27 replies to this topic

[dal10]

atlas is 14 meters. if i remember right the wasp was 9 meters tall. i generally range sizes between there.

[Skylarr]

Stinger, on 14 February 2014 - 11:03 AM, said:

Actually, from Battletech Lore, the MW4 heights are the most logical.

MW4 is not cannon.

Quote

A BattleMech (often abbreviated 'Mech, although that could technically also refer to IndustrialMechs) is an armored combat vehicle of roughly humanoid shape, some 10 to 20 meters tall and typically massing from 20 to 100 tons.

Quote

Official height (dimensions) of Mechs and Vehicles?

The official height of a Mech has always been a discussion point, some official products have given different heights for certain Mechs, licenced products (like computer games) have given a plethora of conflicting heights for Mechs, and the official miniatures are so out of scale that it isn't funny. The thing that binds most official direct sources of height is that almost all of them are pretty old. So now enter the "General Size Comparison Chart" from Technical Readout: 3039 (2009), that's pretty recent.

We have a couple of Mechs from the different weight classes, Vehicles from the various weight classes, a couple of Dropships (Leopard, Union, Overlord) and a 'standard' man. If we measure the 'standard' man at ~1.8m tall (and the height of the Dropships confirms that approximation) we get heights for the Mechs listed.

Mechs (height)
Light => Commando (25 ton) = 9m
Medium => Enforcer (50 ton) = 12m
Heavy => Grashopper (70 ton) = 14m
Assault => Banshee (95 ton) = 15.2m

Vehicles (length)
Light => J. Edgar Light Hover Tank = 4.7m
Medium => Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun = 6.9m
Heavy => Rommel Tank = 8.6m
Assault => Banshee = 9.5m

Now we all know that the IWM and RPE miniatures aren't to scale, but a lot of us thought that the Armorcast 1:60 (advertised) were to scale:
Atlas (100 ton) => 10.5" (26.5cm) = ~16m
Mad Cat (75 ton) => 8.25" (21cm) = ~12.5m
Vulture (60 ton) => 8.25" (21cm) = ~12.5m

[Strum Wealh]

Skylarr, on 15 February 2014 - 07:10 AM, said:

MW4 is not cannon.

While true, focusing on MW4's lack of canonicity is to miss Stinger's point that the heights given for MW4 - in spite of its lack of canonicity - are close (arguably, closer than the other MechWarrior video games' representations) to the height range given by the BT Line Developer & stated in the BT rulebooks.

Quote

Hello,

BattleMechs range in height from 8 to 14 meters. The average height of a BattleMech hovers around the 11-12 meter area.

Thank you,

- Herbert Beas
BattleTech
Catalyst Game Labs

As far as BattleTech is concerned, the vast majority of 'Mechs (that is, different 'Mech chassis) are "of average height" (that is, approximately 11 to 12 meters tall), with some (most probably, "hunched-over" Lights like the Locust, Flea, Jenner, and Raven) being "substantially shorter than average" (down to a height of approximately 8 meters) while others (most probably, heavier and relatively-lean upright humanoids, like the Grasshopper, Banshee, and Gladiator) being "substantially taller than average" (up to a height of approximately 14 meters).

And that is what made a number of the earlier megathreads about MWO 'Mech height (especially the more vitriolic ones) so laughable - a BT Centurion is on the order of 12 meters tall while the MWO Centurion is 14.(something) meters tall, and all of that sound & fury was made over height differences that, for most 'Mechs other than the Atlas (~17.6 meters tall for MWO), were on the order of the height of an average MechWarrior (or, in more extreme cases, the height of a relatively tall Elemental).

Edited by Strum Wealh, 15 February 2014 - 09:08 AM.

[Stinger]

Skylarr, on 15 February 2014 - 07:10 AM, said:

MW4 is not cannon.

As Strum pointed out, they are close. I said that they were logical, and with that, they make sense, even though they are not canonical. The real issue breaks down to lack of heights provided in the technical readouts. But I believe that they do not include heights in the TROs because it would create more problems than it solved. Mechs that are too tall or too short for their weight or other issues such as the stats for a 'Mech being written before the art is drawn, or vice versa.

Overall, 8-14 is probably the best bet.

[Appogee]

Strum Wealh, on 09 February 2014 - 05:13 PM, said:

For further reference, Victor Steiner-Davion is 1.6 meters (5' 3") tall (as stated in chapter 2 of Lethal Heritage), while the person near the feet of the Banshee is probably closer to 1.8 meters (5' 11") tall versus the Rommel's/Abrams' 2.44 meters (8 feet).

Victor Steiner-Davion had a scaling problem too.

[Strum Wealh]

Appogee, on 15 February 2014 - 01:47 PM, said:

[/size]

Victor Steiner-Davion had a scaling problem too.

Nah - he's just short, that's all.
(Apparently, each of Gandhi, Voltaire, Stalin, and Paul Simon were/are also 5' 3", and Prince is only 5' 2"... )

[Nebfer]

I'm only 5'4"

Skylarr, on 15 February 2014 - 07:10 AM, said:

MW4 is not cannon.

Actually the basic plot outline for MW 4 Vengeance is present in the Fed Com civil war book, though the details of the game are not strictly cannon, though the heights are closer to the actual stated heights than some of the other MW games, including this one.