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actually the original idea of the salvage box was because the inner sphere lance boxes got you 1 mech less, you'd get less mechs if you choose the IS lance boxes, the salvage boxes where intended to counter balance this

 Prometheum5 wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:
Salvage boxes were a mistake, but had an easy solution. A baggie with a number of loose miniatures according to your pledge composition. That way they could all be different.

Salvage boxes make plenty of sense if they were something that would get offered at retail and your FLGS could have on the counter near the register. Cheap impulse blind boxes with pre-assembled minis and a datacard so they can be used immediately is a perfect little offering. If they can get stock situations figured at some point in the future they'll be a great item. As something people bought in bulk thru the KS without any kind of case packout or clear distribution of the contents it seems a bit more frustrating.

A mech sheet on a poker-sized playing card would be handy.

BrianDavion wrote:
actually the original idea of the salvage box was because the inner sphere lance boxes got you 1 mech less, you'd get less mechs if you choose the IS lance boxes, the salvage boxes where intended to counter balance this

which doesn't entirely make sense to me because they were explicitly clan mechs in the salvage boxes rather than IS mechs. If you were collecting both factions it wasn't a bad deal, but if you were only collecting IS I can imagine being a bit frustrated having mechs you probably wouldn't want to use

chaos0xomega wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:
actually the original idea of the salvage box was because the inner sphere lance boxes got you 1 mech less, you'd get less mechs if you choose the IS lance boxes, the salvage boxes where intended to counter balance this

which doesn't entirely make sense to me because they were explicitly clan mechs in the salvage boxes rather than IS mechs. If you were collecting both factions it wasn't a bad deal, but if you were only collecting IS I can imagine being a bit frustrated having mechs you probably wouldn't want to use

as someone whose painting all his mechs as Davion Guards I'm fine with that. Salvage happens, by the FCCW era even the god damned capellans have SOME clan mechs

Salvage boxes weren't originally intended as anything OTHER than being the 5th random filler mech to keep prices the same between IS Lances and Clan Stars. And they're Clan mechs because this was the clan Invasion KS. Catalyst never intended to sell salvage boxes, but enough people asked for it in the comments that Catalyst added them as a paid option when the pledge manager hit.

Not sure why it's now a big deal all of a sudden. They filled their intended role perfectly and most people got a decent-ish mix with a few doubles/triples they didn't want. That's random blind buys for ya. Sounds like some people went full-stupid and ordered a whole bunch, then didn't like the random mechs they got. That's random blind buys for ya.

They're not a big deal all of a sudden. We're making fun of them because they didn't have a decent-ish mix. The horror stories are real!

 Kalamadea wrote:
Salvage boxes weren't originally intended as anything OTHER than being the 5th random filler mech to keep prices the same between IS Lances and Clan Stars. And they're Clan mechs because this was the clan Invasion KS. Catalyst never intended to sell salvage boxes, but enough people asked for it in the comments that Catalyst added them as a paid option when the pledge manager hit.

Not sure why it's now a big deal all of a sudden. They filled their intended role perfectly and most people got a decent-ish mix with a few doubles/triples they didn't want. That's random blind buys for ya. Sounds like some people went full-stupid and ordered a whole bunch, then didn't like the random mechs they got. That's random blind buys for ya.

my only salvage boxes where the default ones I got, and yeah, getting 3 gargoyles kiiinda sucked.

it's not a big deal but I do wish they made sure to vary things more.

What's wrong with Gargoyles? The lack of weapons on the torso means they don't get a penalty transporting elementals.

Take off 5 tons and what do you get?

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Take off 5 tons and what do you get?

The same sort of change you get from not actioning the Iron Cheetah.

Not even close.

Take off 5 tons and you get the Mad Cat. You see, every Heavy 'Mech besides the Mad Cat from the invasion-era Clans is only distinctive in that they are not a Mad Cat.

The Loki is a piece of gak. The Thor is under armed and over jump jet'd. The Vulture is under armoured, and suffers from either crippling heat or ammo problems.

Ol' Gargy ain't a Heavy 'Mech, that much is true, but he's 5-tons heavier to the far superior Mad Cat, and ends up being the Clan equivalent of the 1A1. And no one wants to be compared to a 1A1.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Not even close.

Take off 5 tons and you get the Mad Cat. You see, every Heavy 'Mech besides the Mad Cat from the invasion-era Clans is only distinctive in that they are not a Mad Cat.

The Loki is a piece of gak. The Thor is under armed and over jump jet'd. The Vulture is under armoured, and suffers from either crippling heat or ammo problems.

Ol' Gargy ain't a Heavy 'Mech, that much is true, but he's 5-tons heavier to the far superior Mad Cat, and ends up being the Clan equivalent of the 1A1. And no one wants to be compared to a 1A1.

All this garble translates to, you pay too much for a rating 400 engine.
Omni's don't magically transform into Timber Wolves when they reach 75 tons.

Besides the Timber Wolf has two things going for it:

a) The script writers like the Timber Wolf prime particularly so they made it uber in the fluff It is legendary because it is made in only one factory and yet gets everywhere, especially on all the posters. To love the Timber Wolf is to love the Ultramarines, because they are both the bestest evah.

b) The configurations are not messed up.

The Night Gyr isn't as photogenic as the Timber Wolf, but is a better mech by all accounts.

Night Gyr also came around in tro 3058, too late to be THE iconic clan mech.

so it'll never be as iconic as the timberwolf for the same reason the Atlas is more iconic then the Devestator

 Orlanth wrote:
All this garble translates to

That's a very kind way of saying "Go to hell". I won't return the favour.

 Orlanth wrote:
... you pay too much for a rating 400 engine.

Over-engined 'Mechs end up being less than ideal is the situation.

 Orlanth wrote:
Omni's don't magically transform into Timber Wolves when they reach 75 tons.

Never said they did. What I did say however, is that of the four original heavies, three of them are only distinct in that they are not the demonstrably superior fourth one, and that what you lose when going from a Mad Cat to Gargoyle isn't worth the price of admission. D'ya get it yet?

 Orlanth wrote:
a) The script writers like the Timber Wolf prime particularly so they made it uber in the fluff It is legendary because it is made in only one factory and yet gets everywhere, especially on all the posters. To love the Timber Wolf is to love the Ultramarines, because they are both the bestest evah.

Literally has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. In the game, the Mad Cat is superior to the Vulture, Loki and Summoner. And ol' Gargy.

 Orlanth wrote:
b) The configurations are not messed up.

Kinda proves my point there...

 Orlanth wrote:
The Night Gyr isn't as photogenic as the Timber Wolf, but is a better mech by all accounts.

In what regard? Firepower? Certainly. It can carry more guns. Manoeuvrability? For the most part, given its Jump Jets and how very few Mad Cat configs have JJs. But the Mad Cat is faster, and can have 5 JJs.

I know I'd prefer a Night Gyr over a Mad Cat, even without my Falcon bias, but I also know that I was talking about the original invasion Heavy 'Mechs (even mentioned 'em by name!), so why you're bringing the Night Gyr into it, something that only showed up right at the end and is clearly outside of the scope/context of the comparisons I've been making is beyond me.

BrianDavion wrote:
Night Gyr also came around in tro 3058, too late to be THE iconic clan mech.
so it'll never be as iconic as the timberwolf for the same reason the Atlas is more iconic then the Devestator

True but. FASA chose the Timber Wolf to the posterboy, like it chose the Atlas (and Warhammer prior to Harmony Gold), though there was more dilution with the IS mechs, but clan imagery normally had the Timber wolf pretty prominent.. Night Gyr and Devastator were not around, but other mechs were. There is a lot of focus, and a bucketload of hype added.
Also for most of this time both the Marauder and the Catapult were unseen, and the 'Mad Cat' was a link to both toys we couldn't have, this added greatly to the mystique.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:
All this garble translates to

That's a very kind way of saying "Go to hell". I won't return the favour.

Come on H. That was a rant on clan heavies. Mad Dog is a fine mech, it is built for fire support and does the job well. Hellbringer, yes it has issues, but the Summoner is also a great design, it is let down by configurations, it has less pod space so it has more emphasis on heavy guns. That never made sense, you have to go a long way down the alphabet before you find a medium laser

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:
Omni's don't magically transform into Timber Wolves when they reach 75 tons.

Never said they did. What I did say however, is that of the four original heavies, three of them are only distinct in that they are not the demonstrably superior fourth one, and that what you lose when going from a Mad Cat to Gargoyle isn't worth the price of admission. D'ya get it yet?

You get the same downgrade moving from any of the four clan heavies. A Mad Dog pilot could say, you added twenty more tons for this!

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:
The Night Gyr isn't as photogenic as the Timber Wolf, but is a better mech by all accounts.

In what regard? Firepower? Certainly. It can carry more guns. Manoeuvrability? For the most part, given its Jump Jets and how very few Mad Cat configs have JJs. But the Mad Cat is faster, and can have 5 JJs.

I know I'd prefer a Night Gyr over a Mad Cat, even without my Falcon bias, but I also know that I was talking about the original invasion Heavy 'Mechs (even mentioned 'em by name!), so why you're bringing the Night Gyr into it, something that only showed up right at the end and is clearly outside of the scope/context of the comparisons I've been making is beyond me.

'Mad Cat is everything' required a challenge.

Well 75ers, as 55ers, sit at a very specific efficiency point and tend to be better than entry level assaults and heavies, respectively, that much has always been the case.

And the Clan Invasion 75er is the Mad Cat. Pretty iconic by itself, but also on the TRO cover, much as the MAD back in the day.

Wasn't that stormcrow supposed to go on sale today? I completely forgot about that. I guess I must've missed out cause I can't find evidence of it ever being sold on the catalyst webstore.

 Thargrim wrote:
Wasn't that stormcrow supposed to go on sale today? I completely forgot about that. I guess I must've missed out cause I can't find evidence of it ever being sold on the catalyst webstore.

it just went up

 Thargrim wrote:
Wasn't that stormcrow supposed to go on sale today? I completely forgot about that. I guess I must've missed out cause I can't find evidence of it ever being sold on the catalyst webstore.

It's up now, they posted an announcement on the official site, along with the salvage bits bag and a bunch of vinyl stickers. Just ordered my Stormcrow

https://bg.battletech.com/news/stormcrow-tc-plastic-miniature-salvage-bags-vinyl-stickers-now-available/

Now the waiting begins again...

Yes, it was. I think their previous newsletter thing even gave a precise time for it to go on sale


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Edit - yep its up, and they're late it seems as they said 2pm EST previously:

"they’ll go live in the web store at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (GMT -5) on Friday, Oct. 22"

Just remembered and grabbed mine before thinking to check here. They did not make it easy to find things on their crappy site but I managed. Hoping either to make a Black Knight from my Salvage bags or see that one come back in stock soon. Thinking I'll make my Stormcrow into a C and then give the Gauss Rifle arm to a Nova to make a Nova C.

Whew, thanks guys, got my stormcrow. Probably one of my favorite looking mechs.

chaos0xomega wrote:
Who/what is the market for salvage boxes as a retail product though? If you can get all the mechs contained therein in a fixed bundle of 5 minis for $20-25 (or $15 from a discounter...), why pay $9-14 (as the prices seem to go at various retailers) for a single random mini you may already have or not even want?

I'd say it get the same folks who'd buy the random D&D miniatures or the old Axis & Allies random minis. Some folks might even want to do a "random lance" game via blind buy. Or even just a chance to get something out of their comfort zone that they wouldn't ordinarily buy as part of a seen pack. "Oh, look - a Clan Gladiator. Never would've run one of those, let's see how it plays".

Or a cheapish way to help your flgs. Not as expensive as the already super cheap lance/star boxes, but impulse buy range.

Theres something to that I suppose, but they would need to be cheaper IMO, like $5 a pop @ retail, to fill the niche of "I have a few spare bucks in my pocket, lemme just throw it at this blind box and see what pops out"

Pity about the stickers...I'd have loved to buy 6-8 Smoke Jaguars, but I have literally no need for the others.

I am looking to get into battletech but the starters and miniatures in general seem like a real pain to track down. Are there any reliable UK retailers with stock?

Currently stock is rough, shipping disruptions and all. You have to be vigilant and be ready to buy at a moments notice as anyone posting stock seems to go out of stock within a couple hours of people noticing.

ListenToMeWarriors wrote:
I am looking to get into battletech but the starters and miniatures in general seem like a real pain to track down. Are there any reliable UK retailers with stock?

you could start by ordering a map sheet and the battlemech manual in PDF... not ideal I know but then you'll at least be able to learn how to play

ListenToMeWarriors wrote:
I am looking to get into battletech but the starters and miniatures in general seem like a real pain to track down. Are there any reliable UK retailers with stock?

Thirsty Meeples has the Clan Invasion box, the Clan fire star and the Direct Fire lance available.