Ral Partha picked up the license to produce Battletech figures for FASA’s boardgame. For those unfamiliar with it, giant robots piloted by humans fight with a range of weaponry while trying to avoid heat overload. Each robot had a rather elaborate chart associated with it to track weapons available and expended, heat build-up and physical damage similar to charts used in many naval games.

A problem apparent in the original figures is that they all tend to look like robots from Japanese cartoons of the time. In fact, many could be purchased as kits or figures from other manufacturers. This eventually led to the discontinuation of a number of figures which are now characterized as “unseen” and remain fairly hard to get.

Some less finished pieces from the lazy painter, he has a bunch of mechs drifting about unpainted or partially painted. These include some resin cast pieces purchased from the Ral Partha booth at a HMGS convention back in the early 90s. The figures are popular enough that they are still in production though Ral Partha has ceased to exist.

Even if the figures did cease production, it is likely that there would still be compatible figures produced in Japan which has never lost its taste for giant robots from such early favorites as Gigantor to the later more sophisticated Mobile Suit Gundam and Macross. Above, a figure from the Bandai Gundam collection alongside one of the Battletech mechs. Additionally, ranges of similar giant robots not carrying the Battletech license also exist and are readily adaptable.

Ogre, a game also about future warfare, has some similarities to Battletech in that the eponymous cyber-tanks must also have available weapons systems and movements factors recorded and charted as the ogres are exposed to battlefield damage.  Smaller vehicles are not so lucky.