Mech Combat, 2" high?

[Ahistorian]

I took part in a great Battletech game of Alpha Strike at Partizan yesterday, but the starter set has gone up in price over the last couple of years since it went out of print.

Since I am not tied to the setting as much as the idea of robot-on-robot carnage, does anyone have any recommendations for cheap mechs that stand about 2" tall to fit with the classic 1/300 scale? I know em4 do some kits but they are out of stock. The new Heavy Gear looked nice on the DP9 website, but again, I wasn't sure about the price, and this is very much a side project so the price has to be right!

Thanks in advance for all your help!

[Elbows]

While maybe a little larger the new CAV line from Reaper is out.  They're a bit pricier but also bigger.  They're produced in the Bones material which is easy to work with and paints up okay.  You could probably find some Robotech RPG Tactics models for cheap as the game seems to be a flop and the Kickstarter hasn't been fully shipped yet so people are ditching it.

[The_Beast]

Does EM-4 still have the old Iron Crown Ent robots? Same inexpensive grey sprue like the Silent Death plastic ships.

I know I've seen 'gumball' toys that'd be about right, but forget the Brit term for same. Maybe even at the pound store. I know there are some, often, at our Dollar Tree, a true dollar store.

Doug

[Ragsta]

Does EM-4 still have the old Iron Crown Ent robots? Same inexpensive grey sprue like the Silent Death plastic ships.

Doug

EM4 still sell those yep, and I've seen a couple of different users convert them by chopping and changing torsos and weapons for extra variety too if that helps.

[tomcat51]

Warhansa do some pretty good 'not Battletech' Mechs. I think they are a Polish company, so the price has gone up recently, but they are about 10 euros per Mech.

[Hobby Services]

EM4 still sell those yep, and I've seen a couple of different users convert them by chopping and changing torsos and weapons for extra variety too if that helps.

They're showing as Out Of Stock at the moment, like the OP said.  Hopefully not a permanent situation, they are quite nice and very modular.

[The_Beast]

They're showing as Out Of Stock at the moment, like the OP said...

Whoops, sorry, Ahistorian, missed that.

Doug

[eilif]

Good suggestions all around. 

Even if the cost has gone up, the BT starter box is still just about the best deal out there. 

The CAV mechs should be hitting stores soon at 5-7 bucks each.  Though said to be 10mm in size (instead of 6mm like BT) Some are spot on as BT size and quite a few were originally sold as BT proxies.

Lastly, they're going for stupid prices on ebay, but ask your friends if they have any mechwarrior clix figs they can give you.  A bit bigger than BT, but I've had alot of fun gaming in 10mm with them.

[The_Beast]

Lastly, they're going for stupid prices on ebay, but ask your friends if they have any mechwarrior clix figs they can give you.  A bit bigger than BT, but I've had alot of fun gaming in 10mm with them.

Individual mechs, stupid CRAZY prices, but, as I'm interested in just the vehicles and infantry, I pick up lots and resell for more reasonable. Don't have any currently, but others might.

Doug

[fastolfrus]

You might find "not Transformers" in Poundland etc, or in shops that sell cheap plastic toys for party bags or birthday cake decorations, more common if there is a film out soon/recently.

[Ahistorian]

I found a little online shop that still had em-4 mechs available, so I've put in an order for ten packs! At half the price of the boxed set with 26 mechs, I'll have 50, including ten chicken walkers! I really like the chicken walkers 

After scouring the forums, I've also seen some nice conversions involving 40k weaponry, so it's time to raid the bits box and check what I haven't already given away...

[DS615]

144 of them for $10.  They are just under 2", and the reviews say they are made from "stiff plastic", so they aren't rubbery.
robots

20 for $7.  1.5" high, hard plastic, and they look nicer than the above. Smaller though, and there's less.
robots

Can't beat the price, and if you're not tied to the universe fluff, they would work wonderfully.

[eilif]

I found a little online shop that still had em-4 mechs available, so I've put in an order for ten packs! At half the price of the boxed set with 26 mechs, I'll have 50, including ten chicken walkers! I really like the chicken walkers 

After scouring the forums, I've also seen some nice conversions involving 40k weaponry, so it's time to raid the bits box and check what I haven't already given away...

Great find! 
There's some surprisingly cool variants you can make by changing the facing of the torsos and such. Here's some of the conversions that I did with mine.
http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2013/02/from-workbench-converted-plastic-mechs.html
Never got around to painting them, but it was a fun exercise in conversions.

[Hobby Services]

144 of them for $10.  They are just under 2", and the reviews say they are made from "stiff plastic", so they aren't rubbery.
robots

20 for $7.  1.5" high, hard plastic, and they look nicer than the above. Smaller though, and there's less.
robots

Can't beat the price, and if you're not tied to the universe fluff, they would work wonderfully.

Customer review on the second lot says they're actually 1" tall and soft, bendy plastic.

[DS615]

Customer review on the second lot says they're actually 1" tall and soft, bendy plastic.

Indeed.  Still, 144 of them for $10.  I like the second style better anyway, the first group are all robotech-ish, and I dislike that style anyway.