Author Topic: A Call to War: 4th Tau Ceti Rangers (Read 17379 times)

worktroll · « **Reply #30 on:** 24 September 2015, 22:12:54 »

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 · « **Reply #31 on:** 26 September 2015, 12:16:44 »

These look really good.

worktroll · « **Reply #32 on:** 28 September 2015, 21:37:40 »

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 · « **Reply #33 on:** 29 September 2015, 14:41:00 »

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 · « **Reply #34 on:** 29 September 2015, 16:03:53 »

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

worktroll · « **Reply #35 on:** 29 September 2015, 19:34:28 »

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 · « **Reply #36 on:** 29 September 2015, 19:48:12 »

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 · « **Reply #37 on:** 29 September 2015, 19:58:30 »

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 · « **Reply #38 on:** 29 September 2015, 20:08:59 »

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 · « **Reply #39 on:** 29 September 2015, 23:25:52 »

Quote from: Scotty on 29 September 2015, 20:08:59

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 · « **Reply #40 on:** 04 October 2015, 21:24:35 »

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 · « **Reply #41 on:** 04 October 2015, 23:34:50 »

Great force.

ActionButler · « **Reply #42 on:** 05 October 2015, 13:43:57 »

Excellent work :)

worktroll · « **Reply #43 on:** 05 October 2015, 18:32:01 »

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 · « **Reply #44 on:** 12 October 2015, 04:46:56 »

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 · « **Reply #45 on:** 12 October 2015, 07:14:11 »

cool O0 O0

ColBosch · « **Reply #46 on:** 12 October 2015, 07:53:23 »

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 · « **Reply #47 on:** 19 October 2015, 20:10:28 »

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 · « **Reply #48 on:** 19 October 2015, 21:05:47 »

The volume is impressive.

ColBosch · « **Reply #49 on:** 19 October 2015, 21:28:42 »

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 · « **Reply #50 on:** 20 October 2015, 01:02:00 »

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 · « **Reply #51 on:** 25 October 2015, 16:34:23 »

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 · « **Reply #52 on:** 25 October 2015, 20:07:43 »

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

The whole group together looks awesome.

worktroll · « **Reply #53 on:** 26 October 2015, 23:33:05 »

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 · « **Reply #54 on:** 06 December 2015, 23:48:18 »

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 · « **Reply #55 on:** 07 December 2015, 06:51:00 »

Quote from: worktroll on 06 December 2015, 23:48:18

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 · « **Reply #56 on:** 07 December 2015, 21:14:02 »

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.