Lego Build 53 — Panther

When I said, in a prior post, that I have been on a Combine spree as of late, I wasn’t kidding. Today I bring you one of the quintessential ‘Mechs of that faction — the humble Panther.

In lore, the Panther was developed by the Draconis Combine right before the Succession Wars. The first versions were hampered by a faulty large laser-type main weapon, so the later developments were issued with a particle projection cannon (PPC) instead. This variant would become the definitive one, serving for centuries and becoming one of the most common ‘Mechs in Combine service, if not THE most common.

In combat, the Panther is considerably slower than most other light ‘Mechs. Jump jets allow it the retain a modicum of maneuverability, but its strength is in its weaponry and armor. Being a long-range weapon, the PPC allows the Panther to rain down fire from far away, while the relatively thick protection is enough to survive most counter-battery fire.

To protect them and find targets, the Panthers are usually paired with Jenners, the other main light ‘Mech in Combine service.

This model takes 35 parts and I believe it to be quite easy to make. It is also relatively sturdy so it should handle manipulation well. I really like how it looks. Now I need to make its FedCom counterpart — the Wolfhound!

I shoud also say that this post also marks the first one I’ve made as an answer to a request from someone on FaceBook. It took me a while to get there, due to the size of my backlogs, but also for other reasons that I have explained in a prior post.

Let me know your thoughts — have a good one!