Initially I was highly in favour of SS's Marauder, due to it's similarity to the Madcat (Timberwolf), And the fact that it carrried over the arms and legs of the Cataphract, which according to Lore, the Cataphract design used Marauder parts. In fact, add LRM racks to each shoulder, and I'd say we have a contender for the Madcat. And I know people kept saying she was over weight, but you gotta remember, the Marauder is a 75ton Death Machine. So I did like the SS Marauder a lot.
However, I decided I should be less biased, and started assessing all the chassis critically.
Bishop, I like your design. Has a nice "Helicopter Gunship is about to ruin your day" look to it. Very Maraudery. But I feel it may be too similar to the original design (it even has the pokey aerial bits on the cockpit), and it seems a bit too "light"
Karyudo, nice design, though it feels like it's about to fall on its face. It needs it's centre of balance a little further back, and maybe a longer snout to compensate. Another good runner for a Madcat design.
Marcobra. Very detailed. Has a nice MWO feel to it. But it also seems very "Heavy". Shave the cannon off, add a Cowl, and an extra pair of Barrels on the arms, and I would say it was a perfect match for a MWO version of the Warhawk. (Masakari to all you Spheroids).
ResidentCrow. Very interesting design. Looks too "District 9" though. Moving on.
Shimmering Sword. Fell in love with this when I first saw it. It seems like my perfect ideal for a Marauder. But then I started reading the other comments...
And I realised, that they had a point. Although it was the Authors interpretation of the design that made it happen, most peoples first thoughts regarding a Marauder is that it is "Alien", and "Terrifying".
And when I looked through the designs again, I realised that the one design that fits that bill, despite the fact that the aesthetics are not traditional MWO, is ResidentCrow's design. I would truely be scared of encountering that thing on the battlefield, and that, above all else, is what the Marauder means to me.
TL:DR version. ResidentCrow has a Scary Marauder.
Oh, and very nice artwork by everyone involved in the Competition. I wish I could draw half as well as the worst of you, but I lack the patience to practice.
And good luck to the top 5!
Edited by Thunder Child, 19 November 2013 - 06:47 PM.