I made this because I love the Stone Rhino, which just got announced for MWO, it can be preordered here: mwomercs.com/stone-rhino The Stone Rhino in miniature form can be found in the Clan Heavy Star: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-forcepack-clan?variant=39754360258594 Alongside the Marauder IIC, Hunchback IIC, Warhammer IIC, and Supernova Disclaimer, I am not being paid by PGI, CGL or anyone affiliated to Battletech to promote this, I just love the Stone Rhino. Check it out. Big thanks to Art of Battletech- Art of Battletech's Twitter: twitter.com/ArtofBattletech Don't forget to check out the Stone Rhino mod for MW5 on PC, but you will need to install other mods to make it work. The Full List of Resources used to make this video are as follows: Battletech: The Historic Liberation of Terra Volume 2: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-historical-liberation-of-terra-vol-2-pdf Battletech: Experimental Technical Readout: Boondoggles: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-experimental-technical-readout-boondoggles-pdf Technical Readout 3055: (Unavailable) Technical Readout 3055: Upgrade: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-technical-readout-3055-upgrade-pdf-1 Recognition Guide 2: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-recognition-guide-ilclan-vol-2 Battletech: Historic Operation Klondie: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-historical-operation-klondike-pdf Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook): Unavailable Battletech: The Battle of Tukayyid: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-battle-of-tukayyid Battletech: The Dragon Roars: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-dragon-roars-pdf Battletech: Twilight of the Clans: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-twilight-of-the-clans-pdf Battletech: Tamar Rising: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-tamar-rising Some Quotes: Battletech: Betrayal of Ideals: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-betrayal-of-ideals Battletech: Grave Covenant: store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-grave-covenant-twilight-of-the-clans-volume-2
Ah yes, the walking weapons platform. I'm looking forward to flanking and gunning these lumbering things down in MechWarrior Online when it releases. 😆😜
This is the story of the Clans, told through a mech. A relic of an age before Omnimechs, that continues into the Ilkhan age. A design that is worthy of its legend.
A friend laughed at me for rolling 2 of these on the tukyyaid equipment campaign, as most of the games were so fast moving they would be sitting ducks. When the fortress assault happened on our 4th game and the pair are hitting on 5 or 6s with everything from a hilltop at max range (sniper SPA) the tune changed considerably lol. The bear is slow but does not stop!
Truly, the most dangerous phenomenon on the battlefield is not the Stone Rhino, Dire Wolf or the Atlas no, the most dangerous of all phenomenons is the floating fires obscuring the commanders vision, rendering him blind to all threats.
Hells yeah! Also one of my all time favs, tho for some reason it gets a lot of hate. Its like they took a look at the Marauder and said "Yeah its nice, but what if we feed it steroids, muscle powder, and hate exclusively?" Thanks for always bringing it man!
Stephan Amaris inadvertently molded Nicolas’ personality during his childhood. Unintentionally destroying Alexander’s dream long after his death. Also *sees stone rhino* hey artillery support… I’ve got a slow east target for ya.
Nicholas may not follow Amaris's ideals, but he still went through his childhood surrounded by the propaganda of the madman and his brutal methods. And you can definitely see some of Amaris in him when it comes to how poorly he coped with people disagreeing with him... And how indeed his answer to every issue was might makes right
I believe that Nicolas unironically believed that, while he obviously had to rule to ensure the change of society, he was doing the right thing not for himself, his family or any heir. He might truly have believed that his atrocities and cruel sacrifices were not just justified but entirely unavoidable. Once that change was complete, he would have created a society that any member of that society could rule because of the indoctrination present at any age and stage of life. He took Amaris methods, but not his goals of rule through power and fear for the sake of only himself and maybe eventually a successor of his line.
The Stone Rhino is in my humble opinion a design which should perform quite solidly in its role within its weight bracket yet deliberately hampered by lore in ways that feel somewhat contrived. Thank you for covering the Stone Rhino and its history within context.
Don't believe the title! This video is an outstanding look at the depth and history of the Battletech universe, just pretending to be a showcase for a big stompy robot. If you have ever enjoyed Battletech or Mechwarrior in any incarnation, watch this video now! Just like the combination of 'Mech and Mechwarrior, it's big, awesome, and has a ton of heart. Seyla!
Beyond the fearsomeness of the Stone Rhino itself, I appreciate your narration of Clan history through the lens of the 'mech's history. Your take was a lot more level-headed than a lot of BT commentators, and that's great to see.
makes you think - was the Stone Rhino an attempt to get around the Unseen issue? also makes you wonder if Wolf's Dragoons did MAD II vs Stone Rhino debates
Heh. Comparing the Stone Rhino 6 to Michael Myers hit me right in the feels. Back in the day, we had a modded Atlas in our group that was intended for close quarters combat with the Clans in urban settings. It had an 400 rated XL engine, a sword shaped like a machete, and a hockey mask painted on its face. The thought of a Jason vs Michael battle kinda excites me.
The Matar can be thought of as Amaris' Royal Tiger: Packing an awesome punch with heavy armor, but too slow and mechanically unreliable. In that it fits with Amaris as a Hitler analogue.
I think a better aanalogy would be if Hitler tried building an M1A2 Abrams because the abrams is everything Amris wanted and more... So maybe the Matar would have worked at 200 tons. Which a 200 ton mech would work in his case as it would not need to be moved via dropship... Or what would happen in Battletech just wait 100 years and use clan tech.
I just got a Stone Rihno in a Clan Star box. I did not even know what it was before. I am just now getting back to BT after a 20 year hiatus! Love all the new mechs but still love the classics including the unseen.
This video was awesome. This old warden wolf must tip his hat to one of the best lore-masters and custodians of battletech. Bear you out do yourself every time and I can’t wait for the next video.
This was a Behemoth of an episode (See what I did there?!), but holy hell it was good. I liked that we got the *entire* history of the Stone Rhino, and through that a retelling of the Clans history both before, during and after the Great Refusal. Very well done!
Fantastic job Red! You hyped this up & in no way dissapointed. Definitely a piece of work that you should take pride in & know it was time well invested. Speaking of which thank you for the Blood sweat & tears you put into your work, & building this community. Your passion for this project is clearly evident. Hell, I bet you are livestreaming for more hours In a week than I get to spend with my wife & kids.
I always think of the Matar and by extension the Stone Rhino as an oversized Marauder. Excellent in-depth video on not only an iconic 'mech but the history behind it and its creators.
This was an awesome trip to clan's twisted ideological core, story of Clan Smoke Jaguar's descent, story of Matar, story of Clan Goliath Scorpion during Wars of Reeving. And of course, story of beginning of that infinite battle royal which as a fire in the forest was started by Clan Hell Horses in former Clan Jade Falcon territory. I appreciate you for this and all other videos on this channel (maybe because you're my favorite BT blogger in da whole YT). Hope it's not the last one "big dive" and we will see smth even more great un future. Of course after cooling down from the Stone Rhino hype just as from firing good Clan ERPPC volley during standard mech reviews and other stuff.
There are always a few of the long format ones planned. But there won't be another 3-hour one for a loooong time. The next few are planned to be 1-2 hours, but none of those are coming in the next few weeks. Next one is the Executioner.
@@BigRed40TECH Will be waiting for that one Ghost Bear frontline Kodiak omni-cousin. He's a fun guy. No worries, 1-2h long vids are also appreciated - they are also cool.
Perhaps your finest work so far! Great narrative and exploration. You are now the official voice actor of Nicholas Kerensky. You make him sound terrifying. And you are right. Poor performance is such a punishing quirk
I adore Tex and the Black Pants Legion, but this is absolutely an equal to those videos. And without any comparison, it stands on its own and it stands tall. Thanks for the work put into the story of one mech that, I agree, mirrors that of Battletech.
Tex's videos have substantially more original assets, and I'd argue are really much more difficult to write and produce on a number of levels. I of course, appreciate the compliment, but I don't think they're equivalent.
@Big Red-40TECH and I wasn't trying to foster any competition or such things, I meant it as a compliment to the video in how it manages to tell a seemingly unrelated story that nonetheless means everything to the topic.
Honestly the Rino is my favorite clan mech, and all of this lore only helps reinforce my love for this mech. A true oppressor of a mech created to guard the iron thrones of dictators
We should also not forget, that the Stone Rhino became the template for the best of all (read: at least useable) Superheavy Mechs. A Mech, that could make a stand where the Matar failed, and that even made it to Solaris: The huge and mighty Omega! With its 150 tons, this War Machine is almost as big as this video!
Amazing video brother. Your final statement before the outro was so on point. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villian. I feel like the Clans losing their way is mirrored in the story of Clan Blood Spirit. I'd love if you did a video on that little known clan someday.
You either become the hero, or live long enough to become the villain. I've always loved the Stone Rhino, one of my favorite mechs next to the Kodiak. This was extremely educational and very well put together. Thank you for this!
Oh man, you weren't kidding about this being longer. I figured you were talking about a video being an hour to an hour and a half long. I love it. I've got crap I need to get done around the house and this is perfect to listen to while I do that.
What is there to say about this vid. I grabbed the very last unseen one off my local store shelves when they decided it was going to join the others about 20 years ago. Quickly learned this thing was cheap in bv and could do things most Clan assaults couldn't. Rugged cheap to field a nightmare to try to kill, you are right in calling it the avatar of Clan savagery and the complete corruption of Alexander's dream.
This was worth the wait and more, excellent work Red. I truly now have a deep appreciation for the depth of the subject matter, as well as how much more fulfilling this is than a SARNA page. The understanding of a mech is only further enhanced by long term players. This is by far an upgrade in all terms of quality. I look forward to whatever spurs your passion in the same way this.mech did!
That was a beast of a video, was great to get such a good overview of the horrors that lead to the creation and other key battletech events alongside such an interesting mech
Jesus, Red, that was a hell of a ride. Great video. There's a lot of information here- little of it really new to me- but it's a lot to digest anyway. Congrats on your magnum opus.
In my modded Battletech campaign, I had a moment where I didn't pay attention to the mission briefing and ended up facing off against a Stone Rhino. While it was surprising, I managed to land a headshot with my Clan ER PPC and that immediately relieved a great deal of the stress from that mission. I think I was able to pick up a Long Tom from that Stone Rhino, which I promptly equipped on a King Crab, just because. That Long Tom has been a massive godsend for me for the rest of the campaign. XD
1:23:01 - Completely unrelated to the sheer glorious delight that is this video about one of the greatest and most righteous Clans and an absolutely magnificent mech, I think those may be the best icons for the houses I have ever seen, particularly Steiner. That is awesome!
Thank you for the effort to put this together. I've played TT for 35 years and didn't know there was a 3025 tech version in the Dragoons. Also, Jucinda did her ancestors proud, even though she was an abomination of humanity herself. It is clear to me that the Stone Rhino deserves better than the quirks it has been given, and anyone that reveres the Clans deserves everything Smoke Jaguar brought down upon themselves.
I absolutely LOVE longform videos! Finding your channel has been a huge boon to me since ive recently fallen in love with Battletech thanks to the pc strategy game, and watching the lore behind the mechs, states, houses, and clans is fantastic
This is fascinating. I'm new to battletech, having only played the HBS game and MW5. The civil war, the SLDF, the exodus, and the clan invasion are all things that I've heard of, but never knew about the details of until now. It was a fascinating story told through the lens of an interesting mech. Also I spat my drink out and started laughing in public when you said 14 pluse lasers on the on the SR6
Fantastic video! I can't believe that I've never heard of the BHN-6H until today.Anybody have the years it was operational? Sounds like a fantastic unit to squeeze into a "what if?" scenario.
This is your best video yet Red, even better than the Mad 2 Video. The one downside is i couldnt run a hot pink camo Stone Rhino like I did in the Mad 2 video, but hey nothings perfect lol. But seriously, amazing video, worth the time and effort you put into it 100%
Glad your enjoying them. The Executioner is another big video similar to this one when you get the chance, if your wanting more Clan content. Oh, and there will be a big video on the Warhammer IIC hopefully before the end of the year.
Brilliant. Your best video yet! The history of the invasion, Tukayyid, Operations Bulldog and Serpent, all of it was so well described, you really brought it all to life. Thank you for this video! I'd love to hear your rendition of similar histories of mechs associated with a particular Clan or faction. A Ghost Bear/Kodiak video or FWL/Orion or Hermes II second look would be awesome. You've truly become my favorite channel on this platform in the last year, keep up the good work, you're appreciated!
Very well put together Red. Thank you for this video. Love the in depth look throughout the founding of the Clans and other events from the fall of House Cameron through this Beasts development.
I had to play against this Mech all the time growing up. My brother was crazy for it, he didn't like dealing with heat. I would match him in an Executioner A and would just MASC in and blow his legs off. He would get an occasional head clip but usually my "lame tactics" were actually quite sound and he rolled a lot of falling damage and piloting checks.
I don't recall Gauss weapons in the Heroes of Might&Magic titles... but there might have been some in the RPG predecessors 😅 those were wild and full of space technology.
I'm going to be painting up a Falcon Stone Rhino for my Falcon Trinary... Buuuuut after finding out about the Dragoon's Behemoth, I've determined I'm going to paint it up... And luckily for me, I'm going to be getting the Shogun and Goliath from the new Kickstarter. So I just need a stalker and another stone rhino.
@@BigRed40TECH Yes, which is why I love it. I love that they just brought one because... They could? I think it's amazing. I love it so much. And also it's going to be a challenging mech to use, which means it'll be fun to use on the table top.
Hi again! You probably don't remember me, but I commented on one of your first videos that I was looking forward to seeing your channel grow. Well, here we are, a year and change later, and I have to say I'm quite happy to see that not only are you still at it, but finally getting some of the recognition you deserve. Btw, as a fellow refugee from 40K, I'm quite pleased to see all the excellent Battletech content you've been uploading.
Hey, thanks very much. Just as a quick aside, I've played Battletech longer than 40k. I'd not describe myself as a 40k Refugee. I just didn't think anyone would be interested in a Battletech channel lol
I'll be frank, I'm not much of a refugee either, as I've been into both for quite some time. Discovered 40K in 2000, and Battletech probably in 2014 or 2015. More of a joke referencing the fact that a lot of 40K fans jumped over to Battletech because they were tired of dealing with a company that almost makes Disney look nice. 😅 That being said, the more I get into Battletech, the more interested I become. Guess I'm more into hard sci-fi than space fantasy, at the end of the day. Also, very glad you decided to take the plunge, there just aren't enough good Battletech guys on RU-vid!
It wasn't based on the Monster. It was made by an outside company FOR Battletech, just FASA changed its policies. But yea, it's not related to Macross.
@@BigRed40TECH yes very much aware. That's how I found out about battle tech oddly enough, through brand confusion. Still love them both. Favorites include the Madcat, Marauder II, and the Locust.
Honestly it wasn't until I saw it walking around in MW5:Mercs from the classic mech collection mod, (which as an aside, really got me hooked on that game, the inner sphere is fun and all, but it's the Clan mechs I remember most fondly. Also I never got into MWO) which actually made me appreciate this mech a bunch more, the pictures I've seen never really did it justice, and couldn't give you the sense of mass this thing has. I honestly really enjoyed this video and it was great to see the in game shots of it walking around too, because it just makes it look like such a tank. I can see why people would love this mech, and also learning about the Gordon Z saga was an awesome piece of lore! Loved it! Honestly great work, and I am really glad I ran across your channel!
Thank you for your hard work and time to make this movie on the origins of the Stone Rhino and going so in-depth. This is one of my favorite mechs from MechWarrior 2 Ghost Bears Legacy!
This was an absolutely phenomenal presentation. I have been obsessed with the world of Battletech for years, and I learned things that I had not heard before and all that time. Keep up the good work!
This tied the Comstar video for my favorites of what you've created, well done with this, Behemoth of an undertaking! I say again well done my friend thanks for your hard work on all of this
This is one of the best video on BattleTech history I‘ve ever watched. You put a lot of effort and love for the setting into the video, and it show. It is such an amazing overview of the Clans who they are, and where they came from. Alongside this masterpiece of a video about the history of the setting, you also made it about one of my favorite Battlemechs of all time. In short, this is a video so amazing that I can‘t really describe how much I like it. Thank you for making it
