You don't remove jump jets from Grasshoppers, Griffins and Night Hawks (the only exception is royal guard duty). It's right there, in Ares Conventions.
The king of the bug mechs has arrived (and my personal favorite mech in all of Battletech)! This thing is a downright *beast* in Succession Wars-era games
My very first Mech. Everyone in a 1v1v1 battle was told to pick a Heavy Mech from TRO 3025. The other two players went with the generic Maurader pick. I wanted to go with something a little different. I lost but it was glorious
Idk why exactly, but the grasshopper always appealed to me. Maybe it's the vague mecha anime style of it. I can easily picture this thing doing cartwheels through the battlefield.
Now I'm picturing the 'hopper entering screen left just above the tree-line, lasers whipping towards some off screen target as it landa in a quarter crouch with a short slide with dust rising where it's been and small rocks clattering in the initial direction of movement. I think I want Bandai to make me a posable grasshopper kit.
THE GRASSHOPPER! Legitimately, my favorite 3025 mech and one of the few well sinked mechs from that era. A great brawler and and even better city ambusher. 10/10 Best bug.
I love the Grasshopper because it gives me an opportunity to talk about the Grasshopper Shrine in Cold Spring Minnesota. Also because large lasers make enemies melt. Definitely looking forward to your country fusion album about the Cattlemaster pilot and the pretty girl he wants to be with who has a Battlemaster.
I like the idea of a *Grasshopper* built on an endo steel chassis with two medium lasers on the centerline, one in either arm, an ER PPC in either side torso, and a head-mounted SRM-4 with a ton of ammo under CASE in the right torso. Round it out with sixteen double heat sinks, and you have the perfect machine in which to wander the Inner Sphere in search of your half-brother Danny.
One of my favorites. A good counter part to the 'flying brick' Thunderbolt 5SE. The Grasshopper is my lucha libre of choice. I wish there were more early variants, the MWO Grasshopper GHR-5P is a much better Helm Memory Core upgrade than what we got (endosteel, double heat sinks, 2 PPC, 2 ML, and 2 MPL if you're curious).
@@MrDmitriRavenoff That's a good comparison. The real difference is that all the weapons are in the torso on the MWO Grasshopper. Otherwise its a Warhammer 6D with jump jets.
One of my earliest loves upon getting into Battletech with the HBS game. Sure, it's not got the most impressive arsenal around, but good lord the Grasshopper just won't die. And with the sheer number of heat sinks on board, you have so much room for activities if you decide to take a few out.
The Grasshopper has always held a place in my heart, it may not be my fav heavy (I love my Thunderbolts) but whenever I use it, it serves me well, and it grew my fondness for jump jet maneuverability. It was even the mech I used to get my second kill with (my first was a Exterminator living up to its name and getting a machine gun ammo explosion on a Battlemaster and just destroying the thing). As I used it to chip at a Atlas (along with some back-up fire from a sniping Marauder II I had placed up in some mountains but it soon got bogged down by some crafty Wolverine out on the hunt) and just lay a massive barrage of laser fire right on it after it got it brought to its knees by a crippling shot by the Marauder II before the Wolverine forced it to start falling back. Great memories to this day as I was start starting to play the game with my buddies. Plus it was in a pack I got as a gift from a friend so it was one of the first I actually owned (along with my favourite period, the Banshee).
@chewiewookthevindicator5657 oooh, get a Kintaro for the fourth slot in a lance. Little faster than the others, but he's got a cloud of SRMs ready to go.
Another smash hit from the number one Battletech Hiphop Country Fusion artist on TH-cam. Have you done the Exterminator? I'm finding that mech to be a lot of fun, oddly enough.
I think the 6k is as close to perfect as it gets... Having a hard time finding any config that works better. Most of it comes down to "which variation do you like and can you add double heatsinks?"
The Quickdraw/Grasshopper fight, fire-power and mobility-wise, sounds at first to be a good fight. Then you realize the Grasshopper has FIVE and half tons more armor over the Quickdraw.
Behold the power of actually being able to sink the heat your weapons generate. Grasshopper's loadout is almost all killer/no filler. Personally I'd take a SRM4 over the LRM there with half tons of smoke (don't need LRM if they can't see you coming) and inferno ammo.
The Grasshopper is one of my all time favorite heavies in terms of sheer performance. It's one of the few machines I generally am not tempted to tinker with.
I love this thing, a mech that has always earned itself in many a time for me. I have experience in it all the video games, but personally I love it in tabletop the most. It both performs as a "brick" that is meant to take all the aggro yet also be where it needs to be with its jump jets, one done so well the 5 medium laser PPC variant got me 2nd place at a tournament, and is one that is important to me as an artist as well - being able to paint it in a viney, swampy overgrown style was my first big paint project and I pulled it off so well. It was the first time something came out just as good in practice as it did in my head, which was huge for my confidence. Love it, and will be the yardstick I compare any other "brick" mechs to
Always a fan of this one, had some good luck with these in urban combat acting as a big boy back stabber with some snubs and an mrm to just decimate backsides of upto lighter assaults.
Well backed up, the Grasshopper is lethal. Had a game where it charged a warhammer that kept missing, then landed behind for a KO. Very well balanced design.
I can only hope none of your charges in the public education system were holding roman candles. That aside, the presence of a CT energy weapon in the Grasshopper happily tickles my inner Super Robot fan.
As best I can tell, the second bin of SSRM2 ammo is an artifact of the old Inferno rules in ca. 1990 The Battletech Compendium, in which Infernos were restricted to SRM2s and SSRM2s, rather than standard SRM launchers like in Total Warfare. My group house rules that SSRM launchers can use any ammo available to a standard SRM launcher, but functions as a standard launcher when doing so. We like that it gives at least some utility to the poor old 5J.
If I was to change anything on the Grasshopper 5H, I see two options: A) Switch the LRM5 to an SRM4 for better synergy with the medium lasers. B) Retain the LRM5 but use specialty ammo like inferno.
Long long ago we played alot of 3025, I really liked the 5H, but my Field refit was dropping the LRM5 and 1t, and adding 2ML and 1 HS. The refit rules were +/- 2 small items or +/- 1 Large item. It really added flexibility up close with firing 6ML for 18 heat with jumping/running, or 5+LL if standing still. Maybe my most used mech in TT
@@senordos13yep that’s why hot loading the LRM (which would make the LRM explode on a crit but removes the minimum range penalty) is unlikely to effect the survivability of the mech. Because the ammo (located in the torso) is likely to kill the introtech mech one way or the other if hit. (CASE is not available at that tech level) the ammo is already crit padded as much as possible without a major refit. (You only hit the ammo on a 6 lower roll)
Frog? Are you alright? You running a fever or something? Did someone lace your rations with something? A MF design without a plasma rifle!?! This is cause for concern.
One of the best mechs in 3025! Keeping the same movement profile makes it a little bit longer in the tooth as we get into the later eras, so I think the role needs to change somewhat from wanting to mix it up directly to something a bit more medium range. The SNPPCs fit that role exactly, which the 7K very neatly slots into.
The LRM 5, just slightly less useless than an AC-2 and therefore endearing. The grasshopper theming and jump jets always made me wonder if this 'mech was designed for Kamen Rider fans. "DFA? You surely mean RIDER KICK!" I like the variants of this thing, how there were clear missteps as well as viable variants and upgrades, it's a machine with personality.
The grasshopper 6k is underrated by a lot of people that play very open games of battletech. As an broken ground Calvary mech it’s not bringing the big guns but instead is punishing things like light mech flankers or pressuring long range mechs that struggle to fight back under 3 hexes where it thrives
In my MegaMek 2028 campaign I run a modified 5H. I stripped the LLaser and LRM5 to add four more mediums, a small, half a ton of armor and three heatsinks. Eight Medium Lasers is pretty nasty during that time period, as an alpha strike only adds the movement heat.
The grasshope to me always was like a "light" Highlander. The design doesnt really look the same but its the same feel of dread as a giant with a scary pile of concentrated firepower suddenly jumping in front of you
The perfect heavy cavalry mech. Its fairly fast, decently protected, and packs enough punch to be useful against mechs of its size. Its real draw is its ability to scare the wits out of medium mech pilots who cant escape from it
My go to lance for years was a Hunchback 4P(Yes, I’m a dedicated Swaybacker and I’ll fight to the death for it), a Dervish 6M, a Guillotine 4L, and a Grasshopper 5N. As a medium lance, I don’t think you can ask for better. If you like it up close and physical, a Grasshopper is a great choice. My buddy played three Awesome 8Qs parked on high ground, and with my brawling in-your-face lance, we would clean up on tournament games. Didn’t matter what we fought, with all my jump capable mechs I’d position the enemy lances between me and all 9 of my friends PPC’s. No where to run, no where to hide. Glorious destruction.
Fell in love with the Grasshopper through the HBS game. It's nimble and while not carrying thr heaviest of guns, it can still do good damage, and it was hard to keep down. It’s one of the mechs I kept using through the end game, the sole heavy in my primary lance which was otherwise filled with assaults. Even plopped in a snub nose PPC... and that just makes me wish the tabletop version of the weapon was also a scattershot version of the normal PPC. Easily my third favorite heavy inner sphere mech, behind the Marauder and the Rifleman... but leagues ahead of the Warhammer. Also, personally would swap the LRMs for SRMs when possible. Makes more sense to me, giving it some anti-infantry capability (especially if using infernos) and personally just find the LRM-5 does too little to justify it's existence. It really feels like a weapon meant to use up spare space and tonnage and not much else.
"The only way to beat a Grasshopper is with another Grasshopper" Better not try that slogan, as Technicron lawyers may come after you. The Grasshopper isn't fancy, but it works well and, unlike both the Marauder and Warhammer, can be rebuilt. It is a great durable mech that will keep fighting.
With the addition of double heatsinks and Endosteel a buddy of mine swaps the torso laser for a medium so he can fit in a supercharger, the lrm 5 for an srm 4, and replaces the arm mounted lazers with large lasers, with the crowning jewel of this set up being triple strength myomer, you can guess how scary this is lol
Massive thanks for this one mech, great to see my favorite mech run the gauntlet, definitely think I'll be giving the 6k a go next time I have a game, does everything the 5H can do but better.
I love, love, love the Grasshopper. It tends to be my personal command mech in campaign play if I can get one. The 5H is a decent match for more powerfully armed mechs with XL engines down the timeline, I've played games where one of my 5H Grasshoppers gets into duels with Clan mediums and heavies and manage to scrape by with very close wins just due to the durability of the 'Hopper. The Gravedigger variant is my favorite because it does something that none of the other variants do by giving the 'Hopper TSM. TSM punches or kicks from a Grasshopper are wicked and the Gravedigger is sufficiently well-armed to pound anything in it's weight class to scrap if it is able to fight in tight confines. I do sincerely wish for an ilClan era variant with a light engine or Clan XL to take the mech to a 5/8/5, maybe throw a small MML launcher in the head and then ride with snub nose PPCs and medium lasers. That sounds like a fun, in-character variant, even better for me if that one would also sport TSM. A Grasshopper running at 9 hexes with TSM just sounds delightful to me.
MW5: Clans seems to feature one with a standard ppc and 4 mediums, i assume dropping the lrm 5 and ammo for the tonnage difference between ppc and LL. (And maybe a heat sink?). Seems like such an obvious change im baffled there wasn't a standard version that had that
Yippe! Been waiting for this one. I have always wanted to make one of these with the missile launcher replaced with a rocket launcher. One good long range salvo then no worries about ammo explosions and hopefully be in close to the enemy by the next round.
because its basically the quickdraw but heavy enough to not melt in its prime range bracket without double heatsinks or by just existing on a desert planet. That said, it shows just how overarmed the laser centurion and other mediums I like for the laser vomit tactic really are
the -5J probably existed just as a refit kit to the older -5H, and while not all that great an improvement, was probably well enough liked on the clan front, since it could be applied in the field without needing special facilities, and the combination of the longer range on the large laser, the extra endurance of the streak, and the extra defense the AMS gives would make it just a bit more effective at the sort of behind the lines hit and run strategies that worked best against the clans at the time.
I love the grasshopper my one hope is an ilclan variant thats a more typical one but with improved jumpjets, rather then the only ones with them being the weirdo ones with torso mounted cockpits
I like the Grasshopper. It was one of those surprise mechs that I did not expect to work very well. It quickly became one of my favourites. I was very sceptical at first - because it does not look particularly well armed, but it quickly won me over. First off, I'm always a bit paranoid about ammo-dependant designs, even if you are unlikely to run out in most normal scenarios - so this feature of the Grasshopper immediately endeared me. The second were its jump-jets. And finally its armament - it does not look particularly impressive on paper... But in practice how many introtech mechs with 'good' armament can fire most of their weapon loadouts without significant heat issues anyway? Baseline Grasshopper is just solid and easy to use mech - it gets the job done, has solid reduncancy, good mobility and toughness and enough firepower to shred almost anything smaller than it, and good enough to pose a threat to anything its own size. Generally, even the base variant is as close to perfection as you can typically get from non-customised mechs. LRM may be a bit of a hit-or-miss depending on your liking, but either way - Grasshopper pretty much never disappoints.
I had an urban hunter lance (Feral Lance) that was a pair of grasshoppers and a pair of panthers. they used smoke and fascam LRMs primarily until damage and ammunition availability caused the LRMS to be swapped for SRMs and due to the people i played with we allowed alternate loads - we mixed our SRMs odds were standard loads, evens were inferno loads. So first shot would be standard, ,next inferno, etc.. it allowed for some interesting encounters. it was a good lance for stalking streets and alleys.. another good one mr frog, i am still awaiting the release of your album.... what was the title again MechFrog sings the Blue/Greens...
I knew very little about the Grasshopper before this, it was always a 'oh yeah, one of those' sorts of 'Mechs. I can appreciate it a lot more now, might pick one up at some point. Can't go wrong with a CT-mounted Large Laser, right? Replacing the LRM5 with a SRM seems like such an obvious sidegrade I'm surprised it didn't happen more frequently in official variants. Props to the 6K for being the LosTech upgrade the 'Mech deserves (although I'd swap the C3 for an anti-missile system).
I love the Grasshopper. It, like the Awesome, is one of the 3025 mechs that remains useful in the post clan invasion era. I'd like to see an upgrade with an MML-5 and a more traditional loadout.maybe four Medium X-Pulses?
the grasshopper keeps ending up in this weird place where by the time i can get one it is in direct competition with me getting a black knight. and i love me the black knight. the few times it isn't, I've found it to be a reliable work horse up there with the thunderbolt and orion. a solid relic of a mech, that updates well into the modern age.
My favorite recon and guerilla mech, however I am not a big fan of having a missile launcher next to my cockpit hence why I prefer having either lasers or a TAG designator for artillery strikes which makes it the perfect spotter for my Harassers or Strike missile boats
For my own version: I swap the VOX 280 engine for a Light version Swap the regular Myomer for TSM Swap the LL for a C-ERPPC Swap he LRM-5 for a Medium laser Add 2 C-ERLL to the arms Swap the 22 SHS for 19 DHS With this, you get a damn good sniper mech with the Clan weapons, devastating brawler when combining the fire from the C-ERPPC with the Medium Lasers, and a Mech that can fist fight Lighter Assault Mechs due to the TSM Very Fun, but expensive when it comes to C-Bills and BV though
In mild defence of the 5N, the Grasshopper is better equipped to deal with the -1MP penalty than the Warhammer is, specifically because jump MP isn't impacted by your heat level. Obviously, -1 MP is still not great, because the inevitable moment where you fail a PSR is *obviously* going to be the same turn you decided to push the heat to 6, so can't use your JJ for movement and are stuck with a 3/5 kind of short range brawler.
A counterpoint on the 5N. It is amazing at bracket firing. Yeah, the five medium lasers is only 25 damage, but that coming every turn from a jumping mech with the armor of a Thunderbolt? Not bad. Use the PPC on approach.
"So the first step to fixing a Grasshopper is to pull all the jump jets a-" _Technician is vaporized by medium lasers_
Had it coming.
You don't remove jump jets from Grasshoppers, Griffins and Night Hawks (the only exception is royal guard duty). It's right there, in Ares Conventions.
If you’re going for a death from above with the grasshopper, you’re legally obligated to shout, “RIDER KICK!”
*Confused nodding* Kamen Rider reference?
@@MechanicalFrog Kamen Rider reference
@MechanicalFrog who?
'The Amaris is in the details' 😂
“Glad I got away from that Phoenix Hawk. There is nothing scarier for light mech pilots.”
“Chirp! Chirp!”
“What was that noise!?”
It just wants a hug.
@@MechanicalFrogA very toasty hug!
@@MechanicalFrog A hug, and to kick your legs straight off.
@@claytonhollowell4488 How romantic!
Hippity Hoppity, my Grasshopper is gonna slag your mech if it's on my property - A Taurian probably
It flows off the tongue.
The king of the bug mechs has arrived (and my personal favorite mech in all of Battletech)! This thing is a downright *beast* in Succession Wars-era games
A solid pick. Fun for all but the target.
I have loved being a full Zombie with no arms or side torsos, still plugging enemies with a Large Laser.
My very first Mech. Everyone in a 1v1v1 battle was told to pick a Heavy Mech from TRO 3025. The other two players went with the generic Maurader pick. I wanted to go with something a little different. I lost but it was glorious
A very solid and underrated pick.
Idk why exactly, but the grasshopper always appealed to me. Maybe it's the vague mecha anime style of it. I can easily picture this thing doing cartwheels through the battlefield.
It has a certain, razzle dazzle...
Incidentally, "because they all move by Cartwheeling" is one of my go to explanations for the Hit Location table
Now I'm picturing the 'hopper entering screen left just above the tree-line, lasers whipping towards some off screen target as it landa in a quarter crouch with a short slide with dust rising where it's been and small rocks clattering in the initial direction of movement.
I think I want Bandai to make me a posable grasshopper kit.
Because Cream de Mint is an underrated liquor.
nummy.
THE GRASSHOPPER! Legitimately, my favorite 3025 mech and one of the few well sinked mechs from that era. A great brawler and and even better city ambusher. 10/10 Best bug.
I love the Grasshopper because it gives me an opportunity to talk about the Grasshopper Shrine in Cold Spring Minnesota. Also because large lasers make enemies melt.
Definitely looking forward to your country fusion album about the Cattlemaster pilot and the pretty girl he wants to be with who has a Battlemaster.
"Hmmm... never heard of this mech. Looks weird. Mmmmmm, PPC. Kind of fast. Jump jets? I like what this mech is cookin"
An energy weapon for every taste.
patience grasshopper
I like the idea of a *Grasshopper* built on an endo steel chassis with two medium lasers on the centerline, one in either arm, an ER PPC in either side torso, and a head-mounted SRM-4 with a ton of ammo under CASE in the right torso. Round it out with sixteen double heat sinks, and you have the perfect machine in which to wander the Inner Sphere in search of your half-brother Danny.
I really appreciate the work you put into creating content. On rough days like today, it makes a huge difference. Thank you.
I never realized how versatile this mech was, thanks for the info Mr. Frog, I may have to try this one:)
One of my favorites. A good counter part to the 'flying brick' Thunderbolt 5SE. The Grasshopper is my lucha libre of choice. I wish there were more early variants, the MWO Grasshopper GHR-5P is a much better Helm Memory Core upgrade than what we got (endosteel, double heat sinks, 2 PPC, 2 ML, and 2 MPL if you're curious).
Sounds like they made it a Flying Warhammer.
@@MrDmitriRavenoff That's a good comparison. The real difference is that all the weapons are in the torso on the MWO Grasshopper. Otherwise its a Warhammer 6D with jump jets.
Grasshopper is love Grasshopper is life
One of my earliest loves upon getting into Battletech with the HBS game. Sure, it's not got the most impressive arsenal around, but good lord the Grasshopper just won't die. And with the sheer number of heat sinks on board, you have so much room for activities if you decide to take a few out.
Mayby one day you will provide us with Marshal...
Some day...
The Grasshopper has always held a place in my heart, it may not be my fav heavy (I love my Thunderbolts) but whenever I use it, it serves me well, and it grew my fondness for jump jet maneuverability.
It was even the mech I used to get my second kill with (my first was a Exterminator living up to its name and getting a machine gun ammo explosion on a Battlemaster and just destroying the thing). As I used it to chip at a Atlas (along with some back-up fire from a sniping Marauder II I had placed up in some mountains but it soon got bogged down by some crafty Wolverine out on the hunt) and just lay a massive barrage of laser fire right on it after it got it brought to its knees by a crippling shot by the Marauder II before the Wolverine forced it to start falling back.
Great memories to this day as I was start starting to play the game with my buddies.
Plus it was in a pack I got as a gift from a friend so it was one of the first I actually owned (along with my favourite period, the Banshee).
It sounds like you had a really good time with it!
I feel like it's a big version of the Phoenix Hawk; long range weapon, jumpy, decent short range backup, and a slight ammo vulnerability.
The Grasshopper: More than just a Guillotine with an LRM.
Indeed...
Pair them together and you have CQB heaven! Then add a Hunchback…
@chewiewookthevindicator5657 oooh, get a Kintaro for the fourth slot in a lance. Little faster than the others, but he's got a cloud of SRMs ready to go.
Another smash hit from the number one Battletech Hiphop Country Fusion artist on TH-cam. Have you done the Exterminator? I'm finding that mech to be a lot of fun, oddly enough.
I think the 6k is as close to perfect as it gets... Having a hard time finding any config that works better. Most of it comes down to "which variation do you like and can you add double heatsinks?"
The 6/7Ks are pretty darn good.
Just a very solid heavy cavalry 'mech. You gotta love it.
100% agreed.
"You piece of dirt! No, I'm wrong. You're lower than dirt. You're an Fire Ant!" - Grashoppers lance leader, probably.
Snub-Nose PPCs? Okay this mech and that variant is going on the favorites list.
I'm sure it'll be fun.
My favorite disco death machine
Good times had by all.
Sweet jebus, I love this mech. It is great at brawling and just generally reliable.
I love it
Man, Redjack Ryan really has a history with Grasshoppers
This mech is the embodiment of, "Hippitey hoppity, get off my property!" That is why I love the Grasshopper.
Imagine if they swapped two of light PPCs of the 8K for three Medium Pulse Lasers.
Oh the humanity...
My Introtech gateway to Dark Age Jade Falcon perfection.
Grasshopper is a classic hit and run heavy, I respect anyone who makes something like that over 55t
The Quickdraw/Grasshopper fight, fire-power and mobility-wise, sounds at first to be a good fight. Then you realize the Grasshopper has FIVE and half tons more armor over the Quickdraw.
Such perfect timing. Cheers Amphibimech.
Enjoy! Have a great week!
Behold the power of actually being able to sink the heat your weapons generate. Grasshopper's loadout is almost all killer/no filler. Personally I'd take a SRM4 over the LRM there with half tons of smoke (don't need LRM if they can't see you coming) and inferno ammo.
SRM for the LRM is a fair trade.
The Grasshopper is one of my all time favorite heavies in terms of sheer performance. It's one of the few machines I generally am not tempted to tinker with.
Why do we love the grasshopper? Because they’re a pretty tasty bug
I love this thing, a mech that has always earned itself in many a time for me.
I have experience in it all the video games, but personally I love it in tabletop the most. It both performs as a "brick" that is meant to take all the aggro yet also be where it needs to be with its jump jets, one done so well the 5 medium laser PPC variant got me 2nd place at a tournament, and is one that is important to me as an artist as well - being able to paint it in a viney, swampy overgrown style was my first big paint project and I pulled it off so well. It was the first time something came out just as good in practice as it did in my head, which was huge for my confidence.
Love it, and will be the yardstick I compare any other "brick" mechs to
Always a fan of this one, had some good luck with these in urban combat acting as a big boy back stabber with some snubs and an mrm to just decimate backsides of upto lighter assaults.
It seems that many have had really good luck with our friend the Hopper...
What, no plasma rifle? This is madness!
A travesty.
Hippity Hoppity, one of the best 3025 heavies is here!
Huzzah!
Favorite thing to do with this mech is to pair it with the VSPL. -3 to shooting? Oh yes.
Not a bad idea...
Well backed up, the Grasshopper is lethal. Had a game where it charged a warhammer that kept missing, then landed behind for a KO. Very well balanced design.
There is no artistic interpretation or mini of the Grasshopper that isnt a winner. Love that bugeye head
It's solid all around.
We love the Grasshopper because it fought the Phantom of Stiener Colloseum and won.
You had me at head missiles.
I can only hope none of your charges in the public education system were holding roman candles.
That aside, the presence of a CT energy weapon in the Grasshopper happily tickles my inner Super Robot fan.
As best I can tell, the second bin of SSRM2 ammo is an artifact of the old Inferno rules in ca. 1990 The Battletech Compendium, in which Infernos were restricted to SRM2s and SSRM2s, rather than standard SRM launchers like in Total Warfare. My group house rules that SSRM launchers can use any ammo available to a standard SRM launcher, but functions as a standard launcher when doing so. We like that it gives at least some utility to the poor old 5J.
I'm going to start referring to my lasers as "fusion powered truth beams."
I really like this mech. It's really cool-looking, and consistent, too.
Wonder if the MF edition will have plasma weaponry...
Gotcha this time.
If I was to change anything on the Grasshopper 5H, I see two options:
A) Switch the LRM5 to an SRM4 for better synergy with the medium lasers.
B) Retain the LRM5 but use specialty ammo like inferno.
I'm fine with both of these plans.
Long long ago we played alot of 3025, I really liked the 5H, but my Field refit was dropping the LRM5 and 1t, and adding 2ML and 1 HS. The refit rules were +/- 2 small items or +/- 1 Large item. It really added flexibility up close with firing 6ML for 18 heat with jumping/running, or 5+LL if standing still. Maybe my most used mech in TT
You can always hot load the LRM, a head crit hit was always likely to be a death sentence, and you die if the ammo gets hit anyway.
@@Ruggedtoaster only 1 open location in the head for the LRM. Ammo has to go in torso.
@@senordos13yep that’s why hot loading the LRM (which would make the LRM explode on a crit but removes the minimum range penalty) is unlikely to effect the survivability of the mech. Because the ammo (located in the torso) is likely to kill the introtech mech one way or the other if hit. (CASE is not available at that tech level) the ammo is already crit padded as much as possible without a major refit. (You only hit the ammo on a 6 lower roll)
Happy Monday!
Hop to it!
Frog? Are you alright? You running a fever or something? Did someone lace your rations with something?
A MF design without a plasma rifle!?!
This is cause for concern.
One of the best mechs in 3025! Keeping the same movement profile makes it a little bit longer in the tooth as we get into the later eras, so I think the role needs to change somewhat from wanting to mix it up directly to something a bit more medium range. The SNPPCs fit that role exactly, which the 7K very neatly slots into.
Headcanon: Grasshopper pilots are advised in their vehicle manual to shout "wheeeeee" whilst using jump jets.
Frog, you left the second ton of srm2 ammo in the Grasshopper C variant's infocard.
Hoppity hop hop!
Hops don't stop.
The LRM 5, just slightly less useless than an AC-2 and therefore endearing.
The grasshopper theming and jump jets always made me wonder if this 'mech was designed for Kamen Rider fans. "DFA? You surely mean RIDER KICK!" I like the variants of this thing, how there were clear missteps as well as viable variants and upgrades, it's a machine with personality.
I love the 'Crackhopper' as we call it.
Got any more of them, Grasshoppers? *Scratching neck*
@ I'll have to find the changes, but I know there's a DHS variant with extra MLs in our circle.
Martell would love my crew
Because its a beautiful zombie of a bully mech. The PPC one is favorite.
No weak LRM5 and dumb ammo there to weaken the thing.
Heh. Glad someone likes that one.
The grasshopper 6k is underrated by a lot of people that play very open games of battletech. As an broken ground Calvary mech it’s not bringing the big guns but instead is punishing things like light mech flankers or pressuring long range mechs that struggle to fight back under 3 hexes where it thrives
In my MegaMek 2028 campaign I run a modified 5H. I stripped the LLaser and LRM5 to add four more mediums, a small, half a ton of armor and three heatsinks. Eight Medium Lasers is pretty nasty during that time period, as an alpha strike only adds the movement heat.
The grasshope to me always was like a "light" Highlander. The design doesnt really look the same but its the same feel of dread as a giant with a scary pile of concentrated firepower suddenly jumping in front of you
I am a simple man. I see MechFrog video, I click.
The perfect heavy cavalry mech. Its fairly fast, decently protected, and packs enough punch to be useful against mechs of its size. Its real draw is its ability to scare the wits out of medium mech pilots who cant escape from it
My go to lance for years was a Hunchback 4P(Yes, I’m a dedicated Swaybacker and I’ll fight to the death for it), a Dervish 6M, a Guillotine 4L, and a Grasshopper 5N. As a medium lance, I don’t think you can ask for better. If you like it up close and physical, a Grasshopper is a great choice. My buddy played three Awesome 8Qs parked on high ground, and with my brawling in-your-face lance, we would clean up on tournament games. Didn’t matter what we fought, with all my jump capable mechs I’d position the enemy lances between me and all 9 of my friends PPC’s. No where to run, no where to hide. Glorious destruction.
Sorry, 5H, not 5N
Fell in love with the Grasshopper through the HBS game. It's nimble and while not carrying thr heaviest of guns, it can still do good damage, and it was hard to keep down. It’s one of the mechs I kept using through the end game, the sole heavy in my primary lance which was otherwise filled with assaults. Even plopped in a snub nose PPC... and that just makes me wish the tabletop version of the weapon was also a scattershot version of the normal PPC. Easily my third favorite heavy inner sphere mech, behind the Marauder and the Rifleman... but leagues ahead of the Warhammer.
Also, personally would swap the LRMs for SRMs when possible. Makes more sense to me, giving it some anti-infantry capability (especially if using infernos) and personally just find the LRM-5 does too little to justify it's existence. It really feels like a weapon meant to use up spare space and tonnage and not much else.
"The only way to beat a Grasshopper is with another Grasshopper" Better not try that slogan, as Technicron lawyers may come after you.
The Grasshopper isn't fancy, but it works well and, unlike both the Marauder and Warhammer, can be rebuilt. It is a great durable mech that will keep fighting.
With the addition of double heatsinks and Endosteel a buddy of mine swaps the torso laser for a medium so he can fit in a supercharger, the lrm 5 for an srm 4, and replaces the arm mounted lazers with large lasers, with the crowning jewel of this set up being triple strength myomer, you can guess how scary this is lol
Massive thanks for this one mech, great to see my favorite mech run the gauntlet, definitely think I'll be giving the 6k a go next time I have a game, does everything the 5H can do but better.
I love, love, love the Grasshopper. It tends to be my personal command mech in campaign play if I can get one. The 5H is a decent match for more powerfully armed mechs with XL engines down the timeline, I've played games where one of my 5H Grasshoppers gets into duels with Clan mediums and heavies and manage to scrape by with very close wins just due to the durability of the 'Hopper.
The Gravedigger variant is my favorite because it does something that none of the other variants do by giving the 'Hopper TSM. TSM punches or kicks from a Grasshopper are wicked and the Gravedigger is sufficiently well-armed to pound anything in it's weight class to scrap if it is able to fight in tight confines.
I do sincerely wish for an ilClan era variant with a light engine or Clan XL to take the mech to a 5/8/5, maybe throw a small MML launcher in the head and then ride with snub nose PPCs and medium lasers. That sounds like a fun, in-character variant, even better for me if that one would also sport TSM. A Grasshopper running at 9 hexes with TSM just sounds delightful to me.
Thank you for the video. Please do more with Tex from BPL! You two are great!
Love me a good grasshopper
They're all good grasshoppers... except maybe the 7X
MW5: Clans seems to feature one with a standard ppc and 4 mediums, i assume dropping the lrm 5 and ammo for the tonnage difference between ppc and LL. (And maybe a heat sink?).
Seems like such an obvious change im baffled there wasn't a standard version that had that
The 5N?
*running in 23 minutes late*
I MADE IT!
"Remember, it doesn't matter when you get here, just what time..." - Mr.Noblett
❤ the Grasshopper
sad there was no Warner Doles Blackwind Lancers book quote
Because heavies jumping is awesome!
Fact Check: True.
Aaaahh! Comic sans! It burnsss!
It's not...
@@MechanicalFrog Out of curiosity, what font is that?
Yippe! Been waiting for this one. I have always wanted to make one of these with the missile launcher replaced with a rocket launcher. One good long range salvo then no worries about ammo explosions and hopefully be in close to the enemy by the next round.
because its basically the quickdraw but heavy enough to not melt in its prime range bracket without double heatsinks or by just existing on a desert planet.
That said, it shows just how overarmed the laser centurion and other mediums I like for the laser vomit tactic really are
the -5J probably existed just as a refit kit to the older -5H, and while not all that great an improvement, was probably well enough liked on the clan front, since it could be applied in the field without needing special facilities, and the combination of the longer range on the large laser, the extra endurance of the streak, and the extra defense the AMS gives would make it just a bit more effective at the sort of behind the lines hit and run strategies that worked best against the clans at the time.
I love the grasshopper my one hope is an ilclan variant thats a more typical one but with improved jumpjets, rather then the only ones with them being the weirdo ones with torso mounted cockpits
Just a personal opinion. But I love it because it was my favorite description from that TRO and it just did well in the original era.
I like the Grasshopper.
It was one of those surprise mechs that I did not expect to work very well. It quickly became one of my favourites.
I was very sceptical at first - because it does not look particularly well armed, but it quickly won me over.
First off, I'm always a bit paranoid about ammo-dependant designs, even if you are unlikely to run out in most normal scenarios - so this feature of the Grasshopper immediately endeared me.
The second were its jump-jets.
And finally its armament - it does not look particularly impressive on paper... But in practice how many introtech mechs with 'good' armament can fire most of their weapon loadouts without significant heat issues anyway?
Baseline Grasshopper is just solid and easy to use mech - it gets the job done, has solid reduncancy, good mobility and toughness and enough firepower to shred almost anything smaller than it, and good enough to pose a threat to anything its own size.
Generally, even the base variant is as close to perfection as you can typically get from non-customised mechs. LRM may be a bit of a hit-or-miss depending on your liking, but either way - Grasshopper pretty much never disappoints.
A bunch of lasers you say?
Hmmm bunch of lasers.
-drools like homer-
GodDAM do I love the Grasshopper. Big murderous bastard that it is
I'm only shocked the MF variant didn't get a plasma...
I had an urban hunter lance (Feral Lance) that was a pair of grasshoppers and a pair of panthers. they used smoke and fascam LRMs primarily until damage and ammunition availability caused the LRMS to be swapped for SRMs and due to the people i played with we allowed alternate loads - we mixed our SRMs odds were standard loads, evens were inferno loads. So first shot would be standard, ,next inferno, etc.. it allowed for some interesting encounters. it was a good lance for stalking streets and alleys..
another good one mr frog, i am still awaiting the release of your album.... what was the title again MechFrog sings the Blue/Greens...
I knew very little about the Grasshopper before this, it was always a 'oh yeah, one of those' sorts of 'Mechs. I can appreciate it a lot more now, might pick one up at some point.
Can't go wrong with a CT-mounted Large Laser, right?
Replacing the LRM5 with a SRM seems like such an obvious sidegrade I'm surprised it didn't happen more frequently in official variants. Props to the 6K for being the LosTech upgrade the 'Mech deserves (although I'd swap the C3 for an anti-missile system).
I love the Grasshopper. It, like the Awesome, is one of the 3025 mechs that remains useful in the post clan invasion era. I'd like to see an upgrade with an MML-5 and a more traditional loadout.maybe four Medium X-Pulses?
the grasshopper keeps ending up in this weird place where by the time i can get one it is in direct competition with me getting a black knight. and i love me the black knight. the few times it isn't, I've found it to be a reliable work horse up there with the thunderbolt and orion. a solid relic of a mech, that updates well into the modern age.
Great mech, also like the Mechfroggo version, was expecting 15 plasma rifles, but snubby ppc are nice also. ;)
My favorite recon and guerilla mech, however I am not a big fan of having a missile launcher next to my cockpit hence why I prefer having either lasers or a TAG designator for artillery strikes which makes it the perfect spotter for my Harassers or Strike missile boats
For my own version:
I swap the VOX 280 engine for a Light version
Swap the regular Myomer for TSM
Swap the LL for a C-ERPPC
Swap he LRM-5 for a Medium laser
Add 2 C-ERLL to the arms
Swap the 22 SHS for 19 DHS
With this, you get a damn good sniper mech with the Clan weapons, devastating brawler when combining the fire from the C-ERPPC with the Medium Lasers, and a Mech that can fist fight Lighter Assault Mechs due to the TSM
Very Fun, but expensive when it comes to C-Bills and BV though
In mild defence of the 5N, the Grasshopper is better equipped to deal with the -1MP penalty than the Warhammer is, specifically because jump MP isn't impacted by your heat level.
Obviously, -1 MP is still not great, because the inevitable moment where you fail a PSR is *obviously* going to be the same turn you decided to push the heat to 6, so can't use your JJ for movement and are stuck with a 3/5 kind of short range brawler.
A counterpoint on the 5N. It is amazing at bracket firing. Yeah, the five medium lasers is only 25 damage, but that coming every turn from a jumping mech with the armor of a Thunderbolt? Not bad. Use the PPC on approach.
BOING!
Hoppity hop.