More Mechs...

So after my last post concerning them, I realized I didn't really define the term "mech," and not everyone might assume the same criteria as my own. By most definitions, for instance, Jungle Fiver would never be considered a "mech."

Here, then, delineated with similar points to my super robot definition, is my definition of a mech:

1. A mech is a robotic fighting vehicle; hence, it has limbs replacing at least one of the following: wheels/treads, turrets, etc.
2. A mech is often but not invariably larger than any other ground vehicle, and often has some capacity for flight.
3. A mech generally has cannons, missile launchers, and other "relatively realistic" weapons, as opposed to magic energy beams projected from its body or swords pulled out of thin air.
4. A mech further has its design at least partly grounded in other forms of technology and science, even if it's mostly its own universe's twisted and backwards version of it. Thus, it is common (though not necessary) for a mech to be mass produced.
   

Note that this is a pretty flexible definition. Anything from powered personal armor to a planet-sized robotic deity can technically be considered a mech. While the definition distinguishes them from super robots, it is also not a mutually exclusive definition.

And since I took the time to define mechs, I guess I'll list a few more good ones that have occurred to me since the last lot.

1. Commanders (Total Annihilation, expied to Supreme Commander and Spring.) Commanders have some variation in appearance, but the best-known version is probably this one.

Commanders are among the most frightening mechs imaginable. I'd be far more worried to learn that a single Commander had landed somewhere on Earth than a hundred or even a thousand mechs of some other variety, assuming that the hundred/thousand mechs in question weren't capable of vaporizing planets. Why?

Because Commanders are armed with the power of destruction in their right hand and the power of creation in their left. Less poetically, the Commander can kill anything with the antimatter-spewing disintegrator weapon in its right arm, and can build anything with the nanotechnological construction lathe in its left arm. Thus, Commanders are the ultimate generals, able to raise armies out of junk and then lead them. It's really a frighteningly efficient system if you think about it.



2. Krogoth (Total Annihilation.) While I'm talking about the ol' black hole of free time, I might as well mention the other iconic mech of the game, the Krogoth. (Do not look this up on UrbanDictionary. You will regret it. Forever.) I've never been clear on the etymology of the name, but the Krogoth is the largest unit to appear in the Cavedog-sanctioned version of Total Annihilation. By most estimates, it towers over the battlefield at a hundred meters or more-i.e., the same size as Godzilla.
And it's pretty much as tough as Godzilla, able to absorb tremendous punishment, actually having almost as much in the way of armor as the game's engine will allow. It has a "blue laser of death" it can shoot from its eye which kills many lesser units instantly, guns for hands, and a backpack with rapid-firing rockets that are specialized against aircraft but are good against anything. Of course, it can't kill even half its cost in conventional units, but it can stand up to a lot...

Not a disintegrator, though...

In terms of appearance, the Krogoth has this bizarre arrogant strut that suits its personality perfectly.

3. Alvatore and Alvaaron (Gundam 00.) It's easy to find info on Gundams on the Internet, and thus, it's easy to keep track of the nice Gundam designs. And this is one of them. Or rather, two of them-one of them is a "mobile armor/weapon" that hooks up to a smaller unit. And the result is a rather interesting hybrid-basically a fairly typical winged-and-rifled Gundam (*cough* Wing Gundam *hack cough*) which essentially rides a giant mutant robot dinosaur. That's awesome.

4. Turn X (Turn A Gundam.) A giant atypical Gundam which splits into a few dozen independently mobile pieces, allowing it to swarm and attack. And it can use an attack called "Moonlight Butterfly" which destroys all technology (or at least seals it away).

5. Scopedog (Armored Troopers Votoms.) It's not really exceptional in any way, but that, to some degree, makes it exceptional. It's also a nice design generally, and the name is appropriate to it. (Weird, but appropriate.) Simplicity is good here.

6. Invid Trooper, AKA "Invid Scout" (mislabeled in the Exosquad re-release of the toy) and "Grab" (Robotech/Mospeada.) I like pretty much all of the Invid designs from Robotech (obviously), but this one is probably my favorite. (Next would be the Enforcer, but I never had a toy of that thing.)

7. Aerial Attack E-frame (Exosquad.) Sure, it's teeny tiny by mech standards, but it counts. And it's an itty bitty little terror, because J. T. Marsh's had a "solar pulse" weapon that could level a mountain. Even the regular ones were super-maneuverable and well-armed. (Pic of a slightly worn toy can be found here.) The design just works pretty well in general, too.

8. Wraith (Battletech.) There's just something about the Wraith's construction that's inexplicably creepy. And that's all I have to say about it.

9. Blood Kite (Battletech.) Supposedly, the Blood Kite was built with cutting costs in mind. I look at it and tend to think there was something else on the designer's mind.

10. Shiro (Battletech.) Samurai helmet + four pseudo-rotary missile launchers + naginata + chain-fed machinegun = instant classic. I like this thing almost as much as the Axeman.

11. Zeorymer (Zeorymer.) Only barely a mecha (any connections to science are pretty tenuous and that's even by anime standards), but it's absolutely beautiful. In it goes.

12. Garland (Megazone 23.) Best transforming piloted motorcycle robot ever.

And that's a list.

-Signing off.