A lot of of the "classic" (3025)
Battlemech designs were "borrowed" (stolen) from japanese
anime.
The Shadow Hawk (=Dougram), Griffin (=Soltic Roundfacer), Wolverine (=Blockhead), Battlemaster (=Bigfoot), Thunderbolt (=Ironfoot) and Goliath (=Crabgunner) were all taken from the 1981 show "Fang of the sun Dougram".
The Marauder (=Glaug pod), Rifleman (=Defender), Warhammer (=Tomahawk), Archer (=Spartan), Wasp (=Valkyrie), Phoenix Hawk (=Super Valkyrie) and Crusader (=Armored Valkyrie), were taken from the 1982 show
Super Dimension Fortress Macross, which made up a part of the US show Robotech.
FASA eventually decided to phase out these "borrowed" designs, and thus these mechs are absent from recent Battletech products. However, Fantasy Productions (FanPro), who have acquired the rights to continue the Classic battletech line, are trying to revive the classic mechs by giving them new designs. (See http://www.classicbattletech.com/Project_Phoenix.html for more information)