Category Archives: Battletech

Wargame Forge 3D Prints: Tech Cult Storage Tank – Intact/Ruined/Destroyed versions

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Wargame Forge 3D Prints: Tech Cult Storage Tank

More terrain today that had been waiting for the Oil Wash sessions at the end of last month for their completion. These are paid-for STLs from Wargame Forge over on MyMiniFactory.

Wargame Forge 3D Prints: Ruined Tech Cult Storage Tank

Pretty straightforward painting method overall: Filler Primer, Primed Black, Sprayed with either Citadel’s Leadbelcher or Vallejo’s Gunmetal (I fogot which, preobably Vallejo). I then overpainted the red panels which I later stippled a subtle highlight onto. These will fit in very nicely with the other “Admech/Mechanicum” themed terrain I completed last year.

Wargame Forge 3D Prints: Ruined Tech Cult Storage Tank

Then it was applying the Decals – which I took from some Admech and Mechanicum kits and a gloss varnish. (Much) later on it was time for oil wash part 1 (black/brown) and then aweek later part 2 (shades of orange/rust). Then a few days later, spray varnish to seal it all in and done.

Wargame Forge 3D Prints: Destroyed Tech Cult Storage Tank

Something I do like about these is that they’re pretty scale-agnostic. Now obviously being STL files, they can be embiggened as much as you like (or can fit on a build plate) – but even printed at Battletech Gothic scale, they still work ok with a variety of other models, scales and genres, as you can see in these photos.

Wargame Forge 3D Prints: Tech Cult Storage Tank

I only printed one of the intact version. Perhaps I should have done two so I could have a larger refinery area on the board? I was thinking it’s too late as these are all finished, but I guess it wouldn’t be hard to print another one of these and the painting process wasn’t horrible – the biggest issue being getting the desk cleared for Oil Washing (and later, photography!)

These models are also pretty scale-agnostic as well. I’ll get some scale shots with models next to them up in a forthcoming post. And yet again, these were completed during the timeframe of Dave Stone’s Paint What You Got Challenge 25-26 – so have another shoutout, Dave!

Catalyst Game Labs Battletech: Mad Cat/Timberwolf, Catapult, Commando, Jenner

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Catalyst Game Labs Battletech: Mad Cat/Timberwolf, Catapult, Commando, Jenner

I’ve finally completed my second ..Lance? Squadron? of Battletech Mechs. I don’t know enough of the background to really know the parlance properly. The chosen colour scheme for this set were inspired by a painted model on reddit. I was looking for WWII-inspired aircraft schemes due to the front cockpit of the Mad Cat and found an image where a poster had painted a Mad Cat in a military green with a red-painted cockpit.

Catalyst Game Labs Battletech: Mad Cat/Timberwolf, Catapult

I can’t find the original image now, but I took it and then combined it with the yellow/hazard stripe trim which I’m quite fond of (and have been since the original Rogue Trader-era 40k Marine Teminator Power Gloves). The military green also fits perfectly with another semi-related future project I’ve got planned. I probably need to go re-highlight the red on these. It was looking a bit washed out due to the highlights, so I glazed it back down, which certainly resaturated the red – but at the cost of the highlights! I could shade that yellow on the rocket pods down as well, but it looks fine in hand compared to overly bright in photos, so maybe/maybe not.

Catalyst Game Labs Battletech: Mad Cat/Timberwolf, Catapult

I of course chose the Mat Cat as the start of this Lance(?) because it’s one of the few non-Robotech-associated Mechs I easily recognise, along with the Atlas and maybe a couple of others. Second on the scene was the Catapult, chosen entirely because of it’s visual similarity to the Mad Cat. I’m not building lists based on synergy or power. Just aesthetics and Alpha Strike Point Costs.

Catalyst Game Labs Battletech: Commando, Jenner

Alpha Strike Point Costs? Well, yes. Since my limited tabletop gaming time often happens at home, I’ll typically collect assemble and paint an OpFor for whatever I’m painting. I wanted to roughly match the points value for my first set of Mechs, and I wanted the Mad Cat and the Catapult, so adding two more mechs with a total cost that totalled to “close enough” to that group gave me a few choices, and I selected the sort-of-aircraft-ish-cockpit Jenner, and the “works OK as a green army man” Commando as my second pair.

Catalyst Game Labs Battletech: Commando, Jenner

I think decals add a lot to military figures on top of freehand, etc, and so these got a simple Allied Star each, and some swedish number decals from my stash of WWII and Team Yankee stuff. I’ve got plenty of German/SS and Soviet decals, but I’m not so fond of using those symbols and icons outside of the historical context. Perhaps one day I’ll use some of the more generic symbols from there on some mechs, but not today.

Catalyst Game Labs Battletech: Mad Cat/Timberwolf, Catapult, Commando, Jenner, Warhammer, Thunderbolt, Blackjack, Trebuchet

I now have two little forces with which to learn how to play Alpha Strike with. I’ve aquired the next pair that will go to the Desert Tan group – a Rifleman and an Archer – both of which also have the Robotech connection. Then again, the deep green of today’s group fit the Archer’s Robotech “Gladiator” scheme more closely, so maybe things will paint out a little differently?

One final little “Easter Egg” in my paint schemes for both is that they’re linked by the hazard stripes – so if I end up playing against other people, there’s a visual link between my figures even if they have broadly different colour schemes. Once again, these models count towards Dave Stone’s Paint What You Got Challenge 25-26, (Don’t worry, Anne! – I’ve got assembly stuff coming up!)