So what makes for a cool tank?

I think the problems tanks run into, is that we actually do have examples of IRL tanks. So we know what designs do work and what designs don't work, and we know when a tank design is good vs just retarded. There's almost an 'uncanny valley' effect going on, where you can see something clearly made to be a tank, but it just ends up looking wonky because it has a bunch of other stuff being tacked on, whereas mechs aren't based in reality anyways so they can be whatever design you want them to be.

The other half of it, I'd imagine, is that the roles of tanks in Battletech sorta prevents them from being cool. They're cannon fodder. The Patton is a very good design for a tank, it's reasonable, rational, well balanced, honestly this gets a 10/10 from me as far as fictional tank design goes, it's more logical than 98% of fictional tanks while still having that futuristic flare.....

.....but I'll never think the Patton is COOL because, let's face it, this thing is going to get its ass whipped and wiped off the board the second a mech so much as looks at it sideways. It's fragile, immobile, and weak, its only virtue is being relatively cheap, and it's never cool to be cheap and disposable.