The Nightmares are spec-ops fighters anyway, they aren't exactly the usual grunt mecha. I like it because it was designed to hurt, and not primarily to win air shows.
It's a bit harder to justify spending on them as they're relatively less sexy. I only bought them(albeit at half price) because I love battletech and they're the best representation out there for battlemechs.
Pilot floating valks, no hands, no landing gear. Seems like you're into a different universe altogether. Not sure if serious or trolling since we're discussing the -17 in Macross not some fantastical super robot show.