Sarissa Hex Bases Arrive!

All the way from merry old England, the Sarissa hex bases have arrived!

I received a nice supply of both 20mm and 15mm bases. Check them out!

The 15mm bases will be for Light and Mediums.  The 20mm for Heavies and Assaults.  I'll also put infantry on the 15mm bases as well.

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

Alpha Strike: A Base-ic Problem

Our foray into 3mm (1/600) Alpha Strike has hit a snag as we wait for bases to arrive from various providers.  I want to do this whole thing "right," and for me that means cool-looking hex bases of the appropriate size.  So I've ordered 15mm and 20mm width hex bases from both Litko and Sarissa and now its a race to see which ones arrive first.

We'll need plenty as I've now roped no fewer than 5 other gamers into this mad pursuit, so both sets will see use when they arrive.  In the meantime, I've had these units painted for several days, and I can no longer wait to show them off.

L to R: Dervish, Panther, Warhammer.

Infantry: Pico Armor Russians.

I hope to knock out the Atlas this weekend and add it to the queue of painted 3mm Mechs waiting for bases.

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

Alpha Strike: Exterminator Comp Shots

As promised, here are a few comp shots of the 65 ton Exterminator with some other 'Mechs.

Maelstrom looking crabby....

An indecent proposal from this Ostroc? 

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

Alpha Strike: Exterminator

I like solid, one-piece castings, and the Iron Wind Metals Exterminator falls into that category.  This 65 ton heavy 'Mech offers a nice mix of energy and ballistic attacks, and the profile I'll likely use for AS is the EXT-5F version that offers a 2 / 2 /2 damage profile.

When painting it I could not resist attempting a new Merc paint scheme--I've dubbed this one The Red Sons (based on the sheet of transfers I had handy).

My plan is to make them Periphery raiders with Clan ties--perhaps a unit of disgraced Clanners.  This precedent exists among the Clans, they're called  Solahma-units, and while they normally don't have a lot of 'Mechs, I figured this unit has truly turned its back on their old ways, attained independence of a sort (a DropShip and access to a JumpShip) and now roves the Periphery raiding and taking merc jobs where it can.

So the Red Sons will have a mix of second line Clan 'Mechs and Inner Sphere models like the Exterminator. This will allow me to cherry-pick the models I most want to use.

Next post I'll show some comp shots of the Exterminator and a few other painted 'Mechs.

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

Alpha Strike: Fire Javelin

Light 'Mechs can be very important in Alpha Strike--they're obviously very fast and can seize and hold objectives once they get stuck in.  I'm a big fan of 'Mechs with "all-energy" configurations (the ENE special ability).  When they take internal structure damage, they don't blow up as easily.

The 30 ton Fire Javelin drops its SRM weapons load in favor of additional medium lasers.  To model this I cooked up a little conversion adding the additional lasers in the right and left torso.

Left to right: Grasshopper, Fire Javelin, and Cataphract.  

Hope to get more done this week!

--Scott

Alpha Strike Komodo KIM-2A

This week I got my second Komodo done, a KIM-2A variant, swapping 5 Medium Lasers for a single ER Large Laser.

I also have the honor of getting to review the Alpha Strike PDF, and I am in the process of doing so right now.  I am pretty pleased so far.  I'll link to the Play Unplugged review page when it gets posted.

And here is a shot of the whole Colonial Marshal unit:

I need to add a few more units, but this is plenty for Alpha Strike gaming.

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

Possible Projects For The Week

I thought I might share some of the figures I might try to get to this week.

Nothing earth-shattering, but this stuff motivates me to pick up the brush.

Left to right: GB Dark Age Warrior, BT Komodo, Reaper Bones Golem. 

I got the Bones Golem from my buddy Rico, who picked it up at the Historicon flea market of all places!  It seems some Bones backers bit off more than they could chew, and are now dumping the stuff where they can.  Bully for me!

I may do him in a sandstone paint scheme, but we'll see!

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

BattleTech Alpha Strike Anticipation

The release of Catalyst Games' Alpha Strike fast-play BattleTech rules are imminent--maybe just a month or two away!  In anticipation I'd like to feature my recently painted 70-ton Grasshopper. This new design of an old classic features a torso mounted cockpit and nifty vambrace mounted weaponry.

I painted this 'Mech in my Colonial Marshals scheme.

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

BattleTech Alpha Strike Announced!

 Catalyst Game Labs made my day last week with the announcement of Alpha Strike--a fully realized, hard-copy version of the Quick Strike rules I love so well to be released by Gen Con.

Brilliant!

If you want more insight into how Alpha Strike differs from traditional BattleTech, and to take a look at some of the 'Mechs I've painted, check some of my previous posts on Quick Strike here.

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

BattleTech: Thunder Hawk

My latest Merc company needed an Assault-class 'Mech to add some punch, and here it is!

This nasty customer packs 3 Gauss Rifles and some backup lasers and makes for a deadly long-range killer. At 100-tons he's no slouch in close combat either!

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

BattleTech: Nightsky

By this time any regular reader of this blog knows my preference for 'Mechs with all-energy profiles.  Needing more Medium 'Mechs for my current merc unit, I was able to trade for a 50-ton Nightsky. 

This gawky looking machine features a suite of lasers and a slick hatchet-like melee weapon.  It's a Davion design that fits into the Hatchetman and Axeman family of 'Mechs.

Here are some shots of my paint job:

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

BattleTech: The Brigands!

Continuing with my gray-scheme mercenary force (as yet unnamed), I've finished a pair of 25-ton Brigands.  Another classic mercenary/Periphery design, the Brigand is made with many pirated parts, and features a pair of ER Medium Lasers and a pair of Medium Pulse Lasers.

Check out the pics!

Size comparison with 75-ton Bandersnatch.

Next up I'll work on the 100-ton Thunder Hawk to finish off the Command/Assault lance.

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

BattleTech: Maelstrom

The MTR-5K Maelstrom comes from the famed factories of General Motors and follows in the menacing footsteps of the classic Marauder. Its hunched, crabbed design, impressive armor, and excellent speed make it a deadly foe at 75-tons.  It possesses an array of energy based weapons capped off by an ER PPC.

Here are some shots of this impressive model:

A nice side-by-side with the 75-ton Bandersnatch! 

I am still waiting on getting some specific decals to finish off the final scheme on this Merc unit.

Anyway, I'll slowly add to this unit as the weeks go along. I think I may paint some superheroes as well in the near term, along with some more fantasy stuff. We'll see where the wind takes me!

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott

BattleTech: Bandersnatch BNDR-01A

Sometimes one project informs another in this hobby.  In working out my Necron paint scheme, I realized the plan I was using could be easily applied to BattleTech. So I set about using some of the extra 'Mechs I've gathered to make yet another company, this time a Mercenary Unit of my own devising. 

I picked up a pair of these 75-ton Bandersntach Heavies from IWM's web site. It's an archive-only miniature, so only available through IWM or a chance eBay auction.  Although it comes in a lot of pieces, it goes together well. I am really pleased with paint job, too.

With his wide stance, I had to place him on a GF9 hex base.

The cool vambraces are reminiscent of the classic Marauder.

To add a spot of color I did the lower legs and weapon pods in Vallejo Medium Sea Blue.

The 75-ton Bandersnatch towers over the 45-ton Komodo. 

The Bandersnatch was 'Mech designed for merc companies, so I think it will fit well in this unit.

Thanks for visiting!

--Scott