Tyson Cole, the second son of two retired veteran MechWarriors from the independent industrial world of Detroit in the Rimward Periphery, signed on with the Dust Devils in 3064 alongside his older brother, Jackson.
MRBC Dossier - 3065[]
BattleMech[]
Lightshow is a venerable machine, passed down as a family heirloom since it was first acquired by an ancestor of the Cole siblings' mother Rhea during the First Succession War. Repaired and rebuilt innumerable times, the old Hunchback was finally passed to Tyson when Rhea retired from the Detroit Free Volunteer Militia after decades of service alongside her husband and his equally ancient Shadow Hawk, which was likewise passed to Tyson's brother Jackson. When Tyson and his brother signed on with the Devils, both were eager to take advantage of the unit's generous refit program for their aging (and somewhat patchwork) machines.
Lightshow represents a straight-forward but exponentially more dangerous upgrade to the typical HBK-4P "Swayback". Upgrading the engine to a 250 XL model, the myomers to triple-strength versions, and adding four Jump Jets gave the Hunchback a great deal more mobility, while the savings in engine weight allow for an extra half-ton of armor and the addition of an ECM Suite to offset the larger reactor's vulnerability. For greater reach and power, Lightshow's entire arsenal of standard medium lasers has been upgraded to Clantech extended-range versions, while the head-mounted small laser has been removed in favor of reinforcing the cockpit. Upgrading the heat sinks to double versions and adding a tier-3 heat exchanger keeps the Mech running cool through extended firefights, even when bringing the full weight of its alpha strike to bear.