BattleTech ComStar Battle Level II

Comstar returns again with another six iconic mechs. Updated with new sculpts and ready assembled out the box with cards for use in Alpha Strike as well as in classic Battletech. In the box you get the following Crab, Crockett, Flashman, Guillotine, Lancelot, and the Mongoose. Now to look at them in some brief detail…

Crab

The crab is a medium-weight raider with an all energy weapon loadout. It also sports decent speed and armour. It is an iconic design that is readily recognizable and can survive a good deal of punishment while returning fire. The two large lasers give it a dangerous two pronged(clawed?) attack with 16 heat sinks taking most of the stress from firing. Its only real downside is the complete lack of jump jets that can leave it vulnerable in some terrain types. It is a very solid medium battlemech that has a lot of survivability and is behind cover it is a very stubborn defender.

Crockett

An assault mech. The crockett is a hefty and well-rounded mech. Heavily armoured with a large payload that varies from an autocannon/10 to srm-6’s, large lasers, and small lasers. It also has a large amount of ammunition for the autocannon which allows it to sustain fire for most games without pause for consideration. This combination also makes it fearsome at all ranges. Which combined with the heavy armour make it a force to be reckoned with. It even has jump-jets that allow it some limited aerial abilities and grant it the deadly ‘death from above’ maneuver. Something that also benefits from its massive tonnage.

Flashman

The Flashman(or Flashbulb) is a heavy mech with a mostly energy based arsenal. It has enough large and medium lasers to give most enemies something to think about before engaging recklessly. It arguably has too many lasers and it capable of chewing through all its own heat sinks if you want to make some truly decimating barrages. In terms of movement, it is reasonable for a mech of its size/tonnage and serves as a solid frontline or tank style battlemech. It is lacking any jumpjets so it does struggle with vertical movement and difficult terrain. But it also brings an unusual piece of kit in the form of an anti-missile system which gives it some soft counter to a missile heavy opponent.

Guillotine

Coming in at slightly lighter than the Flashman is the Guillotine. It differs in being more mobile and brings a decent number of jumpjets. It also brings four medium lasers and one large so it has a capable array of offensive weaponry that is complemented by a srm 6 which puts it in a more upfront brawler type role. Despite being a heavy it does feel more like a medium type battlemech albeit a high end one. It excels in difficult terrain and can serve as a versatile front line unit. It can also be made a lot more versatile by swapping out the srm for a lrm or an AC for some more long range options. But even as an out-of-the-box model it is a dependable mech.

Lancelot

Although technically a heavy mech the Lancelot is a lot more of a mainline medium mech. In terms of armour it is on the light side and has no jump jets. It does bring a tidy array of two large lasers, a ppc, and one medium laser with gives it a nasty punch at long range. It cannot however stand up to the same punishment as say a Guillotine or a Flashman though. Which is a given considering it is only 60 tons. If judged as a medium mech it is quite good and despite looking fairly static it has some high base movement which makes it a very mobile long range sniper type. It also has a nice distribution of its weaponry where it will quite happily keep up its offensive potential after losing an arm or two.

Mongoose

Possibly the funnest mech in the box is the Mongoose. A light battlemech designed for recon and skirmishing. It is surprisingly tanky for a light mech and can take a few shots then deal them back with three medium lasers providing its main offensive option. It has a high run speed and despite lacking jumpjets it should have no issues with maneuvering. It feels powerful given it has high speed, relatively good armour and a respectable arsenal for its size and 25 ton weight. It reminds me a lot of the Commando in terms of design and playstyle where it is best fired at full speed at it storms the enemy flank. Absolutely worth adding to a lance for its spotting powers and as an overlooked package that can cause havoc to the enemy.

Component Quality

The minis are all lovely. The redesigns have kept the original charm and profiles shapes while making them a lot more modern and believable. They lack some of the retro curvature of the original sketches but that seems to be something that was retconned in later artwork anyway. The plastics themselves are of good quality. They are robust and durable enough to be dropped from the tabletop without much concern and they pain up nicely with well-defined paneling that takes well to a wash/glaze. You also get some larger panels that allow for some detailing and freehand designs. The Flashman would take well to one of the flashier designs due to the larger chassis. Something like a pirate faction or crusader scheme would look great.

Summary

Although this Comstar pack is heavier on the heavy mechs it does have a lot of options you will want to bring to a lance. The Mongoose and Crab are both highly versatile and adaptable mechs which punch above their weight. You also have your pick of the heavy/assault mechs that you will probably want to bring at least one of. The pack also has six instead of four mechs so you get enough for a lance and a half. Combined with the other Commstar pack that gives you three functional lances and a lot of customization between the twelve. You also get the alpha strike cards so the set is fully compatible with that game mode.