Battletech's Black Python, or White Raven, or Viper, or...

#Battletech #BattletechLore #Mechwarrior #mechwarrior5clans

Sometimes, even the "less important" clans get something right. I would say the Steel Vipers got the Black Python REALLY right, because even as a standard BattleMech and not an OmniMech, it could go toe to toe with even the big boys. It is not super heat efficient, but it is incredibly accurate and dangerous. It is fast, it is agile, it looks like a jet fighter with arms and legs.

And the Snow Ravens decided to rebrand it as WHITE RAVEN a few years back.

Miniatures in this one coming from VIEWERS LIKE YOU!
Some of them from @JCDadalus .
THREE of them provided by Rafeelia, who is always happy to help. Including the boys, at 3 am, trying to get SOME BEANS for the cover.
Many of them provided by the good people at Helm's Memory Core.

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[thornjo]

Jet fighters with chicken legs, my favorite mech type next to crabs

[thunderK]

The part about this mech's name was a needed digression. And that reply to the "the good one" answer brought a smile to my face.

[elleeVee]

this mech is a monster, fr, especially the white raven

[ZacharyChristy-Aronson-wgki]

I remember flipping through the TRO for the first time, just to get an impression (which is all based on the art) and saying, “yeah… That’s my mech”.

[Magermh]

The Viper keeps reminding me of those games before BV was invented. The mech was a massive threat on the board being capable of using any kind of pilot from a 2/3 to the bold 6/7. If it struggles vs a target it jumps out of range and snipes with the large pulse. The only thing that holds the mech back is the ammo weapon that holds it back on the heat thresh hold under 13. A product of the Steel Vipers but worth trialing for as a “Viper” or Black Python is a snake mech worth having. Thank you for doing a video on the mech. I will remember to bring the laser-inhibiting ammo for the arrow 4’s. The White Raven is deadly.

[sper]

The Viper, the mini I ordered back in the day thinking it was a different Viper.

[andrewamann]

I know people aren't keen on the Binary Laser, but there's a solid, if narrow, case to be made for it: it's reliable damage that can turn on, and maintain, TSM, whilst staying at the edges of an engagement, until you're ready to close the distance.

[lexington]

Buy a Viper from Discount Dan and you may get a free pet Viper in the cockpit.

[fixthespade]

The Pulse Python!
The Tim-Birb-Wolf!
The Friendship Ender!
The no you're not putting that on the table!
The BP-1 pairs so well with a Timby-A, a medium range pulse laser nightmare and a twin PPC head chopper running around together, shame it's nearly 5k bv to do that. 4 S-Pulse and 2 MG against infantry feels unfair, I love it.

[shanenice]

interesting 🤔. i take notice those 3 lol.imaginn different clan talked about vipers.they all get confused lol

[carlwells]

So sick it’s considered not fair to send to most formal exchanges!

[Based_Lord_Humongous]

5 feels like a Baby Nightstar but they did 2 PPC and Gauss instead of 2 Guass and 1 PPC.... They received the assignment, but didn't understand the assignment.

[ogrehaslayers]

Ahhh the Champion IIC! Coans gave it arms

[tetsatou]

I still love that there are four Vipers. The Viper (Battlemech), the Black Python (Viper), the Viper (Dragonfly), and the Viper Dropship. We just need an aerospace fighter called the Falcon (Viper). Also more people pass on the White Raven not because the Timberwolf is more popular (though it is), it's because the White Raven will get you banned from your local friend group because the thing is just fucking vile.

[jamessmith]

The Snow ravens should make a LAM version. Launching Stars of these from dropships would make ideal units for securing drop zones, and softening up targets before bigger forces arrive with lots of bombs.

[brothersgt.grauwolff]

just recently got the Clan Cavalry Star pack thus completing my Steel Viper Striker Star with the Shadow Hawk IIC & Griffin IIC completing the Command Star of my Rasalhauge Dominion Provincial Garrison Cluster

[teehasheestower]

On the Blazer, the only use case I've found is when you have a big mech with few laser hardpoints like the Orion, KC or the Atlas RS. You can 'maximize' those hardpoints if you need something more compact or accurate than a ppc but can't fit a few LL. But that's a condition of a condition...of a condition, making them very niche (bad).

[derekburge]

Along the same silly naming convention lines, I'm a fan of the Hermes III, which is a model variant of the Hermes II.

[awlsond]

I like the Black Python, its look kind of reminds me of a knock-off transformer. But i do like the look, looks much better than a Timberwolf imo. Not sure we need an Omni version, the Timberwolf and Savagewolf already fill the 75 ton niche pretty well.

[hermes]

The Black Python is a very efficient Mech design and probaly one of the most brocken with all PLs+TC, good mobility, good armor and ok heat management.
Only the raw alpha damage is sub par for a heavy clan Mech.
The only aspect I really disliked about this Mech was the artwork from the original TRO:3055. The jet fighter on chicken legs was so awkward.
The new artwork is a great improvement.