Stinger LAM

Holy cow!

No, nooo...resemblance to anything Robotech, none whatsoever....

I got a late Christmas present* from Kushial, a Battletech Stinger LAM (Land-Air-Mech). This is a mini type of which I've never owned as (unsurprisingly) the makers of Robotech sued the shit out of Fasa for ripping off the design making this one of the many 'unseen' (copyright infringement) mechs.

Pretty close to the artwork...

On top of that, they weren't produced in large quantities (both in the fluff and in reality), making the minis prohibitively expensive to buy. Kushial got this one in a lot (and no doubt kept some for himself). Indeed, I know he's been wanting to try the Battletech's aircraft rules whereas I haven't due not wanting to over-complicate an already over-complicated game (hey wait a minute, am I'm detecting a nefarious plot here?). 

eh, who the hell cares? This thing is cool as hell!

Given that I never figured I'd ever own one, I have no idea on how its rules work, so I guess I have some reading to catch up on. In the fluff, these were produced in the Draconis combine all the way up till the clan invasion. So I'm thinking this will get added to my 8th Sword of Light command lance as it's recon element. 

The DCMS' version known as the A10 (though sadly it lacks the real life A-10's anti-tank capability), mounting a quartet of small lasers and a single medium laser. That said the 'standard' A5 version mounts a trio of medium lasers which is far more useful offensively, though any way you slice it, this is a recon/hit-and-run mech at best. 

Still in air-mech mode (as sculpted), this baby will run circles around anything short of another LAM or other aircraft, making it an excellent harasser!

*Speaking of late Christmas presents, Kushial's present from me is tied into his woefully behind schedule Leviathan dreadnought painting project, but more on that at a later date...