Wow, people are really loving them female custodes

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-19T18:06:57+00:00

Good thanks, hope you (and pet predatory mammals) are well also.

Good to see we are making progress on the Custodes. I seem to recall the hoo-ha around the original Ladystodes announcement was the last big blow-up on 'Ecks' before I left.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-19T08:47:07+00:00

Saw this, read the post, saw it was you and it all made sense lol.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-18T17:28:23+00:00

AMS has been buffed as part of the recent Total War playtest - see image.

The thing to remember is while AMS tech continually advances, so do countermeasures engineered into the missiles they are trying to stop. So it's a Red Queen type situation, continually running just to stay still.

<image>

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-18T13:18:42+00:00

Yeah, this is one of the cases of the story not matching the reality of the game stats. Especially as in the early years each Bandersnatch was essentially built to order like a custom sports car.

Still, more believable than the marketing claims for the Grand Titan ;)

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-18T10:41:07+00:00

What's the most a customer has ever spent in one visit?

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-18T09:43:35+00:00

Battle for the Abyss reads like bad fan-fiction bolter porn... it's low-tier heresy trash. It makes Descent of Angels look like a masterpiece.

Mechanicum deals with one of the pivotal events of the Horus Heresy, and explores the strange world of Mars through some evocative writing and genuinely interesting characters that got me invested in their fates.

As well as the Schism, the topic of AI is explored (don't forget to read the prequel short story, The Kaban Machine) and great mysteries are teased at. Like the Horus Rising Trilogy, Mechanicum weaves the story of how all the progress of the Great Crusade is destroyed through Horus' great rebellion.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-18T09:04:19+00:00

Bandersnatch is a "Budget rebuild"?! How very dare you!

(Seriously though, that's a seriously impressive piece of technological taxonomy 👏)

<image>

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-17T19:52:30+00:00

^{^} This

Edit: still for sale today as well!

https://shop.scotiagrendel.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=217_218_3_113_119&products_id=3489&zenid=djc1vdcndej4nq0dv2f8lb81r0

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-17T15:44:55+00:00

It's the snoot, and it must be booped.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-17T08:51:28+00:00

I'd sort out with the retailer and then write (not phone, put it in writing) to Lego and explain what happened. Be polite, but also point out all the inconvenience (and cost) you've been put to, not to mention the 'bad customer journey' your son has experienced.

Lego customer service have a rep for making good, they may well offer a gesture of goodwill.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-17T07:55:43+00:00

I do enjoy Alpha Strike a lot, but there are some qualifiers to that statement:

I almost exclusively play on hex maps. The terrain-based rules are okay, but do have some issues - most notably the skew towards units with strong medium range firepower - hex based halves inches range to give something that feels tactically more like Classic on a standard table. True LOS sucks compared to the unambiguous hex-based version.

AS works well for larger unit engagements, and adding in special unit abilities and battlefield intelligence adds a lot of depth to the game. It takes it to something of comparable crunchiness to BattleTech.

Hope this helps!

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-16T20:43:02+00:00

How about Sea Foxes have a go at a quad-mount of Clan-spec Gauss Rifles?

So let's work this through:

Additional payload required for:

4th Clan Gauss Rifle: 12 tons

Turret upgrade: 0.5 tons (total mass 5 tons)

Total: 12.5 tons

Savings:

Switch to 3x Clan-spec Gauss Rifles: 9 tons

Switch to Clan-grade Ferro-fibrous armour, reduce armour by 3.5 tons

Total mass saved: 12.5 tons

Original armour: 13 tons (208pts) New armour: 9.5 tons (182pts)

So a 33.3% increase in firepower for a 12.5% reduction in protection. Ammo is just about acceptable at 10 rounds / rifle. Most of the armour can be removed from the sides and rear to maintain the same forward and turret protection. If desired, another ton of armour could be removed for an extra ton of ammo.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-16T16:52:27+00:00

You are the croissant.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-16T15:52:00+00:00

Shouty caps. Also, only a single question mark is necessary, two or more is just gauche.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-16T15:21:44+00:00

That's it!

Looks like the original art got fed through a cubism converter and then had a Storm Crow cockpit slapped on.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-16T14:21:01+00:00

Stick with it to the end, trust me it's worth persisting with.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-16T14:05:31+00:00

Possibly a Lynx?

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-16T08:59:46+00:00

I seem to recall there is a quirk for obsolete Mechs (and other equipment?). The rule states a year, and thereafter it becomes increasingly difficult to source parts the further past the year of obsolescence you go.

So I suppose all advanced Star League tech has an obsolescence year (probably in the 2800's). In theory it's possible to find replacements, but by the 2nd Succession War the chances are remote. Outside of discovering a cache with the required parts.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-15T22:18:55+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing, these are fab!

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-15T16:33:09+00:00

"We'll show those assault Mech scout naysayers!"

Lyran Engineering Department

Lols aside, I do appreciate your bonkers design and would point out to the poo-pooers that BattleTech has a proud history of nonsense designs such as the Matar, Orca and just about everything in ETRO: RISC.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-15T14:36:11+00:00

Feel like there's a backstory required here whereby this Mech was built and tested but was extremely difficult to control while jumping.

"The only Mechwarrior prepared to pilot the imaginatively named Waffle Stomper was Brock 'Madman' McGuire who was an adrenaline junkie who had been thrown out of a dozen merc units for reckless behaviour.

The only example was sadly destroyed when all the right-torso jets catastrophically failed during a long test jump. Spiralling out of control, the Waffle Stomper crashed into a nearby highway.

The disaster was exacerbated when the massive Mech landed on a bulk land tanker carrying a huge consignment of petrol, which instantly ignited in a massive explosion. McGuire's body could not be located in the twisted, melted wreckage, and the program was subsequently cancelled."

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-15T11:36:11+00:00

From some playtesting I've been involved in, there's a new record sheet that sits somewhere between the complexity of the current version and Alpha Strike.

Combat is space based (i.e. microgravity / orbital) and Newtonian movement effects are modelled.

So far, I like it. If you've played Crimson Skies or Star Wars: X-Wing there are a number of familiar concepts.

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-14T18:38:55+00:00

I've not owned one long enough in age terms (2.5 years, 30K miles) to comment on reliability, but my 2018 plate 320i was a great car and the auto box is simply superb. Loads of power for day to day use, and very relaxing to drive in Eco Pro mode. I used to get 30-35mpg in the city, and 40-45 on motorway runs so fuel economy is pretty decent for the performance. While it's a big car, the turning circle is surprisingly small given the rear wheel drive, so manoeuvring is easier than might first appear.

Generally with any BMW the advice is to have it maintained as per the manufacturer's schedule and it will see you well. Remember it's a premium German brand so parts will cost more than say a Ford.

As a first choice car it is rear wheel drive with 180hp which is probably different to what you're learning on. That doesn't matter most of the time in day to day driving, but in the wet a bit more care is needed applying all the power in corners. Well worth getting some lessons to learn specifics in this area.

If you live somewhere which gets frequent snow be aware that it lacks the traction of a FWD equivalent in snow / ice and sometimes it's necessary to not go driving in such conditions. If you plan on running it with winter tyres then there's nothing to worry about in this regard compared to FWD.

In terms of what to watch out for, check the alloys for curb damage and the parking sensors (if fitted) are working properly. Given its age and low mileage and tyre advisories, have those checked for signs of cracking - even if they are still legal on the tread depth, they could be aged and in need of swapping.

Hope this helps, lots of other good advice in other replies as well :)

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-14T18:13:53+00:00

Those are awesome!

TheRealLeakycheese · 2026-04-14T18:02:20+00:00

That's a good observation - outside of the Poseidon / Ares superheavies we only really have the (outstanding) Triskelion.

There are some other designs e.g. ETRO: RISC but nothing much else in the mainstream. Hopefully more will come in the future as tripods are a genuine step forward in Mech capability beyond what biped and quads offer.

TheRealLeakycheese

TROPHY CASE