A Call to War: 4th Tau Ceti Rangers

[worktroll]

As some of you may be aware, for the last several years I've been working on a number of combined arms battalions for different factions, for different eras. The eventual plan is to have a force for each House, and for clans I like, for different major eras. While I've been doing this mainly out of personal interest, the arrival of Alpha Strike has actually raised the prospect of reaching a point where I could play these units against each other in something approaching real-time (no offence, but handling these sized games under Total Warfare rules just wasn't going to happen for me.)

Despite all this work, I'd shamefully neglected the forces of the Capellan Confederation. I've done a 3025-era force for Devon's Armoured Infantry, but it was about time I addressed this deficiency. So when Savage Coyote raised this project, it was time to say Xin Sheng and buckle down!

So why the 4th Tau Ceti? Three reasons mainly.;

1) They're not your Warrior House/DBoG/whatever popinjays. They're grunts - skilled grunts, who like it that way.

2) They're a storied unit. Born in the Star League, but who refused to leave with Kerensky; Featuring (as supporting characters) to Justin Alliard's story in the Warrior trilogy; their long service to House Liao recognised when invited to join the Citizen's Honoured; surviving the Jihad and appearing in the Dark Age.

3) Their colours. I've done brown, green, blue, black, white, and red. It was about time for something different, and the Ranger's two-tone metallics looked like just the thing - good looking, and not requiring insane skills (such as Savage Coyote's clanners ;) )

To that end, I did some proof of concepts, and came out with this:



Ignore the Javelin; the Clint is where I'll be going on this journey. A good choice for mass production, it had:

- base coat of black
- dry brush of bronze
- detail in metallic & gold
- red cockpit (although I think I'll be going green for this job)
- fix up messes
- Flock.

(By the way, this is a great use for the older CGL plastics - testing paintschemes. If they work on the older plastics, it'll work on nuPlastic or metal for sure!)


So I have the unit. Now, the forces.

Okay, I admit - I'm riding "A Call to War" on the back of my battalion effort. I've chosen Civil War/Jihad time period, to let me have access to cool toys, without needing to buy too many new minis. I did buy all the new lance packs, which added some signature Capellan minis which I will definitely be using. And I decided to go augumented.

Capellan augumented lances typically consist of four 'Mechs or vehicles, plus two vehicles, two 'Mechs, or four squads of BA. Two aug lances make an augumented company; four aug companies, plus a command aug lance, make an augumented battalion. Obviously an augumented battalion exceeds the Alpha Strike point range we're aiming at here, so I've selected three augumented companies.

Let the planning begin!



Next post: what will I come up with? Some hints can be found in the picture ...

[ColBosch]

The juxtaposition of your tablet and hand-scrawled notes on cardboard made me laugh.

I'm really curious as to how the color scheme will come out.

[nckestrel]

Love the Tau Ceti Rangers!  Looking forward to seeing more of them :).

[worktroll]

There's madness to my method ;)

The cardboard is where I started mapping out the whole battalion. Basically, my "map" was (M='Mechj, V=Vehicle, B=Battle armour):

Command lance: MMMMVV

Assault company
1st lance: MMMMBBBB (bruisers plus Fa Shih)
2nd lance: VVVVMM (more bruisers)

Support company:
1st lance: MMMMVV (LRM support)
2nd lance: VVVVBBBB (Artillery plus security)

Cavalry company:
1st lance: MMMMVV (fast movers)
2nd lance: VVVVBBBB (Regulators with Fa Shih)

Recon company:
1st lance: MMMMVV (scouts)
2nd lance: VVVVMM (more scouts)

Then this project came along. Now augumented lances currently don't fit into the ASC formation rules, but I decided to anticipate the Capellan Combat Manual and apply the requirements across the full aug. elements. So if 75% had to be role X, then 4 had to be X. Note that the BA-augumented lances sneak in as "IS Novas", which was a bonus.

So, what to submit for A Call to War? I decided to pull three of the lighter lances - the full Cavalry company, with the 1st Recon lance detached to make a fast striker force.

Then came the juggling (the piece of paper), as I mapped variants, roles, and requirements.


And this is what I ended up with. It's a little heavy by Savage Coyote's goal, but - heck! - it's my unit, and I'll pad if I want to  O:-)


So first up is 1st Lance (Aug), Recon Company:

Raven 4L, Scout, 26 points
Firestarter 9S, Scout, 22 points'
Assassin ASN-99, Scout, 22 points
Stinger 6L, Scout, 17 points
Galleon 102, Striker, 23 points
Galleon 102, Striker, 23 points

This meets the Recon lance requirements, and totals 143 points. There's a buttload of electronics and probes, and I've decided to give three units in this lance the Eagle Eyes SPA - specifically the Raven, Firestarter, and one of the Galleons.

The ASN-is a little bit out of time, but I really wanted to use one - having a number of the high-quality nuPlastic versions. The chance to fit a dao-wielder into this lance couldn't be passed up. Note that by using this (admittedly speedy) medium 'Mech, I prevented myself from meeting the Light Recon Lance requirement. Unfortunately, the need for dao surpassed the need for lightness here ;)

Next up, the 1st Lance, Cavalry company:

Men Shen OA, Striker, 36 points
Vindicator 5L, Skirmisher, 31 points
Vulcan 4M, Striker, 22 points
Blackjack Omni OA, Missile Boat, 33 points
Saracen, Striker, 22 points
Saracen, Striker, 22 points

for a PV total of 166 points. This handily meets the requirements for Striker lances, with the Blackjack Omni using it's jump-jets to meet the mobility requirement.  I've been dying to field some Blackjack omnis - it really reproduces many of the classic 3025 Heavy configs on a medum chassis. Here it's being a mini-Archer. The Men Shen OA lets me do a mod to give it a torso-mounted LB-10X, always a pleasure, while the Vindicator allows me another dao ;) The Saracens - well, I had some, and they're actually a great fit - they have speed, they have a range of weapons, and if the enemy's foolish enough to ignore them, hilarity can ensue.

I've chosen to give the Speed Demon SPA to the Blackjack (he tries harder!), Vindicator (he slices! he dices!), and Men Shen.


And lastly, the 2nd Lance, Cavalry  company:

Regulator Standard, Sniper, 23 points
Regulator Standard, Sniper, 23 points
Regulator Standard, Sniper, 23 points
Regulator Standard, Sniper, 23 points
Fa Shih squad LRR, Ambusher, 13 points
Fa Shih squad LRR, Ambusher, 13 points
Fa Shih squad light TAG, Ambusher, 8 points
Fa Shih squad light TAG, Ambusher, 8 points

for a total of 132 points. Now this was something I had in my head from the beginning. Can't you just picture the Regulators, power-sliding across the countryside, with Fa Shih clamped to them, screaming "WOOOOOO!" The opportunities for creative havoc are limitless. So I had to find a way to slide it in. And fortunately, Pursuit Lance beckoned. Not a favourite, from what I see on the forums, we give the Blood Stalker SPAs to the three (non-lance commander) Regulators.

And so there you have it - a hunter-killer taskforce with wide eyes, long legs, and hard hands. The recon lance can spot and run from most things it can't handle, the striker lance stings and fades, and no-one really enjoys hitting a minefield, or being hit by four gauss slugs per turn (no reason they can't all blood stalk the same unit, no?)


So there's the force I'm building. Next update - painting prep!

Comments, as always, actively welcomed.

W.

[Scotty]

And I do believe Worktroll now holds the lead in the "most figures in an A Call to Arms unit" race, beating out my Covenant Guards by two figures. :D

[worktroll]

What can I say? "If you're not cheating, you're not trying" should be the unofficial motto of the CC ;)

[cavingjan]

That just begs for me to order a binaries worth of protos. No wait, 25 battle armor are bad enough. I don't want to do 50 protos. Although that is intriguing.

[worktroll]

[worktroll]

Okay, weekend progress!

Which ... was shouldered aside by something more important. Today was our wedding anniversary, and to mark it I decided to make my good lady wife a representation of our lives intertwining, via our interests:



But once that was done, on to the Rangers!


So here we are with the pursuit lance's Regulators, ready to go. The Demolisher happened to be passing, while testing it's new Gauss Rifle rig.



Two new, two from separate trades. First step, file down the rough patches on the back where the mould join was, and fix on the hover bases:



"Whaddya reckon, Clint - they going to make the grade?"

"Dunno, Demos. They look like they're having trouble telling up from down right now ..."

Unfortunately the next picture didn't work - not too much blood in my caffiene supply, probably ;) Basically with the hover stands dried, they're stuck onto half clothpegs, which are my vehicle painting stands. They then got hand-primed black. I'm using Lifecolour paints - great range, great colours, go on really thin. Which can be a problem when you touch'em. So I'll be priming in black and basing in black, to make sure I get good coverage.

While they were drying I started on the Recon Lance:



I'm into production line painting, so getting things ready all at once helps my output. Raven, Firestarter, Assassin, and Stinger. Stinger's arms are off - needs a small mod for the 6L version, and trimming down the RLs. So I'm just whacking them on the bases so the araldite has time to dry. I did, however.mod the Assassin for a running pose. It's a really easy mod I've done before, here with an old intro box plastic one:



So here's the mod. First, slice under the foot.



I like to use a short, stiffer blade for this sort of work, so my Stanley knife suits this down to the ground. Always cut away from any fingers or other appurtenances you might not want to lose ;) Once the foot's free, then slice up from the groin inside the hip, so the leg comes free.

Now I just drilled & pinned the joint, because - frankly - it's so **** easy with plastics!



Give the one side time to dry, then glue at the pose you want. And it really does add a nicely dynamic look to what's meant to be a speedy mini. Dao comes later ...


So next week: more mods, more priming, and the beginnings of the drybrushing!

Cheers,

W.

[Fletch]

Ba-Na-Naaaa! *shudder*

[Louie N]

Very nice conversion on the Assassin.  it is effective. 

[worktroll]

Small roster change to the Cavalry lance.

Dropping the Men Shen for the Sha Yu. I want them both in my eventual battalion, but the Sha Yu didn't fit in well anywhere else. SO Striker now:

Sha Yu 6B, Striker, 27 points
Vindicator 5L, Skirmisher, 31 points
Vulcan 4M, Striker, 22 points
Blackjack Omni OA, Missile Boat, 33 points
Saracen, Striker, 22 points
Saracen, Striker, 22 points

THat's the twin Snubbie version. Would have been happy with the 2B, but that's a Sniper, and would have been pushing the formation requirements.

[Fletch]

...That's the twin Snubbie version  >:D.

 [drool]

[worktroll]

Okay, fair warning. This next post is a modding/painting blog. I'm not by any stretch a CSO painter. So the techniques below are aimed at reproducable tabletop quality outcomes, with a high return on invested time, and low skill barriers.

You have been warned ...


SO we last left the 4th TCR with a reposed Assassin. Let's just pick this mini up again, next to another from the Recon lance:



The Firestarter got two simple mods - the right lower arm swung to face forwards, and the left arm pivoted up to aim ahead. Folks, I can't stress how flippin' simple modding plastics are. I pinned these, but I didn't need to. But again it's so simple ...

Also shown is the sword I'm going to use for the ASN-99. A while back my wife picked up a tray of WFB bitz - arms clutching swords, pikes, macuahuitls etc. The sword I've picked is probably for an Orc or similar. I plan to slice off the pommel & blade, remove the Assassin's thumb, drill a hole through the hand, and stick a wire through. In other words ...



Pin vices, beloved of plastic modellers, made this all a one-minute job. Before the glue holding the wire in the hand was set, I whacked on the ends, to get



Face it - any 'Mech called an Assassin isn't going to be using a tiny shank, no? We want a gutting knife ... and some assorted bitz make up the light PPC.



The Stinger needed the rocket pods removed. Now full removal would be a big job, so I sliced the tops of the pods off flat with my trusty Stanley knife and put some clay over the remaining RL tubes.



Now the Recon lance needed to be put aside to set, and to get primed, so in the meantime, let's talk ... drybrushing!


Okay, if you know drybrushing, zoom ahead. I won't mind. But if this isn't something you do now, be prepared to be amazed at how easily you can get great results.

SO here I'm laying down the basic brass for the Tau Ceti Rangers scheme. But we don't want metallic toys - we want tiny war machines, right? This is how we're going to achieve that. Remember how my Regulators were all primed & based black? This is the reason.

So we start with our materials.



In this case,

1) A black painted mini. Happens to be a Regulator; could be a battlesuit, a 'Mech, anything. Preferably something with details and panels - so not watermelons.
2) Paint. Here brass; this works just as well with green, brown, etc.
3) Given I'm using this one Vallejo paint (I hate bottled paints, but I'm not wasting something I did buy), I need a pallette to drip paint on.
4) A large, sable, round-tipped brush. All three properties are really important. You need coverage, sable lasts way longer under punishment than synthetic in my experience, and - as I believe Savage Coyote pointed out many years ago - large rounded brushes just work better. My experience supports this.

So first ...



Dip the end of the brush into the paint. Only the tip. THen,



Wipe most of the paint off. Yes, this seems contra-intuitive. I'm using an old piece of towelling here; others use paper towel, handy pets, or whatever. You don't really want to see paint on the brush. Trust me -



This is what you're looking for. THen ..



Swab the brish over the mini. Sorry, focus slipped here, but see how it's goong on thin? This is what you want. Using nice sweeping strokes, cover the mini repeatedly. Paint builds up on the flats, and avoids the panels & details. If you find one area doesn't seem to pick up the paint, dab it with the brush repeatedly.

When the brush dries, and the little paint on it is rubbed off, dip/wipe/repeat. If you're finding paint gets into the panel lines, you need to wipe more off.

And  after you've done this for a little while, what you end up with, is:



THis. See how all the details, panels, etc are there? Believe me - the first time you do this you won't believe it. After you've done it, you'll never forget it. Pick a mini like the Hunchback - somehow it's impossible to make a Hunchback look bad in any paintscheme - or a Lao Hu, or anything covered in panels. Do this in green, then go over again and lay down some stripes or blobs in brown, and you've got a simple table-ready mini - just add black cockpit & metal weapons if you want!

I'm going to drop the detail level here. I hope someone out there finds this useful, and is inspired to give this a go. Drybrushing is only slightly harder than using magic dip/ink wash, and on the right minis gives brilliant results for small effort.


So with the brass laid down, I just loaded up my second-smallest brush with some gold & laid down some panels.



Oh, notice those guys infiltrating in the background? I got to the brass stage with my Fa Shih before the "A Call to War" project was mooted. So they've been sitting patiently for some loving. Now is their day ...



Basic brass on black on the left, gold details on the right. BA are small, you don't need to kill yourself - here I did a central stripe. shoulder pads, mine tops and the stripe around the mine containers on the back (not shown).

(And yes, I tend to mount my BA on half-hexes. The rules say you can fit two in a hex, after all!)

So here's the lance, with that Gauss Demolisher photobombing once again ... Everything up to this point in 2 hours.




Came back in the afternoon and put in another hour. First, I painted the intake grilles & a few details on the Regulators black, including the hover skirts.



I then drybrushed those black details with steel, and did a grey drybrush on the hoverskirts. The driver's panel got a green detail.



I'd also filled the hex bases for the vehicles, and around the bases for the 'Mech minis. As shown below, I use Polyfilla interior large cracks:



This is my wonder base filler. It's dry, flexible, not sticky, but stays in place. Unlike clay, it doesn't shrink, nor does glue peel off a thin layer. It takes glue & paint brilliantly, and dries usefully in an hour and fully in a few hours. As you can see, I get lumps of various sizes in a container, and then apply it with my knife. Scraps go back in the tube for next time. A tube lasts forever.

The BA, having been base-filled long ago, get a coat of paint over the base. The aim here is to go with whatever I'll flock them with, so if I have a flocking error it won't look too flocking bad.



So with the bases filled & dried, guess what!



Time for more drybrushing! But this time I'll just cut to the chase:



And that's all - enough?! for this week. I may do more tomorrow, but I promise not to go on at such length again  O:-)

MOre seriously, I hope someone finds this useful. We learn by doing. There are all sorts of great tutorials online, including at CSO, but I think there's a place for a simple, not-to-technical explanation, and place for people who know CSO-level isn't in scope.

Comments welcomed, questions even more so - at least then I know people are reading this ;)

Cheers,

W.

[Deathrider6]

WT I would love to see this as a Tutorial in a non Web format so I can print it out. This actually goes for anyone doing this project. Just my .02 C-bills. The metallic schime looks really good at the stage you are at I'll bet it looks sharp once it is washed/inked/dry-brushed.

[cavingjan]

Is there much of a contrast between the brass and gold?

[jimdigris]

I'm looking forward to seeing more. O0

[Louie N]

Thanks for the detail.  It is a nice write up to teach and encourage others.

[ColBosch]

Great stuff, WT! I'd like to see more posts like this for this event. O0

[worktroll]

Thanks for the comments!

Cavingjan, there is more resolution by eye. I'm taking the photos hand-held in my painting area, not setting up my "light rig" in another room where I take most of my mini photos. When these get their matte varnish the difference also gets emphasised - you're seeing less direct reflection, more colour.

And this is after all the canon scheme.

Thought question - I've been thinking of adding some very small jade trim patches. Non-canonical, but might look good. Opinions?

W>

[cavingjan]

I could see an arm band or stripe to symbolize a fallen lancemate.

[Vash The Stampede]

WOW!!! Just...WOW!!!

[Wotan]

It is nearly the way i do my Tau Ceti. I just add a wash with a warm Brown or with smoke. It gives the metalic a warm tone and helps to bring out the Panel lines.

[worktroll]

And we're back!

Be warned - there will be extraneous details on flocking, for those who are already there on that. But I do want - in a whole bunch of ways - to go through this step by step each time I do something new, so folks who may not have lifted a brush before, or wielded a hoby knife in anger,  can see what's involved. And it's not that frightening.

(By the way, these folks, don't forget to check out Abou's "A Call to War" 1st Avalon Irregulars. Great example of wonderful results via magic dip! Or Scotty's Mariks for more ink magic! Or the rest of the ACTW crew!)


So where were we?



So Regulators and Fa Shish pretty much done with painting. I then brough the Recon Lance up to similar points - primed, bronzed, golded, and based. I covered basing material above. Note that I've painted the tops of the bases a neutral green - this is so if I do make a whoopsie while flocking the bases, it won't really glare out.

So flock camoflauge - sorry, in joke ;) - let's get flocking! I'm using:



- white glue (why not? It's cheap, easy to work, does take a while drying though)
- locally sourced dirt. I found some really great looking brown sandy material in a racetrack car-park (there for a farmer's market). I always keep a few mint tins in the car just for this sort of opportunity - just sift it once you get home, discard bugs/bark, and perfect!
- A pot to flock in. Mainly so the stuff doesn't spread out.
- An old, stiff but thinnish brush to spread the glue with.

So, dab on some glue!



I'm going to do half earth, half grass, and doing the dirt first (so I can add some little bushes later). Main hint here - make sure the glue gets all the way to the edge of the base. You can wipe excess off with your thumb. Then



Sprinkle with dirt! Shake it over the pot, blow on it, then run your thumb around the base side to remove any overspill. And you have:



So here's the BA and vehicle bases with dirt:




THen, after some hemming & hawing, I decided to give the minis a light brown ink wash. I used 50/50 Citadel brown ink & water (I keep pots specially for this). It gave a little more differentiation between the gold & brown (remember, not proper lighting here:)



The'Mechs, now with ink:



Inks and dips do similar things, but are different. The key difference is that dips are thick and pool slowly, while inks run and pool quickly. I'm not aiming for the shading effects Abou got with his Basilikoi here, I'm just after an overall shade change and more panel definition. Horses for courses!

I then went back & did the vehicle & BA bases with GW burt grass, which goes well (I think) with dirt. Also put down a couple of "loose" blobs of grass:



Blob of araldite under the hover bases, or along the tracks, and ... voila!



Meanwhile, here's my el-cheapo cockpit "costume jewellry" technique:

1) Paint black
2) Add curves in white



3) Brush on some green ink:



(note that this is a great stage to do while waiting for flocking to dry!)

4) Done!

So now that all the Recon & Pursuit aug lances are done, it's time to varnish. Good varnishing weather today ... I do always varnish, but when I do, I like to get value for money. And I do use pallettes, just not for painting:



Upside down paint pallette glued to the bottom of a salsa jar. WHen it's time to varnish, I just spray & rotate, changing the angles to get coverage. Works pretty well for me! Except, I just realised I haven't put the unit marking on (Thanks, Schwerpunkt Studios for donating some FP 4th TCR unit transfers!) So that'll be after lunch.


In the meantime, I've also gotten started on the Striker lance:



Vindicator becoming a 5L, Blackjack Omni OA with missile pods from MW:DA, Vulcan becoming a 5M, and a Sha Yu 6B (some assembly required). I'm using MW:DA Cizin weapons for snubbies here. Moving along,



The Vulcan's replaced the AC-2 with an LPL (may do some more detailing there), the Blackjack O has its first prime, the Vindie looks rather armless as it waits for some reposing, and the Sha Yu has it together (almost) except for one leg to be put in a running pose.

Decided to go with another WHFB weapon for my Vindicator's sword, with the Scimitars primed in the background:



Just waiting for the Sha Yu's hip to cure, and then onwards!


May get another chance to add to this in the afternoon. There's about 3-4 hours work over 2 days in total in the work involved in this post.

Comments, questions, and reasons why you love the Blackjack Omni all welcome!

W.

[glitterboy2098]

Then this project came along. Now augumented lances currently don't fit into the ASC formation rules, but I decided to anticipate the Capellan Combat Manual and apply the requirements across the full aug. elements. So if 75% had to be role X, then 4 had to be X. Note that the BA-augumented lances sneak in as "IS Novas", which was a bonus.

when i was working on an augmented company, i was told pretty much the same.

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=47354.msg1092596#msg1092596

[worktroll]

Snuck in some photos following decals & varnishing!



Pursuit lance - the Regulators idling while their battle riders prepare a suprise for oncoming Davion scum!



Closeup on the BA and a Regulator. I'm using the poor man's magnets - blu-tak - to keep the turrets in place, and there is a 4th TCR logo on the prow.



This Pillager is for an assault lance. I put an insert in at the waist; not quite 1/4", but makes all the difference on this beautifully detailed mini. Much more imposing now!



The recon lance in all it's glory!





Individual closeups.




And a bad day for someone else!

Cheers,

W.

[Louie N]

Shiny

[IAMCLANWOLF]

Very COOL. I especially dig the Pillager in this scheme. Nicely done, work!

[worktroll]

Thanks! I was planning on doing a lot of mods on the Pillager to bulk it up - once I'd separated the waist, I was planning on bulking up the chest and building out the shoulders to give it more mass, bring it more in line with the Thunder Hawk mini. But I think the waist plug is enough - that, and I added some muzzles for the gauss rifles.

I love the detail on the mini, too - all those grilles & expansion joints, etc. Comes up right nicely!

As I suspect I'll be finished this force in a couple of weeks, I'm going to keep on with the rest of the aug battalion. Already lining up is an aug lance for the assault company - two Demolishers, two Gauss demolishers, a Cyclops 11B and an Awesome. They ain't fast, but you aren't going to stand in their way long.  Then there's the fire support lance - two Partisan Air Defense, two Partisan LRM, a Crusader 7L, and something which escapes my mind at the moment ...

W.

[Cidwm]

Great stuff as usual Worktroll.  O0

Liking the modded Assassin.

[worktroll]

So let's take a brief look at the Alpha Strike cards for these guys to date. First, the Pursuit Lance:






Okay, perhaps not the most diverse bunch, but it's what I set out to get.

The base Regulator seems a little less overwhelming than it does in TW play - mainly because the headcapping function doesn't translate. But 18" movement and TUR2/2/2 are the key things to consider. Go anywhere, hit anything, and none of that Clan honour business!  Use that +3 TMM, and go around cover where feasible. After all, you no longer suffer compared to the 'MEchs who used to get an advantage being in cover, so that's boosted things a little. It'll take three whacks from Scotty's "Thud stick" to blow one of these away, so make them work for it.

The Fa Shih - okay, metagaming a little here with the LRR versions, 1/1/0 is better than 1/0/0. The King David squads interestingly are 0*/0*/0 - would not have expected that difference. MDS1 and XMEC are the tricks here - drop mines, then hitch a ride on any passing metallic object.  Interestingly, the TAG squads don't get TAG abilities. Must re-read the conversion rules - oversight, or not? We shall see.

W.

[Daemion]

These look really good.

[worktroll]

Okay, back with this week's update!

Okay, just a small one picture-wise today, as I took more photos for my Chop Shop post.

So basically my Cavalry Lance got based in bronze, and (not shown) gold panels painted, and surfaces blackened ready for application of metal later.



I also worked on the Partisans for my Fire Lance - a mix of LRM and Air Defense versions. (Not the fuel cells, although if playing in a late enough timescale they could easily be). They'll be supported in the aug lance by a Crusader 7L and Catapult. I'm not sure yet whether the Cat will be an LRM or Arrow version; probably a C5, just to get the ART tick ;)



And finally, Saturday's work (Sunday got busy):



Cavalry Lance coming along nicely, demolishers for the Assault Lance primed, based & bronzed, and finally completed my Star Adder 'Mech star, now I need to work on their BA buddies.

Comments/questions/etceteras always welcome,

W.

[Vash The Stampede]

I kind of feel like making some Tau Ceti myself. I got the colors to achieve it, and it's a cool scheme. I love that you used DA Galleon tanks in your earlier pic. 4th Tau Ceti seem like a cool bunch.

[Scotty]

The Fa Shih do have a TAG ability, it's just LTAG rather than full on TAG.

[worktroll]

Vash, I think we've talked about the use of DA figs before. Some are absolutely perfect, some are close enough. I tend to buy in bulk & enjoy my discoveries; things which can't be adapted (like the Hanse above) become sources of great detailed bitz.

Scotty, the Fa Shih card didn't show "LTAG" earlier in the week; I reported it in the MUL errata thread, and they very promptly fixed it O0 LTAG is quite enough for my evil plans.

So while I'm here, let's look at the Recon Lance, Alpha Strike style:





From an overall capabilities point of view, we've got four RCN units - that's 8 points of lovely Battlefield Intelligence. We've got four PRB units, and with the Eagle Eye benefit chosen, you just aren't hiding. Three stealth units (STL), and with everyone in the unit carrying the Forward Observer benefit, they're ideally suited for zipping around chewing up terrain and calling in artillery from behind the enemy. And a couple of TAGs don't hurt with that either. An interesting option, if facing Blakists (or even Kuritans), is to use the ECM to block C3 networks, rather than running in stealth mode. A fascinating hypothetical, which I imagine would lead to one ex-recon lance being the price for one ex-Blakist force ;)

This is NOT a lance to brawl with. The Galleons are the closest things to brawlers, and they'd be really bad at it. So don't brawl. Interestingly, all units need two hits with the Thud-stick before dying; only the Stinger goes internal after one hit. They have those TMMs, they have interesting things to do that don't involve slugging it out; so play to their strengths.  Between them, and the vehicle aug lance which together will make up my Aug Recon Company (based around TAG J Edgars), it's going to be a pretty potent scout lance.

Two special thanks:

1) To Adrian Gideon and the Alpha Strike crew, for making lights worth playing with again. You have built a fighting game of enormous magnitude. You have our gratitude.
2) To Skyhigh & www.solaris7.com, for hosting all my pics free for many years.

W.

[Scotty]

Fun fact: In Alpha Strike, there's no need to choose between Stealth Armor and using ECCM.  STL, by the text in the Alpha Strike book, doesn't actually even require ECM!  It's an artifact of the conversion from standard, but having ECM is not a requirement for using STL.  In effect, STL is 'always on' whether you're using the ECM for something else or not.

It's particularly nasty when you realize that STL doesn't interfere with friendly C3 networks. ^-^

[worktroll]

Oooh ... (pardon the pun) Shiny!

I'm going to have a C3M Yu Huang in the battalion command lance; torn between packing that lance with C3 buddies, and scattering a few around. The Partisans in the fire support vehicle lance could also benefit from a C3M or two; still toying with ideas. THis makes it more attractive!

[Scotty]

My personal favorite unit to (ab)use C3 with in Alpha Strike is the Republic Bolla.  STL and C3 on an Omnitank with IT4.  What a time to be alive. :D

[worktroll]

My personal favorite unit to (ab)use C3 with in Alpha Strike is the Republic Bolla.  STL and C3 on an Omnitank with IT4.  What a time to be alive. :D

I've just noticed that in the Jihad era my unit's set in, the Capellans get access to the Morningstar - C3M AND dual C3M versions ...  :o :Jumpy:

[worktroll]

And we're back, with what will be the last official post in my A Call To War adventure!

Lets' remind ourselves of where I left off last week (slightly later than the previous last picture). THis week we had a public holiday in my state, so I was able to start on Friday, which was a nice change.



Centre back, we have the Striker (Cavalry) lance. They've been bronzed and gilded, and are waiting to have their gunmetal details added. In front of them are the four Demolishers for the Assault Vehicle aug lance (not technically part of my ACTW force), which are one step further along having been metalled, and now awaiting cleanup & inking. To the left are a pair of reposed plastics - Cyclops, which will be forming part of the Assault Vee aug lance, and Awesome, which is destined for Battalion Command aug lance. TO the right ... well, I needed two vees for the Battalion Command aug lance. Imagine my suprise to discover the Capellans have access to Morningstars! So in the interest of ridiculously high BI scores, I've decided to go with one dual-C3M and one LL version. (Hey, they're both Morningstars ...)



Here's the Cavalry lance based, waiting for inking.



And here they are, inked. The difference is subtle - I'm using 50/50 brown ink & water - but it adds definition to the panelling, and does shade the metallics just a little. Just for fun, here are the Demolishers following their ink encounter:



And here's where I was after a couple of hours on Friday:



As well as the just-based Cavalry aug lance & the Demolishers, you've also got the Fa Shih squads for the 'Mech assault aug lance, the two Morningstars bronzed, the Partisans for the Fire Support vehicle aug lance, and the final 'Mech for the vehicular Assault Aug lance. Needing another Juggernaut, the MUL showed that the stock Sirocco would fit the bill. I had an old one in a disappointing Free Worlds Legionnaire 'do, so one quick strip later it gets sold to the Capellans ...


Saturday - time to varnish! The Cavalry aug Lance and vehicular Assault aug lance are ready for exposure on my patented varnishing array. Note the heavy & tall metal minis go on the inside, the low heavy, or plastic tall, on the outside. All held in place with blutak.  And after decalling, and another layer of matt varnish, here we are!



Beauty shots of the individual 'Mechs are available on request, but I think I'm pushing it enough here ;)

And here they are my whole A Call to War force. From left to right,



Recon aug lance, Cavalry aug lance, and Pursuit aug lance


Now I should probably stop there, as I've achieved the goal set out at the beginning. I'd also like to share some things I felt I learned, or whose importance was re-inforced, during the exercise.

1) Before engaging in a big unit build, do proof-of-concepts to see what works, what doesn't work, and whether you feel you can do it reproducably. The Javelin & Clint I showed up at the beginning never made it into the unit, but their contribution was essential in the outcome.

2) Make sure you have enough of the key paints, or can buy more of the same. I've only run out of paint once in the middle of a build; I couldn't source the same paint, and had to blend a mix up myself. It's avoidable pain.

3) Get into your rythm. I find having several things on the go, with several minis at different stages, works really well for me. I can prime some, then base coat others, then drybrush a third lot, then go back and base the first lot, and so on ... particularly in the later stages where you're only applying thin coatings to small areas, you only need to give them 10-15 minutes and you can go ahead with the next operation on that mini, typically on a different part of it.

4) Being able to hold & rotate the mini without touching it is also really important. Some people secure their minis to bottletops & the like; I find that the hex base works for me. For vehicles, I've evolved my clothspeg holders as show. Blutak is your friend ;)

5) Well lit work areas are important. Using acrylics reduces the need for excellent ventilation, but it's still recommended.

6) Having a child-, pet-, spouse-proof working area is a great boon :)

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask them.


You didn't seriously think I was stopping there, did you? ;D

After all, the ACTW force is a detachment from a full augumented battalion. And I just completed the vehicular Assault Lance.

(The original aug battalion consists of:
- Battalion command lance MMMMVV
- Assault company - 'Mech lance MMMMBBBB and vehicular lance VVVVMM
- Battle company - battle lance MMMMVV and fire support lance VVVVMM
- Pursuit company - MMMMVV (done) and VVVVBBBB (done)
- Recon company - MMMMVV (done) and VVVVMM)

And here they are!



In closeup:



Interestingly it's the AC-20 Demolishers, combined with the 'Mechs, which generate the number of Juggernauts required - the Gauss Demolishers count as snipers.  The Cyclops is nicknamed Balor (he of the 'dreadful eye') in a nod to the Confederation's Celtic heritage (  :D ) and the Sirocco is nicknamed Claymore ("Why did they call it 'Claymore'??" Tech points to label on the Sirocco's front: "Face towards enemy"). The main battle line is the 'Mechs and Gauss Demolishers, with the standards just waiting for someone foolish enough to try flanking ... Again individual pics available if anyone's interested.

And to finish off, the lot on a map ...



Expect more, as I continue charging down towards the complete battalion.

Cheers,

W.

[Louie N]

Great force. 

[ActionButler]

Excellent work  :)

[worktroll]

Thankee kindly!

And just for completeness, here are the Alpha Strike cards for the Cavalry Lance.





Now this isn't the heaviest lance in the game, but it's fast, and can strike in a variety of ways. As a stock Striker lance, 75% (in this case 4) of the units get Speed Demon, adding 2" to their move. In this case I'll give the SPA to the Blackjack and Vindicator, to bring them up to speed; the Sha Yu, so it can move in faster; and to one of the Saracens, just to have a real "go-faster" unit on the map.

The idea here is to play either of the classical Striker roles - plugging a hole in your lines, or taking advantage of a hole in the enemy's.

The core of the lance is made up of the Vindicator in front, with the Blackjack Omni behind it. The Vindi wants to literally get into knife-fighting range; Speed Demon and TSM mean it can close faster than expected, and of course overheating to activate the TSM also boosts medium & short range fire damage. The Blackjack can pour down fire (well, for its size it can) in support, while the Sha Yu and the Vulcan provide flank cover. The Saracens can snipe from range, or get around behind the enemy with creative mayhem in mind, by virtue of their speed.

At least that's the theory ;)

[worktroll]

Just a short update - technically my "A Call to War" force is done, but their friends are still rolling off the paint line. Although I have hit some snags - firstly I ran out of hex bases; got 100 plastic bases winging their way from the UK. Secondly, a very humid weekend, so no varnishing. I only apply the decals right before varnishing.

First up, the kernel of the Command Lance:



Every good Command Lance needs a brawler to stop nuisances from bothering the CO. The Awesome 9M is well suited for this purpose ;) The vehicle pair in this augumented lance came as a bit of a suprise, but by Jihad era the Morningstar is a useful component of the CCAF. Here I've elected to not leave good enough alone; on the left the dual C3 version, on the right the large laser version. MWDA and a little large true, but the rest of the 'Mech minis in that lance are big'uns. They came up rather nicely, I think.



Here's the completed Fire Support lance - two LRM Partisans, two autocannon Partisans, a Crusader 9M and a Catapult. The Cat doors are just cardboard squares, indented so they'd bend nicely. The Crusader is the 3/5/3 version with stealth armour; more than enough to keep up with the Partisans. Still not terribly fond of the Reseen Crusader; I found it needed some weight to the back to balance it's looks.



And finally most of the Recon vehicle lance - four J Edgars in BAP/TAG model, and a Duan Gung (which painted up much more nicely than I imagined). An FLE-19 is currently waiting paint to complete this lance.

Cheers,

W.

[TheMaster1955]

cool  O0 O0

[ColBosch]

Looking sharp! Usually I detest all-metallica paint schemes, but these are looking better and better.

Also, I am fully aware that I misspelled "metallic."

[worktroll]

A brief update: on Sunday, I applied decals. To lots of minis.

And then needed to put a light varnish coat on top of the decals. SO I expanded my "handy sprayer" concept to "bulk sprayer" - blutak-ed all the minis on one side of a box, then gave them a light coat.

As you can see, I'm still waiting for my hex bases to arrive. And only two minis left to do up - a Thunder, which is in the post, and a Victor, which is being modded at the moment.

[cavingjan]

The volume is impressive.

[ColBosch]

Oh, it's easy to maintain such volume of production...if you abandon your artistic ideals and sell out.

Looking great! Going to base the vees, or leave them naked?

[worktroll]

ColBosch, going to base them. Normally I'd use MW:DA vee/infantry dials for my vees, but since this is a bit formal I'll hex-base them.

Cavingjan, it's a matter of a) picking the right scheme, and b) getting on a roll with a batch of them. My approach for the 4th TCR needs no edging, for example.

[worktroll]

And ... it is finished.



Almost. Keen eyes will note two gaps, waiting to be filled by minis currently in the post.  From left to right,
- Command lance
- Assault 'Mech lance
- Assault Vee lance
- Medium 'Mech Battle lance
- Vee Fire Support lance
- Medium 'Mech Striker lance
- Medium Vee Pursuit lance
- Recon 'Mech lance
- Light Recon Vee lance

I'm really happy with how this has all turned out. Anyone wanting to do bulk Tau Ceti Rangers, believe me it's simple and you get some really impressive results.

A few more happy snaps:



The full Recon lance. Suprisingly, I've become fond of the Duan Gung. Stat-wise it may not be much, but I quite like the look of the mini - unexpected!



The Assault 'Mech lance. Love the Yu Huang - wonderful detailed mini, in a dull pose. So here I separated & reposed the arms, as well as modding the weapons. The GR barrel is a little over the top, but I think it works here. Also reposed the Lao Hu's leg to get a more dynamic look, as well as going for the GR version here. Plastic Cat, and vertically enhanced Pillager looking quite at home.



The battalion commander's Yu Huang, the C3M version, and my take on the Koschei 5MC. I bought a stock Koschei only to discover it wasn't fielded at the time this group is set in. And the 5L needed different parts, including a left arm. So I decided to sub in the 5C, with appropriate parts from my DA bitz. I like to think it worked out well.

Comments always welcomed,

W.

[Cidwm]

Wow! You managed to paint 51 stands in the time I did 12.  :o

The whole group together looks awesome.

[worktroll]

I just want to call the Yu Huang out here as a mini. TO be honest, I cant' recall how I ended up with two of them, but this was going to be about the only unit I'm likely to make where both fit in.

It's a nice big mini, it's got superb panelling and excellent detail. On the downside, I hate the arms as such - classic "massive barrel compensation" syndrome, the arms as supplied aren't that posable, and they're all lurching to the right. JHad to do something about that.

For the H10G, I decided to work with the arms. Despite being a separate piece, the right arm needed pinning to be reliably fixed - the parts are moulded to only fit well in the dangling position. The gun from a DA SM2 artillery vee - sliced off with the disc at the base of the barrel, which fitted right into the right arm, and a smaller barrel tip added to the left arm to sub for the ERLL. Oh, and I sliced off two LRM tubes each side, to leave 3 which became ERML ports.

For the H9GC, I left the weapons alone (except for covering over the LRM ports), but reposed the right leg. Not too much work - cut under the foot with my trusty razor saw, then bent with round-nosed pliers wrapped in a bit of cloth. I also took the time to straighten the torso at the left hi, so it wasn't leaning to the right any more.

I had a great time doing the gold detailing ... except for the minor fact that apart from the chest, leg & shoulder sunbursts, there's not any mirror-image panels on the whole great thing! So I just went with the flow.

W.

[worktroll]

Okay, I doubt many people have made the full journey, but my 4th Tau Ceti augmented battalion is now ovah! The missing two minis have been painted & completed.



The Command Lance got a Victor VTR-10L to join its Yu Huang Y-H9GC, Awesome AWS-9M, Helios HEL-C (yes, it's on the Cappie's list), Morningstar Company Command & Morningstar Laser variant (likewise). 16 points of MHQ make for a great BI rating.



And the Thunder THR-2L rounds out the Medium Battle Lance, along with the Men Shen MS1-)A, Koschei KSC-5MC, Huron Warrior HUR-WO-R4O, and a pair of LTV-4 hovertanks. Any guesses as to what I made them from?

And so, it's all over. Thanks to those who took the ride!

Cheers,

W.

[Wotan]

Any guesses as to what I made them from?

That would have been my first question. ;)
The second would be for a picture of the whole force together. I'm sure that will be impressive.
Congratulation for your effort to paint such a huge force in one scheme.

[worktroll]

The turrets from MW:DA Padilla artillery vehicles :) Guns used in another mod, barrel gaps filled with clay, and a layer of clay underneath to form the hover skirts. I had turrets from Scimitars left over from my Sword of Light unit, and as the LTV-4 uses the Scimitar art, added them & some Scimitar-like tailfins.

Will try and get a whole unit shot on the weekend.

Cheers,

W.