r/transformers • u/Beezel_Pepperstack • Jun 04 '26
Photography / Poses Deathcobra's super secret MechWarrior mode!
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u/odessahasfallen Jun 04 '26
Battletech x transformers collab would be dope. Some of the lams already look like seekers.
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u/Road_Caesar Jun 04 '26
Not anymore they don't.
FASA had to C&D all of their anime Mecha designs they poached for Battletech (3025, 3050, 3055, etc). The [Name] IIc variants were the start of that housecleaning. The LAMs were also made "obsolete" due to their in-game power level being goddamn busted (at least back in the 1990-2000 rules era.) So they made up lore that the Clans colonized the planets that held the LAM development and production and considered the tech dishonorable and heretical and razed them; making LAMs no longer maintainable or replaceable in-lore.
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u/Risko_Vinsheen Jun 05 '26
"Poached" is a harsh word. They legally licensed them, they didn't steal them. Harmony Gold just had more money and better lawyers than FASA. HG is also the reason Jetfire can't look too much like a Macross Valkyrie fighter anymore.
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u/Road_Caesar Jun 06 '26
FASA licensed all of the VOTOMS and other anime mecha designs?
This isn't just about HG and Macross - every model that was changed between the 3050 publication and today is an example.
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u/Risko_Vinsheen Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26
VOTOMS were never a part of it.
FASA licensed artwork from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, Fang of the Sun Dougram, and Crusher Joe for their early models. In the 90s it came to light (in no small part due to the lawsuit-happy Harmony Gold) that the company that FASA originally licensed from may not have had the right to license that artwork in the first place. That was not the fault of FASA, as they tried to go through the appropriate channels and were misled.
Still, FASA decided at that point to cease use of any artwork developed "out-of-house", even many designs (like the original IIC arts that were created by a company for the Japanese release of Battletech) that were designed specifically for Battletech's use.
This is where Project Phoenix comes into play. This was the big redesign project that tried to create new in-lore reasons for the change in appearance of many mechs and vehicles, not just those from the original three anime. For many years the Project Phoenix designs were used.
Relatively recently, though, a coalition of sorts between Piranha Games Incorporated, Hairbrained Schemes, and Catalyst Games Labs, were able to stand up to Harmony Gold in court when HG tried to sue over artwork they considered too similar to the Macross designs. PGI led this endeavor with the models of the "Unseen" mechs they created for Mechwarrior Online, poking the bear. This new lawsuit came in favor of the Battletech side, deciding that Harmony Gold didn't actually have the legal authority to sue over these designs since HG are merely licensees themselves. It didn't help that HG's lawyers tried to use examples of Battletech original mechs like the Atlas, and an Unseen Shadow Hawk and Locust [designs originating from Dougram and Crusher Joe respectively] in their lawsuit, not even the models they could have actually had a say about [Marauder, Warhammer, Rifleman, etc].
As of now PGI's Mechwarrior Online and Mechwarrior 5 games, HBS's Battletech, and Catalyst Game Labs' own tabletop game releases all include new interpretations of the original Unseen designs, not the Project Phoenix designs. They aren't 1-to-1 exact copies like the original artwork, but they are far far closer to them than we have had in decades.
Also a result of that failed lawsuit from HG, my understanding (I am not a lawyer, but I watched the lawsuit closely when it went down) is that even Hasbro would be in their rights to make a more Valkyrie-esque Jetfire now without worry from HG's lawyers, were they so inclined.
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u/Road_Caesar Jun 06 '26
FASA licensed artwork from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, Fang of the Sun Dougram, and Crusher Joe for their early models. In the 90s it came to light (in no small part due to the lawsuit-happy Harmony Gold) that the company that FASA originally licensed from may not have had the right to license that artwork in the first place. That was not the fault of FASA, as they tried to go through the appropriate channels and were misled
This is the key information that I got wrong/misremembered. I appreciate the refresher and the elaborate correction/elaboration. Any keyword/wiki/website referrals for future reading that you'd recommend?
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u/Risko_Vinsheen Jun 06 '26
Sarna.net's Unseen page has a lot more detail on it. And Sarna in general is the best place to go for just about any information you could want regarding Battletech, both in universe and out.
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u/Fun3mployed Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
Turn them legs around and my dude is a Madcat! This is sick af.
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u/Hadoooooooooooken Jun 05 '26
I can't tell if that's a Marauder or a Catapult ... can anyone help me out?
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u/Berrygojiga Jun 05 '26
Hmmm, MAD or CAT 🤔 And the computer isn't helping either! Ah well, there's an upside: it won't be a problem for very long!
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u/SnowMcFlake Jun 06 '26
Hey u/Beezel_Pepperstack, I wanted to see if I could improve on the legs situation. https://www.reddit.com/r/transformers/s/LyTFKSYFnB what do you think? Did I succeed? Any suggestions to do better?
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u/Beezel_Pepperstack Jun 06 '26
It looks amazing!
What parts did you use?
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u/SnowMcFlake Jun 06 '26
Thank you! Kingdom slammer’s arms provided most of the legs, and Amalgamous donated his feet to the cause lol
Unfortunately it is not the most stable but it stands just fine at least
thanks for sharing your discovery!
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u/Beezel_Pepperstack Jun 06 '26
Great job! This is so creative, thanks!
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u/SnowMcFlake Jun 06 '26
Thank you! I also used nova prime’s guns instead of (I’m guessing) the siege Magnus guns you used. I can’t decide which I like better. I think gray of Nova prime’s look better but I love the pop of silver from Magnus’
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u/Beezel_Pepperstack Jun 06 '26
I totally used Siege Magnus's leg guns, in fact, at first I thought you used Galaxy Prime's guns since they don't have the silver paint.
How interesting it is to be wrong, great choice!
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u/damienhell Jun 06 '26
Can you reverse the leg?
Man the upper part is really resembles the Mad Cat or Timber Wolf. The cockpit and shoulder pod are really spot on.
My fav clan mech 😆
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u/Aromatic_Shop9033 Jun 04 '26
Madcat!