Lego Set 23 — Marauder

In a setting so vast and with so many intricate details like BattleTech, some elements of it were meant to become iconic, not only therein but also and in a way throughout the wider sci-fi fandom. For several reasons the ‘Mechs from the earlier editions became such iconic elements of the universe, reinvented many a time to keep pace with the ongoing lore and real-life issues, as a way to maintain them available for gameplay, regardless. One of such ‘Mechs is the infamous Marauder.

Within the setting, the Marauder was a creation of General Motors as the company attempted to formulate a revolution on BattleMech design at a time when most of such machines were specialized for one or other role. The Marauder came through as an innovative weapons system, meant to deal with most battlefield roles. For this it possessed powerful, long-range firepower in form of two PPCs, aided by a medium-range autocannon. The first models also incorporated advanced electronics, like an ECM suite, but such technologies became lost during the chaos of the Succession Wars.

The whole in-universe story and influence of the design are actually fascinating, an element of deep, historically rooted lore that makes me love the setting so much. I highly advise you to check the video Tex Talks BattleTech: The Marauder on Youtube. The Black Pants Legion has been making amazing BattleTech lore videos. If you like this setting or sci-fi in general, it is a must-see.

In real life, things are a bit more convoluted. The lawsuit regarding the Macross designs used in the early editions of BattleTech is something that deserves its own story, as it is confusing, infuriating, and ultimately pointless, in a way. In the end, the Marauder, due to its iconic status, was redesigned many a time, never satisfying the fans, until the situation was settled a few years ago. New redrawn art was made available, bringing forward a design that mixes the best of the Glaug Commander Pod from Macross from which the original art was taken, with the current style of BattleTech art.

The end result is a badass-looking machine, which I used as inspiration for the model you see here. It takes 65 parts, but it is a bit unstable. I advise the use of a 6x4 base to set it in.