Like all starter sets, this introductory box set contains several pieces of essential information to get anyone started with Battletech.
Contents: You'll find 5 books, the classic hex maps (a carry over from the original Battledroids box set),
an awesome wall sized map of the inner sphere, and last but definitely not least: 24 unpainted plastic figures.

At long last plastic figs have returned to the boxed set. The last time figs were available in a boxed set..
well they're the "unseen" mechs now so that should give you a hint as to their age.

The main rule book is an 80-page bound book with full-color covers and interior. It will provide a player with the basic level 1 rules.
The paper stock is thin and slick much the way the Total Warfare book is composed. While the pages are thin, the covers are sturdy and the binding is good (unlike the good old Master Rules).

Inner Sphere At A Glance is a cool little "quicky" of the Battletech Universe,
I often find that I enjoy reading the various quick little synopsis of the Battletech universe as opposed to reading an in depth sourcebook
or god forbid one of the terrible Mechwarrior DA novels.

Also included are the rules sheets that often accompany a box set. They include all of the commonly needed tables and references that practically eliminates the need to flip through the rule book and slow down the process of the game.
What sets this certain box set apart from the previous others we've purchased in the past is that the reference charts
are printed on a thick and durable card stock.

*Please Note* This photo is not of the miniatures in my boxed set. Unfortunately I was a victim of the "missing or damaged minis"
problem, luckily Catalyst has a simple form you can fill out online to request replacements of damaged/missing miniatures.

As you can see the figures are very detailed and put together rather well. Most Battletech players who have been playing
for any lengthy period of time will most likely own most (if not all) of the mechs included in the box set.
We already own all of these mechs (except for the spider) but that is no reason to discourage anyone from picking this set up.
If you're looking for an economical way to get your hands on two dozen mechs that you can paint into lance configurations
than look no further. We purchased the set with the intent of painting these mechs for an upcoming campaign
involving the periphery and word of blake.

As for cons? Well the lack of an arm on one of my figures, and also the lack of a figure at all is a little disheartening.
Catalyst (as stated earlier) will replace these figures although it does take up to six weeks to receive you're replacements.
The playing maps are also pretty bad, they are on very thin cheap paper and weren't folded correctly, not even close to lining up
which will make people with OCD very unhappy. Now we don't feel we need to dock Catalyst too much on this, since well we don't use maps around here.

We purchased our set from Amazon.com for around 25 dollars which is pretty good.
If you think of purchasing this set for nothing other than the miniatures you're looking to pay a little over a dollar per miniature and that is pretty kick ass.

The Classic Battletech Introductory Box Set gets BattletechTerrain's Kick Ass Award!