Lego Build 116 — Defender Fighter

Contrary to what one might expect, coventional jet fighters still exist in the future of BattleTech, and in quite large numbers. This is mostly because they are cheap. Many worlds have the ability to manufacture such primitive vehicles with local parts, needing only the blueprints, which spread across the Inner Sphere during the Star League era. One of such designs was so widespread that it became synonym with the concept of medium strike fighter — the Defender!

Originally developed by the Free Worlds League, the Defender became so widespread that as soon as total war engulfed the Sphere every state started to copy the design, guaranteeing that it would remain in service for centuries to come. That it was simple and cheap when compared to the way more powerful aerospace fighters meant that this machine was coveted by militias and planetary defense forces. Armed with missiles and bombs, it would never be a line unit, but it could hold of small invading parties or fight insurgencies.

However, as the Succession Wars dragged on and technology started to slip back into darkness, these fighters started to fill roles they were never meant for. They would replace aerospace fighters as ground attackers, despite the complications of deploying them, as their air-breathing engines require the planes to be transported to the surface and deployed from airfields.

During the Andurien Secession these fighters were used as the first line of defense for Marik-loyalist troops. They took horrendous losses, which would lead FWL strategists to rethink this doctrine and invest in new aerospace assets as soon as new technologies became available.

The model itself is simple and easy to make, using only 31 parts. I really like how it turned out. I should note that the piece I use for the cockpit doesn’t exist in transparent colors in official Lego sets although I know it can be found in those colors in off-brand sets.

If you like stuff like this you can help me out by paying me a coffee at my Ko-fi page. You can also check my original games and RPG modules, as well as my fiction work. I also take in requests (Marauder II and Black Knight are in development), so let me know which units from BattleTech or other fictional settings you would like me to tackle.

Now, go out there play games and enjoy your lives!