Miniature Trading

General description:
Tara Bishop is a recurring character in the early MechWarrior: Dark Age novels. While not a main character, she sees quite a bit of "screen time" in the novels. This makes her a fun figure to recreate battles from the books. Tara is a close-in fighter well equipped for close combat action. With Agility special equipment she can shrug off most close combat damage, while Jump Jets special equipment makes her a fast mover. Her heat dial is made for pushing, with only minor heat effects at the tail end. However, her design paradigm shifts radically mid-way through her main dial and she loses most of her close combat ability at her first repair marker. Be on the lookout for that, and switch tactics to ranged combat and use your Evade special equipment to duck and weave.

Uses:
Tara should be used to aggressively attack high-value targets that often have significant minimum ranges on their weaponry. She should be moved fast into base contact with your chosen target. Due to her affordable cost, she is easily supported: get some fast infantry and vehicles to keep up with her.

Strategies and game play:
Move Tara aggressively up the field and use blocking terrain to screen the approach to her target. Use her Jump Jets special equipment to get her into base contact with the target right away. If the opportunity shows itself, take pot shots with her secondary weapon to soften up the target (and heat it up, if it is a 'mech); your easy heat dial can take it. Once in base contact, you should be inside the minimum range of many ranged weapons and highly resistant to close combat damage. However, once you hit your first repair marker your tactics change completely: you will lose Agility but pick up Evade special equipment. Use it to duck and weave while you make ranged combat attacks to finish off your target or destroy new ones.

Combos with other miniatures:
Her low point cost makes her easy to support. Use fast jump-capable infantry to screen her from distractions as she closes with her chosen target. Since she does so well in heavy blocking terrain, give her some fire support from Streak equipped vehicles. Repair vehicles are always a gamble, but since her first repair marker is rather deep into her dial it may be worth it to bring a repair vehicle along.

Ways to counteract it:
You must avoid close combat with her until you get her to her first repair marker. After that she is vulnerable to close combat action and resistant to ranged attacks: close in and finish her off.

Strengths/Pros:
Her initial Agility special equipment allows her to take minimal close combat damage while her damage output enables to her to return the favor with interest. Jump Jets special equipment and her overall speed gives her great mobility. Later on her dial, Evade special equipment lets her dodge like crazy and run like the wind to escape any surviving targets. Her heat dial is pretty easy, enabling you to push her hard.

Weaknesses/Cons:
Tara has a rather low defense of 20 and no defense special equipment. Her design paradigm changes completely at her first repair marker, going from a close combat in-fighter to a ranged combat shooter. She has a somewhat shallow main dial.

Artwork and aesthetics:
I find the Pack Hunter 'mech to be a rather ugly design. The paint job on this unit is not up to par with the usual high standards of most Limited Edition 'mechs, making for an overall "blah" impression. It's not bad, per se, but most LEs are better.

Overall rating:
I give this unit a 5 out of 10 overall. She is a relatively affordable in-fighter, but can be difficult to play due to the sudden tactics shift mid-dial.