"If not LAM, why LAM shaped?"

"Lose friendships, not battles." -- FASA design team, probably

A Mech that will lose you friends faster than Clan Jade Falcon will lose a campaign against Clan Wolf.

Still an amazing machine. But the Clan Pulse is deeply connected to this one. lol

“We have LAM’s at home.”

"Ivan, we need new mech, but all we have are defunct aerofighters" ahh design

So the F-15 never goes extinct, it just became a mech

Black Python looks like a Valkyrie stuck in Gerwalk mode.

I am kind of surprised that there wasn't a Partial Wing load-out on it. And a lot of fantastic paint jobs, well done folks!

I am continually suorised this isnt a LAM whose transformation system got frozen

29:03 that outline really does make it look like a happy mech

Battletech, your Macross roots are showing lol

Seriously though, the Black Python is just a plane with arms and legs.

And it's still super cool.

everyones camping this video, good

MechFrog, thank you for this.

I love my legally distinct LAMs, and today happens to be my birthday. This is appreciated, young man. Godspeed.

I love the Black Python for the way it looks like a fighter jet on legs, how it plays as if whoever designed it held a major grudge against life itself, and the way I can discreetly tell someone I don't want them at my table when I use it against them.

All hail the CPL and TC, seyla!

Got a soft spot for aircraft-shaped mechs. It's like a clan Champion, but good. This might be one of my new favorites! I feel like the 5 variant is basically a clan Marauder, love it.

The original Black Python and the White Raven are both absolutely brutal. I want to salvage one in the Draconis March so much! Our 'MechTech, Jerry, is salivating at the thought.

The friendship tester!
The infantry eraser!
The Tim-birb-wolf!
The base model truly is a magnificent piece of equipment. It really does feel like every subsequent model is a downgrade purely because of that enormous bonus to hit. I feel for anyone fielding infantry and having to cope with a 12D6 roll for damage.

Hello Mech Frog.

Due to the timing of things (my retirement and subsequent move back to my home town), I was only able to play a few battles against Clan forces fielding Black Adder / White Raven Mechs. Of those battles, I only won ONE. In that battle I was able to salvage most of a Black Adder Mech for my Mercenaries.

The Mech was repaired and fielded by my Ghost Lions Legions, and kept in its original configuration. I would later change that up by removing the Machine Guns and their ammo in favor of adding an Anti-Missile System with a ton of ammo.

Being able to 'blunt' missile attacks was very useful, and kept the Black Adder in combat longer and more effectively. So the 'loss' of the MGs was not really a negative factor.

Against Battle Armor and other Infantry units, I could rely upon my original 3025 Era KTT-3N and 3055 Era KTT-5N Mech designs. As a reminder, the KTT-3N, at 35 tons, sported a movement profile of 4/6/4 and mounted 3 Medium Lasers and 10 Machine Guns. The upgraded KTT-5N was 40 tons, and sported the same movement profile as its slightly lighter 'parent' Mech. It mounted 3 Inner Sphere ER Medium Lasers and 8 Heavy Machine Guns in two MG Arrays. The 'downgrade' of 2 MGs made room for an Inner Sphere AMS and a ton of ammo at the cost of a bit of armor.

Both machines were very effective against Infantry and Battle Armor units. And exceedingly useful in urban combat settings. Especially in a Defensive role. Both Mech designs were very good at ambushing enemy machines, leaping behind them over buildings to deal serious damage to the target's rear armor paneling before the MGs began 'crit fishing' the Internal Structures.

As to the Black Adder... Well, I would have liked to have more of them. It was an efficient build, although quite expensive. But, my penchant for 'Energy Boat' designs made me a 'fan' of the Black Adder design overall. The only 'drawback' was that the Mech was built entirely with Clan Tech, and thus was fairly hard to repair and maintain due to the relative scarcity of Clan Tech spares and parts, including Armor Paneling.

The design was sufficiently valuable to me and thus the GLL dealt with the Diamond Sharks to obtain several more of the original Black Adder Mechs. Diamond Sharks were only too happy to 'downgrade' other versions of the general design and sell them to the Legions, as well as provide plenty of spares and stores to keep them operational. The Sharks noting that by providing such services, they could maintain an ongoing contract for such parts and replacements and thus have a steady source of income into the Clan's economy. The term 'captive audience' comes to mind here.

Although the Stygian Compact was producing some Clan Tech, the amount was not sufficient to redirect enough to the existing Black Adder(s) to keep them functioning. That tech being needed for many other Mech designs currently fielded by the Legions as a whole.

So, in the end, although an efficient and valuable design, the relative scarcity of the Mech was the primary reason that the GLL did not use if more frequently. That, and the overall cost of maintaining and operating such a unit that was built entirely out of Clan Tech.

So, do I Love the Black Adder? Overall, yes. Even though limited in availability and very expensive to field and maintain. Should I play any Clan forces in the future, there is no doubt in my mind that I would 'move Heaven and Earth' to include at least one or more Black Adders in my unit's touman.

With today being the Rune of September, it's a great time to learn about more Clan mechs.

October 6th, Ashes and Ascension! Hope you and yours have been well.

It would be neat if the fins and airfoil body gave something like "Nimble Jumper," but as it stands, "Improved Targeting at Close Range" is certainly helpful in keeping light and medium mechs honest as fresh scrap.