OBT Forum

True that.

The "II" designations are simply place holders for the moment.  Rest assured, they will get their own names!

And, I do agree with most of what you said on production.  The Scorpions get around this (in part) by using just two engines for all five of their new OmniMechs (350XL for the Sand Devil and Goliath Scorpion; 360XL for the Hooded Eagle, Desert Tiger, and Dune Stalker.  Plus, their fifth OmniMech (the assault weight Dune Stalker) is going to be extremely limited in the Scorpion Touman. 

I'm talking about fifty chassis total.  Fifty individual units.  No more.  Which means they are probably going to wind up teaming up with another Clan (probably Star Adder) to share the design let THAT Clan produce the OmniMech in mass.  Retaining their rights to the design and their rights to produce them . . . but not actually having a production line open.  Instead, acquiring one or two or three a year (as needed for replacements) from the Adders.  Or the Sharks.  Or whoever.

Which leaves four Scorpion Omnis.  The fluff on all of them will be rewritten.  The Hooded Eagle will be a collaboration with Wolf, as will the Desert Tiger, as both units fill a role in the Wolf Touman (and the Desert Eagle is a far better Linebacker than the Linebacker ever was!).  The Sand Devil I see as the result of cooperating with Clan Diamond Shark.

In canon, they produced the Grendel.  Similar movement profile, similar role (albeit without the fixed JJs of the later design).  They also (in canon) introduced the Conjurer 2 BattleMech . . . which upgraded to a 350XL engine!  And, I'm thinking that maybe instead of borrowing the Talos from the SLDF archives of the Taurian War, instead they use the MechWarrior 4 Hellhound version of the Conjurer . . . which looks absolutely bad-ass and could make for a decent Omni-conversion!

And, as Takiro has suggested, the Goliath Scorpion would fit the bit as a replacement for the Summoner.  And just about everyone uses the Summoner (not as much as the Falcons, perhaps, but the Horses [for example] produce it themselves in house). 

Which is how I see it being possible for the Scorpions to manage to produce their own OmniMechs . . . especially since they are closing down BattleMech production lines and converting them for these new units.

Anyway, I hope that answers some of your questions.

MA

For a Clan that DOES NOT USE combat vehicles in their Touman (either front-line or second-line!)!!

First, this is false, they may not use a lot, but they do use some.  More specifically the Donar and Anhur are called out as being used by the Goliath Scorpions in their TRO write-ups.

Let me be a little more specific for Clan Goliath Scorpion.  Via canon, we know that the Scorpions had three manufacturing facilities prior to 3050.

Marshall Light Assembly Station (Marshall).  Manufacturing the Commando IIC and the Mithras.

Dagda Battle Armor Production Facility Alpha (Dagda).  Manufacturing Elemental (and later Undine) Battle Armor, as well as the Svantovit.

Roche QuadPlex Alpha (Roche).  Manufacturing the Fire Scorpion, Hellbringer, Ares Hachiman, Ku, Ishtar, Huitzilopochtli, and Mars.

You have, apparently, fallen into the trap of using Sarna as a source of canon material.  All eight of the vehicles listed here are manufactured at "various" clan locations, none of them specify any of the above, nor are there any indications that they should be built at those facilities.  This is a case of an editor making a decision without any basis in canon.

The Scorpions are known to have very little manufacturing capability, supported by the frequent statements that they are among the most nomadic of the clans (occasionally being referred to as gypsies) - if one is traveling frequently, one is unable to set up a strong industry.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from your idea that the Scorpions start an arms race of some kind, but some of what you are suggesting gives me the impression that you are pushing them from what I see as a distant 3rd tier industrial clan to an upper 2nd tier industrial clan - which, imo, is really pushing what I consider possible in a short term.  (for minor reference, I consider three clans to be tier 1 clans, nine to be tier 2 clans, and five to be tier 3 clans - including all three of the ones I mentioned above; I'll admit that I'm using FM:Updates and some assumptions regarding the Star Adders, Burrocks, and Smoke Jaguars to come to these tiers though so the timeline for it is messy)

I get that, inconsistency in canon is quite annoying.  But no, warden clans doesn't specify they don't use them, but does leave them out when going over the forces, suggesting they are a small contingent.  In addition, the Scorpion Touman is stated as being particularly regimented consisting of "Battlemechs, aerospace and Elemental forces," omitting combat vehicles - unfortunately omission does not equate to non-existence. Vehicles are only mentioned in the portions referring to Seeker retinues.

And I really get the doctrinal issue, I would have loved to see clans follow through on manufacturing units that supported their separate military doctrines - and using them.  The Ravens likely would have completely eschewed artillery units, instead relying on limited ortillery.  The Star Adders would have attempted to consolidate the chasses they ended up using to limit logistical issues.  The Cloud Cobras building and relying heavily on aerospace units.  The Falcons focusing on mobility and aggression.  Etc... etc... etc...