Warhammer 40k Nerd doing some models for my Battletech Nerd bro, need some help

[Dvalin]

So I've been in the Warhammer 40k hobby for a good time now, ~3 months at least, so I know my way around models and model painting. Now, I'm crazy when it comes to detail, and I want to make sure that the color schemes will be correct, I don't wanna just go buck-wild on 'em, especially since these are my brother's that he's entrusting with me. Wanna put care into them, y'know?

So I did reading, but I can't really comprehend what to paint what models. Do I do a camo paintjob? A normal color paintjob? Do I have to use a specific clan/faction/unit/galaxy color to match?

I asked my brother, and he said to do some research around the 2750-3025 time era and to go off that. I did some looking, and I can't find anything related as to what faction/clan was fighting who. Even if I do find out, I can't really find anything based on what factions/clans used what mechs.

I know I'm part of 40k, but even this is too much for me to comprehend. I looked around the Sarna Wiki too, but even then it's still a bit tricky. Any kind of help would be incredible to have. Thanks in advance!

[DarkSpade]

Battletech doesn't have a hard "this faction gets this and that faction gets that" rule.  Some types of mechs are more common in some forces than others, but thanks to battlefield salvage, any mech can end up anywhere.

The majority of forces do tend to paint their units in appropriate camo for fighting, but more players go with parade colors because they just look nicer on the table.  Even then, regiments within the same faction can have completely different colors.  Some smaller units even allow their pilots to decorate their mechs however they want, but that's more common with merc forces than regular army.

I would get him to be more specific in what factions he wants the units to be from and then check out http://www.camospecs.com/ and follow the factions link in the upper left.  If you list out what mechs you have, others here may be able to help you determine which factions most commonly used the mechs you're painting.

[Cazaril]

First... Battletech in general has a massive amount of history that would be hard to absorb by skimming Sarna.net... This isn't a jab, just merely trying to describe the daunting task you may be undertaking...

As for not finding who the Clans were fighting between 2750-3025, well that is because other then themselves, they weren't fighting anyone else. This is because they did not arrive back into the Inner Sphere until 3049.

If you know the name of each Mech, you can check Sarna.net and it should give you some indication of what faction used it. Unfortunately, older designs (like the Archer) are pretty much used by everyone.

After that, you need to make units. Usually for Inner Sphere, 4 Mechs = Lance, 3 Lances = Company, 3 Companies = Battalion, 3 Battalions = Regiment. Clans on the other hand use a slightly different structure starting with 5 Mechs = Star (and after that I never bothered to learn the structure)...

Once you know which factions you have divided your Mechs up into, I suggest going to www.camospec.com. This is an official sight that breaks down each unit within a faction and tells you their paint scheme... So say you have a Federated Suns (also sometimes referred to as House Davion) lance of Mechs. Go to CamoSpec and click the "Factions" tab. Then click on the big Sword/Sunburst. Then look at the pictures until you find a scheme you might want to paint... Let's say you choose 1st Capellan Dragoons. Click on that name. And it will describe their paint scheme... If you scroll over the little round icons under the name, they will tell you when the unit was active... You can also go back to Sarna.net and enter the name to read up on the unit to see if it is the kind of unit you want to paint.

Camospec mainly gives you the parade scheme, and will almost say something close to "and uses appropriate camo". This means you could pick some camo choice (jungle, desert, tundra, urban, whatever) and just paint them in that. In Battletech that is an option.

Also, if you are looking for decals to use, the place to go is Fighting Piranha Graphics. I believe this is the official vendor for decals.

Caz

[Colt Ward]

Yeah . . . to be honest, find the 2 or 3 factions, or even units, he likes . . . give us the list of mechs, and folks will advise.

For instance, I am a 1st FedSuns Armored Cav regiment fan.  So that means Federated Suns in general, and then the 1FSAC.  The 1FSAC uses mechs that are 5/8 or faster, typically able to jump b/c mobility requirements, and their supporting vehicle forces are usually hovertanks.  They also just jump infantry though later use BA.

So IMO . . .

They would have mechs like Quickdraws, Wolverines, Griffins, Shadow Hawks, Dervishes, and Phoenix Hawk 1Ds as the heavy/med common options.  Depending on time & feelings they could have rare mechs like Exterminators, Cronus, Starslayers, or Koschei (extinct type rare!).  Lights would be things like Valkyries, Javelins, Firestarters, and others.  Hovertanks would be Drillsons, Condors, and the S-group for the 1FSAC.

[Psycho]

Other things that may help are maybe less specific, but more to pin down your brother's tastes. Things like if he's got a favourite colour or colour combo (maybe a fav sports team?), there may well be a unit sporting those colours. Is he more the kind of guy that likes to play the white knight, or would he prefer to be the 'bad guy' in the gaming group? Does he lean to the most powerful factions in a setting, or does he prefer the under-dog? Does he have any cultural ties or interests he'd appreciate having an in-universe connection to?

Questions like these may lead nowhere, or they could provide a useful building block given the vastness of the BT universe.