NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited March 2019
To my knowledge, the new version is just a reprint with different cover art and any errata rolled in.
Currently, that errata clocks in at nine pages plus a replacement full-page diagram, so if you care about the rules waiting for the reprint is a good idea.
If you don't care, then pull that trigger. It's a good book, and I thoroughly enjoy it.
Now, if I could just get an errata'd version without the alternate (bad, old) cover art...
Thanks for that info Nips. While I was waiting I discovered that I bought the new rules at drivethrurpg and downloaded them. But you know, there's something to flipping through a book that makes me have the desire to buy this version.
Although I know that I'll get the box set that has the new one in there. Or does it not have the new book?
NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
The new box sets have their own, starter-box appropriate rulebook. The rules are the same, but the BattleMech Manual gets into a whole host of options that go beyond the scope of the boxes.
Like, the box set rules are 56 pages. The BMM is 150 pages. Does the box set need rules for Extreme Temperatures and M-Pods? Nooope.
I personally need all that crunch, so I know what book I'm pulling out most days. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Just played my first tabletop session last night and the speed difference between people rolling purely off paper and me running Flechs is preeeetty huge. Flechs does still need more work (no way to split fire or account for heat sinks in water for instance) but for 3025 fights it's really close to perfect.
Anyway, we ran a scenario from the GoAC box and the whole match was just perfect BT moment after perfect BT moment. The first death was a Locust that charged up to my Catapult which was one elevation up resulting in me kicking its head clean off. The next was a Commando on the enemy team that got SRM 6 ammo crit and died a glorious, explosive death. We ran short on time towards the end but while their Catapult was minty fresh, their Shadowhawk had two engine hits (one courtesy of a through armor crit) so they conceded.
It's definitely not an easy game to learn, though, and our main saving grace was general familiarity with the franchise and my owning Total Warfare plus having watched Death From Above so I roughly remembered certain things like what triggered piloting checks, the fact that high speed turns can make you skid on roads, and other random crunchy bits. On the other hand, once you get the swing of things it's not too clunky to play (especially with flechs making attack rolling take no time at all) and all the things the game accounts for does do a weirdly good job of making the stompy robots feel like really like stompy robots.
I think next time I'd like to experiment with leaning on Flechs more by having a tablet/laptop/whatever on each side to cut down on the record keeping and see how that goes. I'm also weirdly invested in the idea of having an ongoing RP oriented campaign so I need to look into how that all would work (and get moar books!)
Well...shit....Looks like Tactical, Strategic, and Campaign Ops are all out of print now? That's a damn shame. Hopefully they come back outside of .pdf format.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Well...shit....Looks like Tactical, Strategic, and Campaign Ops are all out of print now? That's a damn shame. Hopefully they come back outside of .pdf format.
I think CGL said they were going to put together another print run, but I'd have to double check that to be sure.
*Checks*
Yup...except that outside of the Total Warfare book, physical reprints of the rest of the core book line are up in the air.
NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited March 2019
Oh man, that's a lot of product.
I'm interested in that map pack, but that price....woof. Either I've forgotten how expensive those things used to be, or I've just gotten used to having them for 20+ years without having to buy new ones.
Also, I'm pretty surprised by the neoprene mats. That's actually super-cool and surprising. I just hope the "Grasslands" side of each of those maps is different, because otherwise...bleh. I can't imagine they're not, based on those images though.
[Edit] Also, my copy of AGoAC is coming tomorrow! Because I'm weak, and need more plastic crack. That, and the stars aligned to have eBay throw me a 15% off coupon and I found a vendor that had it in stock at retail price.
Nips on
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Fuuuuuck, guys.
The AGoAC box is goooood. And I'm hardly past the top half of the box!
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
Yeah. If my box isn't in by next weekend I'm probably gonna tell them to refund my order so I can get it somewhere else. Kinda stings, especially since it isn't really the store's fault, but I'll have waited two months for nothing.
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The AGoAC box is goooood. And I'm hardly past the top half of the box!
I really dig how the included roll table includes page references to the rules. It makes quick references a lot faster and I'm a little jealous that Total Warfare doesn't come with one that has page references to Total Warfare now.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Alright, more impressions:
I read through the story book from the AGoAC box. It was....not great? I'll reserve judgement until I read the one from the Beginner box as well.
The miniatures... *chef's kiss*. Fuuuuck, these are good figs, with good sculpts. I only have two complaints:
-The mold lines on my Shadow Hawk were outta control. I think I spent four times as long cleaning them as the next closest culprit.
-The Awesome and BattleMaster are beautiful sculpts, but I wish they were like 10% smaller than they are. They feel huuuuge, especially next to the Light 'mechs.
Got all my prep out of the way on the figs, so I hope to start working on them this week!
-The Awesome and BattleMaster are beautiful sculpts, but I wish they were like 10% smaller than they are. They feel huuuuge, especially next to the Light 'mechs.
Do you think they're mismatched to the point of being inaccurately large? I mean, they are assault mechs
-The Awesome and BattleMaster are beautiful sculpts, but I wish they were like 10% smaller than they are. They feel huuuuge, especially next to the Light 'mechs.
Do you think they're mismatched to the point of being inaccurately large? I mean, they are assault mechs
Ehh. So here's one of the dirty secrets any long-time BattleTech player eventually has to wrestle with: scale in the miniature lines, over the last 30+ years, is a suggestion at best. The notion that the miniatures are 1:300 or 1:285 is nice, but actual production has been wildly inconsistent over the years.
There's actually been a push, at least for new sculpts in the last ten years or so, to normalize the sizes of the models. Even so, you get the occasional model that's whoa crazy huge. Then we all shrug, and move on. For example, look at the Premium Plastic Loki and Thor from one of the last box sets: they're stupid-huge compared to everything, ever. (Still sexy AF, though)
I personally struggle with it, as an OCD engineer-type human.
The new Assaults are honestly fine the way they are! But they make me wish they also did a new-sculpt Atlas, as big ol' skull face is supposed to be the biggest, meanest bot on the block. Next to the new Beamer, though, the old box set Atlas kinda looks like a skinny bitch.
I need to condense these box sets down into something manageable and expandable. Do y'all have a recommendation for a BT mini storage solution?
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
For me it's egg cartons. Also keep my Lance Pack models in their boxes.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
edited April 2019
Let me regale you with a tale of 'Mechs traveling in styyyyyle. (Warning, a LOL TOO LONG post is ahead!)
A while back, I did a ton of research on what I wanted my precious cargo to be stored in, and I eventually landed on several Battle Foam cases. I will preface this up front: this is not an inexpensive solution. It is also not a perfect solution, and let me tell you why:
BattleTech miniatures are all over the place in terms of size, shape, and general pointy-bits-sticking-out at times. So let me give you a guided tour, and help you understand where I landed with my configuration.
First up, here's the pair of cases I use: a P.A.C.K. 216, and a P.A.C.K. PLUS.
The 216 is a top-open case, and I use it for (mostly) painted miniatures or ones that I want to take on the go. It has a top-side handle, and also comes with a shoulder strap to carry it messenger-bag style. I don't do this a ton, as I prefer to have it lay on its flat side for most uses, but it's there if you want it.
The 216 pictured with two trays and a foam topper. These are 2" and 1.5" trays, respectively, and are both 50 Assault Marine Foam Tray (BFL). I'll get to the reasons behind this in a minute.
I've found that the 216 with those two size trays and the topper provides a nice, snug fit with only a slight bit of compression on the trays when the case is closed. Also, you can stick a few extras on top of the stack pretty easily; a handful of record sheets and a couple of maps don't even register when you zip everything up, so it's perfect for that "Have an exact scenario to play" type setup.
Here is the P.A.C.K. PLUS. It opens along its front, necessitating sliding the trays in and out for use. Due to this, I've designated this as my Long Term Storage case; it holds all the stuff I've assembled, but probably won't get to painting for a while. Mostly. Again, I'll explain in a bit.
Pictured with this case is a pair of 2" trays, both BattleTech Small Model Foam Tray (BFL), and a 1.5" Assault Marine tray. With these three trays stacked on top of each other, they just snugly fit within the case without a topper. I would use a topper, but honestly the inside of the case isn't that rigid and the stuff in the top try isn't likely to be bouncing around anyway, so I'm not worried about damage there.
So here's a totally-not-secret bonus of using the P.A.C.K. cases: the bottom of the 216 can attach to the top of the PLUS with the integrated half-zippers on each. So if I really need to save space and lug both around, I can tandem them up and carry the whole thing in one go. I don't use this very often, as I rarely have need to move my entire collection, plus the zipper arrangement makes the two cases have a bit of accordion-like give in the vertical axis, which I'm not a super fan of. But it's there if I want to use it.
Alright, let's talk about the elephant in the room: Putting Cthulhu-shaped pegs into rectangular and hexagonal holes.
Looks nice, doesn't it, everything snug and fit in their holes? I'd call the Battletech trays as the place to start, if you have a lot of small-to-midsize figures. The hex cutout is only a handful of millimeters wider than the typical Battletech hex base (32mm flat to flat, IIRC). But depending on how many arms, guns, or limbs your figures have sticking out, many probably won't even fit in the wells. Also, do not buy the 1.5" tall version of this tray. It's simply not tall enough for even most medium 'Mech figures. I had to return and exchange the one I bought at first, after I realized like 10% of my collection would even fit in the 1.5" tray and would go underutilized.
So that brings me to the Assault Marine trays. I settled on this specific tray type for a couple of reasons:
1. Many figures that won't fit in a hex-shaped well can be snug-fit into the wells of this tray, which are 2" by 1" cutouts (by 1.5" or 2" deep). This, in my calculations and measurements, does an admirable job of using all of the available volume while still providing reasonably snug fits.
2. For miniatures that are wacky huge, you can very easily make a cut-out between two wells and tandem them. This actually turns out to be too-much-room (especially in a 2" deep tray) to just-enough-room, depending on the specific miniature. However, because you can cut between the wells in any way that you'd like, you can make a kind of "waist-grip" in the foam wall that's sized just big enough to let the figure sit in it, but also cradles it for a snug fit.
Let's see some examples! So first, here's some shots of some oversized figs getting their comfy pajamas on:
Of note in this shot are the Naginata, Unseen Marauder IIc, Mad Dog Mk. IV, MWO-sculpt King Crab, and Thunderbolt TDR-1C. None of these come close to fitting in a single well, so they get the cradle treatment.
My reposed Catapult K1 and a BattleDroids Locust (yes, that's a 20 ton 'Mech...taking two wells worth of space). Both of these are crazy tall, and so they get the spa treatment. The Locust in particular is fun, because its legs are basically toothpicks; all I needed to do was cut a slit between the two wells, and in it went. This also holds it in place, because otherwise it would be rattling around like mad in there.
Here's an example of "Funky shapes don't fit nice". This Pouncer is a great sculpt (minus some slimness to the undercarriage that I had to fix), but its arms are crazy-wide compared to its base. It fits great into a single 2"x1"x1/5" well...even if it's upside-down, for ease of entry and egress.
So, with a bit of BattleTech Tetris, these two tray types can be made to fit anything you throw at them. At least, anything that's not a Superheavy or Museum-Scale or whatever. I really like my arrangement here; it's not 100% perfect, but literally nothing stock on the market will be. BattleTech miniatures are just too shapely to fit something that isn't custom-cut***.
It's also worth mentioning, I did try a number of the AGoAC miniatures in these trays. Figs like the Commando, Locust, and up to the Griffin and Wolverine can fit in a Battletech tray. The bigger guns, aka Awesome, Catapult, Battlemaster, etc. all are too big and would have to go into the tandem-well setup. (The Cat kills me, because it's just a smidge too tall for the Battletech tray; its missile-box doors stick up out of the well. Boo.)
One last thing that's probably worth noting, back on the Battletech trays: sometimes you get a fig that should fit, but it's just a hair too tall. Pictured here is the tippy-top of a CityTech Centurion. I eventually just settled on letting him sit in here, and letting the foam tray above him do the work of protecting his gnarly mohawk. Likewise the CityTech Orion that's juuuust inside the right side of the pic.
***Now, you're probably thinking "Nips, you be crazy". To which I reply, "Let me show you how far the rabbit hole goes".
I own a very expensive laser cutter. I'm also a former engineer, that also has a small-army's worth of conventional armor assets (tanks, Tanks, TANKS!). Yes, I AM crazy.
These tanks needed a good home, and using a surplus flip-top cardboard box, some charcoal foam ordered off the Internet, a spray adhesive, and a few days of fiddling with art files I drew myself...well, here you go:
I control the means of manufacturing! *Evil Capitalist Laugh, MWUAH HAH HAHHH*
So I'll extend an offer to any of my friends here in the thread: If any of you can't find a solution you like through a typical vendor of storage/carriage solutions, I'd be willing to work with you on something to fit your needs.
Have you done any experiments with pluck-foam trays like these?
I have tried pluckfoam, but not the hobby-grade stuff. I had a pluckfoam tray from from a toolbox; it was a 3" sheet, with no bottom layer. So to make it work as a tray, I had to pluck the bits out in such a way as to leave a bottom surface for stuff to sit on. This was wildly inconsistent doing it by hand, and while it did the job I never liked it.
The hobbyist trays like that one are much nicer, since they usually have a substrate layer attached to the pluckfoam. They're a decent option, but they always seemed overpriced to me.
Well shit. I clicked around on the catalyst site for a bit before giving up. Could not find the store for the life of me. Site is slow as shit.
Catalyst's entire website is a rat's nest of old, poorly coded, and poorly managed pages. Not finding the thing isn't your fault. I had to find their store using a Google search, because most of the links on their web pages just don't work.
Have you done any experiments with pluck-foam trays like these?
I have tried pluckfoam, but not the hobby-grade stuff. I had a pluckfoam tray from from a toolbox; it was a 3" sheet, with no bottom layer. So to make it work as a tray, I had to pluck the bits out in such a way as to leave a bottom surface for stuff to sit on. This was wildly inconsistent doing it by hand, and while it did the job I never liked it.
The hobbyist trays like that one are much nicer, since they usually have a substrate layer attached to the pluckfoam. They're a decent option, but they always seemed overpriced to me.
I was curious cause I've seen these Game Plus pluck foam 13" x7.5" trays for only 8 or 10 bucks which seems like a pretty decent option. I don't have a ton of figures to tray all at once so this strikes me as an affordable, easily expandable solution. Especially since they have packs for the trays too.
If the hobbyist ones are legit I'll try one or two of these and see how they treat me.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Have you done any experiments with pluck-foam trays like these?
I have tried pluckfoam, but not the hobby-grade stuff. I had a pluckfoam tray from from a toolbox; it was a 3" sheet, with no bottom layer. So to make it work as a tray, I had to pluck the bits out in such a way as to leave a bottom surface for stuff to sit on. This was wildly inconsistent doing it by hand, and while it did the job I never liked it.
The hobbyist trays like that one are much nicer, since they usually have a substrate layer attached to the pluckfoam. They're a decent option, but they always seemed overpriced to me.
I was curious cause I've seen these Game Plus pluck foam 13" x7.5" trays for only 8 or 10 bucks which seems like a pretty decent option. I don't have a ton of figures to tray all at once so this strikes me as an affordable, easily expandable solution. Especially since they have packs for the trays too.
If the hobbyist ones are legit I'll try one or two of these and see how they treat me.
Battlefoam's got a tray roughly that size starting at $12, so those Game Plus trays seem like a good value.
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
Crosspost from the painting thread:
Gold star if you can guess the liveries!
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Ugh, this is why I hate BT liveries: those colors exist in almost any subunit of any house.
My knee-jerk reaction would be Capellans and Kuritans, and I somehow know I'm wrong.
Good paints, though!
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IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
edited April 2019
Admittedly, I could've maybe done more with the Griffin's leg joints but its legs are kinda complex compared to the Wolverine and I don't have the best lighting in my painting space right now.
Ianator on
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H3KnucklesBut we decide which is rightand which is an illusion.Registered Userregular
H3KnucklesBut we decide which is rightand which is an illusion.Registered Userregular
Buh, facebook.
Alpha Strike is the streamlined tabletop game for larger scale battles, right? So is that more company-scale (12v12 if mechs), or full on battalion size? I never really looked into Battleforce or Quick Strike.
IanatorGaze upon my works, ye mightyand facepalm.Registered Userregular
I've met someone who's run company-scale in regular Battletech.
...But yes, this is the streamlined one. Instead of full-size record sheets you have a card for each 'Mech. Company-scale is fine for midsize games.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Having run and played Company++ size games in both BT and AS, I muuuch prefer those large-scale engagements in AS.
You can actually do a whole battle in a single day's play, as opposed to six turns or so of BT. Also, because AS is built for it, and moves quicker, it's just more fun moment to moment.
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Currently, that errata clocks in at nine pages plus a replacement full-page diagram, so if you care about the rules waiting for the reprint is a good idea.
If you don't care, then pull that trigger. It's a good book, and I thoroughly enjoy it.
Now, if I could just get an errata'd version without the alternate (bad, old) cover art...
Although I know that I'll get the box set that has the new one in there. Or does it not have the new book?
Steam: betsuni7
Like, the box set rules are 56 pages. The BMM is 150 pages. Does the box set need rules for Extreme Temperatures and M-Pods? Nooope.
I personally need all that crunch, so I know what book I'm pulling out most days. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Steam: betsuni7
As it stands, I live in Dead Tree++ land instead.
You should get your hands on a Surface. These things are all sorts of awesome.
Steam: betsuni7
Anyway, we ran a scenario from the GoAC box and the whole match was just perfect BT moment after perfect BT moment. The first death was a Locust that charged up to my Catapult which was one elevation up resulting in me kicking its head clean off. The next was a Commando on the enemy team that got SRM 6 ammo crit and died a glorious, explosive death. We ran short on time towards the end but while their Catapult was minty fresh, their Shadowhawk had two engine hits (one courtesy of a through armor crit) so they conceded.
It's definitely not an easy game to learn, though, and our main saving grace was general familiarity with the franchise and my owning Total Warfare plus having watched Death From Above so I roughly remembered certain things like what triggered piloting checks, the fact that high speed turns can make you skid on roads, and other random crunchy bits. On the other hand, once you get the swing of things it's not too clunky to play (especially with flechs making attack rolling take no time at all) and all the things the game accounts for does do a weirdly good job of making the stompy robots feel like really like stompy robots.
I think next time I'd like to experiment with leaning on Flechs more by having a tablet/laptop/whatever on each side to cut down on the record keeping and see how that goes. I'm also weirdly invested in the idea of having an ongoing RP oriented campaign so I need to look into how that all would work (and get moar books!)
I think CGL said they were going to put together another print run, but I'd have to double check that to be sure.
*Checks*
Yup...except that outside of the Total Warfare book, physical reprints of the rest of the core book line are up in the air.
Source:
https://bg.battletech.com/news/announcing-core-rulebook-reprints-with-vintage-covers/
@Nips
I'm interested in that map pack, but that price....woof. Either I've forgotten how expensive those things used to be, or I've just gotten used to having them for 20+ years without having to buy new ones.
Also, I'm pretty surprised by the neoprene mats. That's actually super-cool and surprising. I just hope the "Grasslands" side of each of those maps is different, because otherwise...bleh. I can't imagine they're not, based on those images though.
[Edit] Also, my copy of AGoAC is coming tomorrow! Because I'm weak, and need more plastic crack. That, and the stars aligned to have eBay throw me a 15% off coupon and I found a vendor that had it in stock at retail price.
The AGoAC box is goooood. And I'm hardly past the top half of the box!
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I really dig how the included roll table includes page references to the rules. It makes quick references a lot faster and I'm a little jealous that Total Warfare doesn't come with one that has page references to Total Warfare now.
I read through the story book from the AGoAC box. It was....not great? I'll reserve judgement until I read the one from the Beginner box as well.
The miniatures... *chef's kiss*. Fuuuuck, these are good figs, with good sculpts. I only have two complaints:
-The mold lines on my Shadow Hawk were outta control. I think I spent four times as long cleaning them as the next closest culprit.
-The Awesome and BattleMaster are beautiful sculpts, but I wish they were like 10% smaller than they are. They feel huuuuge, especially next to the Light 'mechs.
Got all my prep out of the way on the figs, so I hope to start working on them this week!
Do you think they're mismatched to the point of being inaccurately large? I mean, they are assault mechs
Ehh. So here's one of the dirty secrets any long-time BattleTech player eventually has to wrestle with: scale in the miniature lines, over the last 30+ years, is a suggestion at best. The notion that the miniatures are 1:300 or 1:285 is nice, but actual production has been wildly inconsistent over the years.
There's actually been a push, at least for new sculpts in the last ten years or so, to normalize the sizes of the models. Even so, you get the occasional model that's whoa crazy huge. Then we all shrug, and move on. For example, look at the Premium Plastic Loki and Thor from one of the last box sets: they're stupid-huge compared to everything, ever. (Still sexy AF, though)
I personally struggle with it, as an OCD engineer-type human.
The new Assaults are honestly fine the way they are! But they make me wish they also did a new-sculpt Atlas, as big ol' skull face is supposed to be the biggest, meanest bot on the block. Next to the new Beamer, though, the old box set Atlas kinda looks like a skinny bitch.
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A while back, I did a ton of research on what I wanted my precious cargo to be stored in, and I eventually landed on several Battle Foam cases. I will preface this up front: this is not an inexpensive solution. It is also not a perfect solution, and let me tell you why:
BattleTech miniatures are all over the place in terms of size, shape, and general pointy-bits-sticking-out at times. So let me give you a guided tour, and help you understand where I landed with my configuration.
First up, here's the pair of cases I use: a P.A.C.K. 216, and a P.A.C.K. PLUS.
The 216 is a top-open case, and I use it for (mostly) painted miniatures or ones that I want to take on the go. It has a top-side handle, and also comes with a shoulder strap to carry it messenger-bag style. I don't do this a ton, as I prefer to have it lay on its flat side for most uses, but it's there if you want it.
The 216 pictured with two trays and a foam topper. These are 2" and 1.5" trays, respectively, and are both 50 Assault Marine Foam Tray (BFL). I'll get to the reasons behind this in a minute.
I've found that the 216 with those two size trays and the topper provides a nice, snug fit with only a slight bit of compression on the trays when the case is closed. Also, you can stick a few extras on top of the stack pretty easily; a handful of record sheets and a couple of maps don't even register when you zip everything up, so it's perfect for that "Have an exact scenario to play" type setup.
Here is the P.A.C.K. PLUS. It opens along its front, necessitating sliding the trays in and out for use. Due to this, I've designated this as my Long Term Storage case; it holds all the stuff I've assembled, but probably won't get to painting for a while. Mostly. Again, I'll explain in a bit.
Pictured with this case is a pair of 2" trays, both BattleTech Small Model Foam Tray (BFL), and a 1.5" Assault Marine tray. With these three trays stacked on top of each other, they just snugly fit within the case without a topper. I would use a topper, but honestly the inside of the case isn't that rigid and the stuff in the top try isn't likely to be bouncing around anyway, so I'm not worried about damage there.
So here's a totally-not-secret bonus of using the P.A.C.K. cases: the bottom of the 216 can attach to the top of the PLUS with the integrated half-zippers on each. So if I really need to save space and lug both around, I can tandem them up and carry the whole thing in one go. I don't use this very often, as I rarely have need to move my entire collection, plus the zipper arrangement makes the two cases have a bit of accordion-like give in the vertical axis, which I'm not a super fan of. But it's there if I want to use it.
Alright, let's talk about the elephant in the room: Putting Cthulhu-shaped pegs into rectangular and hexagonal holes.
Looks nice, doesn't it, everything snug and fit in their holes? I'd call the Battletech trays as the place to start, if you have a lot of small-to-midsize figures. The hex cutout is only a handful of millimeters wider than the typical Battletech hex base (32mm flat to flat, IIRC). But depending on how many arms, guns, or limbs your figures have sticking out, many probably won't even fit in the wells. Also, do not buy the 1.5" tall version of this tray. It's simply not tall enough for even most medium 'Mech figures. I had to return and exchange the one I bought at first, after I realized like 10% of my collection would even fit in the 1.5" tray and would go underutilized.
So that brings me to the Assault Marine trays. I settled on this specific tray type for a couple of reasons:
1. Many figures that won't fit in a hex-shaped well can be snug-fit into the wells of this tray, which are 2" by 1" cutouts (by 1.5" or 2" deep). This, in my calculations and measurements, does an admirable job of using all of the available volume while still providing reasonably snug fits.
2. For miniatures that are wacky huge, you can very easily make a cut-out between two wells and tandem them. This actually turns out to be too-much-room (especially in a 2" deep tray) to just-enough-room, depending on the specific miniature. However, because you can cut between the wells in any way that you'd like, you can make a kind of "waist-grip" in the foam wall that's sized just big enough to let the figure sit in it, but also cradles it for a snug fit.
Let's see some examples! So first, here's some shots of some oversized figs getting their comfy pajamas on:
Of note in this shot are the Naginata, Unseen Marauder IIc, Mad Dog Mk. IV, MWO-sculpt King Crab, and Thunderbolt TDR-1C. None of these come close to fitting in a single well, so they get the cradle treatment.
My reposed Catapult K1 and a BattleDroids Locust (yes, that's a 20 ton 'Mech...taking two wells worth of space). Both of these are crazy tall, and so they get the spa treatment. The Locust in particular is fun, because its legs are basically toothpicks; all I needed to do was cut a slit between the two wells, and in it went. This also holds it in place, because otherwise it would be rattling around like mad in there.
Here's an example of "Funky shapes don't fit nice". This Pouncer is a great sculpt (minus some slimness to the undercarriage that I had to fix), but its arms are crazy-wide compared to its base. It fits great into a single 2"x1"x1/5" well...even if it's upside-down, for ease of entry and egress.
So, with a bit of BattleTech Tetris, these two tray types can be made to fit anything you throw at them. At least, anything that's not a Superheavy or Museum-Scale or whatever. I really like my arrangement here; it's not 100% perfect, but literally nothing stock on the market will be. BattleTech miniatures are just too shapely to fit something that isn't custom-cut***.
It's also worth mentioning, I did try a number of the AGoAC miniatures in these trays. Figs like the Commando, Locust, and up to the Griffin and Wolverine can fit in a Battletech tray. The bigger guns, aka Awesome, Catapult, Battlemaster, etc. all are too big and would have to go into the tandem-well setup. (The Cat kills me, because it's just a smidge too tall for the Battletech tray; its missile-box doors stick up out of the well. Boo.)
One last thing that's probably worth noting, back on the Battletech trays: sometimes you get a fig that should fit, but it's just a hair too tall. Pictured here is the tippy-top of a CityTech Centurion. I eventually just settled on letting him sit in here, and letting the foam tray above him do the work of protecting his gnarly mohawk. Likewise the CityTech Orion that's juuuust inside the right side of the pic.
***Now, you're probably thinking "Nips, you be crazy". To which I reply, "Let me show you how far the rabbit hole goes".
I own a very expensive laser cutter. I'm also a former engineer, that also has a small-army's worth of conventional armor assets (tanks, Tanks, TANKS!). Yes, I AM crazy.
These tanks needed a good home, and using a surplus flip-top cardboard box, some charcoal foam ordered off the Internet, a spray adhesive, and a few days of fiddling with art files I drew myself...well, here you go:
I control the means of manufacturing! *Evil Capitalist Laugh, MWUAH HAH HAHHH*
So I'll extend an offer to any of my friends here in the thread: If any of you can't find a solution you like through a typical vendor of storage/carriage solutions, I'd be willing to work with you on something to fit your needs.
My Beginner Box is finally here and the stuff looks so good
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I have tried pluckfoam, but not the hobby-grade stuff. I had a pluckfoam tray from from a toolbox; it was a 3" sheet, with no bottom layer. So to make it work as a tray, I had to pluck the bits out in such a way as to leave a bottom surface for stuff to sit on. This was wildly inconsistent doing it by hand, and while it did the job I never liked it.
The hobbyist trays like that one are much nicer, since they usually have a substrate layer attached to the pluckfoam. They're a decent option, but they always seemed overpriced to me.
Only if you buy it from disreputable dealers. It looks like it is still in stock at the Catalyst store.
https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/collections/battletech/products/battletech-a-game-of-armored-combat
Well shit. I clicked around on the catalyst site for a bit before giving up. Could not find the store for the life of me. Site is slow as shit.
Catalyst's entire website is a rat's nest of old, poorly coded, and poorly managed pages. Not finding the thing isn't your fault. I had to find their store using a Google search, because most of the links on their web pages just don't work.
Steam: betsuni7
I was curious cause I've seen these Game Plus pluck foam 13" x7.5" trays for only 8 or 10 bucks which seems like a pretty decent option. I don't have a ton of figures to tray all at once so this strikes me as an affordable, easily expandable solution. Especially since they have packs for the trays too.
If the hobbyist ones are legit I'll try one or two of these and see how they treat me.
Battlefoam's got a tray roughly that size starting at $12, so those Game Plus trays seem like a good value.
Gold star if you can guess the liveries!
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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My knee-jerk reaction would be Capellans and Kuritans, and I somehow know I'm wrong.
Good paints, though!
Admittedly, I could've maybe done more with the Griffin's leg joints but its legs are kinda complex compared to the Wolverine and I don't have the best lighting in my painting space right now.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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Alpha Strike is the streamlined tabletop game for larger scale battles, right? So is that more company-scale (12v12 if mechs), or full on battalion size? I never really looked into Battleforce or Quick Strike.
...But yes, this is the streamlined one. Instead of full-size record sheets you have a card for each 'Mech. Company-scale is fine for midsize games.
Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
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You can actually do a whole battle in a single day's play, as opposed to six turns or so of BT. Also, because AS is built for it, and moves quicker, it's just more fun moment to moment.