BATTLETECH: The Kit Fox

[@weaselwolf]

Fun fact: Baby foxes are called kits. Spheroids: "What an impressive machine. We must name it as a god." Clanners: "It's basically called the puppydog."

[@bthsr7113]

I mean, when you compare it to the kind of violence that substantially heavier offense dedicated Clan gear can achieve, it's fitting, though I can see why the IS named this thing after a deity given that even the fearsome (default configs of) Jenner, Commando, and Urbanmech are all outgunned by a Kit Fox variant.

[@altoshark]

I thought they were named after these guys: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit_fox

[@weaselwolf]

@@altoshark and those foxes are called kit foxes because they're the smallest foxes and therefore like, well, fox kits. Kit is still the term for a baby fox. It's like if you had a breed of anal dogs just called 'puppy dogs' because they're small and cute. Whether you name your badass thing after baby dogs or the kind of dogs named after baby dogs the effect is the same lol

[@DIEGhostfish]

​@@weaselwolfso a Kit Kit fox is possiblem

[@kingleech16]

@@DIEGhostfish And the less common Kit Kat Fox.

[@guitarhausdoesntknowwhatac3285]

Not the biggest or the fastest or the most upgunned of the invasion era clan mechs, but the Kit Fox still epitomizes the clan idea of "we're just better then you" by being well armed and fast for it's size.

[@kinggeo8545]

"Clan tech, it's just better." How's that for a sales pitch?

[@lukedudley5030]

​​@@kinggeo8545 great pitch :-) pity they don't sell it and we have to steal it till much later in the timelines :-) edited for spelling lol

[@bthsr7113]

I mean, even when directly compared to a similar mech made to counter the Clans, the A has 2 er medium lasers over the Hollander, though the Hollander has a couple nice quirks. Still, that very direct comparison helps illustrate your point. Even with being a better shot on the move, the Hollander is still outgunned, and that being a better shot only applies if you're using the full rules. Even with these two near peer machines, the Clan one still has way more bite and theoretical endurance despite coming earlier.

[@theapostatejack8648]

@@kinggeo8545 That was how the quartermaster in MW4 Mercenaries sold it.😁

[@l0rf]

The only thing clan tech can't beat is the price. I really do wonder who would win, a single Timber Wolf Prime or 27 Urban Mechs.

[@krissteel4074]

One of the best classic clan gunboats around in its weight. Because going about 100km/h with the potential to carry an ER-PPC or Gauss rifle and enough laser-focused hate is hilarious for one side in a conflict.

[@spencerjones841]

Like most Clan battlemechs if you see it on the other side of the field you best hope you have ample artillery and air support on call

[@hughsmith7504]

@@spencerjones841 And hope one of those lights isn't a counter battery mech, or even your artillery is in trouble.

[@spencerjones841]

@hugh smith one vs a company or battalion ain't going to go well for it. At all

[@NemFX]

Ah, the Uller. I love having these things on my side, and hate fighting them. This thing can punch so above it's weight that even assault mechs have to prioritize it. The Uller is the Mad Cat of the light mechs. It's iconic, does everything well enough to be remembered, and it has that scariness factor.

[@Ragnaroknrol]

The arm only weapon situation is actually a great demonstration of how this thing makes up for shortcomings. You can’t fire torso weapons with elementals riding you. And those elementals add 10 points of armor to those torso locations. If they get close, drop the toads on them and run away firing while they are attempting to deal with your little buddies.

[@l0rf]

I love the idea of Elemental power armour counting as ablative armour. So incredibly wasteful but sort of cool.

[@DTSephiroth]

@@l0rf They know what they signed up for.

[@EmperorPylades]

@@l0rf There's a reason Elementals have an absurdly short life expectancy

[@l0rf]

@@EmperorPylades No Guts, No Glory.

[@Ragnaroknrol]

@@l0rf Also, they can tank an IS PPC and continue functioning. They won't be happy, but they are alive. And they can hop off and discuss their unhappiness with the pilot after opening their cockpit like a tin can.

[@RyeFields]

I've felt the wrath of this thing before, but a speedy Arrow-IV is actually terrifying

[@bthsr7113]

An Arrow IV with 3 tons of ammo, no less. So it can carry for endurance, variety, or 3 nuclear fireballs.

[@mickbrown7793]

The interesting thing is that the Kit Fox is one of the earlier OmniMechs - a second generation design, one built by the Cloud Cobras who aren't even known for their 'mechs. And valuable enough that when the Star Adders wanted their own light omnimech over a century later, for the invasion of the Inner Sphere, they developed the very similar Adder. Really, the Kit Fox is the archetypal Clan Light Omnimech.

[@Doomer1984]

This little beast crippled my lance. We concentrated fire on the Timberwolf, and ignored this monster to our detriment. 😢 The game masters grin frequents my nightmares

[@vincentred1870]

Big props for talking about the V variant. It was recently added to all eras and it's one of the best artillery mechs in the game. Small, fast and cheap in BV

[@tehpw7574]

you are say that it was available during Revival? Is it safer to say that was a mistake? The V doesn't sound... it doesn't sound like it would be used in Revival fights (probably the earliest would be post FCCW when the Falcons started to be more appreciative of Artillery....) but since the Snow Ravens came to town, I can see them using it as a very cheap and effect means of force projection?

[@EmperorPylades]

@@tehpw7574 The Snow Raven approach to Zellbrigen is best summed up as "is anyone who cares going to live or find out?"

[@AGS363]

And again, the ingenuity and resourcefulness of Clan Snow Raven puts this Mech on a complete new level!

[@EmperorPylades]

My beloved Crow bois might have long running beef with the Shark Foxes (you try and kill off one totem...), but it seems that they love money just as much as them. Or maybe they just like competing with them. When you're talking about clans as pragmatic and thoroughly amoral as the Shark Foxes and the Snow Ravens, its all kind of interchangeable.

[@R17inator]

Having to use the old, twist-less version of this thing against a _Summoner and a Warhawk_ in the third Jade Falcon Trial of MW2 was... pretty rough, to say the least.

[@CentsOfFate64]

That is, in my opinion, the hardest MechWarrior Mission created.

[@Korraganitar]

​@@CentsOfFate64 I might agree, but Velvet Hammer exists.

[@defiantmechwarrior2397]

Excited for this. Once I rediscovered this mech it instantly became one of my preferred clan light

[@lebe5894]

Finally a clan video without clan slander!

[@greyjedi4794]

Seyla

[@ExeErdna]

It isn't Smoke Jaguar so no need for it

[@ThelemicPotter]

Are you mixing Red for Tex? Tex is the one with a real thing about the Clans, Red has always kept a positive tone.

[@lebe5894]

@@ThelemicPotter On stream its constantly brought up, how bad clan society is, but thats mainly brought up by people to troll Bear.

[@EmperorPylades]

@@lebe5894 I'm a filthy Clanner at my core (if you count Snow Ravens as Clanners) and even I have to acknowledge that Clan society is an insane totalitarian nightmare. Its "rule of the strong", held together with chewing gum and wire in the form of mythology and cult-like behaviour.

[@cameronstrathdee1772]

If you see a Jade Falcon mechwarrior and they're not riding a Summoner, Kit Fox, or Mad Dog, then you should be suspicious because that bird is up to something.

[@kks557]

Thanks you for all the entertaining videos!

[@BigRed40TECH]

Thanks so much kks!

[@paganhorde4463]

The kit fox with 40 LRMs laughs at your catapult

[@RecklessFables]

The was one of my favorite mechs in Mechwarrior Online (MWO). A very short mech, it is able to walk under some things other lights can't. opening new approaches. It also had the agility to really wreck heavies and assaults that lacked arm weapons once it got under them.

[@ohthreefiftyone]

I’ve been experimenting on MegaMek with a Star consisting of two Kit Fox As, a Shadowcat and two points of Elementals. It’s real fun to run. Fast and punchy.

[@kenhodge9046]

Dude! Everything looked really good on that. Jade Falcon emblem, lighting etc, looks very good. Great mech. Keep it going... But... Don't forget to the walls. ;)

[@BigRed40TECH]

They're getting done pretty soon. By the end of the weekend you should see the final shelf gone :P

[@chloesilverwolf739]

Personally my preferred Kit Fox loadout is: 3.5 tons of armour 11 double heat sinks 2 large pulse lasers A targeting computer And a supercharger

[@badenlily]

How exciting! I've only recently gotten into Battletech, binging on YT lore content like yours. So far I think the Kit Fox is my favorite mech, from my limited MWO experience, so I'm pumped you've covered it now.

[@BigRed40TECH]

It's a fun mech :)

[@justinjacobs1501]

Always good to see another MWO KFX lover! I think I own five of them at the moment. There's a quad lrm 10 version, an ultra 20 one(with two tons of ammo and jump jets), and my favorite the Fighting Fox, four MGs, three er Mediums, triple laser AMS, ECM, and jump jets. That dude is very mobile and makes a nasty little support for heavier mechs.

[@joshuaturnquist5538]

I'm glad to see some people excited for the Uller in the comments. I used to only hear people say it's bad because it's relatively slow and has a loadout that isn't super optimized. It's a nice trooper for the Clans in a way.

[@marvinjohnson2488]

Ok the Kit Fox really appears to be goddammit scary. Never ran into it while I was playing but your description of this thing bumps it up to "Kill on Sight".

[@grinningidiot]

When you can't afford a proper fox from the factory but you know how to use a wrench, you buy a kit fox and have it sit in your garage for 10 years before your wife makes you sell it.

[@roguerifter9724]

The W is close to a custom variant I used to use whenever I played as Clan Cloud Cobra or Clan Jade Falcon. The big difference is mine had two ER Large Lasers replacing the Large Pulse Lasers and gained four jump jets and two double heat sinks. I think I used that variant sometimes when playing as a Jade Falcon in Mechwarrior 2 some as well.

[@justinjacobs1501]

Nimble little sniper, I like it!

[@denseaf1582]

Had a duel with my sister last year, Kit Fox vs Dragon. Actually a pretty even match-up in terms of BV, although I only won because I got two headshots with an ER Large rather than any actually skill in maneuvering.

[@Gunnery2]

I always remember the training section in way of the clans. One of my favourite novels and it was wonderfully detailed when it came to the kit fox fight.

[@ampgp03d]

I see the kit fox v and my first thought was screw the arrow 4 urbie. 97kph/60mph is stupid fast for an artillery unit that can also equip a nuke in its payload. This is so ridiculous that is both funny and horrifying. This thing reminds me of the davey crocket equipped army jeeps of the Cold War. I love it

[@bthsr7113]

Not to mention that this puppy packs 50% more ammo and some self defense weapons. So in total, faster, more ammo, and better armed for emergencies.

[@sper1585]

One of the Clan egg shells with a hammer. I have a Jade Falcon ccg deck filled with these and Koshis.

[@fedupN]

Delightful mech! Absolutely love it. Kit Fox A is a thing of beauty. Edit: Didn't know about the W. Glorious.

[@ian5395]

Kit Fox Hard to beat as a support mech.

[@paladinslash4721]

Being a glass cannon ain’t so bad when you can decimate opponents from far away.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Excellent video, as always. The Kit Fox is such a fun mech.

[@bthsr7113]

Okay, D variant is a very attractive option. Like a leaner faster Mandrill. The V is just psychotic. And I love psycho designed artillery. A fast UM-AIV with more ammo and actual self defense weapons? Oh that is disgustingly effective.

[@v13r3r]

You know whats missing that I dont really see in other mech vids? IRL history. It'd be nice to hear more IRL lore aspects like you did at the end there

[@Coggernautt]

Great supporting mech!

[@georgesulea]

Great synopsis on a really underrated mech:)

[@SeismicWolf]

"The Kit Fox A & H" me hearing AH.... AH? The best Centurion Variant? Centurion Next Mech Confirmed?

[@LionFace]

that was great, I had heard the Kit Fox was great, but this was the first time I have heard it compared in context with the Trebuchet and Catapult which is downright scary when you think about it.

[@Timberjac]

Another nice machine that ratifies that the clans seem to use their light mechs to support heavy and assault and the mediums for the recon work that in the Inner Sphere would be carried out by the light mech.

[@sim.frischh9781]

I prefer the Cougar optically, but the Kit Fox/Uller is a damn fine machine no less. The Gauss/2 Clan ER MedLasers combo of the A variant is my favorite loadout, however there are others that are great for certain specific tasks as well. AltConfig D with its many LRMs is a great support unit, though a bit too dependent on ammo, i would drop the LRM5 and add either one Clan ER MedLaser or two ER Small Laser. Plus the new image by Alan Blackwell looks really nice, i love the fact that we´re getting new artwork for pretty much every single mech.

[@jamesmcamis8556]

Ah, the Kit Fox; it's said- that if you see a Falcon who's *not* running a Summoner-, Hellbringer-, or this-, that you should be doubly-cautious.

[@lukedudley5030]

Great little mech only surpassed by the adder in this period :-)

[@BigRed40TECH]

The Adder is gonna be fun to cover next week

[@jameshojnowski8455]

Love this 'Mech, it was my first Dark Age clix unique I got, Malisa Nova Cat. When I started painting CGL minis, my Kit Fox got Spirit Cat colors.

[@arieltaylor1013]

Thanks!

[@BigRed40TECH]

Thank you Ariel!

[@sebastiang.5032]

The Kit Fox is by far my most loved light Omni. So sad I had none extra while painting my Clan Sea Fox Spina Khanate. 😁

[@Firestorm2900]

The Kit Fox was always on a list of mechs to experiment for me when I would see it, except the Mech 2 trilogy. For some reason, they really reduced it's ability to torso twist to like 20 degrees. Both love the look, and all the different packages this mech allows you do deploy.

[@PeterLunn-j8q]

I've always loaded them down with as many jump jets as possible making them extremely fast and high jumpers, then used them as fast scouts and artillery spotters for mechs armed with extended long range missile systems.

[@theapostatejack8648]

The Kitfox, I love this mech, have done since Mechwarrior 2 and Mechcommander. Sales pitch for the Kitfox V? "Because counter battery fire is the other guy's nightmare."

[@Dang_Near_Fed_Up]

Infantry (not even battlearmor equipped) is usually dispatched to deal with artillery. They normally expect to find a slow moving, barely armed (or armored) vehicle train in the 30kph range. Now they instead find a 100kph fast moving omnimech, with both modest armor and competent self defense laser capacity. Can you imagine their horror? Plus there may be 4 additional Ullers there, in other configurations, acting as defenders for the artillery Uller as well.

[@MrBCWalker01]

Can confirm that you don't want to get shot at if you run this Mech. Tabletop game, back in the 90s, had this Mech and a few others in a Star try a flanking manuever on an IS raiding party. A LAM lance spotted us, so we got lit up by them calling in LRM volleys. That Fox went up like a fireworks factory when it got hit.

[@bthsr7113]

A fox whose prey caches weigh in the 10's of tons.

[@Steven-dt5nu]

Solid mech! Love using these.

[@anthonyvogel9328]

Like it red. Kit fox is one of my favorite light mechs. It can help get it done

[@Ironclockwork]

Pretty much a reflection of the Clan approach to warfare. Fast and aggressive with the firepower to match. Just better hope however that your endurance and logistics supply holds out.

[@TheMonkeyMann]

Love the video! Not sure if you've down the owens yet, but I do know there isn't an owens mech out on on the steam workshop yet, however I do plan on working on the mechassault owens/Hackman if you want I can send you the packaged mod so you can use it for some footage to gather on a breakdown for it, the textures have all been upsacled so they dont look too cartoony lol👍

[@BigRed40TECH]

The Owen's is in 3058, we're a wayws away from it.

[@TheMonkeyMann]

@Big Red-40TECH well nevertheless just let me know if your interested 👍

[@BigRed40TECH]

@@TheMonkeyMann I'll have to see. We're a bit of a ways away.

[@lexington476]

You know your analysis made me rethink this design, it's a bit more of a glass cannon than I originally considered. It is next to no armor. it can really throw out the damage, but it can't take it.

[@starsiegeplayer]

I remember playing this one in mw2. Loadout good but it had almost no torso twist. That limited the ability to move and target, and with it so fragile you needed to move to stay alive. As a result, I hated it.

[@bartlester591]

I can only think of one client, MEch that could even come close to the kit fox the phantom. There is one configuration that carries nothing but ER smalls, a friend of mine. We were playing in a rather large battle. At one point he was crazy about light Mechs and he drew clan, so he polled 4 phantoms and it was three or four of us that were playing in a kind of a furball, and I watched him take down the battle master atlas, and several other brother, large impressive mix by nothing but back shots mean that he was fast enough he could get in behind you and unload with nothing but ER smalls. My advice is to check the smack out it is deadly.

[@LupusGr3y]

I always thought it looked more like a frog than a fox

[@depth386]

In Mech Warrior 2 i was not a fan, but Mech Warrior 4 Mercs or BK (i forget) gave this thing a well deserved new life

[@harvestblades]

I love my Clan 'mechs & this is one I need to try it & it's variants (Especially the pulse boat, type W!). Imay have to play a small match with my son tonight & give this little guy a run.

[@MrKezzerdrix]

My favorite on MW online and the mech that got me to stick with the game. Me and my buddy run a pair as missile boats. Not the strongest option but super fun!

[@osogitzgraymane72]

It's got a 'hur-hur-hur' kinda face in the mech break down section and now i cant unsee it. (With the cockpit being the mouth)

[@BigRed40TECH]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnW9lHRpitlog9E&ab_channel=alekso56

[@WolfHreda]

I've adored the Kit Fox from day one. MechWarrior 2 was my introduction to Battletech, followed later by the Jade Phoenix Trilogy. Lastly, in MechWarrior 4 Mercenaries, my 'mech of choice for the Solaris 7 Light Circuit is always a Kit Fox with a Clan LB/20X and nothing else. It's a monster of a light 'mech.

[@covahredro8370]

The Kitted out Fox

[@Sanchuniathon384]

In MWO, this bad boy with twin LPL and lots of heat sinks, armour, ECM, etc. is hilariously effective

[@kks557]

Thanks for the video. Is there an alternative to the YT Thanks button such as PayPal, Pateron, etc.?

[@BigRed40TECH]

Not at this time, though thank you for the support all the same! :)

[@benparker2522]

nice, finally the best mech in Battletech! In my head cannon it'll never have torso twist though.

[@Tellos]

Just rewatching this cause why not.

[@QuestingTruck]

I haven't looked yet so if you already have them great but I'd really like to know more about the raven alliance. My knowledge of the dark ages and ilclan era is almost non-existent. Yet I keep hearing you talk about the snow ravens and I found myself seriously considering putting together a snow raven or raven alliance army for the tabletop game while listening to this.

[@JosephMitchell-zw3db]

Thanks

[@kkplx]

One of my top3 clan mechs for sure

[@ambientlight3876]

This little machine is simply brutal for its tonnage. Despite its lack of armor its sheer pod space combined with smart congfigurations make this machine a deadly threat to even some heaveies. It is not to be underestimated and should be considered an immediate target of opportunity. On the other side, its firepower combined with its low survivability should make it an immediate priority for destruction as this may be one of the quickest ways to reduce your opponent's overall combat capability.

[@XanderDraft]

Have very fond memories of this mech from the MWO game. Triple laser AMS and heavy lasers is brutal. On the tabletop this thing is absolutely devastating. I run one in almost every star. Ironically it’s the one clan snow Raven painted mech I have.

[@wytfish4855]

ah yes the triple AMS kit. loved running those as a satellite around allied pushes and see how the other team's missile boats go into meltdown. also loved menacingly (as menacing as the cute little fox could) marching it up against a dedicated clan missile boat and watch them helplessly try to puke missiles my way while i slowly and inefficiently cook their armor away with my two medLas because the triple the LAMS is eating up all the heat capacity i have lol

[@XanderDraft]

@@wytfish4855 yeah that mech was an exercise in heat management and fire discipline. Well or a push the limit mech if you knew how much heat you gained per laser.

[@Korraganitar]

The Kit Fox: along with the Firefly, one of the first mechs I ever shot at. MW2 memories=)

[@ronbogard331]

Good job on another great video.

[@eltoxicdog7587]

I used to run a Kit Fox prime named Mr. Shorty that had a UAC 20 and two small clan er lasers on MWO. He could rip and tear like an assault mech.

[@brothersgt.grauwolff6716]

another exelent video as always Big Red the Uller/Kit Fox has alway been one of my favorites the only time I've been abe to field field one until getting the CGL Clan Fire Star was in the clix game it would win me games until it died out I still keep Shin Wolf Uller out of respect

[@bubbasbigblast8563]

The Kit Fox's standard variant is one of those "the techs are secretly trying to kill the Warriors again" mechs, but it can be quite a mean little machine with jump jets. Sure, the other variants work fine if you can keep the enemy distracted from the Kit Fox, but that's often a hard *if.*

[@sevendaggerssix7298]

Used to not like the Kitfox till i started playing MWO and see its versatility. On table top, I pair 2 Kitsfoxs with 3 Adders(2 primes for the lrm 20s).

[@AWholeLegionary]

This thing brings me pain whenever i see it in MWO. Its why i run an AC20 on my Jagermech just so I can at least kneecap it.

[@da_BemBem]

Sooo, it's a RuralMech?

[@dhoffnun]

This one is truly PUNishing

[@Tatsu_of_Liao]

Good job!

[@thedocklighter]

Innocuous name for an efficient little sniper/flanker.

[@Gigas0101]

the V loadout is going to give me nightmares...

[@jasonmorello1374]

in MW4 these were around every corner. tho, almost none had the lbx or guass. lrg and two mediums with bumped armor was common, sometimes even a mask or jumps which mad it ridiculous. Leg and sell for quick cash all day long tho.

[@Deadsnake989]

My first major introduction into Battletech was the Mechassault games on the xbox. While those games did a great job portraying the power of mechs like the Atlas, Madcat, and Vulture. This video made me realize how poorly it portrayed some other mechs. The Ullr/Kitfox in those games were just straight cannon fodder. They had pathetic armor, and abysmal weapons. Every mech you had access to in the campaign had 3 weapons systems, ballistic, energy, and missiles, and you had 2-4 hardpoints for those weapons. The Ullr however only had a single hardpoint for the weakest laser weapon, and 2 missile hardpoints for the games version of the LRMs. meanwhile your starter mech, the cougar had 2 light lasers, 2 auto cannons (pretty strong in that game), and 2 SRM's (which also hit really hard).

[@JS-kr8fs]

What a fine light mech for Dekker to die in. At least it can do something other than either A: Run full speed and hope nothing hits it. or B: Slow to shoot and potentially get one-shotted.

[@sheilaolfieway1885]

IF you see a Falcon not in a Kit fox, Hellbringer, or Summoner, Double your caution. Dunno if i've said that here yet

[@robrib2682]

theres a game called "lost planet" that I saw someone stream a few days ago and this looks like one of the mechs in that game (granted in the game it has the spontoon gun arms of the urby) and I can't unsee this thing fighting giant bugs now

[@JohnnySmithWhite-wd4ey]

A recon mech that is armed like a heavy. Nasty.

[@bthsr7113]

Clan tech right there.

[@Kaiju-Driver]

Well it looks like a powerful little bestie.

[@jamesbeard5513]

Fun little design, and a nasty bugger you don't want to deal with.

[@ScryeTheMindless]

I like loading a kitfox up with a array of clan ams, a tag laser and a clan Er large laser. I have it shadow heavier mechs as a support. the hvy large laser is to convince the enemy it's not worth peeking. Mate love it when facing missile boats. I named it "Passive Aggressive."

[@sardaukerlegion]

Only the 5 ton bigger IS Wolfhound has similar speed, range and firepower.

[@BigRed40TECH]

Not really. IS weaponry just doesn't stack up to Clan Weaponry tbh.

[@mimief7969]

It's a beast if you Omni it out with a bunch of lazers

[@theJellyjoker]

I loved the Kit Fox in MW2!

[@jameshunter3867]

...Hard to go wrong with this Mech, as each configuration is fairly well-rounded. It's also very easy to customize. Though I'm not a big fan of weapons being simply arm-mounted, it makes field refits easier on campaign. ...I scared some Inner Sphere opponents in one engagement after taking the Gauss Rifle & ammo of the A variant & substituting an Ultra-20 autocannon & ammo, as well as replacing one of the ER Medium Lasers with a pair of ER Small Lasers. With the lower arm actuator removed to accommodate the autocannon I could take advantage of the rules for 'flipping arms' (which horrified the Quickdraw pilot that got behind me expecting an easy kill, only to get blown to pieces himself 😏).