Lego Set 24 — Hatchetman

As I have stated before, these models started as BattleTech-inspired units for Mobile Frame Zero. One of the mechanics of that game is hand-to-hand combat, so I was encouraged to create builds that take advantage of this. BattleTech, too, has hand-to-hand game mechanics, of which the Hatchetman is probably the poster child, sporting a large hatchet from which its name is derived. It only made sense that I would add it to my collection as I started forming the teams for the game.

I started by building a team for each of the five Great Houses of the Inner Sphere. I really wanted them to be set at the end of the Third Succession War, when small units tactics became prevalent, after the wanton destruction of the two prior wars. This would make the battles between individual lances (4-Mech formations) feel important. However, the Hatchetman, developed by the team of Dr. Banzai, only came into service in the early 3020s, which meant that the game would happen in the period after the war, or at the last few years of it.

However, I felt it was important to include it, not only because of its iconic status but also because it gave the white Steiner team something unique compared to the others. I also really like how the model came out, with the main characteristics of the ‘Mech being evident, like the iconic hatchet, the square arms and legs, and the small winglets at the back of the head — a detail many among the MFZ community commended me for and has been found in other Lego models ever since.

At the time it debuted, in the lore, the Hatchetman was a technological marvel. The first new BattleMech designed in a century, signaling the slow recovery of the Inner Sphere, it incorporated a few new technologies, like the full head ejection system, the reason why it has the aforementioned winglets. It was still relatively small, at 45 tons, and meant for the specific use of city fighting.

However, it was such a breakthrough that it survived well beyond its supposed expiration date and was still found in militaries all over the Inner Sphere more than a century later. The model here presented has the colors of the Republic of the Sphere, and a fancy hatchet that I think will be used in some future projects — so stay tuned. It uses a full total of 46 parts.

As always, let me know what you think.