GMG Reviews - Battletech Star League Command Lance (2024) by Catalyst Game Labs

Going both to the beginning of the story and the end, the Star League Command Box features advanced Battlemechs and Character Cards for some of the most famous names in the Inner Sphere and beyond. Let's check it out!
Big thanks to Catalyst for the complimentary copy of the box to review.
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Intro and Outro music used via Creative Commons "Benji" by Dyalla

[@euansmith3699]

Three videos in one day? Ash is spoiling us.

[@Hundmathr]

They did a nice job with the prepainted Orion. I love the coherent design language of the updated sculpts and redesigns. Like with the Thunder Hawk, they taken some downright goofy looking original designs and made them look cool and also made them look like they're all part of the same universe.

[@verysilentmouse]

that orion paint job is much better that i expected yay battletech

[@youtmeme]

Im def looking forward to this pack!!🙂 rhanks for reviewing!😉👍👏 And i think its nice cgl hasn't forgotten u. Honestly, i think they owe u. U, for me, at least, was one of the main reasons why i got so excited for their latest kickstarter! I think all the promos and games and interviews u did with and for cgl was amazing and exciting and fun! I think u had the most personality and all over most of the crew. U were such a part of my getting back into battletech that i thought u were a part of their usual people. I admit, ive seen some of ur stuff and liked ur paint tutorials and all, and knew u went through...something...🤔 but i basically only watch battletech stuff, im not into most other games. I hope u amd all ur loved ones are doing well. Peace, man!🙏👍🤙🤞✌

[@HouseMasterPoDing]

Excellent review! Nice to see this pack in all of it's glory. I'm not sold on the pre-painted minis, but it was nice to get a look at it nonetheless.

[@kcaudle52]

They have 4 Star League boxes coming out this year with one painted mech in each for the 40th Anniversary year.

[@KaryudoDS]

That Orion does look pretty solid. I largely like the painting aspect but I still love this idea for the character novelty. Though I will have to find a supplier of Savage Wolf's later to paint them in other schemes.

[@DarthP00P00]

Love the new studio and vibes man, great to see you evolve over the years.

[@sleepsinleaves]

New intro and outro music may take a little bit to get use to after years of the other, lol

[@lorcannagle]

Oddly, I think the Phoenix Hawk Special is the ’Mech I'm most looking forward to out of this set.

[@Kingofdragons117]

It’s still a Phoenix hawk after all.

[@rutherfordappraisal258]

Totally agree. I’d be lying if I said the Macross designs weren’t unanimously my favorites in the BT universe.

[@gregmichaud7314]

It's very cool to see those mechs and to see a pre painted one too!!!

[@12neef]

Saturday morning reviews!! 🎉🎊🥳🤩

[@edwindrood2816]

Very cool thanks Ash

[@WeOnlyEatSoup]

Didn't know this was even dropping! Star League era is my fav

[@snarkymcsnarkface1863]

Nice paint job... now hold still while I mix up the primer.

[@odinulveson9101]

Looks great! Would love more modularity pieces for mechs. Especially when weapon agnostic hardpoints is stretching it. A reason I never color the laser/ energy ones in a specific color. Its ironic.. with Nolzurs DnD minis I prefer pre pInted but with CGL, I prefer unpainted. Yet its no problem with painting over the Orion, just don use speedpaint/ contrast paint unless its of darker color. You use standard acrylic first, then drybrush even after that before locking in with matte varnish brush or spray😊

[@kierdalemodels]

I’ll probably repaint it, but that Orion looks better than I expected. Want.

[@xczechr]

The Orion is pre-painted? Cool.

[@Kevin.Mitchell]

Interesting. Not sure I'm sold on one out of 4 being painted rather than all of them being painted, but the designs are great and the Orion is a decent standard for novelty factor. I'm sure a box will find its way into my collection in the future though!

[@Bolththrower]

Agreed, the people who want pre-paints want a bunch of them not one. it would have been much smarter to test the market with a pre-painted box of AGOAC or some of the older mech packs and see if there even is enough market.

[@VelcroSnake93]

I need me that Phoenix Hawk, the rest of the mechs in there I am not excited for even though the Assaults are new. I don't like the idea of a single painted mini in the Orion because I'm particular about my painting and would need to strip it before painting, and I am not excited about cramming even more Assault mechs into my forces with the Thunderhawk and Atlas II, since I'm already overloaded with the piles of Assault mechs CGL releases. I need more Light and Medium releases, not so much more Heavy and Assaults.

[@odinulveson9101]

Kinda agree. You could paint over the Orion though. I would LOVE more equipment+weapon modularity pieces, would be perfect for Omnimechs pod system. Also I really want Urbie Force Pack-like 20t Light mechs pack of Fleas, Locusts etc! Like 5-6 be it for IS or Clan. So long as most variants are included Flea 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21. Fire Ant 14 and the 4 could be legacy Fleas although they are the WORST😂

[@itsallfunandgames723]

They've done a wonderful job with the plastic crack element of their game. Thousands of people have dozens, maybe a hundred or more 'Mechs on their way from China to them right now, and then CGL announce new 'Mech packs and it's like, "Oh I gotta get those, when are those coming out, I need to get those!"

[@CraigSteinhoff]

Nice! When is it available? Did miss that?

[@verysilentmouse]

first quarter not out yet

[@BasementArtScott]

Is this something that can be picked up after the Game of Armored Combat box?

[@GuerrillaMiniatureGames]

It sure is!

[@maxxon99]

Did I get this right? One pre-paint and three unpainted in the same box?

[@GuerrillaMiniatureGames]

Correct! The prepaint is a mech that’s already out there though, I feel like that’s a good choice as you could just swap in another Orion if you wanted to paint this as another lance.

[@adamminister7123]

I just don't understand why they even bothered to do it. It looks "ok" I guess. But most people will either have their models painted in their own particular way or not painted at all. So this is just going to stand out like a baboons bum. lol

[@GuerrillaMiniatureGames]

There are piles of folks that want painted Battletech models. I know because my lances have sold for outrageous Price Per Model!

[@VelcroSnake93]

I don't see how this will be a good experiment for CGL with the pre-paint. It won't tell them if people wouldn't buy the pack because of the painted mini inside because people are going to buy it anyway. The only real way to test would be to have a pack where they're all painted and a pack where none of them are painted and see which one sells better. Selling packs with just a single pre-paint doesn't make the most sense.

[@Bolththrower]

Exactly it won't give them good data on if people actually want pre-paints. It's such a misplaced decision once again.

[@Subcomandante73]

I don't get why they are painting ONE mech in the pack. Either paint them all or leave them all alone.

[@Ont525]

Easier for people who want the mechs but not the paint scheme. If someone likes the pre-painted scheme, they can paint 3 mechs with the same scheme.

[@Blottingpaper]

It's a product test to see if people are receptive to it, don't be such a sook.

[@Subcomandante73]

@@Blottingpaper okay fanboy, calm down.

[@Bolththrower]

No, the Star League was not in any way the first galactic civilization. There were dozens of galactic civilizations long before the Star League. The Star League was the first major hegemony encompassing all the states in the Inners Sphere. If you aren't that aware of the backstory to BattleTech, I suggest you listen to Sven van der Planks multi part series on both the creation and fall of the Star League and backstory to the current setting. Its a fascinating listen and really well done. I'm personally not a fan of the pre-paints at all and hope the paint used will be easy to remove. Like you suggest seeing a AGOAC box with all pre-paints would be a much better option to gauge if there is actual interest and it makes much more sense. Since they told us they'll try pre-paints I have seen VERY few positive comments about it. Most people want's to paint their own mechs and those who don't want more than one mech pre-painted at one time. This whole one pre-paint per box thing, was such a silly idea IMO. I hope they wise up and don't do the rest of the new boxes with pre-paints.