Thug was so popular within lore, that Kurita demanded one of the companies (forget which off top of my head) to make a new Thug for them. They took the old Charger and converted into the Hatamoto, aka Thug with a funny hat.
Always liked the Thug. Its honestly not very well armed, and on paper, it looks simple and a bit rubbish. This thing is bloody hard to kill. Its packed out with crits and as its so absurdly over sinked, you can have it doing an Irish jig in a volcano whilst alpha striking like mad, and it won't overheat. The new model's also lovely and this is a great video about an under appreciated gem.
Ironically, Earthwerks, a Marik company, ends up building them again until 3039 or later after the destruction of its main facilities, where the DC starts getting their hands on them. lol
The Thug is the epitome of the zombie mech. Back in the 90s I played a tournament one time with a couple Thugs one for reach tech level, didn't win but I did advance to the second round. Even the downgraded 3025 Thug is almost as deadly as the OG.
The Thug has always been a mech that I have to admire. It is not flashy or particularly fast. It has one job to do and it does it well. It exists to simply beat its opponents into scrap and do so convincingly.
I have one for my table top Merc company. It's the old relic of the company,maybe even only brought out in desperate situations as finding spare parts in the succession wars for this old Star League mech would not be cheap or easy. But when the old king gets up of his throne,wrath in the form of PPC bolts will be it's answer to all.
@@BigRed40TECH considering how common warhammers are even 500 years later I’d say StarCorps made off pretty well. Meanwhile the thug barely got taken out of comstars collection until it was an expensive but average mech following the clan invasions
Thank you for your Battletech content. The style of presentation, the information given, is all very digestable and understandable. Kudos to you Big Red.
I really love Dark Age mechs and Variants because they just have no chill. They're oftentimes just insane and crazy because of the toys the designers have to play with, and that can be really fun.
Excellent presentation, Red. The Thug is one of my top 3 mechs from TRO 2750, the other two being the Crockett and the Highlander. It's tough, has solid firepower, decent BV, and you can use it as the anchor for any heavy or assault lance. The Thug is perfect for facing Clan Omnis, and I always have at least 1 in any Level II I use. I highly recommend any variant of it, even the 13K which carries an XL engine, 3 Heavy PPCs, 2 Medium Pulse, a C3i computer, 15 tons of armor and 17 DHS. It's not as survivable as the 11E, but you can get a lot of heavy damage in using the C3i link. It's also worthy to note Marik uses the Thug all the way into the ilClan era, with the Royal variant mounting ER PPCs becoming the default, and the stock 11E going to the Marians.
Real Thug Life ComStar, Wobbies and Kuritans got going for them. Takes a beating and gives as good as it gets in return. It may be more expensive than a Warhammer, but at least you won't have to worry about maintenance or ammo costs as much.
having played an Amarix Civil War campaign, the -11Eb is an absolute MONSTER for its tonnage, twin ERPPCS means you're lethal at extreme ranges at both ends, as it has no minimum range either. The Royal Thug is ton for ton the best Mech in the setting
@@BigRed40TECH It gives you more options, which never hurts. It also gives you standoff capability against some opponents, so you can start slagging them before they're even in range. And at point blank range, the impact of 2 PPCs and twin SRM6 packs is absolutely lethal, especially if he's already taken some hits while you were closing him
@@BigRed40TECH You could probably keep short range threats at bay by backpedaling and letting them eat PPC rounds every turn, or deliver non-stop alpha strikes thanks to the ERPPC having no minimum range. It's fun to think about all that potential damage you could unleash while closing into a range where the thug's assault-grade fists can crumple whatever's left.
Back when I played campaigns with my High School buddies, one guy was a clanner. We had one scenario where the Clan invasion force captured a repair station and Inner Sphere Forces needed to recapture it to push the Clan Invaders off world. I have a Medium Company of mechs and all I knew at the time was that I would be facing two stars of second line Clan mechs, no Ominmechs. I was relieved, that is until my opponent had what he called Clan variant Thugs!!! 80 ton jump capable max armor monsters with pulse lasers coupled to targeting computer array backed up by SRM2 streaks firing Inferno ammo! I remember that he put all the weapons in the torsos so when these units got into close combat, they could still fire their direct weapons and punch! In the closed in battle of the Repair station where I tried to minimize the amount of damage caused to the buildings and him hiding amongst the buildings waiting for reinforcements, I lost that mission and a full Lance of mech and pilots! I never looked at second line Clan mechs the same way ever again. I am truly happy that people still play this game and your hard work keeping the game we love alive, my hat is off to you sir!
Ah, the Thug. Not the prettiest, possibly not the best armed, not the cheapest. But it's damned reliable and can take one hell of a beating and keep swinging. Honestly, it's my favourite 'mech.
I've always valued survivability over pure damage output with my 'Mechs and Thug was one of my first ever go-tos for that reason. It helps you stay alive and still has a good punch.
A perfect mech for combined arms tactics, as a lead element. One of those few mechs that works well as both as a supporting element, and being supported! A real team player.
One of my favorite mechs. A simple yet powerful armament, well-armored, good heat efficiency, decent speed and hand actuators for punching and grabbing. Just solid all around.
*disclaimer* Yes i know, its seems the No-Torso twist quirk seems to be on its way out BUT... The Thug, by its early introduction, was granted the No-Torso Twist quirk... and I wonder if, in Universe, the design was intended to have that, because of how the SLDF deployed it (in large Lance and Company formations, where the enemy was in front of it, thus no reason to have to twist. You and your mates just pounded it to snot then keep moving...)
Honestly only thing that could make the THG-E11b better is if they swapped out 1 ton of SRM ammo for Infernos, then it could truly deal with all comers.
I was always fond of the José custom variant. twin ER Large lasers, five (!) SRM-6, a Command Console, four jump jets and finally a Null Signature System 👍👍 Yes, it's experimental and costs 18 million C-bills. But it's worth it
The Thug is a cool design and overcomes some of the Warhammer’s short comings I still prefer the Warhammer it just out does the Thug on rule of cool alone for me.
@@BigRed40TECH that happened one of teh rare games I could join in back in I wanna 2018?before this damned pandemic at least finding Battletech players is hard here in the Philippines. Also I was the atlas I ended up over succeeding when I did my Kool Aid man impression I was in the right range for it plus getting there unnoticed as a hundred tonner damn long. The dice gods were with me but man I wish I could do away with the sheets sometimes it gets tedious even if the game is short.
I strangely picture this mech just leaning up against a building on some corner. Just keeping watching. As another pair of Thugs are kicking an Urbanmech laying on the ground. Shaking down the poor mech for C-Bills. Am I strange?
I just like the Thug as a larger Warhammer. I played it way back in Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries so I have a connection to it. Its too bad that the Missiles are usually neglected when planning comes up. Upgrading the SRMs to Streak SRMS, MRMs, LRMs, or MMLs could work very well. I remember in Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries I did give the Thug LRMs to make it better at standoff ranges. If possible upgrading to Clantech to carry something like 40 CLRMs and 2 CERPPCs would be dangerous to fight against. The unique THG-11ECX Thug Jose is radical. It replaces the PPCs with Extended Range Large Lasers but adds more missiles to fire 30 SRMs, then adds 4 Jump Jets, and uses a highly advanced Null Signature System. This would be an excellent ambusher.
The actual design of the Thug was probably done in reverse. The Succession era Thug was probably designed first, and the 2750 production model an upgraded version of that. That explains all of the double heat sinks it couldn't possibly use. Or the Royal model explains the extra heat sinks. Either way, its a reliable mech. You can use the Thug the way most Warhammer pilots want to use the Warhammer. It isn't a fire support mech, this mech has the armor to wade into any situation. The 13U is quite possibly the best tank buster in Battletech. Most tanks only mount ballistic or missiles weapons because the extra equipment needed for tanks to mount energy weapons are expensive. Who wants to put a fusion engine in what is suppose to be a cheap defense unit? If you knew most of the defenders are not going to be mechs, the Blastic Reinforced Armor means the Thug will have a very good time trampling the defenders.
I absolutely adore the Thug. I'm partial to heavily armored mechs that can handle being critically hit. So, the Thug is totally my jam, the only thing that it lacks is jumping ability.
Ya know, i think I like the more rounded design of this one than the boxy one. Gives it a lil more uniqueness and it isnt entirely out of place with the other nore bxy designed mech.
"Lightest Assault Mech" is such an oxymoron, despite being correct XD On the eariest art works, back then from Dana Knutson, i was never sure which way it´s knees were meant to bend. Especially with the art works of Leon Gor showing them clearly bending formward. Later art works mdae it clear they are rear bend, and the current one looks really good too, Harri Kallio did a nice job there.
The THUG 11E is so good that the DCMS re-created it as the Hatamoto-Chi HTM 27. Even in MWO, an HTM 27 packing two Artemis SRM6 and two ER PPC over a 320 LFE is able to hold its own.
Remember, any 'mech with SRMs can be kitted out for anti-infantry work. It just comes down to two factors: How much you hate Battle Armour and Infantry, And how much you love fire.
@@BigRed40TECH True that, though the Thug does at least have enough ammo storage that it can choose to take a ton of each (I know, not good for the endurance on an SRM6, but the option is there).
My only quibble i have with the new art is that the arms are supposed to be primarily PPCs with secondary hands on the inside and not primarily hands with cannons hanging off the side. Thats actually one of the defining aspects of the Thug for me.
Oh special note anytime people talk about how Triple-Strength Myomer increases speed, the heat required to gain that benefit means youre already reducing your speed because of overheating so youre just breaking even. The only real benefit to TSM is that it doubles-melee damage.
Tsm ignores the first movement penalty so when it triggers at 9 you gain 1 walk and 2 run not break even - if you get to 10 heat for some reason then you lose 2 mp from heat but gain one from tsm so neat loss of 1 mp. Tsm and heat doesnt ever break even for movement.
My first ever loss in a game of battletech came at the hands of a thug. Thing caused so much damage I needed to deal with it, but was able to take a lot of punishment distracting me from the rest of my opponents lance.
I picked a Thug when looking at SLDF 'Mechs, and quickly grew to love/hate it. On the love side, it *looks* awesome, exactly like you'd think a 'Mech called "Thug" would look. Beefy fists, broad shoulders, huge gun barrels over the beefy fists, a pot belly with cool triangular missile racks. And it's just do damn tough. The main problem is the "No Torso Twist" quirk, which severely limits its ability to line up shots on the tabletop. But apparently the "No Torso Twist" quirk is being removed from the game, making the Thug even more frightening to face.
@@Reverb154 It can't back up as fast as the Atlas can move forward, and backing up in certain circumstances isn't an option. Worse yet, mapsheets have a size limit...
Of all the PPC platforms, this one's my favourite. Short a few machine guns or small lasers for infantry but enough heat sinks to be the definition of cool.
@@imasspeons The Awesome will always live up to its name, but sometimes things can get downright Thugly on the battlefield. Plus, two of each is a full lance to fear.
@@Gigas0101 depending on the cost/BV I'm working and tech level, I might be tempted to take a Banshee 3S for more zombie guns. Two Banshees, an Awesome and a Thug makes up a fun Steiner lance, though. Pew pew
The Thug looks like a thug (dare I say... thugly? Badum-pish), its weapons are very thuggish, and I suspect a great many of its pilots tend toward thuggishness. In MW5 Thug-likes are my go-to mid game assault builds. Until Gauss or LBX-AC become common I prefer the PPC to most ACs and lasers, and SRMs hit like trucks. It's a potent mix that can really last in the grinder MW5 mission requirements.
Thug is a Mech still to this day, I really don't care to have in my lances, but one I hate to face. First time I encountered one I thought it was a downgraded Awesome variant, so I threw my 8Q at it. My opponent taught me as it left my Awesome trashed (it in turn was limping and had lost an arm but was still fighting) and I had to task a Wolverine from my Skirmisher lance and a Whitworth from Light Striker Lance to finish it off.
The 100kph assualt mech Thug is a force to be reckoned with. I can imagine Steiner seeing this advertisement for the Thug and thinking something along the lines of, perhaps it is time to make a new light scout company, 12 of this new version of the Thug looks like it may be a force to recon with.
Hey, i was going through my printouts and data sheets and found a 12 Flamer Thug i think i made for an attempt at a BT rpg. The only note i apparently wrote is "hot planets are toasty. Roasted falcons are tasty." just thought enybody who rewatches these might want to know
Oh and cince the PPCs are arm mounted uh, I'm not sure how the phases work out with heat, can it even get its temperature up and punch in the same turn?
"Thug around and find out" XD The Thug is like a Warhammer, but it's slightly more expensive, doesn't do as well against infantry, but it's a total zombie. Only downside I can think of is it's harder to obtain than a Warhammer (and thus is more expensive than before) because the production plants got bombed out and weren't as widespread as Warhammer plants. What's your favorite zombie mech?
I had a problem with this design and a couple more from that artist. It's purely aesthetic, but having gun barrels past the hand in that way, just drives me nuts. I'd rather remove the actuators and stub the arms. Just hits a bad space in my OCD.
This is one mech I just never liked the look of in it's first iteration. I see that improvements in the design were attempted that make it similar to a zeus which is an improvement. The original design always reminded me of the prison guards from the movie Idiocracy wish i could insert a pic to show you what I'm talking about. 😄
I love the Thug so much, especially the 11E. I do not care it is over sinked, it adds to it's resilience. HAving so many extra DHS actually makes it very crit resistant, as it's more likely for the same DHS to get hit in a different slot. You have to take out four, count them, FOUR DHS before the Thug starts facing problems. It is a mech that does not stop coming until you break everything, or kill the pilot.
This mech doesn't seem like an answer to the question of how to rival the Warhammer. It seems like they wanted to make a mech that could withstand an orbital bombardment and remain combat-effective. Plus, if I remember correctly, the price tag was significantly higher than that of the Warhammer, so it couldn't compete with its adversary in that department.
@@BigRed40TECH Indeed. I just find it interesting that there's a big difference between what they set out to make and what they wound up making. Note that this does not reduce the Thug's excellence in doing Assault mech things, namely tanking lots of damage and blasting huge holes in stuff.
Twenty tons of armor…so the Thug wears a Locust worth of armor.
Thug was so popular within lore, that Kurita demanded one of the companies (forget which off top of my head) to make a new Thug for them. They took the old Charger and converted into the Hatamoto, aka Thug with a funny hat.
Wow... I have been wanting a Thug in a MW game since MW2:Mercs. I'm gonna get a hatamoto on mwo now
House Kurita's actually responsible for bringing back Maltex Corporation
...as a front for when they don't want to own up to in-house designs
Always liked the Thug. Its honestly not very well armed, and on paper, it looks simple and a bit rubbish. This thing is bloody hard to kill. Its packed out with crits and as its so absurdly over sinked, you can have it doing an Irish jig in a volcano whilst alpha striking like mad, and it won't overheat. The new model's also lovely and this is a great video about an under appreciated gem.
The new model is amazing. Same with the art.
This thing right here. Longevity. The Warhammer is to Squish, always my biggest qualms with that thing.
@@discountmike8856 That's why you use one of the few things davion's did right, and use there variant with no ammo, extra sinks and maxed out armor. 😋
No Torso twist though
@@BigRed40TECH agreed! As a blood spirit collector with our love of zombie mechs this is going into my blood guard
The Thug is one of my favorites. It has so much character.
It's just a fantastic mech.
It also looks kinda frog-like.
I know why you like it. You cannot conceal the truth. lol
@@BigRed40TECH Oh crap, you're onto my nefarious scheme.
@@MechanicalFrog You're amphibian ambitions have been discovered!
The Thug:
What happens when someone decides to make a Warhammer, but for Steiners.
Ironically, Earthwerks, a Marik company, ends up building them again until 3039 or later after the destruction of its main facilities, where the DC starts getting their hands on them. lol
@@BigRed40TECH They were just jealous. :P
Interestingly, thanks to its Endo Steel chassis, the Thug 11E can be refit into a better Zeus than most Zeus's.
The Thug is the epitome of the zombie mech. Back in the 90s I played a tournament one time with a couple Thugs one for reach tech level, didn't win but I did advance to the second round. Even the downgraded 3025 Thug is almost as deadly as the OG.
The Thug has always been a mech that I have to admire. It is not flashy or particularly fast. It has one job to do and it does it well. It exists to simply beat its opponents into scrap and do so convincingly.
I have one for my table top Merc company. It's the old relic of the company,maybe even only brought out in desperate situations as finding spare parts in the succession wars for this old Star League mech would not be cheap or easy. But when the old king gets up of his throne,wrath in the form of PPC bolts will be it's answer to all.
Maltech: hey can I copy your Warhammer?
StarCorps: sure, just change it enough that you don’t get caught.
To be fair, I think Daddy-Star League told them what they wanted too...
Poor Starcorps :(
@@BigRed40TECH considering how common warhammers are even 500 years later I’d say StarCorps made off pretty well. Meanwhile the thug barely got taken out of comstars collection until it was an expensive but average mech following the clan invasions
Thank you for your Battletech content. The style of presentation, the information given, is all very digestable and understandable. Kudos to you Big Red.
Much appreciated!
I really love Dark Age mechs and Variants because they just have no chill. They're oftentimes just insane and crazy because of the toys the designers have to play with, and that can be really fun.
Excellent presentation, Red. The Thug is one of my top 3 mechs from TRO 2750, the other two being the Crockett and the Highlander. It's tough, has solid firepower, decent BV, and you can use it as the anchor for any heavy or assault lance. The Thug is perfect for facing Clan Omnis, and I always have at least 1 in any Level II I use. I highly recommend any variant of it, even the 13K which carries an XL engine, 3 Heavy PPCs, 2 Medium Pulse, a C3i computer, 15 tons of armor and 17 DHS. It's not as survivable as the 11E, but you can get a lot of heavy damage in using the C3i link. It's also worthy to note Marik uses the Thug all the way into the ilClan era, with the Royal variant mounting ER PPCs becoming the default, and the stock 11E going to the Marians.
Real Thug Life ComStar, Wobbies and Kuritans got going for them. Takes a beating and gives as good as it gets in return. It may be more expensive than a Warhammer, but at least you won't have to worry about maintenance or ammo costs as much.
Thug showed up in an MW5 morning was using and instantly liked the design and simplicity of the build. Definitely one of my favs
The Thug is a mech that truly loves up to its name in many respects 👍
PPCs and SRMs, a classic combo.
having played an Amarix Civil War campaign, the -11Eb is an absolute MONSTER for its tonnage, twin ERPPCS means you're lethal at extreme ranges at both ends, as it has no minimum range either. The Royal Thug is ton for ton the best Mech in the setting
I don't know if the ERPPC's do all that much for it, but it doesn't hurt.
@@BigRed40TECH It gives you more options, which never hurts. It also gives you standoff capability against some opponents, so you can start slagging them before they're even in range. And at point blank range, the impact of 2 PPCs and twin SRM6 packs is absolutely lethal, especially if he's already taken some hits while you were closing him
THG-11Eb is real mvp in my current Mekhq AtB campaign.
@@BigRed40TECH You could probably keep short range threats at bay by backpedaling and letting them eat PPC rounds every turn, or deliver non-stop alpha strikes thanks to the ERPPC having no minimum range. It's fun to think about all that potential damage you could unleash while closing into a range where the thug's assault-grade fists can crumple whatever's left.
Man this looks like some unholy union between the Dragon and the Warhammer.
And it is! lol
Back when I played campaigns with my High School buddies, one guy was a clanner. We had one scenario where the Clan invasion force captured a repair station and Inner Sphere Forces needed to recapture it to push the Clan Invaders off world. I have a Medium Company of mechs and all I knew at the time was that I would be facing two stars of second line Clan mechs, no Ominmechs.
I was relieved, that is until my opponent had what he called Clan variant Thugs!!!
80 ton jump capable max armor monsters with pulse lasers coupled to targeting computer array backed up by SRM2 streaks firing Inferno ammo!
I remember that he put all the weapons in the torsos so when these units got into close combat, they could still fire their direct weapons and punch! In the closed in battle of the Repair station where I tried to minimize the amount of damage caused to the buildings and him hiding amongst the buildings waiting for reinforcements, I lost that mission and a full Lance of mech and pilots! I never looked at second line Clan mechs the same way ever again. I am truly happy that people still play this game and your hard work keeping the game we love alive, my hat is off to you sir!
Ah, the Thug. Not the prettiest, possibly not the best armed, not the cheapest. But it's damned reliable and can take one hell of a beating and keep swinging. Honestly, it's my favourite 'mech.
I've always valued survivability over pure damage output with my 'Mechs and Thug was one of my first ever go-tos for that reason. It helps you stay alive and still has a good punch.
A perfect mech for combined arms tactics, as a lead element. One of those few mechs that works well as both as a supporting element, and being supported! A real team player.
quad boating cerppcs on a royal thug is good times, can scare anything with that
Kali ma......Kali ma!........KALI MA!!!!
Thanks!
Thank you! :D
I'm of the mind it's very hard to be over sinked. I want to be able to fire my weapons as often as possible.
And it also means if you take a TAC to the engine first turn, who really care? XD
Thug loses a side torso
"Tis' but a scratch"
th-cam.com/video/ZmInkxbvlCs/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=eltoro
Thug circa 1000 AD
One if my faves 😁
Thank you Bob! :D
I'm glad you took that one guys comment for the title "Thug Around and Find Out", it's perfect.
One of my favorite mechs. A simple yet powerful armament, well-armored, good heat efficiency, decent speed and hand actuators for punching and grabbing. Just solid all around.
*disclaimer* Yes i know, its seems the No-Torso twist quirk seems to be on its way out BUT... The Thug, by its early introduction, was granted the No-Torso Twist quirk... and I wonder if, in Universe, the design was intended to have that, because of how the SLDF deployed it (in large Lance and Company formations, where the enemy was in front of it, thus no reason to have to twist. You and your mates just pounded it to snot then keep moving...)
I'm so glad the no-torso twist quirk is gone. More than any other negative quirk I felt it was just a feels-bad mechanic.
Honestly only thing that could make the THG-E11b better is if they swapped out 1 ton of SRM ammo for Infernos, then it could truly deal with all comers.
@KageRuuUji a man after my own (black) heart!
I was always fond of the José custom variant. twin ER Large lasers, five (!) SRM-6, a Command Console, four jump jets and finally a Null Signature System 👍👍
Yes, it's experimental and costs 18 million C-bills. But it's worth it
The Thug is a cool design and overcomes some of the Warhammer’s short comings I still prefer the Warhammer it just out does the Thug on rule of cool alone for me.
Absolutely love this Mech. It is brutal in combat.
A Thug waits for someone to walk into his dark alley when suddenly an Atlas burst through the building beside him and punched his head off.
Poor Thug. He didn't know that Super-Atlas was there to stop him.
@@BigRed40TECH that happened one of teh rare games I could join in back in I wanna 2018?before this damned pandemic at least finding Battletech players is hard here in the Philippines. Also I was the atlas I ended up over succeeding when I did my Kool Aid man impression I was in the right range for it plus getting there unnoticed as a hundred tonner damn long. The dice gods were with me but man I wish I could do away with the sheets sometimes it gets tedious even if the game is short.
The THG-13U just screams "I got cheat codes enabled" you cannot convince me otherwise that is just plain terrifying.
Still need to get a couple more of these to fill out a full lance of thugs. Will call the lance the goon squad.
They're just there to rough up the competition.
I strangely picture this mech just leaning up against a building on some corner. Just keeping watching. As another pair of Thugs are kicking an Urbanmech laying on the ground. Shaking down the poor mech for C-Bills. Am I strange?
Not any stranger than anyone else who plays this game :P
I just like the Thug as a larger Warhammer. I played it way back in Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries so I have a connection to it.
Its too bad that the Missiles are usually neglected when planning comes up. Upgrading the SRMs to Streak SRMS, MRMs, LRMs, or MMLs could work very well.
I remember in Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries I did give the Thug LRMs to make it better at standoff ranges. If possible upgrading to Clantech to carry something like 40 CLRMs and 2 CERPPCs would be dangerous to fight against.
The unique THG-11ECX Thug Jose is radical. It replaces the PPCs with Extended Range Large Lasers but adds more missiles to fire 30 SRMs, then adds 4 Jump Jets, and uses a highly advanced Null Signature System. This would be an excellent ambusher.
The actual design of the Thug was probably done in reverse. The Succession era Thug was probably designed first, and the 2750 production model an upgraded version of that. That explains all of the double heat sinks it couldn't possibly use. Or the Royal model explains the extra heat sinks. Either way, its a reliable mech. You can use the Thug the way most Warhammer pilots want to use the Warhammer. It isn't a fire support mech, this mech has the armor to wade into any situation.
The 13U is quite possibly the best tank buster in Battletech. Most tanks only mount ballistic or missiles weapons because the extra equipment needed for tanks to mount energy weapons are expensive. Who wants to put a fusion engine in what is suppose to be a cheap defense unit? If you knew most of the defenders are not going to be mechs, the Blastic Reinforced Armor means the Thug will have a very good time trampling the defenders.
I absolutely adore the Thug. I'm partial to heavily armored mechs that can handle being critically hit. So, the Thug is totally my jam, the only thing that it lacks is jumping ability.
I sooooooooo want to have one of this on my team. Suits me well...hits hard at range and in close, runs cool and plenty of armour.
13-U will run you down just to dab on you as your weapons just bounce of its armor
The Thug has always been my favorite mech, thanks for the video.
No problem!
The Thug, because the Awesome is too elegant for some jobs.
Ya know, i think I like the more rounded design of this one than the boxy one. Gives it a lil more uniqueness and it isnt entirely out of place with the other nore bxy designed mech.
"Lightest Assault Mech" is such an oxymoron, despite being correct XD
On the eariest art works, back then from Dana Knutson, i was never sure which way it´s knees were meant to bend. Especially with the art works of Leon Gor showing them clearly bending formward. Later art works mdae it clear they are rear bend, and the current one looks really good too, Harri Kallio did a nice job there.
The THUG 11E is so good that the DCMS re-created it as the Hatamoto-Chi HTM 27. Even in MWO, an HTM 27 packing two Artemis SRM6 and two ER PPC over a 320 LFE is able to hold its own.
The clans did make their own Thug. It's called the Warhammer IIC.
A 'Mech that I've always felt fit it's name.
I have not used the Thug much, but I have always liked it for the same reasons I like the Crab. It is simple, decently sinked and tanky.
Great vid. I didn't like the way the Thug looked before, but love the redesign.
Great redesign, agreed
If we didn't get the thug we would never have gotten the Hatamoto-Chi
Remember, any 'mech with SRMs can be kitted out for anti-infantry work. It just comes down to two factors:
How much you hate Battle Armour and Infantry,
And how much you love fire.
The Thug really wants those SRM's for anti-mech work, and infernos don't always deliver, especially when you need them for close-range.
@@BigRed40TECH True that, though the Thug does at least have enough ammo storage that it can choose to take a ton of each (I know, not good for the endurance on an SRM6, but the option is there).
My only quibble i have with the new art is that the arms are supposed to be primarily PPCs with secondary hands on the inside and not primarily hands with cannons hanging off the side. Thats actually one of the defining aspects of the Thug for me.
I agree, and kinda wish we got those goofy looking two-thumb claws they put on the Shadowhawk on the Thug.
Oh special note anytime people talk about how Triple-Strength Myomer increases speed, the heat required to gain that benefit means youre already reducing your speed because of overheating so youre just breaking even. The only real benefit to TSM is that it doubles-melee damage.
Tsm ignores the first movement penalty so when it triggers at 9 you gain 1 walk and 2 run not break even - if you get to 10 heat for some reason then you lose 2 mp from heat but gain one from tsm so neat loss of 1 mp. Tsm and heat doesnt ever break even for movement.
Concise and enjoyable work, as usual, Captain
My first ever loss in a game of battletech came at the hands of a thug. Thing caused so much damage I needed to deal with it, but was able to take a lot of punishment distracting me from the rest of my opponents lance.
D e a r god this thing just ZIPS....
that SPEED!..
A mech that, in fact, can keep thuggin' it out.
Came for the Thug. Stayed for the Thug Life!
I look at this and wonder what the bump in front of the cockpit and the hands are for
Did not know that it was a cool running mech. That's awesome!
It's such an awesome mech :D
I picked a Thug when looking at SLDF 'Mechs, and quickly grew to love/hate it.
On the love side, it *looks* awesome, exactly like you'd think a 'Mech called "Thug" would look. Beefy fists, broad shoulders, huge gun barrels over the beefy fists, a pot belly with cool triangular missile racks. And it's just do damn tough.
The main problem is the "No Torso Twist" quirk, which severely limits its ability to line up shots on the tabletop. But apparently the "No Torso Twist" quirk is being removed from the game, making the Thug even more frightening to face.
Pissing of any mechwarrior in this mech is a mistake you will regret for the rest of your life (all 10 seconds of it).
Well, an Atlas might be able to get away with it. lol
@@BigRed40TECH Not of you keep the Atlas at range
@@Reverb154 That's not always possible though. Terrain is rarely a flat open plain.
@@BigRed40TECH But the Atlas is also one of the slowest mechs out there. The Thug's not much better, but still...
@@Reverb154 It can't back up as fast as the Atlas can move forward, and backing up in certain circumstances isn't an option. Worse yet, mapsheets have a size limit...
These things....just a superb design. Nothing too fancy ,but still superb.
Agreed
This is a true Zombie mech, as it will endure tons of punishment and still manage to keep fighting.
Of all the PPC platforms, this one's my favourite. Short a few machine guns or small lasers for infantry but enough heat sinks to be the definition of cool.
I still prefer the 8/9Q Awesome but the Thug life is appealing.
@@imasspeons The Awesome will always live up to its name, but sometimes things can get downright Thugly on the battlefield. Plus, two of each is a full lance to fear.
@@Gigas0101 depending on the cost/BV I'm working and tech level, I might be tempted to take a Banshee 3S for more zombie guns.
Two Banshees, an Awesome and a Thug makes up a fun Steiner lance, though. Pew pew
This thing is fun to customize in Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries. I love swapping out it's guts in that game with clan-tech in Instant Action mode.
Drop 1 heatsink, add 2 small lasers, and the stock build is near perfect.
No doubt that many Thugs were taken along during the Exodus, I can’t imagine what sort of refits the Clanners would do to this already capable mech
ERPPC, clan XL engine and probably MRMs
One of my favorite mechs of all time
I didn't choose the Thug Lance... the Thug Lance chose me.
The Thug looks like a thug (dare I say... thugly? Badum-pish), its weapons are very thuggish, and I suspect a great many of its pilots tend toward thuggishness.
In MW5 Thug-likes are my go-to mid game assault builds. Until Gauss or LBX-AC become common I prefer the PPC to most ACs and lasers, and SRMs hit like trucks. It's a potent mix that can really last in the grinder MW5 mission requirements.
I love the title! Dad joke of the month goes to you!
Love the Thug! Superbeast!
My favorite battle mech
A good favourite to have.
Thug is one of my favorites.
This message presented to you by Comstar.
"Hey there, we're Comstar. Screw around and find out. That's all."
Thug is a Mech still to this day, I really don't care to have in my lances, but one I hate to face. First time I encountered one I thought it was a downgraded Awesome variant, so I threw my 8Q at it. My opponent taught me as it left my Awesome trashed (it in turn was limping and had lost an arm but was still fighting) and I had to task a Wolverine from my Skirmisher lance and a Whitworth from Light Striker Lance to finish it off.
I read this as "The Thing" at first and I was like- wa-wait what?
That's right. It's John Carpenter's THUG! lol
"The Boss wants you gone"
The 100kph assualt mech Thug is a force to be reckoned with.
I can imagine Steiner seeing this advertisement for the Thug and thinking something along the lines of, perhaps it is time to make a new light scout company, 12 of this new version of the Thug looks like it may be a force to recon with.
Hey, i was going through my printouts and data sheets and found a 12 Flamer Thug i think i made for an attempt at a BT rpg. The only note i apparently wrote is "hot planets are toasty. Roasted falcons are tasty."
just thought enybody who rewatches these might want to know
Dude, the 13U has 4 MML 3, for twelve missiles of your choice in the face of the enemy.
Whoops. Its even sadder that I bought the recog guide and read over its actual sheet and missed that. XD
Yeah but 22 DHS and 2 SNPPCs means it needs to use its missiles if it wants to activate its TSM
Oh and cince the PPCs are arm mounted uh, I'm not sure how the phases work out with heat, can it even get its temperature up and punch in the same turn?
"Thug around and find out" XD
The Thug is like a Warhammer, but it's slightly more expensive, doesn't do as well against infantry, but it's a total zombie.
Only downside I can think of is it's harder to obtain than a Warhammer (and thus is more expensive than before) because the production plants got bombed out and weren't as widespread as Warhammer plants.
What's your favorite zombie mech?
My favourite Zombie?
Hmmmm. Tough question. Maybe the Guillotine.
Probably the Grasshopper.
Built in Jacksonville, Florida by Duval Mechworks. This thing is THUGGED. OUT.
His Cockpit is strange, it has a weird tilt. The Mechwarrior would always have to look on the ground.
Wait you mean you can make a better mech than the Warhammer if you give it 10 more tons of mass and access to higher level technology? Inconceivable!
Everyone was surprised! lol
You keep saying that word. I don't think that word means what you think it means.
I had a problem with this design and a couple more from that artist. It's purely aesthetic, but having gun barrels past the hand in that way, just drives me nuts.
I'd rather remove the actuators and stub the arms.
Just hits a bad space in my OCD.
Like tough Mechs so I love this thing. Shame the factory wasn't as tough as the machine they produced.
Great Battetech video, nice mech.
Thanks!
This is one mech I just never liked the look of in it's first iteration. I see that improvements in the design were attempted that make it similar to a zeus which is an improvement. The original design always reminded me of the prison guards from the movie Idiocracy wish i could insert a pic to show you what I'm talking about. 😄
If this thing had an ability it have the PPC switch from a long range weapon to a short range scatter shot it would tear things up
That's the 13U
I love the Thug so much, especially the 11E. I do not care it is over sinked, it adds to it's resilience. HAving so many extra DHS actually makes it very crit resistant, as it's more likely for the same DHS to get hit in a different slot. You have to take out four, count them, FOUR DHS before the Thug starts facing problems.
It is a mech that does not stop coming until you break everything, or kill the pilot.
Light/assault mechs are awesome!
Still one of my favorite mechs
This mech doesn't seem like an answer to the question of how to rival the Warhammer. It seems like they wanted to make a mech that could withstand an orbital bombardment and remain combat-effective. Plus, if I remember correctly, the price tag was significantly higher than that of the Warhammer, so it couldn't compete with its adversary in that department.
I'm just saying what the Star League and the manufacturer say in that respect lol
@@BigRed40TECH Indeed. I just find it interesting that there's a big difference between what they set out to make and what they wound up making. Note that this does not reduce the Thug's excellence in doing Assault mech things, namely tanking lots of damage and blasting huge holes in stuff.
Amazing episode was fun listening:D
Thank you! :D