From StuartL - Smoke Jaguars - 55 Points

Hi again,

    The second batch of figures off my painting desk this week are some mechs for Battletech. These are some figures from the recent-ish Battletech Kickstarter. I bought a fair number of new models for my collection, so there may be some more of these coming at some point in the future. 

    These models are all painted to represent mechs from Clan Smoke Jaguar, one of the factions in the Battletech setting. In Battletech, factions are divided into two loose groups. On one side you have the Inner Sphere, a set of feudal empires with vast hordes of giant stompy robots, and the Clans, a warrior cult with slightly smaller, but more elite hordes of giant stompy robots. In the setting, Clan Smoke Jaguar is infamous as being the worst group of sociopaths in a setting where committing war crimes is commonplace. They were so reviled that the Inner Sphere forces put aside centuries of infighting and launched an all out attack to annihilate them while the rest of the (supposedly allied) Clan forces cheered them on from the sidelines. 

    Now, I did not actually know any of that when I started collecting them, I just thought that the paint scheme looked easy to copy. And it was, so I still play them. I also have the advantage, that if I lose, it is entirely in fitting with the lore of the faction. 

    Some of these mechs might look familiar to Inner Sphere players too. As part of the Kickstarter, a bunch of clan variants of Inner Sphere mechs was released. As with all clan mechs, they are just that little bit better than the IS versions. 

   

    One of Battletech's charms is its mad mech designs. Take the one above, the designer thought that some sort of chicken-fighter jet combo would make for a fun mech to pilot. He even gave it little arms for punching things, should the need arise. What a visionary.

    In total there are 11 minis in this entry, while Battletech's scale is something like 6-8mm, each of these figures stands at 30mm or more in height, so I am uncertain exactly how to score them. I think they usually just get counted as 28mm infantry, so assuming that to be the case, that should be 55 points, though the final decision lies with my most wonderful of minions. 

    This lot should also net me another Squirrel and some points for the Big Stompy Robots of Death side duel.

My ongoing duels information:
Skulls - 141 (+0)
BSRoD - 16 (+11)
Squirrels - 8 (+1) - D&D Animals, 30K Militia, Plague Clowns, Afghans, Robots, Anglo-Saxons, Medieval Polish, Clan Smoke Jaguar

From Millsy:

These are really cool Stuart. Grey, especially lots of it, can be really dull (I'm looking at YOU modern car colours) but the flashes of red and the clean blacklining has really made them pop. They look like they would have been a load of fun to paint too.

I think you assessment of scale and points is spot on, so that's 55 points for your total. Nice one!

Cheers,

Millsy

From DaveS - Clan Heavy Battle Star - Klendathu 70pts

My first post of what I think is my 4th Challenge.  And the earliest I have ever got an entry in.  Due to me being isolated at home because of a mild case of Covid, I expect to get some brush time over at least the next few days.  I definitely wasn't sitting up waiting for the challenge to start so I could crack on with these.  Honest.

Battletech has always been a game that I have longed for, ever since I first saw it in Dragon magazine in the early 90's.  I've played it in just about every form I can think of, from the initial copy of Citytech I found at a boot sale in my teenage years (along with the Ghostbusters RPG, the very first edition of Bloodbowl and Star Frontiers), various computer games, the MegaMek online campaign, and the short lived CCG.  So when it was rereleased a few years ago, I was over the moon.

I have painted the last of the models that were sat on my desk from the Clan Invasion Kickstarter.  This is a "Clan Heavy Battle Star", and they are painted up in the colours of the Beta Galaxy Smoke Jaguars.  These were famously part of the battle of Tukkyaid which ended the clan invasion of the inner spehre.  Where they turned up, landed in a swamp, went the wrong way, and got ambushed and destroyed.  Seems to fit the Klendathu "Invasion Gone Bad" criteria as far as I am concerned.

These are also notable as the first models that I have painted since I finally got the hang of my airbrush.  I've had it for nearly 4 years, but never really got the hang of cleaning it, making using it an exercise in frustration.  Fortunately, I have discovered a spray airbrush cleaner, and now have a routine where I can quickly get it cleaned and running perfectly.  This was used to apply the undercoat to the models.

"Beta paints its ‘Mechs in a multilayered grey camouflage consisting of horizontal streaks, meant to represent a mist. Bloodnamed warriors paint large felid eyes on the torso of their ‘Mechs, and may even add other felid features as well. Kills are marked by smaller pairs of eyes placed randomly on the ‘Mech, though some warriors have taken to placing them near the weapons which delivered the final blow. The Elementals of Beta Galaxy have been seen in both this scheme and the traditional jaguar spot camo."

 I've chosen to forgo the eyes for now.  I have decided that these mechs will "earn" them when they get kills on the tabletop, starting with the main pair, and then adding them over the course of the campaign.

In terms of scoring, these are Between 50 and 60mm high.  I think based on previous scoring of mechs from other challenges, that these should count as

5x54mm = 50

Klendathu Challenge = 20

For 70 points total.

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First, I hope you recover quickly, Dave - this is the world we live in now, and we all have to take care of ourselves and one another.

Great work on being so early off the mark!  I have fond memories of the first edition of Battletech as well and was delighted to see it re-released recently. These mechs look terrific, with your airbrush giving you good service with the mottled streaking and smooth colour application. From reading your enthusiastic description of both the models and the setting, I expect their eyes will be added sooner rather than later. :) 

- Curt