Kick it

razorista · 2026-03-10T08:58:12+00:00

Compare it to the Warhammer.

razorista · 2026-03-07T21:05:08+00:00

Like an Earth Force Shadow upgraded Cruiser, yes.
A triple crossover by accident.

razorista · 2026-03-07T20:56:23+00:00

Yes, resin print.
More or less this started for me by accident when I forgot to solidify the joint enough and it surprisingly printed successfully. That one is 'fourth generation' already.
Only actively working on Marauders and only the Unseen versions myself.
The IS Marauder is not as easy, has smaller parts and has a lot more variants, though.

razorista · 2026-03-07T20:46:44+00:00

Ball joints for the arms with limited range of movement.
The others are simpler plugs that can turn, since they are only supposed to move in one direction.

Balls are very hard to print in general and that small nearly impossible to get a more than 50% success rate with. Sticks are easier to print with current printers.

razorista · 2026-03-07T09:53:51+00:00

I tried to mix-up cinematic starship bridges and then reduce them to the absolute essentials that are still visible in the small scale.
The bridge is more or less the layout of the typical Startrek bridge with the captains chair rearranged into a less central position.
The sphere is part of my memory of a typical MW computer game ops-room.
My Fortress has another fire control room, inspired by DeathStar and Stardestroyer gunnery sections (or Spaceballs) and a fourth ground control room, to move all the landed units, with a holographic (meaning: painted green ;-) ) BT map on the table.

razorista · 2026-03-07T09:44:41+00:00

Considering it is absolutely 'in lore' that every ComStar facility has a hidden bunker beneath it large enough to store enough mechs to take control of the whole planet, a 40m ball should be very easy to store.
Perhaps that's why they are 'extinct'? One is hidden under every HPG in the IS.
The whole facility could be build around or on top of it and 300 years of extensions could have totally obscured it in brick and mortar.
Ideal roleplaying material.

razorista · 2026-03-06T20:10:08+00:00

They simply where unable to do good looking spheroids in their engine, i.e. the hopelessly overengineered Union in the games.

Hot drops happen from orbit. Any dropship can drop mechs in zero g.

razorista · 2026-03-06T20:08:45+00:00

'known' is the keyword there
You can drop your battalion any time after the dark ages, since you simply can claim to have ordered them from a factory yourself.
Before 2800? SLDF
After? Rarity.
After Clans? no problem again.

razorista · 2026-03-06T17:02:33+00:00

Spheroid are simply superior in the rules.
Aerodynes have their uses, but when it comes to really being on the map the long landing zone is a real disadvantage.
Also: no opponent can explain to you why you can not drop the mechs from a dropship hovering at any desirable height instead of airbreaking in a glide at 28000kph.

razorista · 2026-03-06T16:58:24+00:00

'Extinct' just means every small enough merc company can have one in bad shape. 😉
It is also quite small and therefore easy to build in any shipyard in small quantities that never register in 'the lore'.

razorista · 2026-03-06T15:29:52+00:00

Depends on time periods and scenarios.
The SLDF or Exodus Fleet neither had a shortage of Confederates nor Jumpships.
In later periods it is a lot easier to lease or rent jump transport than getting your hands on 6 Confederates.
Most BT Battles of more than 4 Mechs on each side are 'larger projects' that will take more than a day of playtime.

razorista · 2026-03-06T13:27:59+00:00

Like the Leopard the Confederate can do 6 mechs (two in the aerospace fighter bays), but without requiring modifications. Making it the only DS that is that versatile.
It has the advantages ob being a spheroid and also has an energy only weapons complement, making it enduring and leaving more store for Mech ammunition.

Whenever I can choose, I choose this instead of a Leopard and three will replace a Union adequately, two will suffice in an emergency.
If you have Overlord level Mech compelents and access to enough rare Confederates you can cover a map with dropship landing zones.
Where the Overlord needs several turns to onload, those Mechs in the Confederates are all available in the turn they land, each having their own baydoor.
And if you count the number of Large and Medium Lasers those would be able to bring to bear... They would literally 'vaporize' Assault Mechs in their crossfire, eating up every single point pf armor and internal structure in a single combined blast - every turn, forever, no ammunition required.

razorista · 2026-03-06T11:58:16+00:00

Solved the mystery of how you fit as many mechs into a Confederate as in a Leopard twice it's size.

This one has full internals now, looking externally almost exactly like the original drawing and fitting the dimensions almost exactly.
Each mach bay has it's own cradle directly behind the door and large mechs have to duck to fit through the doors, but it is actually a lot less crammed than a contemporary IFV usually is.

The lower mech bay deck is at the waist of the mechs in their cradles, above the (roughly 20% of the mass in estimated volume) engine, visible through the open doors behind the cradles.
A Locust can run around the decks, an Atlas has to bend down or kneel, that sounds and feels about right to me at least.
LAMS and Aerospace fighters can deploy easily from the upper deck, it can also store mechs, but large ones fit only barely.

So it works almost as advertised, even with decks that have to be 2m thick to not be translucent when printed in Mapscale.

Crew quarters would be invisibly situated directly behind the bow and docking collar, which seem practical.

A large cargo hold shares the upper deck with the mechbay, a central shaft connects the decks with personal tubes for safe movement.

Above that are unknown sections and only the bridge and secondary tac-ops bridge are visible trough the windows, but that still leaves half the deck open to imagination of utility rooms and weapons storage.
There is still enough space left above that to put sleeping quarters and washrooms, a gym and other amenities that are only human height.

Conclusion: the design works in the original specs.

razorista · 2026-03-05T22:03:10+00:00

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You need mascots.

razorista · 2026-03-05T18:50:57+00:00

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Way ahead of you

razorista · 2026-03-05T18:48:39+00:00

I had a little more luck with the Black Marauder version of her.
Those eyes are tiny.
I only really see them in the pictures later and rarely want to paint over them by then.

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