Unseen Origins: The Battletech Crusader from Robotech / Macross Armored Valkyrie Battleoid

[@bloodkite1]

"What's not to like?" That the only critical slot you could hit on the side torsos was ammo. If you breached the armor of the left or right torso, you had a 40% chance of getting a critical hit. Unless you had expended all LRMs you were losing that side torso and taking 2 pilot damage. If the bin was over one-quarter full you were losing the mech entirely. It was a quirk in the rules that turned them into potential death traps.

[@LordsofIron]

Absolutely.

[@davidmeigs2152]

I love stuff like this. Observable flaws in designs are all over the place in real military equipment but in war games they are often nerfed or patched away with rules fixes... Battletech handles it well by leaving them in! It's especially fantastic when the in universe explanation is something like a runaway war profiteering military industrial complex or something experimental which failed to function correctly, but it looks so cool, or the idea of it is so neat, that mechwarriors just won't let it die! Bravo, well played!

[@joshtiscareno1312]

It's not nicknamed the "CRUD" for nothing lol. Luckily, you can empty those LRM tubes pretty fast.

[@charleslennonbaker]

That walk before the launch scene should have "Staying Alive" playing in the background.

[@GrizzledSurvivor]

Did I hear RevCo?!

[@wither5673]

there are so many BattleTech mechs that are not original designs that its honestly kind of sad lol. and the worst part is most of the unseen's are IN MY OPINION the best looking mechs in battletech.

[@LordsofIron]

Because they are! I never saw a lot of love put into the art of Battletech by FASA and I think that hurt them. I invite you to take a look at my Kickstarter. You will see a true dedication to art: www.kickstarter.com/projects/pocketjacks/make-100-guinevere-and-the-divinity-factory-5?ref=user_menu

[@upandaljm]

I have the Macross action figure set for the armored battloid. It's even more epic then you think.

[@brianhenry152]

From an artistic standpoint, the Crusader is one of my favorite mechs in Battletech. It's an absolutely awesome looking machine and really versatile on the battlefield. The thing is, while it's a faithful rendition of the Robotech design, it has some serious design flaws. It runs REALLY hot and can cook a pilot even faster than a Rifleman! Also, with the side torso slots only carrying ammunition, it had a tendency to... explode. In Robotech, this design also doesn't make a whole lot of sense either. Sure, it's extra armor and missiles for a Valkyrie, but this essentially turns it into a Destroid and prevents it from transforming. Since Valkyries are a lot harder and more expensive to produce (and train pilots for!) than Destroids, this armor is really an expensive option to do a job that a Destroid could do just as easily. Probably why we only see it in one episode as opposed to the Super Valkyrie upgrade.

[@tombworld9012]

Yeah but if you needed the transformation all you had to do was eject the armor/missile packs, which Rick does in the episode. Use up the armor to get in close and then take advantage of the increased maneuverability transformation gives you.

[@wither5673]

the armor can be purged when ever the pilot wants, and the pilot decides if he/she wants the extra armor to start off with.

[@cochinito1]

What episode was this introduced in?

[@PocketJacksComics]

Miss Macross.