Author Topic: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate  (Read 12622 times)

Savage Coyote

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A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« on: 29 August 2015, 11:36:07 »
Welcome to my A Call to War update thread!  I am going to be painting up 400 points for Clan Sea Fox’s Tiburon Khanate, which ends up giving me a binary and a recon lance.  Of all the factions in the Dark Age, I was really drawn to the Sea Foxes because of their unique nature.  You have these Clanners running around all over the Inner Sphere making deals, fighting their way into and out of situations, and being the preminant arms dealer for anyone with the credits or goods to purchase with.  Inner Sphere power needs a ClanTech ERPPC?  Do you make your own?  No, find your friendly Sea Fox merchant-warrior and buy some.

With that in mind, a preview of the Sea Fox RATs and MUL listings shows that, at least to me, they like more mobile designs.  They don’t have a lot of 3/5 (or 6” inch) movement units in those RATs, and while there are things on the MUL that move that fast, I decided right away that I want to have a highly mobile force, maybe one that goes in to make a deal and get the items out.  They are fast enough to get out of harms way if need be, but being Sea Foxes can also stand and fight.  To that end, I included a Strike Star, a Fast Assault Star, and a Recon Lance.  Each unit type gives some distinct advantages in Alpha Strike, though they can be somewhat subtle.

Clan Sea Fox, Tiburon Khanate, Gamma Aimag

Light Striker Star (75% of force is granted the Speed Demon SPA)

Grendel B            33         Striker
Tiburon               32         Striker
Solitaire              23         Striker
Hellion B             28         Striker
Arctic Wolf II B      31         Striker

Fast Assault Star (start of each turn player designates two units either Demoralizer or Multi-Tasker SPA, two units may be designated with the Stand Aside SPA)

Savage Wolf Prime     49          Skirmisher
Sun Cobra 2              37         Sniper
Vulture Mk IV A         46         Sniper
Mad Cat III               40         Missile Boat
Warhammer IIC 8      41         Skirmisher

Light Recon Lance (all units receive either Eagle Eyes or Maneuver Ace SPA as well as Forward Observer SPA)

Sprint Scout Helicopter (Interdictor)  10        Scout
Sprint Scout Helicopter (Interdictor)  10        Scout
Sprint Scout Helicopter (Interdictor)  10        Scout
Sprint Scout Helicopter (Interdictor)  10        Scout

Total Points: 400


So, I’ll detail each unit as I update so that the whole thing will be explained.  For this update, I debated between the Strike Star and the Pursuit Star.  When you think of Clans and dueling, the Pursuit Star and it’s +2 to your given opponent seems like a good deal.  In practice though, I can see it being a pain and kiting out my units.  So I went with the versatility of the Strike Star.  75% of the unit gains an extra +2 inches of movement through the Speed Demon SPA.  This extra speed won’t raise their TMM any, but it does help them get into and out of trouble better.  I would toss it to my Grendel, Arctic Wolf II B, and Tiburon to speed them up to 16”.  So that means the slowest unit in the star has 16 inches of movement every turn.  The Hellion goes faster due to MASC at 18” while the Solitaire flies at  20”. Everyone one in the star does a good deal of damage and they dance around.

And it’s still a risk.  In Alpha Strike, your attackers don’t have movement mods against them and can even forfeit there’s to get a + to their to-hit roll.  So a +3 TMM, while good, can get you dead quickly.  You have to be careful how you play them, but you can make life pretty tough on your opponent if you work at.

So, finally, I cheated a little.  I already have my Grendel and Warhammer IIc 8 painted and they are on CSO.  I wrote the scheme description for three or four of the five Sea Fox units, and Tiburon was one of mine.  I plan to paint all of the `Mechs in the grey-green turtle shell scheme while the VTOL’s are going to be in the blue and turquoise.  I see them as maybe freeborn warriors trying to make a name for themselves, but we’ll deal with that lance later in the series.  So I’ve included pictures of the Grendel and Warhammer IIc 8 for this round.  Next month I’ll be back with a 100 points painted, talk about the benefits of the Fast Assault Star, and tell you how I painted the green-grey!  Till next time!






Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate on CSO
« Last Edit: 30 August 2015, 09:53:06 by Savage Coyote »

Elbows

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #1 on: 29 August 2015, 11:57:12 »
Great paintwork on those.

Louie N

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #2 on: 29 August 2015, 12:22:03 »
Really nice to see not just the wonderful painting but the planning behind it.

I are sure there is not a little ICE Hellion blood in that strike star.   ^-^


Baron RedSkull

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #3 on: 29 August 2015, 15:45:40 »
I'm excited to see how this project unfolds.
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Saatch

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #4 on: 29 August 2015, 16:30:13 »
Love this project!

jimdigris

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #5 on: 30 August 2015, 07:52:41 »
 :o O0

Savage Coyote

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #6 on: 31 August 2015, 20:39:00 »
Really nice to see not just the wonderful painting but the planning behind it.

I are sure there is not a little ICE Hellion blood in that strike star.   ^-^



Yeah... I confess I play standard battle tech with a fast force that presses the opponent into making them make mistakes.  My alpha strikes games have been a little different, so we'll see how this turns out!

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #7 on: 31 August 2015, 23:34:42 »
you real like dark blue paint schemes :D

still look pretty badass though O0  its amazing how much better the Grendel looks too, i absolutely love it. {>{>
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Savage Coyote

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #8 on: 01 September 2015, 14:44:16 »
So, as others have started to expand more past their first post, I figure I could too.  I started off talking about the Strike star, so I’ll give you a brief review as to my choices.  The star originally started out as a force I was playing in MegaMek against the bot to use Dark Age gear.  The key players that have always been in the star were the Grendel B, Tiburon, and Arctic Wolf II.  I’ve included Savage Wolves, Arctic Foxes, Cougar’s, and Goshawk II’s.  I would probably use the Goshawk II for this except there isn’t a miniature, and the current Goshawk/Vapor Eagle is just too big (famous last words… I’m looking at your Arctic Wolf II!)  So I’ve played out against heavier and higher BV opposition and been impressed with the abilty of the force to almost always get in someone’s face and stay there.  Even when the Savage Wolf and Cougar were playing catch up at 5/8, they made it and contributed.  So I decided, if I’m going to do a binary (and possibly add another star in the future to create a trinary,) why don’t I just go a head and push the envelop for this.  Later versions of the force had included a 7/11 speed limit.  It seems two of the Foxes units move at this speed, so why not make use of it? 

The Grendel was my first choice.  I’ve always liked the look and idea of the `Mech.  It’s fast and packs a punch.  It’s basically a faster Phoenix Hawk for the Clans in my mind.  The use of the B came from a discussion on these boards over the Mongrel and it’s AC-5.  The lower BV was intriguing and so I tested it.  A lot.  And it did much better than I thought it would.  The lasers made it more of an infighter and there were times I’d just set the gun to full auto and try to burn trhough as much ammo as possible.  It’s also a Shark/Fox `Mech and thus iconic for them.  Sold!  The Tiburon is the new kid on the block but it’s a nasty piece of work with plenty of firepower for it’s size.  My biggest complaint is probably that it is too slow for a light, but then the Hellion can be in the same boat save for its MASC.  It’s also got a lot of firepower for it’s size and matches the speed minimums.  Sold some more.

The Arctic Wolf II is another speedy `Mech with a little bit of hitting power and I settled on the B mainly from my BattleTech testing.  See, it carries the big gun, the LPL, of the unit.  Granted the Hellion and Solitaire are toting a HLL, but it has accuracy problems and is only good in close.  The LPL gives you reach and accuracy while still letting you jump around, though in AS the accuracy is only described as a damage boost.  SRMs back it up and do a good job.  Sadly, for the moment, the production Arctic Wolf II miniature is MASSIVE.  It looks like a heavy when sitting with the Vulture Mk IV and Savage Wolf.  Oh well, it fits with the next `Mech I guess.  Finally, the Solitaire was a miniature I’d had for awhile but never worked on.  Out of scale but it’s a Shark/Fox product so it’s included.

All of the units have a punch that your average Succession War’s heavy `Mech would be jealous of.  The lowest damage production is from the Solitaire who’s 3/3/0 is alright.  The Hellion hits at 4/3/0, while the Grendel is a 4/4/1 and the Arctic Wolf II is a 4/4/2.  The real prize fighter here is the Tiburon who hits at 5/5/0 and also carries the Watchdog electronic warfare package, helping against C3 nets.  So for a bunch of fast ‘mechs, they hit as hard as Inner Sphere Succession War’s era heavies or Clan Invasion assaults with tons of speed to burn.  Armor is armor and will go away quickly.

As I said in the first post, the SPA’s from the Striker star will only help this unit.  Needed just a little extra movement to get into those trees?  Here’s 2 inches.  Your opponent didn’t realize you really were THAT FAST?  After a nice backshot they do. Those two inches could mean life or death, even with the Fast Assault Star racing up behind you at 10” a turn.


As for blue, yes, I like blue.  This scheme is more of a dark green though  ^-^

IAMCLANWOLF

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #9 on: 01 September 2015, 15:54:46 »
That's dark green? I need to get my eyes checked... That, or check the settings on my monitor.

...it looks like Panzer Grey, to my eyes. :o

Savage Coyote

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #10 on: 01 September 2015, 17:27:56 »
Well, it's P3 Coal Black.  I always thought panzer grey was a dark neutral grey?

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #11 on: 01 September 2015, 18:15:34 »
I always thought panzer grey was a dark neutral grey?

Loads of debate on this subject. Most hobbyists agree that there's no perfect match. I've seen some paint
in neutral dark greys, and some in almost charcoal grey, but most seem to use a medium to dark grey with
a noticeable shade/tint(?) of blue. Vallejo 'German Grey' is a good example of the latter...
http://wwiicentral.blogspot.com/2010/10/german-grey-panzer-iv-f1s.html

Actually, I always assumed that the Donegal guards colors took inspiration from early German mechanized
divisions. Even your own 2nd RCT Gürteltier is somewhat reminiscent of this (albeit with more blue). 


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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #12 on: 02 September 2015, 13:18:02 »
  There are a ton of problems with german colors in WWII. Different factories made slightly different colors. ISO and pantone are post-war things and you can have different shades of grey (that's a book?). The same happens with the dark yellow. There are at least 5 different shades.

  The fact that paint was diluted on the field by the own tankers also helped a lot. Color pictures at that time were not as helpful, color was not perfect and lightning conditions could change the shade. 

  And this was in the less chaotic first half of WWII. The late colors of the tanks and airplanes are a huge mess and there are very different shades and a lot of discussions in the forums about this.
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Savage Coyote

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #13 on: 02 September 2015, 13:56:36 »
I see what you are saying IAMCLANWOLF.  I guess I never really put P3's Coal Black into that kind of category but I can see it.  When you put my finished pieces next to my Donegals or Epsilon Coyote Society pieces you can see a clear "green" difference compared to them.  I think they'll look alright once I get the whole thing done.  Have all four VTOL's coming in hopefully tomorrow!

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #14 on: 02 September 2015, 14:47:37 »
Looking at the pictures side by side you don't quite see that but that could be due to post photo tweaking. It would be interesting to see them together in one photo as I'm guessing it would bring that difference out more.

I'm still eagerly awaiting well painted minis in which you won't disappoint.

Savage Coyote

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #15 on: 02 September 2015, 20:14:07 »
I have two (well, total of three now) miniatures done for the Fast Assault Star.  Probably try to slip one more from that star in before the this months deadline, though I have commissions I'm working on!

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #16 on: 02 September 2015, 20:45:55 »
I think they'll look alright once I get the whole thing done.

I'm sure they'll look just as awesome as your Grendel and Warhammer above. No critique of your talent/skills was intended.

Savage Coyote

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #17 on: 02 September 2015, 21:25:20 »
I'm sure they'll look just as awesome as your Grendel and Warhammer above. No critique of your talent/skills was intended.

None taken man!  It's a weird color that I struggle to describe.  As a fine arts major and art teacher it vexes me  #P

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #18 on: 02 September 2015, 21:36:18 »
I'd personally call it blue-grey.  German Grey will never not be this to me:

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #19 on: 03 September 2015, 09:41:18 »
The Arctic Wolf II is another speedy `Mech with a little bit of hitting power and I settled on the B mainly from my BattleTech testing.  See, it carries the big gun, the LPL, of the unit.  Granted the Hellion and Solitaire are toting a HLL, but it has accuracy problems and is only good in close.  The LPL gives you reach and accuracy while still letting you jump around, though in AS the accuracy is only described as a damage boost.  SRMs back it up and do a good job.  Sadly, for the moment, the production Arctic Wolf II miniature is MASSIVE.  It looks like a heavy when sitting with the Vulture Mk IV and Savage Wolf.  Oh well, it fits with the next `Mech I guess.  Finally, the Solitaire was a miniature I’d had for awhile but never worked on.  Out of scale but it’s a Shark/Fox product so it’s included.

So, actually, the Arctic Wolf II did not turn out as I designed it.  It was supposed to be only 41mm, which is roughly 20% smaller than what the mini turned out as.  Turns out there was an error at the printers and the issue wasn't caught until it was far too late...  So apologies on that, it was really disappointing when I learned how big it was.

Savage Coyote

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #20 on: 03 September 2015, 12:56:21 »
So, actually, the Arctic Wolf II did not turn out as I designed it.  It was supposed to be only 41mm, which is roughly 20% smaller than what the mini turned out as.  Turns out there was an error at the printers and the issue wasn't caught until it was far too late...  So apologies on that, it was really disappointing when I learned how big it was.

I figured it had to be that because I figured it was set up in the computer to "correct" scale.  I kind of hope there's talk of correcting it, but I won't hold my breath.  Other than just being massive, it's not a bad miniature, especially with the original art (and no offense to that artist, the art was just kind of flat in ways I guess.)

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #21 on: 03 September 2015, 14:20:41 »
I figured it had to be that because I figured it was set up in the computer to "correct" scale.  I kind of hope there's talk of correcting it, but I won't hold my breath.  Other than just being massive, it's not a bad miniature, especially with the original art (and no offense to that artist, the art was just kind of flat in ways I guess.)

You'd have to talk to Speck to see if it is going to be re-done.  I have a bad feeling that the answer is no.  As for the mini itself, we used a fusion of the TRO Art, actual MW4 Mercs Screenshots and David White's original Concept art.  Actually, almost all of the rear details were inspired by the screenshots from MW4. And I am glad you like it, it was a lot of fun to make!

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #22 on: 05 October 2015, 09:18:47 »
So where are we after a month?  I'm happy to report that I have everything but the VTOL's assembled and primed.  The VTOL's?  They are still sitting in their blisters!  I'll get to them this month hopefully.  I also slung a little paint and got my Vulture Mk IV and Sun Cobra 2 painted. As you can see, I've used the alternate "AC" arm for my UAC-10 and need to paint over four of the missile launcher ports so they are LRM-5's.  Green stuff is still showing.  I also got a decal sheet of Sea Fox logo's and I'll update the units once I get a chance.  Probably decal the whole Fast Assault Star once I finish up the Mad Cat Mk IV and Mad Cat III.  I honestly hate decals with a passion but they generally beat freehand as far as time goes, so I use them.



So my plans for the coming month, besides some commissions I'm behind on?  I want to get the Mad Cat Mk IV and Mad Cat III painted, and maybe toss in the Solitaire since it's based coated from a few years ago and ready.  I'll also assemble the VTOL's, though I'm thinking of moving a new direction with them.  Possibly paint them up in Donegal Guards colors so I can mix and match my forces and say they are on loan or something.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around that though.

So, there's my short update.  I'll come back later in the month and detail my choices on the Fast Assault Star, especially since it's the one I'm going to finish first!  Until next time!

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #23 on: 05 October 2015, 09:52:17 »
Those look amazing
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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #24 on: 05 October 2015, 09:58:36 »
Wow, those look fantastic. Any chance they'll get uploaded onto camospecs?
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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #25 on: 05 October 2015, 10:24:18 »
Good progress. I see most of us are trying to get things assembled and primed for the cold weather to start.

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #26 on: 05 October 2015, 13:22:08 »
Those are looking very nice. In particular I really like the weathering effects, you can see them most easily on the Vulture.
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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #27 on: 05 October 2015, 15:24:41 »
They are looking sharp. I'm especially looking forward to seeing your Mad Cat III painted up.

 

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #28 on: 06 October 2015, 08:10:20 »
Thanks!  Yes, they will eventually make it up on CSO once I decal and set up my photo stuff.  Probably once I finish the Fast Assault Star.

The Mad Cat III is probably next in the rotation then since you want to see it IAMCLANWOLF!

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Re: A Call to War: Clan Sea Fox Tiburon Khanate
« Reply #29 on: 06 October 2015, 10:58:11 »
The Mad Cat III is probably next in the rotation then since you want to see it IAMCLANWOLF!

Excellent!!!...

Everything is proceeding exactly as I have foreseen...

Ur... I mean, awesome! Many thanks, Ross. O0

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