20 replies to this topic

[Datum]

Hey!
Inspired by a member on this forum whose name escapes me, I decided to base a redesign off of an attack helicopter motif.
I gotta be honest, it's basically an Mi-28 with arms and legs. Tell me what you think!

[Presha]

Nicely done but I think for me I liked the more bulkier look for the Marauder. Kinda reminds me of a bigger Bushwacker

[Tonaga]

Well you are right, in adittion it reminds of those convertible flight out of that animated series ... dammit the name always escapes me ) Was something from the late 80 early 90's

[Mordhar]

Tonaga, on 22 January 2012 - 11:46 PM, said:

Well you are right, in adittion it reminds of those convertible flight out of that animated series ... dammit the name always escapes me ) Was something from the late 80 early 90's

Oh no! If it resembles something from THAT animated series, then it need to be buried and never mentioned again. No one wants to all that seen/unseen/reseen/whatever problem to reappear again.

Seriously, this redesign, in my opinion, is far better than current “reseen” Marauder. It looks much more logical and “real” in terms of upper gun placement and overall look. And if Marauder ever come back into game I prefer this design or one based on it.

[ELHImp]

Russian helicopters, russian helicopters everywhere.

[Presha]

ELH_Imp, on 23 January 2012 - 12:18 AM, said:

Russian helicopters, russian helicopters everywhere.

I was going to say it looked very hind-esque but ya...buff said.

[Presha]

Mordhar, on 23 January 2012 - 12:12 AM, said:

Oh no! If it resembles something from THAT animated series, then it need to be buried and never mentioned again. No one wants to all that seen/unseen/reseen/whatever problem to reappear again.

Seriously, this redesign, in my opinion, is far better than current “reseen” Marauder. It looks much more logical and “real” in terms of upper gun placement and overall look. And if Marauder ever come back into game I prefer this design or one based on it.

what you mean robotech? Lololol

[Thorolf Kylesson]

Looks a bit spindley for a Marauder. Too LAMish and no arms to thwak things.

[HanaYuriko]

It looks great! And now I want to build it.

[ELHImp]

Quote

And now I want to build it.

This one not mine. It made by Alexander Naydeen.

[C0VVB3LL]

Looks like a stone rhino went anorexic.

[Ra-ul]

This redesign looks so ugly but great at the same time , you left me impressed. And it looks like it´s a double-seater as well. For sure it´s different enough to the original design to forget about Harmony Gold, but I think it needs some honing. I´d love to see some more variants based on this redesign.

[Durant Carlyle]

The Project Phoenix remake of the Marauder is basically an AH-64 Apache helicopter that had its tail chopped off and then grew arms and legs. No need to re-design it to look like a Russian helicopter instead -- besides, we all know American helicopters are better! That being said, Datum did a good job with the drawing. I just wouldn't want to pilot something that looked like that.

Mordhar -- you'd really want the torso weapon to be mounted in an easy-to-hit position, completely unarmored, with its vulnerable linkage and ammo feeds hanging out for all to see and aim for? I think you'd change your mind after the fifth battle and the fifth time changing out that (now destroyed) weapon for a new one. Being partially buried in the well-armored side torso is a much better location.

Y'all are just getting all nostalgic and watery-eyed for the original artwork, which wasn't original at all. They said "Oooh that looks cool, let's use that" instead of having stuff custom created like they should have and they got smacked down hard for doing it the wrong way. Don't get me wrong -- I've been a fan of BattleTech since I read Decision at Thunder Rift (the first novel) the same year it came out. It had some very cool definitions in the back, along with a whole bunch of illustrations of the 'Mechs. I liked the way the Marauder and Crusader and Phoenix Hawk and Rifleman looked. But when I found out the designs weren't original, I put BattleTech (the books, the TROs, the tabletop game, everything) down for a while. I was so mad that I didn't have anything to do with it for a couple of years. I couldn't stay away forever though -- I just avoided using the non-original 'Mechs. When I learned about the Project Phoenix stuff I was excited to see my old favorites return, and the designs didn't disappoint. I've also played MW2, MW3, MW4, MechCommander 1 and 2 and their various expansions on the computer, as well as MechAssault 1 and 2 on the Xbox. The only version I haven't played is the one for the Nintendo DS.

The Project Phoenix designs (all of them, not just for the Marauder) are good mainly because they are original and they have different illustrations for each of the variants so you can look and tell the difference between a Marauder carrying two ERPPCs, two Medium Lasers, and an RAC5 (5R version http://www.sarna.net...5r_marauder.png) versus two Large Pulse Lasers, two Medium Pulse Lasers, and an RAC5 (5T version http://www.sarna.net...5t_marauder.png) versus two ERPPCs, two ER Medium Lasers, an LB 10-X AC, and a Flamer (the little 'nub' on its chin) (9S version http://www.sarna.net...9s_marauder.png) versus four ER Large Lasers and two Streak SRM6 packs (9M version http://www.sarna.net...9m_marauder.png). Just having those other illustrations for the variants makes it that much better. No, they're not the originals -- but there's no doubt that they ARE original.

[Waylandx]

I love that drawing! I hope to see more of what you can do.

[HanaYuriko]

Durant Carlyle, on 23 January 2012 - 01:44 PM, said:

The Project Phoenix designs (all of them, not just for the Marauder) are good mainly because they are original and they have different illustrations for each of the variants so you can look and tell the difference between a Marauder carrying two ERPPCs, two Medium Lasers, and an RAC5 (5R version http://www.sarna.net...5r_marauder.png) versus two Large Pulse Lasers, two Medium Pulse Lasers, and an RAC5 (5T version http://www.sarna.net...5t_marauder.png) versus two ERPPCs, two ER Medium Lasers, an LB 10-X AC, and a Flamer (the little 'nub' on its chin) (9S version http://www.sarna.net...9s_marauder.png) versus four ER Large Lasers and two Streak SRM6 packs (9M version http://www.sarna.net...9m_marauder.png). Just having those other illustrations for the variants makes it that much better. No, they're not the originals -- but there's no doubt that they ARE original.

I can't disagree with anything you've said. However I'm seeing it from a different perspective.

I can appreciate the different aesthetics involved in recreating a familiar design. Taking something recognizable and putting a different spin on it while maintaining general profile. You see it in the released artwork for MWO and Alex Iglasias's design tweaks. There are a lot of differences between his artwork and the original TRO. But this example is only a minor tweaking of an established design by comparison.

To me it's like seeing the different ships in Star Trek that carry the name USS Enterprise.

[Durant Carlyle]

My post was more a response to Mordhar's post than a critique of the design that Datum drew.

Here's my critique of Datum's drawing:

If you showed that to people without the "Marauder MAD-3R (Redesign)" on it, you'd get far more responses with Bushwacker in them than Marauder.

The 'Mech is far too spindly to be a 75 ton heavy. It looks more like a heavy Light or light Medium (35-45 tons) 'Mech. It just doesn't have the bulk and heft to be a Heavy.

Also, basing the design on a helicopter is fine, but don't make the wings into the arms of the 'Mech. Their arms are articulated for a reason, and the Marauder's arms are designed specifically as being reinforced for use in melee combat without damaging the weapons inside. That's even how a Marauder destroys a Phoenix Hawk's head (killing the pilot named Durant Carlyle) in the first BattleTech novel. The wing-arm design totally takes that aspect away.

It's a nice drawing of a 'Mech, but it just doesn't say "Marauder" or even "heavy attack/support 'Mech" (the Marauder's intended role) to me.

[tyrone dunkirk]

I was gonna say, the first thing I saw in that maruader was that someone had thrown way too many guns and legs on the body of that poor helicopter

[Hayden]

Awesome drawing, really appealing, but doesn't quite feel like a marauder (the helicopter-looking parts throw me).

[Pinkamena Pie]

This redesign does look a little anorexic, but it does look a lot better than the Phoenix redesign. Bulk it up and articulate the arms more, and you should be there.

[osito]

nicely done. It does need some beefing up though. the legs and forward thrust torso need to be thicker and tougher to survive. Although excellent drawing skills my drawings look like leggo men with guns.