Lego Build 104 — Gladiator (Executioner)
This is another build I’ve been trying to get right for a while now, almost a year. Although the end result does not satisfy me completetly, I must admit that the scale and medium I’ve used impart serious limitations. In the end, I think this is a not a bad result and is one that brings me closer to the in-development Blake’s War instructions compilations. So, without further ado, I bring you the Executioner!
This machine was one of the Clan mainstays during the original invasion of the Inner Sphere in 3049. At 95 tons, the Executioner is among the largest and tallest BattleMechs ever developed, being inspired by the Banshee, another tall, heavy machine. Like the design that inspired it, the Executioner is incredibly fast for its weight class, beign able to run along heavy and even medium designs for short durations of time, while retaining the heavy armor of an assault ‘Mech. It suffers in the firepower department, however, although even there it is respectable.
Originally developed by Clan Burrock, the original design, dubbed the Executioner-B (why CGL didn’t name it Executioner Type 0 is beyond me) was a rather normal Clan assault ‘Mech. Heavy and heavily armored, it would be ranked among others like the Warhawk or the Kingfisher, never standing on its own. However, the capture of some of these machines and their blueprints by Clan Ghost Bear would change everything.
The Bears were developing a project of their own — a totem ‘Mech that would be imbued with the spirit of the Clan. This project would lead up to the infamous Kodiak. The capture of the Burrock design allowed them to impart some new ideas into the project, but it was decided both designs were far too different to meld. Instead, lessons from the Kodiak design would be used in the new Executioner, making it faster in exchange of some pod space. The resulting machine would be the one scouring the battlefields of the Inner Sphere, fast for its size, well-armored, and able to bring forth enough firepower to hurt anything in its way. The implementation of jump jets only made it more maneuverable and deadly.
Because of these characteristics, the soldiers of the Inner Sphere would dub the design the Gladiator. It would remain in service for decades to come, its unique blend of maneuver and firepower decisive.
During the war against the Blakists (in Blake’s War AU) the Executioner would be known as a dedicated command ‘Mech for high ranking officers among the Clans. It was especially famous due to its use by Star Captain Fenix during the defense of Irece against the Word of Blake invasion. An aging warrior who never managed to claim a Bloodname, Fenix would be among the few high-ranking officers to survive the initial nuclear bombardment. Tenacious and uncompromising, he would lead his troops in many decisive engagements at the command of his Executioner. He would lose his machine during an ambush in the Battle of New Barcella, being forced to pilot an ancient Thunder Stallion afterwards.
Despite what I’ve said at the start of this text, I think the model still looks good on its own. It uses 95 parts and I’d rank it as medium difficulty.
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