The other other white meat?

 o/

Nothing rustles up the local mega-fauna like a mech crashing thru the underbrush! 

Literally high-tailing it for safety!

While big enough to swallow infantrymen and even elementals whole (probably a lethal idea in the latter case), this native beastie clearly doesn't like having a Clan Snow Raven, Epsilon Garrison Galaxy (yeesh, that's a mouthful!) Shadow Hawk C walking thru it's territory! Indeed, even an apex predator knows when flight is better than fight!

Those little Protomechs in the foreground best watch out lest they get run over!

Yes, Protomechs. Deal with it Screech. The minis are Heavy Gear's CEF Flails that were somehow missed during the eBay sale of my CEF army years ago. Rather than field one of the fugly existing proto designs (well, the Roc looks fine), I instead made a custom design called appropriately enough the: Flail. 

It's kitted out as follows: 3 tons, 16 points of armor total, 4/6/4 movement and a micro pulse laser. They clock in at a whopping 84 points apiece. Which ought to be fun little distractions while keeping the 'Protomechs are OP and ruin the game!' whining to a minimum. 

Battle Rattle; Mercenaries fighting on a world far, farrrrr away....

 o/

The whole lance in front of...drop...ships...maybe?

Battle Rattle is another merc unit name that I've used on and off over the past few years in 1-off battles with no continuity of forces or theme. They've never had a specific color scheme until now, when I added in a 3D-printed Cataphract gifted to me by Kushial as well as a recently purchased metal Javelin to the two originally painted Whitworths. 

Below is their backstory:

Battle Rattle is your stereotypical, third rate, 'barely eking out an existence' type of mercenary lance. The lance came together during the latter stages of the Succession Wars consisting of a CTF-1X Cataphract, a pair of WTH-1 Whitworths, and a JVN-10F 'Fire' Javelin along with a handful of support staff. 

Oh have no doubt, these fuckers will run away fall back if the situation looks dire! 

Woefully uncompetitive in the Inner Sphere mercenary market due to their lackluster mechs and an almost complete lack of advanced technology, they've been surviving on anti-piracy garrison contacts in the far reaches of the Periphery. Most often on backwater worlds lacking their own indigenous mech forces. 

Their mechs are all painted in standard Davion Green (all pilots and support staff are Davions by birth) with a black stripe on the right side torso representing their long-standing ties to the Periphery. The unit lacks any sort of official logo, though their CO's Cataphract does sport a hand painted 'BR' on it's lower forward torso. 

 I'm sure that little pickup truck on the base is heading out for spare parts. No doubt these mechs are a nightmare conglomeration of jury-rigged field repairs and a multitude of minor mechanical issues.

Speaking of the Cataphract, it recently suffered significant damage to it's right arm in a clash with an unknown band of pirate raiders. The arm was severed just above the elbow and the logistical nightmare of procuring a new Cataphract arm out on the ass end of nowhere means that until they return to the Inner Sphere, their 'Cat' will have to do without. 

Their techs were at least able to remount the rear firing torso mediums lasers to fire forward, mitigating some of the mech's diminished combat effectiveness due to loss of the PPC.

My first ever Javelin as I never cared for this mini's pose. However, looking as though it is stepping around a tree improves it's odd stance considerably. 

The only advanced tech (if it can be called that) are the Whitworths' LRM launchers, which are frequently modified to be 'one-shot' models out of necessity, again due to their employer's lack of proper logistical support. 

Ah yes, the old but reliable Whitworths, one of my favorite mech classes.

The LRM's ammo capacities more or less depend on when the next jumpship arrives in system, and whether or not it's a friendly trader or a pirate raider! Outside of the sparsely loaded LRM launchers and the Cataphract's AC-10, the unit relies exclusively on medium lasers for offence. 

UM-R68, The Anime Missile SPAM Urbie!

 o/

Every. Single. Turn.

It's not quite WYSIWYG but...close enough (and better than most Battletech variants). 

The spent shell ejection port is instead a vent for excess missile fumes.

Anime missile spam, that's what this Urbie is all about! Dropping the big gun for an MRM-30, this little red Urbie is a beast! Unfortunately, I don't have a generic missile face plate that goes up to 30 holes tubes, but the LRM-20 face plate gets the point across. Assuming this works as well as I hope it will, I'm tempted to make another just like it!

Once the ammo hopper runs dry, this is what you'll see as it waddles off into the sunset..

The first Urbie is painted!

Just taking in the fall colors along with all of the other tourists...

Shut up Kushial, nobody wants to hear about the battalion you painted in the same span of time it took me to paint just this one! (...sigh...) This is the first of my fourteen Urbies and unlike Kushial, I doubt I'll have anymore than a single lance in the same color scheme.

Rather it'll be more like: AN URBIE FOR EVERYBODY!

As for this one, it's painted in the colors of the 1st St. Ives Cheveau-Legers (Light Horse). Originally I had intended to make a unit of the St. Ives Lancers, but I liked the blue trim more than yellow. So onto the light horse it is!

Nothing stops traffic like an Urbie!

Being a Capellan unit first, and then of the later independent St. Ives Compact arguably at least one more Urbie ought to join this one, but we'll see I guess... 

The Urbanmech company has arrived!!!

 

Aww yeah!

No real progress on the Battletech front, rather just showing off my latest impulse buy! Prior to this I had just two plastic Urbies after selling all but one of the older, ugly originals (the one that I kept is retired to the display case in honor of its 1-shot kill of a King Crab).

It amuses me to no end that this horde is easily able to fill out our usual 8k point lists with room to spare! Don't think I'll ever actually field that, but it's a fun threat that's already horrifies my buddy Screech. 

I previously had been holding off on painting my two new urbies as I have waaaay more factions than urbies, and couldn't decide on which ones would get an urbie. Now however, there are plenty enough to around meaning if I ever field the whole company, it's likely to be a multi-colored menagerie. 

Or maybe I ought to paint the whole company as a single unit unto themselves....

The TBAGers are painted!

The above represents all that was left of the battalion when the FWL terminated their contract following the Andurien Surrender.

It occurred to me while making the list for my last game, that I really ought to be able to at least field a fully painted 8k force painted in the colors of this blog's namesake unit. As such, this past week I set about doing just that. 

Unlike the billboards of old, the unit logo is much smaller and painted on the left lower legs of mechs. 

Starting off with my original Catapult, I painted up a Charger CGR-SB, Hunchback HBK-4G (or H), A Panther PNT-8Z, two Stinger STG-3Gs, and lastly an infantry platoon. In addition to the Catapult, I also had a previously painted captured heavy APC from Warrior House Hiritsu (see below).

Both lances are short one mech apiece. Also it is something of a mystery as to where they managed to find a replacement arm plating for this rare 8Z variant Panther in the Andurien Warzone! Almost have to wonder if they raided a museum's collection of mechs for it...

Paint scheme is that same as with the catapult: 2-tone brown and green camo, with a broad red stripe running from the top of the head, down the center torso. Additional red accents can be added per the Mechwarrior's preference. This scheme is broken up by multitude of grey-primered replacement armor panels following repairs of battlefield damage that they haven't yet had the time to repaint.

The other Mechwarriors have dubbed this mech 'Socky', much to its pilot's annoyance.

Of specific note is the Hunchback's lower left leg. A victim of being 'legged' This mech was successfully recovered and a replacement came from the ruins of an Andurien Defenders' Hunchback. While plenty of new armor plating joins the 'new' lower leg and foot to the rest of the mech, the resulting appearance is amusing to friend and foe alike!

All that remains of the armor and infantry companies. 

At some point amidst the fighting on Betelgeuse from 3031-3032, The TBAGers captured a Heavy tracked APC from Warrior House Hiritsu. In truth it had simply become hopelessly mired in a bog. Its crew, awaiting recovery units fled when TBAGer mechs approached instead. Extricating the APC themselves, a crewman from an accompanying tank drove it back behind friendly lines under escort to avoid a 'friendly fire incident'.

The infantry making good use of cover.

A red stripe down the transport's center along with the initials 'TBAG' on the left and right flanks were applied hastily and it joined the Buffet Assault Group's ranks. Refusal to repaint the APC following its capture has been a point of pride, while also barring simultaneously it from serving the Capellan Confederation due to having possession of 'blatantly stolen' war material.

At last, to battle once more!

 o/

Diplomacy in action...

This past Saturday, my buddy Screech and I got in a game for the first time in forever. Eight thousand points per side, straight up kill each other lack of scenario. The following is more of a highlight reel than a proper battle report as I have since come down with Covid, and as such I currently feel pretty lousy.

That said I'm feeling better than I did just a day ago due to meds, and as of this writing, Screech doesn't seem to have (yet) contracted the virus from me. Fingers crossed that he doesn't. 

Screech's force. Five, very well equipped 3060s era, unidentified inner sphere mechs. Either the Marian Hegemony got itself very well equipped and then decided on an all the way across the fucking Inner Sphere raid, or it is a thinly veiled Wobbly false flag operation. I'm leaning towards the latter though we'll likely never know... 

My DCMS Sword of Light (though not any one in particular) lance with a DEST jump infantry platoon to round out the points. All of Screech's units were 4/5 pilots often relying on cutting edge tech to make up the difference. My pilots & infantry were all better trained (to varying degrees) with older mechs.

Ahh, I see they've taken the Jenner's 'bait' role a bit too seriously. Time to fire (and miss with) the gauss rifle and LRMs!

Not too much to see here aside from my HBK-4P running full tilt down the road to it's doom!

A 100-ton Marauder II vs. a (by this point) maybe 2ish surviving tons of DEST infantry? Sounds like a fair fight!

Just prior to the pic, the Hunchback somehow managed to stand despite having a +4 to its piloting skill due to a multitude of left leg crits! Furthermore, what was left of its the right arm was lying on the ground nearby. Nonetheless, on its feet again it unloaded its laser onslaught to the opposing Warhammer (already heavily damaged from earlier HBK laser hits and LRMs from the far-off Archer) was knocked out of action due to taking three engine hits!

Screech's Wolverine closes the distance and starts to draw my Archer's ire as you can see... (I just love this sculpt!)

Turning to the enemy catapult, the Hunchback put 5 medium lasers into it. The Cat's LRMs and LBX-2s reply with a punishing salvo that ultimately tears the Hunchback's badly damaged leg clean off!

The Archer never moved from its mountain perch. Instead, it camped out lobbing fairly accurate LRM fire out in all directions, whilst often splitting fire to send its arm mounted medium lasers out after the harassing Shadow Hawk in its midst. The Catapult had to keep jumping around from peak to peak to keep my 7F model Jenner off of its tail. Overall, for my first ever use of a Jenner it did well, look for it again in future bat reps.

The irritated Marauder, unable to shake the damned (ineffective) infantry chooses to ignore them and continue it's duel with my Cyclops. The two traded heavy blows for 3-4 turns straight. However, in the end I was outmaneuvered and had to choose between protecting my thin rear armor, or else trying to finish off the beast!

Going for the kill, I hit with everything and certainly sent the Marauder in for some heavy armor replacement maintenance (never got any crits though). The Wolverine however punched thru my rear armor and hit a full LRM ammo bin in the side torso, vaporizing my mech and ending the game. 

We had already planned on ending the game at the end of this last round as it was getting late, however hitting that ammo sent the game out with a literal bang! Having lost 2 mechs to 1, with all other mechs on the board sporting moderate-to-heavy damage I conceded, and the victory went to Screech's raiders!

Happy Birthday Hoss!

Hoss: The Man. The Myth. The Legend.

I took a bit of a hiatus both on this here blog, and with playing Battletech in general. Of my few BT opponents: Kushial's new job more or less caused his hobby time to evaporate. It all but takes an act of Congress to get a game in with Rob (and while we've had recent success with 40k, BT games take decidedly longer). 

Screech deployed to a desert, half a world away for the better part of a year. That said, he's back now and trying to coax the local Battletech players back to the tabletop.

Lastly there was Hoss. 

Hoss is all over this blog. Battle reports, such as the pic above which is from only a few posts ago, taken after his first 1-shot-kill of a mech (my Dragon), followed shortly thereafter by the messy demise of my Hunchback. The last comment received on here was by Hoss on the previous post recapping our last game in October of 2021. 

Sadly, it was to be our last ever game. 

Hoss never painted any mechs for PANDA-MONIUM (that I know of anyways), but I'm guessing his colors would have looked something like this.

Hoss, the wily, entertaining and all too AWESOME commander of the PANDA-MONIUM mercenary company passed away unexpectedly about 6 months ago. The pic top was blown up to 20" x 30" or so by another lifelong friend of his and now hangs in the local FLGS where it was taken.

He may have had more black on the arms and legs in proper 'panda' fashion, however I don't think that would have looked too well on this Shadowhawk.

Today is Hoss' birthday. It would make me happy if everyone wished him a happy birthday wherever they are. You don't have to post it on here, though I won't complain if you do. Rather just say a few quiet words for an amazing gamer who has moved on into the light. 

This mini will forever reside in my display case in fond memory of Hoss.

Hoss, today and every day I hope you find yourself surrounded family, friends, and Pandas. Happy Birthday buddy.