Battletech Project (updated 25.11.24)

[scotty]

So after picking up the Alpha Strike boxed set I set out on yet another side project. These are the first 4 mechs from the Dragons fury regiment in the Draconis combine. I liked the look of the red and grey colour scheme. So left to right you have the Warhammer, Rifleman, Pheonix Hawk and wasp. I need to re do the head on the Warhammer as I made  an error on the canopy.

[Pattus Magnus]

Red with black is always a winning colour palette (at least that’s what my orcs hope), the mechs look grand! I like the recent re-sculpts of the classic Robotech inspired machines you chose. I like the basing, too - it’s versatile and will fit into a lot of settings on habitable worlds.

[Rick]

Yeah that mistake is easily done. The canopy is the 'visor' just below the bit that you painted blue!
Nice painting on the mechs though - always like seeing the ways people paint these new models, gives me a bit of inspiration and motivation for my own.
If you're looking for appropriate decals, Fighting Piranha in the USA is the goto place for those, although a couple of places on ebay are offering alternatives. A quick word of warning, though - the ebay ones need an area to be painted white/other light colour to get the best out of them, they don't have a white backing like the Fighting Piranha ones and may look lost on a darker colour.
Great start though - just need another 8 for the company! 

[scotty]

I've had a look at the decals from fighting piranha and aim to pick some up next month

[scotty]

Put the finishing touches to a second lance. They are the ARC-5R Archer, BJ-3 Blackjack, TR1 Wraith and the LCT-3M Locust. A third lance just needs it's bases finished and I've picked up one of  the Command lance boxed sets to complete the company.

[scotty]

I'm really enjoying painting these plastic Mechs and managed to complete a 3rd lance for my company. So from Left to right we have a WHM-6R Warhammer, PXH-4M Phoenix Hawk, WSP-3W Wasp and an AS7-S Atlas. The Atlas is my least favourite model, just find the pose very static. More here https://scottyswargaming.blogspot.com/2024/10/a-3rd-lance.html

[Rick]

Yeah, the Atlas has always been an awkward so-and-so, there's only so much you can do with a 100t lump like that!
Are you intending to field those lances as they are, or do you intend to swap them round a bit to field similar weights or types together? I just see a 20t Wasp and a 100t Atlas as being odd lance-mates really.

[scotty]

Yeah, the Atlas has always been an awkward so-and-so, there's only so much you can do with a 100t lump like that!
Are you intending to field those lances as they are, or do you intend to swap them round a bit to field similar weights or types together? I just see a 20t Wasp and a 100t Atlas as being odd lance-mates really.

I will be mixing them up, these lances are just the order in which I painted the miniatures. Need to spend some time getting used to the rules and see which mechs work well together

[Cat]

Nice looking mechs!
 
Hmm, the Atlas — what Steiner calls recon in force!
: 3

[Rick]

Hi Cat - yeah, Steiner Recon Lance is 4 Atlas mechs! Camouflaged, of course!

Scotty - building a Battletech lance is an absolute art but the first things to bear in mind are that there is no such beast as the 'perfect' lance and that nothing you choose to field will be 'wrong' in any way - you field your force the way you want to. Having said that, Battletech players have been chewing this subject over for nearly the last 40 years and there are pages upon pages of advice and guides available online. Read some of those but draw your own conclusions and, above all else, have fun!

[scotty]

Scotty - building a Battletech lance is an absolute art but the first things to bear in mind are that there is no such beast as the 'perfect' lance and that nothing you choose to field will be 'wrong' in any way - you field your force the way you want to. Having said that, Battletech players have been chewing this subject over for nearly the last 40 years and there are pages upon pages of advice and guides available online. Read some of those but draw your own conclusions and, above all else, have fun!

It's been 35 years+ since I last played battletech and I think part of the fun was trying to put together a balance lance where the mechs compement each other

[Cat]

It's been 35 years+ since I last played battletech and I think part of the fun was trying to put together a balance lance where the mechs compement each other

With Alpha Strike, I've shifted to balancing the companies within a battalion and going with the more military type organisations of the early Stackpole books with monotype (or 3/4 or 1/2 monotype) lances and even companies.  This makes so much sense for strategic movement speed, supply and maintenance.
 
The joys of the orbats are the full Federation company of 12 Valkyries, Capellan 12 Cicadas, and the Draconis battalion wins with 39 Panthers within the ranks.
: 3

[scotty]

With Alpha Strike, I've shifted to balancing the companies within a battalion and going with the more military type organisations of the early Stackpole books with monotype (or 3/4 or 1/2 monotype) lances and even companies.  This makes so much sense for strategic movement speed, supply and maintenance.
 
The joys of the orbats are the full Federation company of 12 Valkyries, Capellan 12 Cicadas, and the Draconis battalion wins with 39 Panthers within the ranks.
: 3

I think I have plenty of reading to catch up on for this game

[scotty]

It's been a productive week with 5 more mechs completed. This time some Clan Mechs. I went for Clan Coyote and Nu Galaxy as I liked the colour scheme, quick and simple to paint up. The Models are the 5 provided in the Alpha strike boxed set. The Timber Wolf, Warhawk, Nova, Pouncer and Fire Moth. More here https://scottyswargaming.blogspot.com/2024/10/clan-mechs.html Not sure I'll do anymore Clan Mechs.

[Rick]

Very nice mechs and a simple but very effective scheme there. My brother and I swapped mechs between us as not every clan mech design was used by every clan, at least during the clan invasion era (I think they appeared in more clans later on) and I suddenly discovered that the omnimechs I was left with only fitted into clan Jade Falcon! Not the clan I'd envisaged joining!
Before committing yourself to no more clan mechs, take a look at some of the stars of non-omnimech mechs, especially the new ones with the IIC designs, some of the regular and 2nd line units use a mix of mech and omnimech designs.