Davion Guards paint schemes - old and new...

[RazorclawXLS]

I am rather new when it comes to color schemes for BT units, and I saw that there are two blue-white-red schemes for Davion guards.
Someone else on the forum mentioned old and new Davion Guards schemes. So my question is which color scheme is the old one and which is the new one?

[Psycho]

The blue with thin red and white stripes is the old one... Originally appearing in Camospecs: A Guide to Regimental Paint Schemes, this is the classic look. That book was printed in the late '80's. Typically, a newer product supersedes an older one when they conflict. In the late '90's we got the Field Manual series of books, detailing the various factions' military units around the in-universe year 3060. That book showed the Davion Guards in the new "French Flag" version of the scheme, with 5 vertical bands of colour. More recently, the cover for TRO:3145 Federated Suns showed the classic look again.

No in-universe dates or reasons for the changes have been given at this point. That leaves things fuzzy around the edges of when they would use which version of the scheme. When they started and stopped using the new version, or if they ever completely stopped using either version are unanswered questions. Given published material, it's safe to say the new version did not appear before the 4th Succession War (~3028), and it is likely that it was the primary one in use through the FedCom alliance period (-3067). Beyond that, I'm not going to hammer down anything as absolute.

[Empyrus]

Perhaps certain units within Davion Guards use one scheme and others the other scheme?

[Cache]

Perhaps certain units within Davion Guards use one scheme and others the other scheme?

Could be. Personally, I subscribe to the "new version = FedCom" theory.

[Psycho]

Perhaps certain units within Davion Guards use one scheme and others the other scheme?

There is nothing to say that in canon. Going to FM:FS, the scheme is part of the overview of the Brigade on p.75, and none of the subsequent regimental entries note a deviation from the base scheme. Contrast that to the following Brigade, the Deneb Light Cavalry; their overview states they use the SLDF standard light tan, with the individual entry for the 8th noting the substitution of the tan for drab green. I'm coming at this from a very hard canon/not canon binary perspective because it's part of what we discuss in CSO. We have to nail down what's canon or not to know what's allowable in our galleries. To specify that some regiments use the old scheme while others use the new one, we'd need a canon source that says "the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd regiments use the old scheme", or something to that effect. We just don't have that anywhere. There may be times when that is true, but we can't verify it.

That being said, they're both DBoG schemes. It's not going to blow anyone's mind if you want to take it that way, or have two Guards units using the two schemes to tell them apart. Whatever works in your game and all that.  :)

[Black_Knyght]

I think ultimately, unless you are planning to submit your work to some "official/canon" venue like CSO or such, it's entirely a matter of which YOU prefer. 8)

[RazorclawXLS]

I am trying to keep things as "historical" as possible for the Clan Invasion.

I've been going over the unit rosters and time schedules for the Clan Wolf invasion corridor and waves. I have also been looking at the later Operation Bulldog, since I am huge MechCommander fan, so I am trying to "squeeze out" as much use out of a paint scheme as I can, something that I could use for both theaters of operation.

This is Clan Invasion timeframe, so it's Federated Commonwealth, not Federated Suns, from which I will have to choose a unit that I will have to paint. There are units with two color schemes, that I have looked at so far, that were present during Clan Invasion and Operation Bulldog that would suit me - Lyran Guards and Davion Guards.

Any other suggestion for a unit and color scheme that would be active during actual Clan Invasion and later during the Operation Bulldog?

[Cazaril]

You could review Sarna.net's entry for Operation Bulldog... Down under "Units Overview" it lists all the units that participated. If you follow the hyper-link for any given unit, it will give you an idea of where they were during the invasion... I recognize a lot of units that date back to at least 3025, so it is very likely they were at least somewhere. If you are looking for units that might have fought the Clans during the initial invasion, stick to the DCMS and LAAF forces, as the invasion went through their territories.

Caz

[Stormlion1]

I kind of figured that when the FedCom retook the name Federated Suns they retook the original paint scheme. I could also see Victor having done so after the Lyran Alliance split as a way of boosting morale by having those units retake there original scheme again. No matter what though, the interim parade scheme didn't last longer than 50 years. Probably wasn't all that popular among the troops.

[Cache]

Rereading Isle of the Blessed, it's pretty clear that the Heavy Guards and Assault Guards (at the very least) are back to using the old scheme, described as "a deep blue and trimmed with a red and white pinstripe", in 3072.