I really enjoyed it during the pre-game LAM fight on Saturday, when Jarod switched to mech-mode, and pulled out an unseen stinger in the same paint scheme. That's something I've planned on doing as well. I haven't yet determined whether I'm brave enough to do some cutting and put an unseen LAM into ASF mode.
I really hope IWM releases the new LAMs as 3 distinct sculpts each, hopefully, all in the same box. I have a sneaking suspicion they'd sell slightly better than all those other lance packs . I wonder if CGL has asked IWM to wait on doing the new LAMs until they've got comprehensive rules in place. I have to think that's the case, as (putting myself in Mike Noe's shoes here) if I owned IWM and saw the new TRO, I think I'd be willing to pay the sculptor bonus money to work non-stop getting those LAMs into production. Regardless of the fact that the jury is still out on whether or not LAMs will be balanced on the table, it doesn't matter. When they come out, it seems like a slam-dunk that they'd be some of the hottest selling BT mini's in history (certainly recent history). Cash cow.
On the other hand, it's CGL that's cash-strapped (according to the rumor mill), so maybe they're thinking the same thing and plan to release them as highly detailed plastics and capitalize on the massive sales? Imagine, if you will, a CGL box that includes all 3 LAMs, in detailed plastic, possibly in multiple modes, a small booklet with Quick-start rules, a card-stock map with terrain on one side and space on the other, and 2 CGL-branded LAM dice.
Seriously though, I'm surprised that we haven't even heard a whisper of these minis yet.
Glad the Solaris campaign is over. It was a lot of fun, and I had some excellent 1v1's, but I'm definitely ready to get back into a deep campaign. If we do that again, sometime in the distant future, it might make sense to let players pick their mechs to some extent, so that mechs are picked that make sense with a stable's abilities or preferred fighting style. Could even be done serpentine draft style, with the GM rolling up a list of light mechs, and stables choosing their mechs in a draft. You'd still end up with some throw-away designs, but you'd be more likely to not be completely gimped in a certain weight class.
Got to say, I'm glad to be done with the Solaris maps as well, I much prefer the wide open spaces and fresh gunpowder-scented air of traditional maps.
