One more reason why the BT cartoon was actually pretty good.

[Brother Diogenes]

I just realized earlier today that the cartoon has a more accurate depiction of an Inner Sphere neurohelmet than any other video medium.

So that's something.

I mean, I get why they wouldn't do this for any of the video games or fan films (unless there's a better one I haven't seen). The idea of every mechwarrior looking like the bottom half of Master Blaster definitely promotes the "interstellar dark age/post-apocalypse" feel, but doesn't translate well into actual imagery. Yet the fact the cartoon took it even this far shows that some of the people working on it made real effort.

Every time I rewatch the series, I gain a little more respect for it. A lot of adaptations only take the surface impressions of the source material, but this show actually made a plot point out of the Clans' filthy cheating double heat sinks, and who hasn't shaken their fist at THAT little detail?

 

[Aradiel]

It was a kid's show. As a kid I enjoyed it. I don't think it was terrible even now. I can't say neurohelmet design is the reason for that. For some reason Transformers sold a ton of toys, and BT didn't. What annoyed me about Transformers was that they would all stand in a line really close together, shoot at each other, and miss. Every single time.

Transformers ended up making many, mostly bad, live action movies. BT ended up with multiple video games of varying quality, and one short lived animated series. It's hard to say who ended up with the better overall deal.

As for the DHS, rather than curse them for it, I prefer to beat them and take their salvage. You can even take their pilots as bondsmen. Definitely not slaves. Bondsmen.

 

[Deaghaidh]

It was a kid's show. As a kid I enjoyed it. I don't think it was terrible even now. I can't say neurohelmet design is the reason for that. For some reason Transformers sold a ton of toys, and BT didn't.

.

I think Transformers simply dominated the niche of "Robots shooting lasers at each other" to much for the BT cartoon. Especially since the real money is in merchandising, and tabletop BT is simply too complex for the target age group. Without the income from a successful toy line an animated series isn't (or at least wasnt) a profitable undertaking.

 

[Packrat]

I think Transformers simply dominated the niche of "Robots shooting lasers at each other" to much for the BT cartoon. Especially since the real money is in merchandising, and tabletop BT is simply too complex for the target age group. Without the income from a successful toy line an animated series isn't (or at least wasnt) a profitable undertaking.

The cartoon did have a toy line -- quite a good one, too, from what I remember as a kid. I imagine the reason it didn't take off is because the mechs were large and complex, and therefore more expensive than base model toys from other lines. Sure, there were smaller battle armor toys that would have been about the same price as most of the toys BT was competing with, but what's BT without the mechs?

So, yeah, a high price point for entry was likely what held it back.

 

[Deaghaidh]

The cartoon did have a toy line -- quite a good one, too, from what I remember as a kid. I imagine the reason it didn't take off is because the mechs were large and complex, and therefore more expensive than base model toys from other lines. Sure, there were smaller battle armor toys that would have been about the same price as most of the toys BT was competing with, but what's BT without the mechs?

So, yeah, a high price point for entry was likely what held it back.

Can't say I knew anybody with BT toys, but everybody had Transformers and GI Joes. Those are two seriously strong toy franchises that BT would have had to compete with.

 

[Aradiel]

I also liked Exo Squad from the same era. Neither BT nor ES became mainstream though.

 

[Brother Diogenes]

I still haven't seen Exo Squad yet, but I'd seen the series recapped and reviewed, and it seems to have a lot of the same distinctive elements as the BT cartoon. It was created to sell toys (which explains much about e-frame design and their riotous colors), but the writers managed to work in a lot of character growth, series-long arcs, and bits of moral complexity.

It's too bad these shows came along right about the time I stopped watching Saturday morning cartoons, and I missed them entirely. I did enjoy Gargoyles for actually trying to have an overarching storyline, which was still extremely rare in western TV animation, so I probably would have liked BattleTech and Exo Squad at least as much.

 

[MeiSooHaityu]

I saw the cartoon way back in the day when it was on TV. Oddly I want to say I saw it after I had MechWarrior 2, however the time line doesn't add up. Maybe I saw reruns, but with only a few episodes, it doesn't seem like it is something that would have been rerun.

Anyway...I remember liking it back when I saw it. I also like it now even though it can be a bit cringy at times. I'd love to be able to buy it on DVD or Blueray eventually. YouTube uploads at 240p are pretty painful to watch.

 

[Lord_CoH]

Best bit about the cartoon was that it was aired on MY HOME PLANET!


Just wanted to get that out of my system...

 

[MeiSooHaityu]

Best bit about the cartoon was that it was aired on MY HOME PLANET!


Just wanted to get that out of my system...

Nice!

 

[The Shadowhawke]

The show was good. The cast, especially Adam Steiner and Malthus were very over the top. Sakamoto felt stereotypically Japanese, and most of the remainder felt flat, cartoon or not.

However, the show went deep enough into Battletech lore for us gamers to go 'cool', and was a good introduction for those that didn't know BT. If you were into sci-fi and/or mecha, odds are good it was enough to hook you.

When it first aired I was 'yeah...look, they got my f-ing game on TV!' The setting and immersion was pretty decent in much of the show, and the CGI for the Enhanced Imagining was fairly revolutionary for the time, and handled in a way similar to our anticipation of waiting to see Voltron or the Robotech mecha transform in those shows.

 

[starscream]

I think the show was good . I would love a battletech tv show especially if done right

 

[Deaghaidh]

It seems like a franchise that could be revived as an ongoing animated series/ series of animated movies similar to what DC has done.

We had a thread here before the game launched about ideas for a hypothetical tv show or movie. I personally am a fan of focusing on a small rag tag band of Mercs, with Firefly as an overall role model. Considering how expensive the effects would be for live action animated could well be the way to go.

 

[Nichino]

G.I. Joe was my biggest addiction... but ExoSquad was fun too! (I watched Transformers too, but enjoyed a lot of other cartoons more.) I honestly don't remember watching the BattleTech cartoon. I probably didn't like seeing the combat scenes change into that different animation style.

As for neurohelmets, I thought the one in the 1989 Wolf's Dragoons sourcebook was a good take on it: