Lego Set 15 — Vindicator

As per the plan, each Vindicator went around a side of the hill, emerging on the other side at roughly the same time, so they would get their opposition by surprise. And opposition they found - Captain Wa Fang’s sensors revealed the Blackjack they had spotted before coming from the north, around a patch of trees. What concerned him the most was the second ‘Mech, unidentified until now.

His combat computer revealed the characteristic outline of a Centurion. That was a bit concerning. While the BJ-1, at 45 tons, was roughly the same class as the Vindicators, with similar maneuverability and damage profile, the 50-ton CN9-A was a much more dangerous proposition.

There was no time to hesitate, though. There were Capellan hostages being guarded by those Fedrat Mechwarriors, and his unit had a mission to fulfill.

The Centurion sidestepped to hide behind another hill, so Fang selected his LRM launcher to hurl a volley of missiles over the peak and into the other BattleMech. At the same time, the second Vindicator was already exchanging fire with the Blackjack. Blue particle beams and tracer rounds flared among the trees, splintering trunks and setting leaves on fire.

It would be a savage engagement, but Fang had no doubts. His side had the better pilots, and their machines, in their simplicity, had the ruggedness to carry the day. They would win and save those civilians.

The Vindicator is a type of machine that I really like to see in sci-fi. A faction staple, one which’s presence immediately colors an army as belonging to a certain element of the lore. The VND-1R is identified with the Capellan Confederation in the BattleTech universe and produced solely by that faction. Made to guarantee House Liao’s empire would have a stable supply of medium battlemechs during the Succession Wars, it is simple and rugged, armed with a PPC, complemented by a few smaller weapons.

Staple units are something that I really enjoy, even in settings where all factions use the same base technology. I believe it reflects real-life in a way, where each country produces its own military gear for itself or any close allies. Although the notion of salvage and the usage of any unit available is part of BattleTech’s charm, the generally grounded lore of the setting makes the mish-mash nature of some military formations feel a bit too goofy. To me, units like the Vindicator provide that more grounded feel that I really enjoy, as well as being a representation of what the faction it comes from is in a military doctrine sense.

Not that the notion of salvage is inherently wrong, we see it happen all the time in real life. But for the most part, line armies tend to stick to their own units due to doctrine and logistics. Hence why I made as many of these models as a could — makes my Liao force feel like a real army.

This model is comprised of 40 parts. It was a challenge to make it identifiable, but I think I managed. What do you think?