BattleMechs Through the Years #32: The TP-1R Trooper In 2475, the Free Worlds League unveiled their first light scout BattleMech - the TP-1R Trooper. House Marik hadn't gotten their hands on the Terran Hegemony's newly improved 'Mech components yet and as a result, the Trooper ended up being built with technology that was already beginning to be considered outdated. At the very least having speed on its side, it was able to travel at up to 97.2 kph. The Trooper did not carry any heavy weaponry, only being equipped with two small lasers, a machine gun and a flamer. Meant to be a scout, these weapons were primarily used as last resorts for self defense, or against infantry units that had not yet learned how to combat the newest machines of war. Unfortunately, the Trooper was plagued with problems. Its actuators were exposed, making it risky to even engage with infantry that had any inkling at all of what they were doing. It also had no ejection system, leaving the pilot at the mercy of the 'Mech's three tons of paltry primitive armor. Even worse, the Trooper's legs were incredibly weak, giving it one more reason to avoid direct combat. The components used in the Trooper were easy to come by at the very least, meaning technicians were able to repair them fairly easily. On top of this, despite not being able to eject, engineers did manage to improve the performance of the life support systems for the pilots. The Trooper remained in service for 25 years but garnered such a bad reputation it never left the Free Worlds League and was extinct by the start of the Star League era. It was so bad in fact that when engineers did finally improve the design, it was renamed to the Flea to try and improve its image. In a desperate need for new BattleMechs, the Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey began to produce the TP-1R again during the Jihad, though by the end of the Early Republic era it had already been abandoned again. Stats Mass: 20 Tons Power Plant: 145 Fusion Cruising Speed: 64.8 kph (6) Maximum Speed: 97.2 kph (9) Jump Jets: 0 (0) Armament: 2x Small Laser, 1x Machine Gun, 1x Flamer Introduction: 2475 Cost: 1,439,800 C-Bills Technology Base: Advanced Inner Sphere Battle Value: 236 Internal Structure: Standard Heat Sinks: 10 Single Armor: 3 Tons Primitive Design Quirks: Easy to Maintain, Improved Life Support, Bad Reputation (Inner Sphere), Exposed Actuators, No/Minimal Arms, No Ejection System, Weak Legs, Modular Weapon (All) If you'd like to learn more about the TP-1R Trooper, check out Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives Volume 5. #battletech #mechwarrior

BattleMechs Through the Years #31: The HMH-3D Hammerhands While the BattleAxe had, thus far, been more or less a disappointment for House Davion, the Hammerhands proved so effective that it became the inspiration for a BattleMech that would become legendary - the Warhammer. The first of its line, the HMH-3D was first produced for the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns in 2475. Weighing 75 tons, it was the first true juggernaut made by House Davion. Each barrel-fisted arm was equipped with an Autocannon-10, while an SRM-6 graced the left shoulder. Each arm was also equipped with a medium laser. All of this gave the original Hammerhands a very heavy punch, especially for the Age of War. While a 225 fusion engine gave it a top land speed of 54 kph, it was also able to leap up to 90 meters at a time thanks to its three jump jets, spread across the legs and center torso. The introduction of the Hammerhands began a trend of autocannon-based weaponry for House Davion, leading to a stereotype that their MechWarriors preferred the ballistic weaponry over anything else. This assumption would endure for centuries. While the line that made the Hammerhands was destroyed in the early days of the Succession Wars, the HMH-3D was reintroduced during the Jihad and used not only by the Federated Suns, but by the Filtvelt Coalition, the Republic of the Sphere and even several mercenary groups. One notable pilot of an HMH-3D Hammerhands was Riley Centrella, commander of the Riley's Rangers Mercenary Company. She was gifted one in 3019 after saving the life of a Davion general while on a contract on the world of Galatia III. Having sacrificed her ancient Blackjack in doing so, the Hammerhands became her new BattleMech for years. She would pilot it until 3060 when she upgraded it into the customized HMH-RR. Stats Mass: 75 Tons Power Plant: 225 Fusion Cruising Speed: 32.4 kph (3) Maximum Speed: 54 kph (5) Jump Jets: 3 (90 Meters) Armament: 2x AC/10, 2x Medium Laser, 1x SRM-6 Introduction: 2475 Cost: 6,207,250 C-Bills Technology Base: Introductory Inner Sphere Battle Value: 1,381 Internal Structure: Standard Heat Sinks: 13 Single Armor: 11.5 Tons Standard Design Quirks: Barrel Fists (LA + RA), Protected Actuators If you'd like to learn more about the HMH-3D Hammerhands, check out Technical Readout: Succession Wars.