Sorry this review took so long and is ultimately high condensed. Running out of time with the holiday approaching and it being the busy season at work. Ultimately this contest had two dozen different designs submitted by a half dozen designers (2 Takiro/Bradshaw, 1 Takiro, 8 Bradshaw, 7 Abele, 3 drakensis, 1 Irose, 2 Ice Hellion) and was pretty solid. Think we boiled the Valkyrie down to the very best available for the time period. And now the review.
INCOMPLETE
14. Common Field Refit, Urban Refit Design, Extended Time Field Design, Light Mech Hunter Killer, Basic Upgrade (Bradshaw)
These five entries lacked model designation and fluff which placed them here. As I said before try to focus in on your best concepts rather than design spam which while interesting is incomplete at best.
13. VLK-RA, VLK-RE, VLK-RY (Abele)
Three entries by Abele lacked fluff but had designations which placed them ahead of Bradshaw’s unnamed five. All were apparently made by Corean Enterprises on New Avalon as experiments I suppose on the Valkyrie chassis. Too bad there isn’t more.
12. VLK-QR (Takiro)
I never got a chance to finish this high tech Rasalhague model made to fight the Clans and looking through some of the other models presented it is really no big deal. Several of the same design aspects were applied by better entries below and I don’t want to give too many unique designs to the Varangian Guard so it works finishing here.
11. VLK-RI (Abele)
This model stands out for its interesting split the missiles concept which drops the base LRM-10 for an LRM-5 and a Streak SRM-2. Plus, you upgrade to a 6/9/6 by utilizing the Hatchetman’s XL Engine and bulk up the laser to an ER Large. Very nice, too bad there is no fluff!
10. JHF-1, 2 & 3 (Abele)
Sadly I really didn’t get to know the Jinghuangfeng (Golden Bee/Hornet) until after the contest was over. This Cappie Valk was designed as an escort for the Raven as well as a deep strike Mech. The Liao refurb built around salvage and inspiration from the Wasp would have shared a power plant with the Raven. It’s a shame that Abele didn’t have time to flush it out just a little more cause the concept isn’t bad at all.
PASSABLE
9. VLK-Rb1 (Bradshaw)
While I felt like this design came from the wrong era at least it had some indication that it was a recovered Star League Royal design pressed into production by the FedCom. Not a bad idea but perhaps a wee bit early for that angle plus it is hard to imagine what Royal Command might have had in store for the Valkyrie since it never reached production during their reign. Not bad though.
8. VLK-QS, QS2, & QS3 (drakensis)
The properly German named Walkure presented by drakensis had a real good chance here and came in three different variants itself. Despite the usage of the Hatchetman’s 180 XL Engine I wasn’t a huge fan of these entries which featured a C3 system. While I do see the Draconis Combine cooperating with the Federated Commonwealth I am not sure about how widely available the C3 would be at this time. Each variant fills one requirement from long range support to short ranged brawler to command. In regards to the command variant; doesn’t a C3 Master have the TAG ability – so why the extra TAG?? I like the core of these designs but I felt there were others which were better.
7. VLK-QXL (Takiro/Bradshaw)
This experimental upgrade that Bradshaw and I came up with for the Raid on Tamar was pretty good but not my favorite. The speed uptick was again bought to you by the Hatchetman 180 XL Engine which has its advantages but also some drawbacks. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to fit another Jump Jet on here because we just flat ran out of mass. This failure to improve on mobility was a big disappointment but the fire support upgrade to an LRM-15 with Artemis was solid. Not my favorite design but very good nonetheless.
6. JI-01 (Bradshaw)
This hatchet wielding, triple strength myomer, mid to short range variant, which is much faster then usual thanks in part to a 180 Fusion Engine. While certainly out of the box with this concept I feel that it is more of a Solaris Gladiator than a FedCom line upgrade. I suppose it could work but not in a wide spread manufacturer type way but a limited model run for the Game World. Not bad bud but like others better.
NEAR MISSES
5. WHI-2MC (Ice Hellion)
The Barbarian in Urdu was the second design submitted by Ice Hellion here for the Canopians and it was pretty interesting. More of a supporting asset than an actual combatant it featured a Narc Launcher and Guardian ECM. While it is faster than the Valkyrie thanks to a 180 Fusion Engine it lacks all the mobility with only four Jump Jets. Armed with only a Medium Laser for offense it lacked a real punch and, in this setting, (Salient Horizons) felt like something the FWLM would try. Still it is a pretty good, if somewhat overspecialized, design which narrowly missed the cut. No bad at all Ice.
4. JI-02 (Bradshaw)
A mix of our QXL (the Hatchetman’s XL Engine) and our QS (ER Large and SRM) this interesting concept from Bradshaw got serious consideration for the top FedCom spot. I liked the Beagle Active Probe addition which gave it enhanced recon capabilities which fit with the greater speed. Not a bad design at all but it just narrowly got beat by another submission. Sorry bud, nice try!
WINNERS
3. RNG-1T (Irose)
While the Ranger is basically a new design based on the Valkyrie it really fits well in this contest. Both the three ton Corean Model 1AA chassis and the Omni 150 Fusion Engine remain at the core of this now Taurian Light Mech. Using six tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor (105 factor) to replace the Reise-470 and Double Heat Sinks this design appropriately has limited lostech for a Periphery design of the time. The PPC and Medium Laser match or slightly exceed the performance of the traditional Valkyrie arsenal. I liked the name, fluff, and reasoning behind the Mech which even went with locally produced electronics as part of this extensive refurb. The only reason your down here at three is it is no longer a Valkyrie. Congrats Irose on the bronze!
2. VLK-QFC (Ice Hellion)
Similar to my VLK-QR which used a larger power plant this variant used a new Omni 150 XL Engine (5/8) with five HildCo Jump Jets (5). As the premier Light Mech of the Federated Commonweath this development is acceptable even though it is a stretch. Ten Double Heat Sinks and the Corean Model 101AA Endo Steel chassis from the QD are pre-existing but take up a lot of criticals. This required the switch from Ferro-Fibrous back to 6.5 tons of Reise-470 standard armor plating with CASE to achieve near max protection. Two LRM-5s (24), an ER Large, and a Medium Laser gives you optimal long to mid-range firepower. Nice job Ice, good enough for second place!
1. VLK-QS (Takiro/Bradshaw)
My favorite design presented here was this weapon swap (missiles now short range and the laser now long) thought up by Bradshaw and myself for the Raid on Tamar. I must admit that fluff too was inspired in part by drakensis who got me thinking about common parts it shares with the Commando, S being the Steiner designator, and Coventry being the Light Light Mech producer. The remark about this design being a ‘baby Panther’ was Bradshaw as well and everything fit. Really a great simple design that retains its toughness with no XL Engine and improves its performance by existing components. Fantastic job and great teamwork make for the top prize here!
