Thunderbolt has ALWAYS been my favorite design. I started my career in a Masakari but there was something about this design I was drawn to. I think all of the MG and other ammo in the original designs are handicaps so that Players have an easier time winning plus who doesnt like to envision fire geysering out of armor cracks after a successful ammo hit plus a possible Stackpole if you play by those rules. On a personal note I like to sub a PPC for the Large Laser, an SRM 6 with 2 tons of reloads for the LRM 15 and reloads and remove the SRM 2, Machine Guns and their respective ammos and put on 4 Jump Jets and two extra Heat Sinks. Kind of a cross between the SS and the SE
Thunderbolt, what's not to like ? Good armour, good firepower, decent heat. The only weakness is that it doesn't have big damage guns like a Marauder or Awesome, but if you need a mech in the center of the battle that isn't an assault, you can't go wrong with a Thud.
Thuds have been my favorite since way back when I had a Revell Robotech Defenders model kit of Gartan, so in other words, before 'Mechs were even 'Mechs. Thanks for the spotlight!
Just played a 4 player 2v2 game last night, piloting just a thunderbolt 5s myself. ending up being the tank against a battlemaster and a catapult while my allied battlemaster and i focused down the enemy battlemaster. Someone I walked (hopped) away with 1 leg and a bloody yet alive mechwarrior, while we engine killed the enemy battlemaster and surrounded the enemy catapult at melee range forcing ejection. fell down like 4 times AND got DFA's but damn - had no idea how sturdy the thunderbolt could be!
Great video! I have never really used the Thunderbolt due to being Unseen for rough;y as long as I have been alive, but it is undoubtedly one of the toughest Mechs on the battlefield, especially if you are lucky with crit rolls.
Been really enjoying these critical analyses on my favorite mechs! Would love to see your takes on some lighter and medium mechs like the Blackjack or the Centurion. Keep up the great work!
And people wonder why I rip off the MGs and SRM-2, and their relevant ammo. This frees up four tons that I usually allocate to 3 more Heat Sinks and an additional ton of armor. Doing this, maximizes the efficiency of the Mech in combat. The 3 Medium Lasers are more than enough to deal with Infantry, should the need arise.
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming Such 'mods' are a 'thing' with me. Ripping MGs off of Locusts to add a 2nd Med Las and a pair of small lasers. Ripping out the SRMs out of a Wasp and adding more lasers. Etc, Etc, Etc (obligatory 'King of Siam' reference).
Something that helps the machine gun ammo is the rapid fire optional rules. I always dump the srm2 ammo right away. Non-streak srm2's are only beaten by machine gun arrays for being one of the worst weapons in the game imo and that's only because you can bring inferno, tandem, or acid ammo. It would be cool to see a comparison of the flashman and the black knight if your channel ever would do comparisons.
Yah good insight... rapid fire MGs with a little dice luck can be terrifying crit-generators. Some recently requested the Flashman v Black Knight - so it is on the list! 😁
@@Stormeris Depends on how I am playing. I've been doing alot of teaching games lately using 3025 tech so I can't really use specialty ammo. If I'm not teaching Battletech I almost never play in 3025 (I prefer Jihad and Dark Ages, most of my miniatures are from those eras) so Infernos around that time are only good for murdering non-salamander Battle Armor or starting fires.
I like the thunderbolt but mainly the rac 5 nais model. I like to move him from cover to cover doing full bursts of rac. If I get a jam just get out of firing line unjam and continue on.
Technical, there is no head, the cockpit is underneath the missle rack, with the three med lasers on the other side...with BT would credit the anime where some of their designs come from... Sun of the fang Dougram series, had mecha in battletech, the shadowhawk, griffin, scorpion, wolverine, thunderbolt, Goliath and the Battlemaster.
Can you do the Raven 3L? I'm looking to make a Merc unit that will be specialized in Electronic warfare. I'd love to see stats on its potential on paper.
I'd like to see a review and comparison of the rest/all the mechs in the "GOAC" Boxset, tyvm for making these your batreps and reviews are killer you Gents know your Stuff
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming hey no worries love every bit of your channel After not playing since the 80's as a kid I'm loving all the Intel. Abd I'm learning a Ton keep up the great work!
Ammo explosions makes you wonder how the Inner Sphere even exists at all. When a ton of regular bullets goes off like the Mythbusters concrete truck you think the whole planet would be vaporised if someone shot an ammo depot.
Well, the Great Houses that disbanded the Star League practically blew up the Inner Sphere so many times that: 1) Literacy rates drop from destroyed Age of War literature and pre-Star League records being blown up or covered in red tape. 2) Death toll in the quintillions if one was in either House border territory or Inner Sphere outskirts, with the greatest casualty rates resulting from feuding within the remains of the Terran Hegemony. 3) Big Brother became the banks, internet service providers, and even taking over transportation to the point that HPG Drive Failures are not a matter of "who died," but "how much did they owe the Interstellar Phone Company?"
I prefer the -5SS sure you lose the lrm but you upgrade to a PPC and SRM 6 , more heat sinks and replace the dangerous MGs with a much safer flamer . Really survivable mech
If only the half-ton MG ammo bin existed when they drew this one up. a 3xMG half-ton ammo bin would be conceivably survivable all the way out in the max-armored LA. Also, fuck THOSE PBI in particular.
Start doing some more fights in built up terrain and have Crunchies(Infantry) for the defender then weapons like MGs and flamers will have more purpose. when your bigger weapons only hit for one damage to the infantry stand.
Rewatching this a 2nd time--My merc force will likely be using the Thunderbolt 5SE, but I'm curious what you think about swapping the LRM-15 for 2x SRM6? Would that put too much heat strain at close ranges? I want to capitalize on all that armor, but would that throw the 'mech way off in terms of performance.
Heat load aside, I think you’d neuter the ‘mechs hitting power at long and mid range. The LLas is lackluster (15” max) so I think you’d find the TDR getting pounded on the way in with little ability to return fire. Maybe in an urban map that could work well though!
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming That's fair. I'll give it some more thought--I'm not sure I'd want to hamper its ability to return fire for the sake of having good performance in urban combat, even if it would have jump jets. Thanks for the insight!
Oh gotcha! That campaign is a wrap. House Liao got routed, despite a heroic rearguard. But! Some exciting new campaign action coming real soon, with a brand new rules system based on the chaos campaign - new animations/graphics... it’ll be cool 👍
Love the Thudnut. I would again disagree with the Calvary role and instead suggest that you probably want the brawler role. It's defined by being dangerous at all ranges, but more so up close and having lots of armor, which describes the 5S to a T.
Agreed! This thing can punch for 7 points of damage twice if you don't use the mg's or large laser. Combine that with 3 medium lasers and a SRM 2 from the torso, and it can really bust up bigger mechs.
All great points guys! I agree the cav role is a stretch for those 4/6 mechs... the big factor that held me back from slapping this down as a brawler is simply the heat load. 15 sinks... assume its walking so has 14 to play with. You aren’t going to get too much mileage out of all those beam weapons before you see some form of heat penalty. I tend to favor something like a Grasshopper, Trebuchet 5S, or the Cataphract 2X in a dedicated brawler role due to the fact that these mechs can sustain short range fire basically indefinitely. But I will concede your guys’ analysis is definitely on point, and the TBolt can also be a tough competitor at point blank! As some others mentioned, if you’re playing the rapid fire rules for MGs it could be brutal (just keep an eye on that heat gauge!) Love the feedback and thanks for the great insights as always!
@@brianhenry152 I agree, on that first page of the analytics I always look at hand actuators and weapon placement and think, can I punch well with this? Not that it wasn't covered - the punching option was mentioned at around the 20:00 minute mark.
Most definitely. Honestly the MG is an awful weapon as designed. The rapid fire optional rules help, but I’d almost always swap them out entirely. If playing “stock mechs” I’d dump 100% of the ammo. Barely affects damage output.
lol BAD I think it’s efficiency was in the decimals. Granted its supposed to actually just charge mechs and get uncomfortably physical, it’s still a trash pile. The 1A5 however is a useful mech. Maybe one of these days...
@@deim0s212 I think they did a few of those just for filler and to force you to learn new rules, like charge and melee, still don't use either the hatchman or charger really at all though :P
@@jman41171 there is nothing wrong with melee mechs. BUT the charger isn't one. It's just a piece of junk. A fast, heavy, piece of junk. Until you give it an AC20.
Brilliant guys. Always thought this guy was a good mech and you have certainly shown that. Being from Australia myself, any chance of a DFA shirt with Koalas instead of the bombs? Keep rocking!
The first mech I ever played; liked it as soon as I saw it. EVERYONE wants to play the Marauder; I went a different way and never regretted it.
Thunderbolt has ALWAYS been my favorite design. I started my career in a Masakari but there was something about this design I was drawn to. I think all of the MG and other ammo in the original designs are handicaps so that Players have an easier time winning plus who doesnt like to envision fire geysering out of armor cracks after a successful ammo hit plus a possible Stackpole if you play by those rules. On a personal note I like to sub a PPC for the Large Laser, an SRM 6 with 2 tons of reloads for the LRM 15 and reloads and remove the SRM 2, Machine Guns and their respective ammos and put on 4 Jump Jets and two extra Heat Sinks. Kind of a cross between the SS and the SE
Thunderbolt, what's not to like ? Good armour, good firepower, decent heat. The only weakness is that it doesn't have big damage guns like a Marauder or Awesome, but if you need a mech in the center of the battle that isn't an assault, you can't go wrong with a Thud.
Thuds have been my favorite since way back when I had a Revell Robotech Defenders model kit of Gartan, so in other words, before 'Mechs were even 'Mechs. Thanks for the spotlight!
Just played a 4 player 2v2 game last night, piloting just a thunderbolt 5s myself. ending up being the tank against a battlemaster and a catapult while my allied battlemaster and i focused down the enemy battlemaster. Someone I walked (hopped) away with 1 leg and a bloody yet alive mechwarrior, while we engine killed the enemy battlemaster and surrounded the enemy catapult at melee range forcing ejection. fell down like 4 times AND got DFA's but damn - had no idea how sturdy the thunderbolt could be!
Great video! I have never really used the Thunderbolt due to being Unseen for rough;y as long as I have been alive, but it is undoubtedly one of the toughest Mechs on the battlefield, especially if you are lucky with crit rolls.
Been really enjoying these critical analyses on my favorite mechs! Would love to see your takes on some lighter and medium mechs like the Blackjack or the Centurion.
Keep up the great work!
One of those two is right on the horizon 😁 already filmed so probably will drop next week!
Cool covering this mech as it's so popular and common.
The Thunderbolt is one of my favourite heavies, up there with the Catapult, Archer and Mad-Cat.
The SE that trades the SRMs and MGs for jump jets is my go to, I usually have it escort the catapult while also contributing with the LRM.
I still think the TDR-5S is one of the finest heavies from ye olde TRO 3025. And it grades up nicely too! For me, the TDR-5Sb (royal) is fantastic.
The TDR-7M is my favored chariot when it comes to upgrades to the old warhorse. Although dropping the MGs for SPLs in the -5Sb is a really smart idea.
I really like these, I can't wait for the next one. And more Battlereports, great to watch on my long weekends at work
And people wonder why I rip off the MGs and SRM-2, and their relevant ammo. This frees up four tons that I usually allocate to 3 more Heat Sinks and an additional ton of armor. Doing this, maximizes the efficiency of the Mech in combat. The 3 Medium Lasers are more than enough to deal with Infantry, should the need arise.
Absolutely agree!! Sounds like my kind of modification. 🙂👍
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming
Such 'mods' are a 'thing' with me. Ripping MGs off of Locusts to add a 2nd Med Las and a pair of small lasers. Ripping out the SRMs out of a Wasp and adding more lasers. Etc, Etc, Etc (obligatory 'King of Siam' reference).
Haha I am with you! MGs and SRM-2s don’t cut it for me.
That's the achilles heel of the Thunderbolt IMO, if you can get into the torso, you can then crit-hunt for an ammo slot and watch the fireworks.
Something that helps the machine gun ammo is the rapid fire optional rules. I always dump the srm2 ammo right away. Non-streak srm2's are only beaten by machine gun arrays for being one of the worst weapons in the game imo and that's only because you can bring inferno, tandem, or acid ammo.
It would be cool to see a comparison of the flashman and the black knight if your channel ever would do comparisons.
Yah good insight... rapid fire MGs with a little dice luck can be terrifying crit-generators.
Some recently requested the Flashman v Black Knight - so it is on the list! 😁
Don't dump SRM2s, get Inferno missiles instead!
@@Stormeris Depends on how I am playing. I've been doing alot of teaching games lately using 3025 tech so I can't really use specialty ammo. If I'm not teaching Battletech I almost never play in 3025 (I prefer Jihad and Dark Ages, most of my miniatures are from those eras) so Infernos around that time are only good for murdering non-salamander Battle Armor or starting fires.
I like the thunderbolt but mainly the rac 5 nais model. I like to move him from cover to cover doing full bursts of rac. If I get a jam just get out of firing line unjam and continue on.
This is a cool series. Love this stuff.
Glad you are enjoying! What’s the AK stand for? Sounds familiar...
My favroite Bettlemech
Love this channel! Great content👍
Thanks for watching!
Technical, there is no head, the cockpit is underneath the missle rack, with the three med lasers on the other side...with BT would credit the anime where some of their designs come from... Sun of the fang Dougram series, had mecha in battletech, the shadowhawk, griffin, scorpion, wolverine, thunderbolt, Goliath and the Battlemaster.
Can you do the Raven 3L?
I'm looking to make a Merc unit that will be specialized in Electronic warfare. I'd love to see stats on its potential on paper.
Sure thing - I’ll add it to the list.
I'd like to see a review and comparison of the rest/all the mechs in the "GOAC"
Boxset, tyvm for making these your batreps and reviews are killer you Gents know your Stuff
They are on the list! So many mechs out there... so little time... haha
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming hey no worries love every bit of your channel
After not playing since the 80's as a kid I'm loving all the Intel. Abd I'm learning a
Ton keep up the great work!
Thanks!! Appreciate that. 🙂
Ammo explosions makes you wonder how the Inner Sphere even exists at all. When a ton of regular bullets goes off like the Mythbusters concrete truck you think the whole planet would be vaporised if someone shot an ammo depot.
LOL I am literally cracking up over here
Well, the Great Houses that disbanded the Star League practically blew up the Inner Sphere so many times that:
1) Literacy rates drop from destroyed Age of War literature and pre-Star League records being blown up or covered in red tape.
2) Death toll in the quintillions if one was in either House border territory or Inner Sphere outskirts, with the greatest casualty rates resulting from feuding within the remains of the Terran Hegemony.
3) Big Brother became the banks, internet service providers, and even taking over transportation to the point that HPG Drive Failures are not a matter of "who died," but "how much did they owe the Interstellar Phone Company?"
I prefer the -5SS sure you lose the lrm but you upgrade to a PPC and SRM 6 , more heat sinks and replace the dangerous MGs with a much safer flamer . Really survivable mech
Take out the mg's and ammo and replace them with 4 small lasers. Problem solved. Just don't alpha strike unless you have to... lol
enjoying the videos
If only the half-ton MG ammo bin existed when they drew this one up. a 3xMG half-ton ammo bin would be conceivably survivable all the way out in the max-armored LA. Also, fuck THOSE PBI in particular.
Start doing some more fights in built up terrain and have Crunchies(Infantry) for the defender then weapons like MGs and flamers will have more purpose. when your bigger weapons only hit for one damage to the infantry stand.
Rewatching this a 2nd time--My merc force will likely be using the Thunderbolt 5SE, but I'm curious what you think about swapping the LRM-15 for 2x SRM6? Would that put too much heat strain at close ranges? I want to capitalize on all that armor, but would that throw the 'mech way off in terms of performance.
Heat load aside, I think you’d neuter the ‘mechs hitting power at long and mid range. The LLas is lackluster (15” max) so I think you’d find the TDR getting pounded on the way in with little ability to return fire.
Maybe in an urban map that could work well though!
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming That's fair. I'll give it some more thought--I'm not sure I'd want to hamper its ability to return fire for the sake of having good performance in urban combat, even if it would have jump jets. Thanks for the insight!
Nice video. A question, what is with the campaign grand finale?
Thanks! What do you mean re: campaign? Did I accidentally cut campaign footage into this video? Haha
Hi thanks for the quick reaction. I mean pat number four the Boras V campaign.
Oh gotcha! That campaign is a wrap. House Liao got routed, despite a heroic rearguard.
But! Some exciting new campaign action coming real soon, with a brand new rules system based on the chaos campaign - new animations/graphics... it’ll be cool 👍
Ahhh thanks.
Love the Thudnut. I would again disagree with the Calvary role and instead suggest that you probably want the brawler role. It's defined by being dangerous at all ranges, but more so up close and having lots of armor, which describes the 5S to a T.
Agreed! This thing can punch for 7 points of damage twice if you don't use the mg's or large laser. Combine that with 3 medium lasers and a SRM 2 from the torso, and it can really bust up bigger mechs.
All great points guys! I agree the cav role is a stretch for those 4/6 mechs... the big factor that held me back from slapping this down as a brawler is simply the heat load.
15 sinks... assume its walking so has 14 to play with. You aren’t going to get too much mileage out of all those beam weapons before you see some form of heat penalty.
I tend to favor something like a Grasshopper, Trebuchet 5S, or the Cataphract 2X in a dedicated brawler role due to the fact that these mechs can sustain short range fire basically indefinitely.
But I will concede your guys’ analysis is definitely on point, and the TBolt can also be a tough competitor at point blank! As some others mentioned, if you’re playing the rapid fire rules for MGs it could be brutal (just keep an eye on that heat gauge!)
Love the feedback and thanks for the great insights as always!
@@brianhenry152 I agree, on that first page of the analytics I always look at hand actuators and weapon placement and think, can I punch well with this? Not that it wasn't covered - the punching option was mentioned at around the 20:00 minute mark.
These numbers would look better if you take into account ammo dumping. No matter what I would enter battle with only 1/4 of the MG ammo at most.
Most definitely. Honestly the MG is an awful weapon as designed. The rapid fire optional rules help, but I’d almost always swap them out entirely.
If playing “stock mechs” I’d dump 100% of the ammo. Barely affects damage output.
Woo hoo!! Love it!
Haha thanks again!
Pair it with a light or medium and hunt anything lighter than 65T. Ooooor, support heavier mechs and flank targets.
please, do the review of the Warhammer
It is on the list!
Ok if you don't do King Crab or Atlas you should do the craptastic CHR-1A1 Charger. How bad can a mech be?
lol
BAD
I think it’s efficiency was in the decimals. Granted its supposed to actually just charge mechs and get uncomfortably physical, it’s still a trash pile. The 1A5 however is a useful mech.
Maybe one of these days...
DFA better make one for the charger... and educate the masses. for some reason, they included the thing in the lance packs.
@@deim0s212 I think they did a few of those just for filler and to force you to learn new rules, like charge and melee, still don't use either the hatchman or charger really at all though :P
@@jman41171 there is nothing wrong with melee mechs. BUT the charger isn't one. It's just a piece of junk. A fast, heavy, piece of junk. Until you give it an AC20.
I personally run 3
Brilliant guys.
Always thought this guy was a good mech and you have certainly shown that.
Being from Australia myself, any chance of a DFA shirt with Koalas instead of the bombs?
Keep rocking!
Just don't use one if you have aimed shot rules. That ammo is a death trap.
Always dump that MG ammo. MG ammo is spelled D.E.A.T.H.T.R.A.P.
Dump into the enemy you say?
LOL to both. The Rapid Fire optional rule helps... as does the 1/2 ton increment but geez it’s just so volatile.