficient at it. Except the R, that is just boneheaded; but war is like that, too.
*Points at Operation Lactic, Operation RAT, the whole Justin Xing affair* I'd argue that the FedSuns has a fine and long history of covert fuckery. Just because they preside over one of the less jackboot-y parts of the Inner Sphere, doesn't make the Davions any less dirty than anyone else.
Nobody survives the Realpolitick of the Successor States and comes out with clean hands. Davion sometimes coasts on having been the designated protagonists of the early years of the setting, but there's been a lot more that's come out in the years since that make it clear that while the FedSuns MIGHT be the least bad of a bunch of bad options...they're still a bad option.
Another great video. That machine is a nightmare for light armor and anything made of meat. Lookin forward to the next one.
This was a great video, I hope we get a plastic mini of this mech. I want two so I can call them Jeeper and Creeper. Also Chapter Master Valark was a great cameo. Can’t wait for the next Dark Age Mech!
Ah yes, the mech that goes “it’s not Geneva Convention, it’s Geneva Suggestion”
Great vid as always red!
If I have one quibble with this, it's why use IS MPLs when you've already gone all-in on bleeding-edge tech? Lean in and use the cMPL instead.
I really appreciate this 'mech especially in the Dragon's Tongue salient, which as I understand it is a long, unmitigated series of war crimes on the part of the combine. If the Scarecrow gets dropped behind enemy lines and begins a campaign of terror against Combine occupation forces and logistics systems, then it could potentially have a massively outsized impact on the campaign to liberate occupied territory while simultaneously putting the fear of God into the heathen barbarians who are slaughtering the people of the Federated Suns.
I suspect that in 3099, Davion didn't have access to Clan MPL tech, but did have Clan ER ML tech.
@@BigRed40TECH Maybe, but it would be a good Block 2 upgrade.
House Liao: Look what they have to do to achieve a fraction of our power (for specOps murder)
Fantastic. lmao
The negative perception around the Scarecrow and it's intended use seems to be a very Davion problem, I doubt other powers having an issue with it, the previously stated Locust and Firestarters have been around for centuries by the time this strode off the assembly line. Hell, even the Clans have some very nasty and vicious anti soft target builds on their Omnis. You would think after centuries of exposure to conflict the citizens of the Federated Suns wouldn't be so... squeamish, yes the Scarecrow does horrible things to it's target, which is usually helpless against it, but so does an artillery barrage or an airstrike. Perhaps the public's view speaks more of the insidious nature of Davion propaganda concerning it's own actions and the wider Inner Sphere. As you said Red, the Davion government are far more like their neighbours in the Capellan Confederation and Draconis Combine than they would like.
Love me some good guy anti-infantry “fire” power!
Support-staff beware! You're in for a scare! lol
@@BigRed40TECH it’s not a war crime if they’re in a uniform…
@@fearlessfarless Successor States only kill people in Uniform, thankfully. :P
man that mech never skiped leg day
One thing I do love about the WoB era are all the stealth systems. Which I also hate fighting against. Also, the armour on this feels like the Vulcan
I'm enjoying the later era IS mechs interesting to get more of a look at those eras and I apricate the links for the master unit rules ^^
Great video.
To anyone that thinks Davion is above using flame throwers on infantry -
Did you REALLY think they put a flame thrower on the Valkyrie VLK-QF
in 2967 just to light cover fires?
Did you think that Kentares IV happening in a year with the same digits
scrambled wasn't deliberate? (2796)
VLK-QF pilots have one thing to say to you:
Smoke 'em if you got 'em.
While they have a machine here that would be excellent for war crimes if it used in it's intended role, as a raider and anti-infantry mech, it won't be committing any. Yes, it is horrible that it would be burning unarmed logistics trucks and mowing down unarmored infantry, but that's no war crime, it is just the horrible nature of war.
Anyway, I really like this mech. I generally prefer the FWL, but this is like a bigger, stealthy Firestarter or an advanced Vulcan and I'm into it.
Valrak is good people, remember following a lot of his Space Hulk stuff. I've also never lost the 40K bug, just don't buy the games anymore outside of for the PC. I simply can't afford it.
Wonderful take on things and a reminder that the Federated Suns were based on Anglo-French nobility. Not exactly a good track record to follow, categorically NOT the good guys, just better at hiding their crimes than most.
Excellent work as usual though, can't say that often enough!
Thanks! And it was great that Valrak lent his voice, it definitely matched the quote. :)
Figures an Imperial Fist would be part of the Fed Suns
@@BigRed40TECH If you need precise English or East Midlands drawl in the future I can help. Just most folks wouldn't understand the latter :P
Stick for a body, head fulla straw!
Gimme a scarecrow, rah rah rah!
Play it through loudspeakers for extra trauma.
Someone should tell that Davion pilot that "hey, it's not THAT much worse than a Firestarter" isn't as encouraging as he seems to think...
Yeah, should have stuck with the Locust comparison. That is a very effective infantry hunter, but it's okay because bullets are more humane than fire.
I never knew about this mech and I LOVE it! Definitely need a mini of it. Maybe pair it with a Raptor II for stealthy spec ops missions.
Really enjoyed this video, thank you!
It was fun to make :)
Love this mech tanks for telling me about it
Wow when the Firestarter isn't war-crimey enough
Davion are just as bad as the rest of the Inner Sphere, but they feel bad about that, which makes them Noblebright.
"We killed you, which made us feel bad. :( "
@@BigRed40TECH look at all the war crimes you made us commit!
It has 4 MGs and 2 lasers in each of the arms. But apparently to Battletech that is minimal. I guess in the adv. rules it's not an arm until it has 48 crit slots and 5 elbow joints...
Missed the Premier but here now.
I’m so freaking excited for this.
Seems like a pretty good, if not superior take on the anti infantry mech concept, with all the strengths and weaknesses that you'd expect. But honestly aside from maybe a few more double heat sinks, and a bit more speed, the Scarecrow isn't bad.
And clan spec MPL. That would also be a nice upgrade.
Important note: Endo-Composite comes with the serious drawback of any internal structure damage being DOUBLED. One SRM gets through a crack in your plating? That’s FOUR damage to your skeleton, bucko
There's an easy way to get around that weakness: don't get hit, and don't leave survivors to call for reinforcements.
Endo-Composite Internals are different from Composite Internals. The latter mimics Clan Endo-Steel in space and weight but takes double damage. The former weighs lighter Standard and heavier than Endo-Steel yet is just as tough as both.
❤
As a fan of the Vulcan, I absolutely love this thing!
It's just not a vulcan though lol
@BigRed40TECH Ha, true.
Still, it's right in my range of mechs. I've always been a fan of bad or quirky machines. Most of the games I play tend to be mostly infantry and tanks, with most mechs not exceeding 55 tons.
Combined arms is a blast, especially when fielding loads of artillery!
I love that conclusion!
Instead of a mainline fighter, I think leaning into the stealth with a forward observer would be a much better option.
8:28 Captain Edgar Grantham should be called "holedigger" because dear God that is not the right response 9 times out of 10.
Can't wait to get my dirty Capellan hands on one. I reckon some of the lasers can make way for more flamers and machine guns.
I'd be more interested in seeing if stealth armor combined with the already installed active stealth is a worthwhile upgrade to make an even sneakier mech.
Ya know with the mercs box coming out and it being more combined arms, I can see the scarecrow and other anti-infintry Mechs having an increase in use
Good choice on using Valrak for a warcriminal's voice!
I'm trying to come up with a list of mechs to form a army to take on 40k imperium of man. This mech I'm adding to it.
All I need to know is that this mech was made to scare the Raven Alliance.
Valrak jumpscared my ass, I was not expecting to hear his voice outside of his videos.
❤ for MW2 mercs soundtrack
The UCU-F4r ignores the most important system on the Scarecrow: the chameleon system. If it retained that, it becomes a viable brawler that opponents have to close with to hit. The Scarecrow has heat problems if it is going to engage other mechs where it needs extended use of firepower. The Scarecrow lacks a knockout weapon, which means anti-mech combat is going to be a drawn out affair. An alpha strike from this mech isn't enough to down other mechs. As such, it needs to set up for a prolonged fight where opponents will close to short range and damage it.
My proposal for a UCU type model retains the chameleon system. Remove the machine gun arrays and ammunition for the duel purpose of adding more heat sinks and bringing its jump capability up to its walk speed. So from the standard Scarecrow, remove the 8 clan MGs + 1/2 ton MG ammo + Case II + 2 B-pods gives 4 tons and 12 crit spaces to work with. Add 3 double heat sinks to bring total heat dissipation to 26/turn. Exchange 1 IS medium pulse laser for 1 more clan ER medium laser, use the saved tonnage to add 2 jump jets to bring total to 5. Use remaining half ton to add an a normal flamer. Overall this mech need a pilot with a good heat management skills. Opponents will tend to charge in close to overcome the Chameleon system, which leaves them vulnerable to being flanked in return. However, this mech can't really afford to jump and alpha strike.
The mech proposed here would work best as a lighter mech assigned to a heavy lance as a flanker. Most opposing mechs will focus on easier to hit and more threatening mechs first, which will allow this mech to get in its preferred range and finish off weakened mechs.
When you're the best you don't fight like a animal you just smash the enemy and bring your house much honor
40-ton medium 'Mechs are really bad in the Succession Wars era, with the only base chassis that was any good and available being the Whitworth (a passable fire-support 'Mech, though very vulnerable up close). This is because they generally either way overspent on engines or were just really poorly armed, with AC/2s and AC/5s frequently as main weapons. Large lasers would serve them well, but few had them.
A fantastic video as always, and hearing Valrak was a surprise, but a welcome one! We shall all unite as members of the plastic crack community!
Another Mech I want to play in MWO …”now you see me now you don’t” fooooolll…muhahahaha”
Thank you
Very nice.
Personally, I was always scared of the Piranha. The Piranha IV is nightmare fuel. This Scarecrow is a Soul Reaper.
Why so shocked? Wherever there is light, there are shadows...
Why did i was thinking the scercrow has to plasma rifles
Because you wished it was Capellan :P
i would keep the chameleon and swap out the armament for ER Clan LLs , heatsinks and a targeting computer. Any extra tonnage can be put to a bigger engine. Engaging at long range with the Chameleon makes this variant a much better prospect.
Ah, nothing says, "F YOU!" quite like active stealth snipers.
Another amazing video Red. Thank you for your continued dedication to produce Battletech content. If you need a voice actor, I'm happy to offer my services. If you need a grizzled sounding English tone that is.
I'm scared 😮.
Cool ‘mech!
Heh. 'Soldiers sleeping in their bunks' should have posted guards. Lazy. Sloppy. They had it coming.
This very spooky mech brings the action, at a distance.
Valrak was a great cameo!
Nice job one cool med mech.
It's the PiraJackStarter :P
Surprised more people aren't comparing this to the Piranha. I know i don't know of anything else with so many machine guns.