Sorry it’s been so long folks for this review but here on Super Bowl Sunday before things really get rolling I finally have time to put a bow on this one. Twenty-seven (27) entries by six (6) designers (5 Bradshaw, 4 drakensis, 6 Abele, 3 Irose, 6 Ice Hellion, 3 masterarminas) participated in this one which I broke down the following way….
DISQUALIFIED
17. JR8-R, R2, & R3 (Abele)
The final three Jenner entries from Abele unfortunately were not fluffed which stinks especially cause R3 is pretty darn interesting. A hard charging Jenner with a Blazer?! Now that is a concept for the future almost certainly. I am thinking of some Regulan innovation during the Third Marik Civil War which might be designed differently but fill the same 'Blitzkreig' role for that faction. The others had promise two - I like the idea of using the standard PPC on these designs and an all Pulse Jenner would have its advantages. Too bad bud, maybe next time.
PASSABLE
16. JR8-3 & JR8-4 (Bradshaw)
While your base designs did much better than just pass here Bradshaw you went too far with these two variants, well at least in my opinion. Again, these models used 280 XL Engine (8/12/6) and much of the Owens equipment which would be a superb testbed for the future OmniMech. EndoSteel and Double Heat Sinks fit nicely but there was the sloppy armor error which nearly cost you the contest altogether. Was it ferro-fibrous or standard armor? It is pretty difficult to go through all of these designs and you guys have two weeks to get it right – please make sure you do so from now on. Why these two variants ended up here instead of with the other was the non-modular swaps which were attempted. Replacing a CASE between variants would require an extensive change of armor which is a bridge too far. Don’t get me wrong InnerSphere techs could certainly try something like this but I don’t see it working. Also, please double and triple check your designs for errors cause I am just gonna disqualify any obvious errors I find next time.
15. JR-8A (Abele)
One of the few simple Jenners presented during this contest that featured a standard 245 Fusion Engine (7/11/6) this one did have its share of advanced technologies. From five and a half tons of ferro-fibrous (98 factor) armor to an EndoSteel chassis which included Double Heat Sinks this was definitely an upgrade. The C3 Slave included here was also a must in my opinion for any would be contender in this contest. The weaponry left me a bit wanting here with only an ER Large and two Small Lasers to defend itself this Jenner is more of a harasser than it is a raider. I could see the Jenner fulfilling that role but others were more desirable to me.
14. JR8-F (Abele)
Much like the JR-8F this simple Jenner with a 245 Fusion Engine and two additional jump jets (7/11/7) shares many of the same advanced components as well as the same venerable power plant. Five and a half tons of ferro-fibrous (98 factor) armor, an EndoSteel chassis, Double Heat Sinks, and a C3 Slave all help improve this Jenner’s capabilities. More a traditional hard charger this one mounts four Medium Lasers and a Small Pulse which left me wanting. While the improved mobility is intriguing the point-blank range of the Small Pulse combined with its light hitting power is a bit of a letdown. Suppose it could be designed for anti-Elemental missions but I’d probably still prefer another Medium Laser in that case.
13. JR9-K (drakensis)
This was a little too radical of a Draconis upgrade of the Jenner which relied on a 245 XL (7/11/7) imported from the Federated Commonwealth (Loxley) in order to power it. Not sure I love that angle even during the desperate days of the Clan Invasion when such imports would be possible. Kurita pride might be so much that it could preclude such improvement. The standard chassis remains as do the Single Heat Sinks which is concerning. Jumping and/or firing the four Medium Lasers could result in overheating even though replacing the SRMs with a NARC Missile Beacon would lower those concerns. The C3 Slave and Beagle Active Probe together with the NARC turn it into an amplifier rather than a hard charger by itself. The five and half tons of ferro-fibrous (98 factor) armor is certainly an improvement. I don’t know it is really a lot of change to accept here but it is possible.
CONTENDERS
JR7-N (Irose)
This Draconis upgrade utilizes the same old Standard Chassis with a newly developed 245 XL (7/11/5) fusion plant to allow improvements. Development of such an engine for the pride of the Kurita BattleMech Corps would certainly be possible I suppose. Your gonna need Double Heat Sinks with the ER Large Laser and four Medium Lasers which generate a bunch of heat. Alternating long and short-range fire could be the best solution there and a C3 Slave, Beagle Active Probe, along with five and half tons of ferro-fibrous (98 factor) armor certainly do improve performance here. Not bad Irose, I just thought other advanced Combine approaches were better.
JR7-M (drakensis)
I liked this Magistracy of Canopus and Wolf Dragoon project except for the EndoSteel chassis which was a bit too advanced for me in the Periphery at this time. No problem with the Magistracy replicating the design or the Dragoon connection as I think they would be curious about the Periphery realms and somehow establish links with them. Sort of a continuation of their exploration mission of the InnerSphere perhaps a liaison program of a sort. Liked the six and half tons of ferro-fibrous (116 tons) armor and Double Heat Sinks as advanced tech for the Periphery at this time. Five Medium Lasers aren’t a bad armament either and gives you a lot of what the Kurita Jenner had. What I could see happening here is dropping two jump jets and downgraded to the original standard chassis which would match the Draconis model or even exceed it in some ways. Perhaps in the near future??
10. JR7-R (Irose)
I asked for a Free Rasalhague Republic variant and this one was certainly the most intriguing. I know Bradshaw’s lower tech model finished higher because of concept but based on fluff this better. I love the concept too which changes it into a fast-moving energy support asset with twin ER Large Lasers. Unfortunately, no one that I could find in the entire contest addressed arm flipping which the Jenner could probably do if so desired as it has no hand or lower arm actuators. Thanks to six and half tons of ferro-fibrous (116 factor) armor this one probably could do just that and support quite ably ComGuard and Kungsarme allies. Even without jump jets this was a good design but I felt that others just beat it out. Sorry Irose!
9. JR-701, 702, & 703 (masterarminas)
These three entries by masterarminas were ultimately judged to be too Owens and not enough Jenner. This can mostly directly be attributed to the movement rate which has no jump jets included. Don’t get me wrong I like the angle of approach with an advanced Jenner variant being a test bed for the Owens. Partial Modularity demonstrated in LRM-5s swapped for the SRM-4s in these variants was a great idea. I would have liked to have seen the Beagle Active Probe switched for a Guardian ECM in another variant as well. The C3 Slave is definite must on this upgrade as is Double Heat Sinks which are well fluffed as usual. Finally, six and half tons of ferro-fibrous (116 factor) armor provide for near total protection. Great job as usual however three advanced Combine Jenners finished ahead of you here Arminas, sorry!
8. JR-8X (Abele)
Abele’s best in my opinion is this experimental model which was a cross between a Jenner and a Capellan Raven in my opinion. Seemingly drawing on the Owens for inspiration but without the omni angle it uses EndoSteel, a 280 XL Engine with six jump jets (8/12/6), and Double Heat Sinks to boost performance. Six and a half tons of standard armor (98 factor) are an definite improvement for this surveillance Jenner which would fill a niche role in the DCMS. A C3 Slave, Guardian ECM Suite, and Beagle Active Probe all mounted where the SRMs usually go would make for an interesting look. The addition of a TAG for artillery spotting certainly would have been nice but the advanced electronics suite you put together is quite impressive. The Anti-Missile System isn’t bad here either helping to improve defensive abilities. I might have kept all four Medium Lasers if I were you instead of splitting them in two and adding two Small Pulses. Nice job Abele!
CLOSE
7. JR7-R Jenner (Bradshaw)
While the back ground story of this Free Rasalhague variant using old Capellan engines was a bit of a stretch even with ComStar assistance I really liked the concept. This slower Jenner with a LRM arsenal could provide fire support to other light units which may in fact be more traditional hard charging Jenners. I would have preferred a Periphery and/or Isis Marik for this design which would have been far more practical. Ultimately, I decided against anyone from this fourth party or outsider category making the winner’s circle but this was the closest because of its concept which I greatly appreciated.
6. JR8-K (drakensis)
A simple swap from the last lostech model which swaps standard armor out for ferro-fibrous and drops four Medium Lasers for two Medium Pulses. Much else like the standard chassis, the 245 Fusion Engine, and jump jets (7/11/5) remain the same. Keeping the Single Heat Sinks in this case makes a lot more sense too me because of the accuracy of the Pulses, their shorter range, and lower heat profile when compared to the double lasers in either arm. This was a solid contender and nearly the winner in the simple upgrade category but was ultimately defeated by another.
5. JR7-FC (Irose)
This FedCom Jenner which stripped out the jump jets and SRM in favor of a PPC makes me envision the Osprey BattleMech which would follow years later. The Magna 245 Power Plant has been replaced by the more powerful 280 XL engine which makes it go 8/12 MP. This sits nicely with the Double Heat Sinks which can all fit inside that new motor helping the dissipate the heat generated from the all energy arsenal. Unfortunately, much like masterarminas design I felt that this approach was too Owens and not enough Jenner. I really liked the decision to keep the Standard Chassis and go with six and half tons of ferro-fibrous (116 factor) for near maximum protection. Not a bad design but one other just beat you out here bud, sorry!
4. JR8-K1 through K5 (Ice Hellion)
Nearly winning the Draconis refits were these five advanced tech Jenners which were hurt by their energy armament just a tiny bit. In the same boat as Irose’s JR7-N which was another good entry but was missing those SRMs that I found made an important difference to me. Their short-range striking power I felt was essential ultimately and they do have some specialized roles which energy weapons just can’t fill out. Don’t get me wrong no ammunition explosions and unlimited supplies are good things but the impact of SRMs with the Jenner is too much for me to pass up. Surprisingly I also found myself favoring the 280 XL Engine upgrade to the 245 XL upgrade which was more plausible to me thanks to the development of the Owens. Importing the 245 XL from the FedCom would be possible I suppose but this is Lord Kurita’s prize Light Mech. I know these are a couple of very minor considerations in the ultimate scheme of things but your designs came very close to being the Draconis winner. Sorry bud, so damn close!
WINNERS
3. JR8-2 and JR8-1 (Bradshaw)
Even though there were some errors in the entry these high-tech Jenner upgrades presented as an Owens testbed were clearly my favorite Draconis entries. Movement was not only upgraded with the 280 XL Engine (8/12) but a jump jet was added (6) to improve mobility from the original. Not only can the twin SRM-4s be swapped for two LRM-5s in a pre-modular design but the Beagle Active Probe could also be exchanged for a Guardian ECM if so desired. The TAG is a nice feature as well as is the C3 Slave which I imagine could also be swapped out if so desired. Two arm mounted Medium Lasers round out the weapons and equipment. The only drawback was not being sure if this entry included Ferro-Fibrous or not which nearly resulted in a different outcome. However, it was the most Jenner of the upgrades presented and I believe deserving of a bronze medal. Congratulations Bradshaw!
2. JR9-F (drakensis)
While I wasn't fond of the Streak SRM-2 the rest of this FedCom upgrade was a winner to me. Integrating the remanants of the original Ozawa factory and the growing Norse-Storm industries with their 245 XL Engine for the Spector to execute this refit worked masterfully in my opinion. Like the Double Heat Sinks esepcially with the two upgraded Medium Pulses working in concert with two of the older Medium Lasers. Also it jumps 210 meters or seven hexes which is a nice boost to the original capabilities. The armor is also increased thanks to seven and half tons of standard plating providing a little more than max protection (120 which is one over the 119 allowable factor). I could really see AFFC units utilizing it the most with Davion and Steiner units not being fond of this enemy Mech. Silver medal, nice job drak!
1. JR8-R (Ice Hellion)
Keeping it simple this model dropped the SRM-4 and its ammunition (3 tons) in favor of two more Medium Lasers. This allowed another ton of armor (5 tons) which was upgraded to Ferro-Fibrous (89 factor). Double Heat Sinks were also added to help deal with the increased heat generated by the all energy arsenal. The movement rate (7/11/5) stays the same and with six Medium Lasers this Jenner can stay in the field indefinitely. This makes for an excellent striker which has no worries from ammunition explosions or exhaustion. Well done Ice, congrats on the gold medal and the win.
