jamescutts does BATTLETECH

Here’s my first attempt, and I have to say, after a bit of frustration, and some initial disappointment its really growing on me now I’ve popped a base on it. Its perhaps come out a bit darker than I would like, next time I’ll go a bit lighter on the wash stage.

The scheme is based on Johns tutorial, Its certainly much tricker applying to a BattleMech rather than a tank though!

Comments and criticism are more than welcome, I’m not trying to win any awards but I would like to paint something I’m proud of, and that balances time over getting something on the tabletop. Overall I think the wash even thinned came out much darker than I wanted, and I probably should have varnished before applying it, step I haven’t always found necessary. The overall result is that the darker green has become a bit lost and the brighter green isn’t quite as poppy as I would like.  I probably want to reduce the size of the black areas too as these become quite overpowering, For a second lance I might consider switching up the brighter green to one that perhaps more yellow in tone, the end result here feels very similar to Nato colours, and while i like it, I would like a bit more of a nod towards the Swedish inspiration.

I plan on painting up the rest of the lance pretty similar for a reasonably cohesive look but I will aim make incremental improvements along the way as I go.

For the base I Used AK Dark Earth, followed by a rough drybrush of Vallejo German Camo Beige, the tufts are from Gamers Grass an are Green 4mm Wild (a prize I won)

So with 8 models now cleaned up (boy the mould lines are tricky on these guys!) and primed in my usual combo of Vallejo Black Surface Primer followed by a zenithal of Grey and left for my customary overnight curing time, no idea if needed by I always like to prime up then leave overnight before basecoating.

With a whole Friday night to spend after watching the weekender I fired up the internet browser and started the task of opening many, many tabs doing some “research”. My aim here was to try and find something similar that, might give a bit if inspiration but also to try and find something I could link into the vast world of BattleTechs many Houses, Regiments and Mercenary Companies.

My research let me onto the Unit Color Compendium (clearly our traitorous  colonial friends who cant spell) and a few units from the Federated suns, everyone’s favourite “goodies” if there can be such a thing in the Inner Sphere.

A number of these units felt very much like the style I was aiming for, in particular the Crucis Lancers, an the image above of a Rifleman, the mini I’d picked up for my first attempt.

Crucis Lancers, 6th

As the name Crucis Lancers, 6th suggests there are also at a few more similar units, all of these seem to be following a similar look and feel so a great chance for me to branch out and try a few variations.

One oy the highlights for me was also finding a scheme for an Urban Mech, in the form of the Crucis March Militia, a unit that will almost certainly be making its way into my forces ranks!

Crucis March Militia

I’ve had a steadily growing collection of BattleTech over the past few years, sadly very little of if has seen the tabletop nevermind any sort of paint or primer. My biggest challenge has been deciding where to start, I love the background and expansiveness of the BattleTech universe, its truly vast and in that sense equally daunting to approach.

Being a mostly historical painter, collector and gamer I love a bit of background research and material, a good uniform example gets me excited while the freedom to do whatever I like causes infinite loop of procrastination that often sees projects started but never progressed.

Inspiration to finally get this project off the ground came from an unlikely place, a random I had a few beers and found a bargain, late night purchase. In this case The Ragnarök Battlefleet for Dystopian Wars (another project I’m actually excited to get going!). The artwork for this has a some great and distinctive camouflaged ships (not boats!) and I was reminded of Johns excellent tutorial and subsequent army build of Swedish forces for Team Yankee.

So rather than get cracking with this new project I was clearing out a pile of past projects and found two lance boxes for BattleTech, that had quietly been hiding in a corner of my desk for at least a year, It was at this point I thought, These would look cool in Swedish 4 Colour Camo, and in my somewhat impulsive ways I primed up some mechs and got cracking!