Federated Suns Caselton Militia

So I want to cover my Caselton Militia in some detail in this post.  It's a Federated Suns world in the Robinson Operations Area of the Draconis March. It's a fairly minor system that really only has value as being located near Tikonov,  It's too cold and dry for major crops and has some minerals but not enough for exports.  This made it a perfect location for a DIY militia unit.

So first up we have the planetary ruler, Duke Robert Hendricks, whose family has ruled the system since early in the First Succession War.  Twice the world was occupied by the Capellans which has led to a strong anti-Liao sentiment across the planet.  Over time the Hendricks family has gained many of the positions of authority in business, government, and military as it grown larger and larger.  Service to the Federated Suns has always been a part of the family with many members serving in the various branches of the Federated Suns Military or the local militia.

 

The Caselton Militia is closely tied to Duke Robert Hendricks.  His uncle, Major Paul Hendricks, commands the heaviest force on the planet, the 38th Mech Defense Battalion.  This force is slightly under strength with Charlie Company currently consisting of only a single lance.  While the force is mainly light and medium mechs, the Duke spent generously to get a lance of Marauder II's to form the battalion command lance.  The force is supported by the 128th Armored Defense Battalion which consists of a company of heavy tanks, a support company, and an artillery / LRM/SRM carrier company, and the 443rd Reconnaissance Battalion which consists of a hover tank company and two companies of scout vehicles and mechanized infantry.  The defense force also can call upon a company of the 5022nd Support Battalion which consists of MASH units, engineers, and a logistics platoon.

So that's the expansion of the Caselton Militia so far.  I still want to finish off that 3rd Company but it'll come in time.  Hope you all enjoyed it and next up should be a recap of an expedition by the 8th Donegal Guard.  I'll be fielding a full three lance company of light mechs to see about a strike on some Marik Militia in the Croot System.  See you all next time.

Well, it's been a while

Things got a bit busy with work during the summer with a transfer to a different store which currently includes a hour long commute each way.  This has ate up a lot of my hobby time and I've not got to play a game in quite some time.  While I did manage to get some small progress here and there, none of them were really blog worthy in size.  But now that there have been quite a bit of progress over time, it's time to post some updates.

First of all, my Davion Caselton Militia.  The single mech company with command mech and supporting armor and infantry, the unit has grown to include a 2nd company, a start of a third, and a battalion command lance.  The support has gone from an armor battalion with 2 companies of recon/infantry to include an artillery company and a logistics company of engineers, MASH vehicles, and construction vehicles/mechs.

There is still some work to do on the artillery company and the support company, but the whole is coming along nicely.  I still need to come up with 2 more lances of mechs and a command mech to finish off the 3rd company of the mech battalion.  I've also been working on the fluff for the unit which will be covered in a later post.

I've also started on a new unit, the 7th Arkab.  I need one more mech to finish off the battalion and I need to base 2 lances of GQ half-tracks for 2 platoons of infantry to finish off the support forces.  Again, need to finish painting several of these units but I'm happy with the color scheme over all which is based on the Arkab entry in the CBT Camo Specs book.

There was also some terrain added to the collection but this will also be in a different post in the future.

Because We All Need Support

So continuing on the vein of last post, these are some models that I've worked into my Battletech collection that would end up being used as terrain pieces rather than active models in combat.  Yes the mech jockeys get all the glory, and the aerospace pilots get the girls, and even the tank drivers and infantry get some cheap beers in the bars.  But what about those poor guys who have to clean up after the fight or do the heavy lifting getting ready for the next fight?

First up is the flying portion of the collection.  I added some various bits to a couple Diecast Star Wars Rebels Ghost ships and they were easily done.  These would stand in as Avenger or Gazelle Dropships most likely due to size and overall appearance.  Both would need to be fairly well guarded when on the ground and would make for some nice space port or landing zone terrain.

Next up is a large model from the X-Wing tabletop fighter game.  I plan on using this as a basic Leopard Dropship.  Size looks right to hold a lance of mechs and definitely would fit in place for a small skirmish battlefield.  This didn't need any conversion at all and is ready to go as is.

Now let's look at some down in the dirt models.  I first did some conversions for my Eridani Light Horse by making a lance of Engineering vehicles just to have something different from more bases of basic infantry.  They started as an array of various Battletech and 40K Epic vehicles and have a wide range of bits added.  From bridge laying to excavation to replacement of pipelines to camouflaging of defensive emplacements, this lance is ready to get it done.

My new lance of conversions are going to be going into a Support Unit for my Caselton Militia.  We've got a couple construction mechs that started out as Bear Cubs (nice generic looking main bodies that lend themselves well for this) and went from there.  Then we have a couple engineering vehicles ready to use flame to clear terrain or hauled materials to establish a quick defensive position.  The rest of the support Company will consist of MASH vehicles, Engineers in trucks, and some heavy supply vehicles to haul all the supplies and tools that the engineers need.

So that's it for this update and I'll see you all next time.

BattleTech Terrain (Because it's not all just hexmaps)

So I want to spend this post covering my BattleTech Terrain.

Please address all payments to ComStar, no WoBblies allowed

  First up is the one of the two I'm most happy with how it came out.  This is my HPG Station which makes a great objective.  It started out as a GI Joe MASS device from one of the DVD and figure sets they released a number of years back.  I then added some 40K bits and such and I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out.

We'll get it in orbit for you

Next up is my bit of LosTech which also makes a great objective for a game.  This is my Slingshot Mk.IV Mobile Satellite Launch Platform.  I wholly made this up but as I picture it in my head it dates back to the early days of the Terran Hegemony and was created to launch various satellites into orbit on colony worlds.  This was created from This is made from part of a GI Joe vehicle, the radar option from the AA Walker from the Weird War part of my former British Bolt Action, some 40K bits, and a 1/400 Delta II Rocket with Launch Pad.

Hmm, what shall we make today?

Next up is my factory block that was created from a switch box and some 40K bits.  Nothing stellar here but it works pretty well for what it's suppose to represent.

From here we'll move on to a power station and a warehouse.  The Power Station is a mix of Star Wars bits from two different scales/systems and then some 40K bits.  The warehouse is made from 40K bits entirely.

Then we have my oil tanks.  These were originally the containers that 40K basing bits came in and I flipped them over to make the tanks out of them.

Last up is what I consider my scatter terrain but it's mostly all based on hex bases so could be used on a hex map as well.  There are 4 sensor towers, 2 bunkers, 6 AA laser towers and 2 missile towers.  The AA towers are Star Wars bits and the rest come from 40K bits.

Terrain being used in the infamous UrbanMech Lance vs UrbanMech Lance

So that is all of my BattleTech terrain.  I'd like to do some more but need to figure out some ideas on what I need to find to make it or how to re-purpose some of what I already have.  Hope you all enjoyed seeing it as I had in putting it all together and I'll see you all next time.

Mechs That I Love And Hate

So I'm going to do something a bit different this time.  I'm going to talk about my few favorite mechs and then a few I can't stand.  Because the potential for mechs to hate goes up astronomically from the Clan Invasion onward and in keeping with the theme of 3025, all these mechs will be available in some variant in 3025.

First up is the mech that made me fall in love with the Battletech universe, the Wolverine.  When I was flipping through the CamoSpecs book, this is the mech that caught my eye.  I loved the look of it and have been a fan of the mech ever since.  That said, I'm not a fan of the look of the -8 versions that they released to get around the whole Unseen mechs debacle.  The newest sculpt in the new box set is a lot closer to the original but I'll always love that first version best.  It's a hearty designed medium mech with decent speed and maneuverability while still having pretty decent firepower.  The -6M and -6R are the versions I'm most likely to be fielding when I get this mech on the tabletop.

Second is going to be the Griffin.  Again that unseen aesthetic that really just clicks with me, and it was lucky enough that it's redesign to get it back as a Seen mech still came out nicely.  Again, another work horse medium mech with a bit more long range firepower this time.  It's an interesting mech that has the bonus of getting one of the coolest arctic color schemes I've seen in the CamoSpecs book (enough so that I actually commissioned a few mechs to be done in it that will appear down the road on the blog).  It also gets plenty of interesting fluff around it with the way it's used in the Lyran Commonwealth on Tharkad as guard mechs inside the throne room.

Last for the mechs that I love, we're going to look at the Hatchetman.  A light mech this time with a very unique look to it and a fluff that reads like it belongs in a sci-fi version of The Warriors movie.  It doesn't do quite as well on the table top, for me at least, but it's a fun mech with a great look and a great aesthetic.  Going into production in 3023 though has had me keep it just in my Donegal Guard unit as 2 years didn't seem reasonable enough to have it available as captured salvage in my Eridani Light Horse or Davion units.

And now moving on to the mechs I can't stand.  I will admit that this list is almost primarily driven by how they look and appeal to me.  I don't care how useful it might be on the table top, if I can't stand the look of it or at least be neutral toward it, I'm not going to get the mech.

First up is going to be the Crab.  I just can never get past the fact that it looks like it came out of a really bad low budget 1930's space fiction.  The design choices just do nothing for me and I just never got past that with this mech.  It's weapon load looks like it'd be a good table top brawler, but man, is it an ugly mech.

Second is going to be the Charger.  This one is not only an unappealing mech visually to me, it's also pretty useless as a mech as well with a horrendous weapons load out (seriously, an Assault Mech armed only with 5 small lasers?  How did this even get produced) that would make punching seem more effective than shooting..  That these things remained in production should be considered a war crime in the Inner Sphere.

And rounding out at number three we have the Goliath.  This one never made sense to me with it's let's take a slow assault mech and make it even slower and harder to use by giving it more legs, or taking an assault tank and giving it really long legs instead of tracks so everyone can see it now to target it.  It has the fire power of a heavy mech, the speed of an assault mech, and the maneuverability of a tired snail.  That any of these survived is a testament to the size of the Inner Sphere as it proves some of these can get deployed to a planet where they'll never see meaningful combat.

So there is my list of favorite and least favorite mechs in the 2025 part of the time frame.  Feel free to toss in agreements or disagreements in the comments.  Also, honorable mentions that just didn't make the cute for favorite mechs include the Valkyrie, Urbanmech, Stalker, Phoenix Hawk, and the Warhammer.  I look forward to seeing how my list matches up to those of you out there and I'll see you all next time.

Ghost Bears

So we're slipping a bit forward in time here I guess to cover this force.  I'm not a huge fan of the Clan invasion part of the Battletech Timeline.  It has some interesting stuff happens, and definitely leads to a tech revival in the Inner Sphere but there are parts of it that just rub me the wrong way.  Anyway, I'll get into all that in another post. Of all the Clans, Ghost Bear is the one that I like the most from a fluff perspective, though I'll admit that Snow Raven is a pretty close second.

Alpha Galaxy Insignia

1st Bear Guards Cluster (The Rage), Alpha Galaxy
Star Colonel Paul Bekker, Timberwolf (Madcat)

312th Assault Trinary
Star Captain Eddard Jamieson, Novacat

From left to right, 312th Assault Trinary, 23rd Support Binary, and 144th Provisional Garrison Trinary

Alpha Star
Star Commander Rachael Baird, Kingfisher
    Tomas Sarnow, Warhawk (Masakari)
    Lucian Pyne, Hellbringer (Loki)
    Coleen Groenewold, Summoner (Thor)
    Oscar Esterhaus, Mad Dog (Vulture)

Bravo Star
Star Commander Freyja Wycliffe, Grizzly
    Simon Paulk, Mad Dog (Vulture)
    Fionna Giscard, Timberwolf (Madcat)
    Wilhelm Forsythe, Novacat
    Iroku Ashigara, Timberwolf (Madcat)

Charlie Star
Star Commander Jayne Cardones, Timberwolf (Madcat)
    Hideoshi Nakamura, Blackhawk
    Kaitrin Ericsson, Solitaire
    Manfred Courvosier, Blackhawk
    Thorgeir Gaerwulf, Bearcub

23rd Elemental Support Binary
Star Captain Sarah Kabrinsky

Alpha Elemental Star
Star Commander Klaus Danitov
    5 Elemental Points

Bravo Elemental Star
Star Commander Travis Garroway
    5 Elemental Points

44th Provisional Garrison Cluster

144th Provisional Garrison Trinary
Star Captain Douglas Foyle

Alpha Star
Star Commander Paul Milne, Dragonfly
    Mad Dog (Vulture)
    Piranha
    Piranha
    Piranha

Bravo Star
Star Commander Nicholas Paulk, Timberwolf (Madcat)
    Summoner (Thor)
     Kingfisher
     Turkina
     Hellfire

Charlie Star
Star Commander Maria Jamieson, Marauder
    Gallowglas
    Flashman
    Flashman
    Banshee

So that's my Ghost Bear force in it's entirety.  Since I normally only get to play against Cheef, this unit has barely ever seen the table top, maybe once or twice in a game Rob or Screech was involved in.  It's a nice little force that gives some options from playing at the start of the Clan Invasion to much later in the timeline with the Pirahnas in the one Star.  It's an interesting mech that I got mainly to deal with the infantry that I know Cheef will field if we ever play that far up the timeline.  So that's all for now, and I'll see you all next time.

8th Donegal Guard

So this installment will be my 8th Donegal Guard Regiment.  I need to see about adding a Regimental Command team to it but that's down the road and will be considered another day.  While containing a number of heavy and assault mechs so common in Lyran service, it also has plenty of lighter forces for scouting and urban defense.  While having a lot of common mechs, I also included a fair number of mechs that are common in Marik, Liao, and Kurita service as the 8th was stationed commonly in the Skye region which was raided and staged raids from quite regularly and salvaged mechs would be common.

Donegal Brigade of Guard Insignia

 8th Donegal Guard Regiment
Colonel Reginald Sharpe

1st Battalion on the Left, 2nd Battalion on the Right

1st Battalion
Command Lance
*    Major Curtis Westbrook, Awesome
*    1st Lt. James Lannister, Black Knight
*    2nd Lt. Matthew Green, Victor
*    2nd Lt. Katherine Wright, Jagermech

A Company
First Lance
*    Captain Geoffrey Harroldson, Archer
*    1st Lt. Sarah Dorian, Quickdraw
*    Sinclair Halstead, Quickdraw
*    Clarissa Allenby, Dervish
Second Lance
*    2nd Lt. Colleen Tavish, Crusader
*    Rachael O'Connelly, Catapult
*    Miroki Aioba, Catapult
*    Michael Dunn, Trebuchet
Third Lance
*    2nd Lt. Lloyd Paulson, Crusader
*    Karen Owens, Catapult
*    Phillip Tannerman, Catapult
*    David Veerland, Trebuchet

B Company
First Lance
*    Captain Danae Adams, Hatchetman
*    1st Lt. Paula Matthews, Hunchback
*    Xavier Stoughton,  Hunchback
*    Kevin Barrows, Wasp
Second Lance
*    2nd Lt. Peter Laerniss, Hatchetman
*    Scott Hayes, Hatchetman
*    Oliva Webster, Hatchetman
*    Edmund Fitzhugh, Hatchetman
Third Lance
*    2nd Lt. Ian Coleman, Shadowhawk
*    Catelyn Hale, Shadowhawk
*    Jennifer Squires, Firestarter
*    Richard Groebben, Firestarter

C Company
First Lance
*    Captain Octavius Kreuger, Griffin
*    1st Lt. Nicole Summers, Valkyrie
*    Reginald Fisher, Valkyrie
*    Zachary Danvers, Jenner
Second Lance
*    2nd Lt. Rebecca Norman, Panther
*    Abigail Osborne, Panther
*    Dylan Baines, Javelin
*    Crystal Walker, Javelin
Third Lance
*    2nd Lt. Victor Hamilton, Dervish
*    Timothy Wilkes, Whitworth
*    Sharon Kilralry, Whitworth
*    Darius Barnes, Whitworth

Insignia for the 8th Donegal Guards, the "Mud Wrestlers"

2nd Battalion
Command Lance
*    Major Jessica Epps, Atlas
*    1st Lt. Tobin Hausmann, Zeus
*    2nd Lt. Sarah Mayhew, Zeus
*    2nd Lt. Vincent Conroy, Guillotine

D Company
1st Lance
*    Captain Peter Fitzcairn, Battlemaster
*    1st Lt. Sonja McTavish, Thunderbolt
*    Joseph Hyde, Dragon
*    Stephen St. Jaimes, Dragon
2nd Lance
*    2nd Lt. Paul Kearns, Griffin
*    Karen Tierny, Cicada
*    James Bruce, Cidada
*    Sean Ceirdwyn, Commando
3rd Lance
*    2nd Lt. Andrew Fisher, Jaegermech
*    Emily Bancroft, Trebuchet
*    Reginald Beckett, Trebuchet
*    Paul O'Sullivan, Blackjack

E Company
First Lance
*    Captain Ingrid Lowenstein, Orion
*    1st Lt. Bryan Mallister, Warhammer
*    William Gibson, Warhammer
*    Melissa Rabens, Warhammer
Second Lance
*    2nd Lt. Ian MacIntyre, Flashman
*    Clarissa Waterford, Grasshopper
*    Eric MacAllister, Grasshopper
*    Wendi Loomis, Grasshopper
Third Lance
*    2nd Lt. Nicholas Warrington, Battlemaster
*    Mark Immelman, Archer
*    Simone Hawthorne, Exterminator
*    Howard Laitnier, Exterminator

F Company
First Lance
*    Captain Jessica Dorsett, Atlas
*    1st Lt. Oliver McGinely, Atlas
*    Andrew Vortemann, Rifleman
*    Eric Carson, Rifleman
Second Lance
*    2nd Lt. Howard Anderson, Thug
*    Erica Sullivan, Stalker
*    Thomas Croft, Stalker
*    Cordelia Somners, Stalker
Third Lance
*    2nd Lt. Edward Hathaway, Griffin
*    Walther Zeiss, Griffin
*    Lise Dorsch, Wolverine
*    Heinrich Weiss, Wolverine

3rd Battalion

3rd Battalion
Command Lance
*    Captain Cole Lindon, Battlemaster
*    Lt. Lindsey Bartham, Cyclops
*    Ian Gallagher, Highlander
*    Edward Woods, Highlander

G Company
First Lance
*    Lt. Paul Vincetti, Awesome
*    Karla Kristofferson, Ostroc
*    Margaret Lancaster, Ostroc
*    Quentin Greene, Ostroc
Second Lance
*    Lt. Veronica Hamilton, Longbow
*    Oliver Mattis, Catapult
*    Samuel Hardies, Catapult
*    Emily Lowes, Catapult
Third Lance
*    Lt. Timothy Queens, Thunderbolt
*    Fran Owenby, Trebuchet
*    Burke Kramaer, Trebuchet
*    Linnet Urcher, Trebuchet

H Company
First Lance
*    Lt. Jean Paul Etienne, Crockett
*    Lincoln Georges, Zeus
*    Penelope Hardin, Victor
*    Donald Blakes, Catapult
Second Lance
*    Lt. Allison Stein, Hunchback
*    Tomas Georges, Hunchback
*    Jacques Rocheambeau, Blackjack
*    Allen Rodgers, Blackjack
Third Lance
*    Lt. Dane Halleck, Wasp
*    Portia Gibbons, Wasp
*    Apollo Janson, Stinger
*    Ralph Lewiston, Stinger

I Company
First Lance
*    Lt. Amanda Huxley, Hussar
*    Steven Gordon, Mercury
*    Jeremy Gionaelli, Mercury
*    Elizabeth Eisner, Mercury
Second Lance
*    Lt. Godfried Magnusson, Cicada
*    Julianne Hill, Valkyrie
*    Billy Campbell, Assassin
*    Jenny Levine, Assassin
Third Lance
*    Lt. Cliffford Seccord, Phoenix Hawk LAM
*    Paula Johnston, Phoenix Hawk LAM
*    Timothy Connelly, Phoenix Hawk LAM
*    Calvin Daulton, Phoenix Hawk LAM

Donegal Guards picture from CamoSpecs book

So that's my Lyran regiment which in recent history saw action here.  It's an interesting unit in an Inner Sphere realm with a number of interesting units.  It's a pretty easy paint scheme doing the gray/blue over black and a good ink wash over it.  It is also my first time using fall basing which I think looks really good with the dark color scheme.  Anyway, thanks for coming by and I'll see you all next time.

Davion Militia

 So today we'll be doing my Davion Militia, specifically Caselton Militia.  Caselton is a fairly minor world with important strategic value due to it's location in the Draconis March close to Tikonov.  It was briefly occupied by the Capellans in the First Succession War but other than that has been part of the Federated Suns.  That changed during the Jihad and Republic of the Sphere part of the timeline, but as I abhor that part of the BattleTech timeline we'll just forget those parts exist.  Anyway, getting back to the militia, it made for a good location to be able to interact with other worlds but still not be a major enough world to have a famous militia unit that would be covered in depth in the source books.

38th Defense Bat on the left, 43rd Reconnaissance Bat on the right

38th Defense Battalion
    Major Paul Hendricks
Alpha Company
    Captain Tiffany Brookes, Vulcan
First Lance
    Dervish
    Thorn
    Panther
    Wasp
Second Lance
    UrbanMech
    UrbanMech
    UrbanMech
    UrbanMech
Third Lance
    Commando
    Commando
    Commando
    Commando

Bravo Company
    Captain Matthew Sandoval
First Platoon
    Puma Assault Tank
    Puma Assault Tank
    Puma Assault Tank
    Puma Assault Tank
Second Platoon
    Alacorn Heavy Tank
    Alacorn Heavy Tank
    Schrek PPC Carrier
    Schrek PPC Carrier
Third Platoon
    Behemoth Heavy Tank
    Behemoth Heavy Tank
    Behemoth Heavy Tank
    Behemoth Heavy Tank

Charlie Company
    Captain George Tobias
First Platoon
    Demolisher Heavy Tank
    Demolisher Heavy Tank
    Marksman Artillery Tank
    Marksman Artillery Tank
Second Platoon
    Hezter Wheeled Assault Gun
    Hezter Wheeled Assault Gun
    Hezter Wheeled Assault Gun
    Hezter Wheeled Assault Gun
Third Platoon
    Pike Support Vehicle
    Pike Support Vehicle
    Pike Support Vehicle
    Pike Support Vehicle

Insignia of the Draconis March Militia

43rd Reconnaissance Battalion
    Major Jessica Carter
Alpha Company
    Captain Bertraum Berkley
First Platoon
    Saracen Medium Hover Tank
    Saracen Medium Hover Tank
    Saracen Medium Hover Tank
    Saracen Medium Hover Tank
Second Platoon
    Saladin Assault Hover Tank
    Saladin Assault Hover Tank
    Saladin Assault Hover Tank
    Saladin Assault Hover Tank
Third Platoon
    Pegasus Scout Hover Tank
    Pegasus Scout Hover Tank
    Pegasus Scout Hover Tank
    Pegasus Scout Hover Tank

Bravo Company
    Captain Brian Fawlksworth
First Platoon
    Packrat Long Range Patrol Vehicle
    Packrat Long Range Patrol Vehicle
    Packrat Long Range Patrol Vehicle
    Packrat Long Range Patrol Vehicle
Second Platoon
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
Third Platoon
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad

Charlie Company
    Captain Emily Lumbergh
First Platoon
    Skulker Wheeled Scout Tank
    Skulker Wheeled Scout Tank
    Skulker Wheeled Scout Tank
    Skulker Wheeled Scout Tank
Second Platoon
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
Third Platoon
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad
    Mechanized Infantry Squad

Since it's a militia unit, I only bothered to name the higher officers but I would like to add some more to this unit at some point I think, most likely splitting up the 38th Defense Battalion into a mech battalion and an armored battalion.  The Urban mech lance has actually seen tabletop combat in an all Urbanmech slugfest found here and some of the tanks in a follow up battle here.  This unit oddly enough has seen more combat than my Donegal Guards and Ghost Bears and almost as much as my Eridani Light Horse.

So that's my militia for now.  Next time I'll jump across to the Lyran Commonwealth and cover my 8th Donegal Guard.  Hope to see you all next time and thanks for stopping by.

Eridani Light Horse

As I said in the first post, I want to go through my collection and share it all here to get this new blog started.  First and foremost then has to be my 21st Stalker Regiment of the Eridani Light Horse.  Using the organizational structure listed in the original Mercenary's Handbook (I love the amount of detail some of those old source books had), I had a guide to the formation of the regiment.  Now I didn't do it mech for mech or vehicle for vehicle as there are some mechs I love and some that I can't stand, but I did keep pretty close to weight classes and unit types are all the same (is tanks for tanks, aerospace fighters for aerospace fighters).  They had a pretty interesting unit structure due to their Regimental Combat Team combined arms tactics and it made for some fun collecting.

As a quick note, an X means the model is fully painted, based, and Decaled, * is fully painted and based, and - means it's fully painted.  I haven't based any of the fighters as I haven't found any flight stands that are I both like and can afford a number of.

From L to R Command Com, 3rd Striker Bat, and 5th Striker Bat

21st Striker Regiment (Four Horsemen)
    Colonel Charles K. Winston
Command Company
Regimental Command Lance
*    Colonel Charles K. Winston, Cyclops
*    Captain George Horten, Awesome
*    Captain Xavier Trompe, Warhammer
*    Lt. Heather Broxtin, Quickdraw
Security Lance
*    Captain Paul Hauser, Hunchback
*    Lt. Kevin DeSoto, Archer
*    Lt. Tomas Gage, Dervish
*    Lt. Elliot Sheridan, Hunchback
Artillery Lance
    Captain Geoffrey Watkins
*    Lt. Greerson Holland, Long Tom
*    Lt. Carson Tainer, Long Tom
*    Lt. Howard Redmann, Long Tom
*    Lt. Olivia Winslowe, Long Tom
*    Lt, Oleg Planatov, Demolisher
*    Lt. Ian O'Kennesy, Demolisher
1st Infantry Platoon - Motorized Infantry
    Lt. Walter Allenby
*    Sgt. Douglas Haig, Trucks
*    Cpl. James Fisher, Trucks
*    Cpl. Henry Prescott, Trucks
*    Cpl. John Howe, Trucks
2nd Infantry Platoon - Mechanized Infantry
    Lt. Robert Paine
*    Sgt. Doug Steele - Hover Transport
*    Cpl. Amanda Hallister - Hover Transport
*    Cpl. Edmund Burdette - Hover Transport
*    Cpl. William Bagwell - Hover Transport

3rd Striker Battalion (Jamal's Plague)
Battalion Command Lance (Jamal's Guards)
*    Major Jamal Fallehy, Awesome
*    Captain Steven Bergstrom, Panther
*    Lt. Abigail Tawney, Awesome
*    Lt. Charles Hollister, Flashman
9th Company (Kentrick's Company)
Command Lance
*    Captain Brent Kentrick,, Crockett
*    Ian Mallory, Trebuchet
*    Byron Waters, Urbanmech
*    Timothy Beale, Panther
Strike Lance
*    Lt. Catelyn Robinette, Thorn
*    Jason Winthrop, Dervish
*    Eric Brentwood, Shadowhawk
*    Padraig O'Malley, Javelin
Recon Lance
*    Lt. Paul Straub, Cicada
*    Susan Hibson, Assassin
*    Victor Osborne, Commando
*    Todd Newland, Cicada
14th Company (Paulson's Roadrunners)
Command Lance
*    Captain Cynthia Paulson, Warhammer
*    Darius Albright, Commando
*    Hiroshi Yoshida, Panther
*    Timo Malinov, Rifleman
Strike Lance
*    Lt. Piotr Orlov, Warhammer
*    Jocelyn Tully, Archer
*    Ellinore Maitland, Dragon
*    Spencer Yeats, Archer
Recon Lance
*    Lt. Marcus Wolcott, Cicada
*    Antoine Kearns, Stinger
*    Nathan Pretloe, Locust
*    Otojiro Horii, Assassin
85th Company (Benton's Brown Bombers)
Command Lance
-    Captain Nathaniel Benton, Shilone Aerospace Fighter
-    Sylvester Callahan, Shilone Aerospace Fighter
Support Lance
-    Lt. Kevin Tobin, Shilone Aerospace Fighter
-    Iosef Serov, Shilone Aerospace Fighter
Strike Lance
-    Lt. Jacob Weiss, Shilone Aerospace Fighter
-    Astrid Kingsford, Shilone Aerospace Fighter
Recon Lance
-    Lt. Brian Lockesly, Transgressor Aerospace Fighter
-    Giles Crowelly, Transgressor Aerospace Fighter

5th Striker Battalion (Dirkson's Dragonslayers)
Battalion Command Lance (Dirkson's Guards)
*    Major Earl Dirkson, Cyclops
*    Captain Claude Tomaslin, Rifleman
*    Lt. Elise Pienaar, Awesome
*    Lt. Coleman Hauser, Orion
4th Company (Pinter's Axmen)
Command Lance
*    Captain Daniel Pinter, Phoenix Hawk
*    Ryan Wilson, Quickdraw
*    Jillian Giessepe, Orion
*    Quentin Veerland, Dragon
Strike Lance
*    Lt. Kevin Baird, Catapult
*    Ethan Burke, Enforcer
*    Phillip Cantrell, Crusader
*    Diane Lancaster, Catapult
Recon Lance
*    Lt. Charles Hawestead, Cicada
*    Jason Mannfred, Wolverine
*    Catherine Bennett, Grasshopper
*    Randall Waters, Wasp
Air Lance
-    Lt. Thomas Knowles, Seydlitz Aerospace Fighter
-    Anthony Wilson, Seydlitz Aerospace Fighter
7th Company (Tanaka's Company)
Command Lance
*    Captain Tian Tanaka, Javelin
*    Janet McCrory, Jagermech
*    Dennis O'Donnell, Trebuchet
*    Sergei Nakamura, Whitworth
Strike Lance
*    Lt. Shannon Bronskie, Trebuchet
*    Fiona Northbrooke, Dervish
*    Oleg Altunin, Dervish
*    Leonard Taussig, Catapult
Recon Lance
*    Lt. Eric Jacobs, Jenner
*    Vasiliy Krepkie, Cicada
*    Jillian Clarkson, Wasp
*    Samuel Young, Assassin
Air Lance
-    Lt. Irene Jameson, Lucifer Aerospace Fighter
-    Ian Brentley, Lucifer Aerospace Fighter
25th Heavy Assault Company (Seflo's Sledgehammers)
Command Lance
*    Captain Misha Selfo, Raven
*    Victor Longe, Grasshopper
*    Deidre Hauser, Wasp
*    Oliver Sternman, Jenner
Strike Lance
*    Lt. Cole Portson, Grasshopper
*    Hitoshi Katasumi, Whitworth
*    Natasha Solchava, Javelin
*     Alfred Lynch, Commando
1st Air Lance
-    Lt. Ian Andrassy, Sholagar Aerospace Fighter
-    Hans Coldewe, Sholagar Aerospace Fighter
2nd Air Lance
-    Lt. Kosei Masaki, Sholagar Aerospace Fighter
-    Aleksei Beregov, Sholagar Aerospace Fighter

From L to R, 7th Striker Bat and 1st Armored Infantry Bat

7th Striker Battalion (Nigel's Nightslayers)
Battalion Command Lance (Nigel's Guards)
X    Major Jameson Nigel, Flashman
*    Captain Ian Branscombe, Cyclops
*    Lt. Blake Holmes, Zeus
*    Lt. Emily Haerdesky, Victor
11th Company (Pelham's Company)
Red Seven Lance
*    Captain Timothy Pelham, Dragon
*    Madilyn Pritchart, Quickdraw
*    Paul Malherbe, Awesome
*    Douglas Brandei, Highlander
Blue Seven Lance
*    Lt. Li Hsien, Wolverine
*    Andrea Oates, Dervish
*    Matthew Tourni, Valkyrie
*    Elliot Sullivan, Valkyrie
Gold Seven Lance
*    Lt. Harold Crane, Catapult
X    Mark Bronson, Archer
*    Andrew Holbrook, Trebuchet
*    Elaine Hathoway, Catapult
12th Company (Lightning Company)
Silver Lance
*    Captain Elizabeth Henke, Wolverine
*    Jeffery Olmsted, Wolverine
*    Shannon Allenby, Panther
*    Eric Donovan, Thorn
Black Lance
*    Lt. Vincent McCrory, Griffin
*    Marc Baird, Hollander, Wolverine
*    James Cross, Quickdraw
*    Chelsea Dobbs, Grasshopper
Purple Lance
*    Lt. Lisa Brackhaven, Wolverine
X    Sean Boehlert, Jenner
X    Neil Crowley, Jenner
*    Sheila Banich, Raven
Brown Lance
-    Lt. Ivan Chernov, Dagger Aerospace Fighter
-    Trent Mayhew, Dagger Aerospace Fighter
27th Company (Wolfhounds)
Green Lance
*    Major Pierre Bouchard, Highlander
*    Andrea Clavell, Catapult
*    Malcolm Forbes, Enforcer
*    Ibrahim Ghosn, Dragon
White Lance
*    Lt. Lloyd Bancroft, Grasshopper
*    Timothy Leahy, Wolverine
*    Katherine Burke, Valkyrie
*    Roger Waterly, Valkyrie
Platinum Lance
*    Lt. Edmund Dempsey, Centurian
*    Elliot Watkinson. Wolfhound
*    Terrence Pretloe, Centurian
*    Jessica Hearns, Centurian

1st Armored Infantry Battalion (Mighty Mites)
Battalion Command Lance
*    Major Samuel Perrow, Victor
*    Captain Brian Braddock, Warhammer
*    Lt. Amanda Sydon, Warhammer
*    Lt. Tim Phillips, Rifleman
Tin Can Company
Command Lance
*    Captain Klaus Hesse, Von Luckner
*    Lt. Andrew Fisher. Von Luckner
*    Sgt. Will Yeats, Von Luckner
*    Sgt. Joe Fairmount, Rommel/Patton
*    Sgt. Bradley Sinclair, Rommel/Patton
o    Sgt. Roger Penrose, Rommel/Patton
Strike Lance
*    Lt Llewellyn Trent, Ontos
*    Sgt. Simon Griffith, Ontos
*    Sgt. Doug Puller, Ontos
*    Sgt. Jamie Redmund, Ontos
*    Sgt. Collin Westworth, Hetzer
*    Sgt. Linnet Paulus, Hetzer
Recon Lance
*    Lt. Owen Rache, Saladin
*    Sgt. Edward Niven, Saladin
*    Sgt. Amanda Downing, Saladin
*    Sgt. David Brogues, Saladin
*    Sgt. Victor Ramius, Pegasus
*    Sgt. Nikolai Bondarenko, Pegasus
Alpha Company
*    Captain Lila Oakwood, Mobile Command Vehicle
1st Platoon - Motorized Infantry
    Lt. Hector Torres
*    Sgt. Owen Yardley, Halftracks
*    Cpl. Chris Morrigan, Halftracks
*    Cpl. James Holmes, Halftracks
*    Cpl. Abigail O'Reilly, Halftracks
2nd Platoon - Mechanized Infantry
    Lt. Tuck Miller
*    Sgt. Steve MacGarrett, Halftracks
*    Cpl. Daniel Bull, Halftracks
*    Cpl. Olivet Theisman, Halftracks
*    Cpl. Seth Maerkas, Trucks
3rd Platoon - Mechanized Infantry
    Lt. Richard Diego
*    Sgt. Owen Yardley, Halftracks
*    Cpl. Chris Morrigan, Halftracks
*    Cpl. James Holmes, Halftracks
*    Cpl. Abigail O'Reilly, Halftracks
4th Platoon - Mechanized Infantry
    Lt. Vince Tulane
*    Sgt. Patricia Parks, Goblin Medium Tank
*    Cpl. Nathan Holmes, Goblin Medium Tank
*    Cpl. Richard Pressby, Goblin Medium Tank
*    Cpl. Dayvid Webley, Goblin Medium Tank
Bravo Company
*    Captain Katherine Burke, Mobile Command Vehicle
1st Platoon - Jump Infantry
    Lt. Nathaniel Greer
*    Sgt. Eduard Altunin
*    Cpl. David Tabanne
*    Cpl, Lionel Foley
*    Cpl. Percy Neville
2nd Platoon - Battle Armor Infantry
    Lt. Erica Tansey
*    Sgt. Franklin Owens
*    Cpl. Vincent Lewis
*    Cpl, Ernest Wexton
*    Cpl. Ilya Vaneyev
3rd Platoon - Battle Armor Infantry
    Lt. Jeffrey Moore
*    Sgt. Mikhail Taussig
*    Cpl. Sean Ambrose
*    Cpl, Grigori Dalmatov
*    Cpl. Elliot Slater
4th Platoon - Engineers
    Lt. Colin MacGuire
*    Sgt. Edward Harding, Engineering Vehicle
*    Cpl. Perry Gibbons, Engineering Vehicle
*    Cpl, James Candless, Engineering Vehicle
*    Cpl. Anthony Troubridge, Engineers
Boomer Company
Command Lance
*    Captain Paul Sandoval, Sturmfeur
*    Lt. Manfred VanGeller, Sturmfeur
*    Lt. Trevor Gillespee, LRM Carrier
*    Lt. Victoria Pollack, LRM Carrier
*    Lt. Emilio Ortiz, LRM Carrier
*    Lt. Sonya Lindh, LRM Carrier
AA Lance
*    Lt. Thomas Clavell, Rifleman
*    Jon Waverly, Rifleman
*    Gwen Herdez, Longbow
*    Eamon O'Neil, Longbow
1st Air Lance
-    Lt. Vincent Osborn, Stuka
-    Colleen Desmond, Stuka
2nd Air Lance
-    Lt. Qliver Blakeson, Stuka
-    Paul Lawes, Stuka

So that's my Eridani Light Horse collection.  It was a lot of fun organizing and collecting it, not as much fun to paint it (the painting side is the part I like the least of the hobby of miniature gaming).  Next time I think I'll do my Davion militia since the Eridani Light Horse have worked for House Davion for so long now.  Might as well finish up that part of the Inner Sphere before moving onward.  Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you next time.

Getting This Started

Well, let's do a small intro post and see how it goes.  I was blogging at Lions of Harlech but Google seems to have messed up my account and my user name there is detached from the Blog and the email associated with it.  It's a big mess, but since it was started as a 40K blog I'm going to take a page from Cheef's book and just start a BattleTech Blog.

Back when I was in college in the early 90s, I came across the small Camo Specs book in a now long gone game store.  One flip through it and I was in love with the BattleTech universe and had purchased the book.  I actually still have it all these years later.  The fluff for the Eridani Light Horse really intrigued me and they've been my favorite unit in the universe ever since.  Several other units in the book were intriguing as well.  Unfortunately I didn't know anyone who knew how to play BattleTech or where to hook up with someone who did, so other than collecting some various source books, that's as far as I got with BattleTech for a number of years.  About 10 or so years ago I got to a point career wise to start getting some miniatures and having met up with some gamers within a reasonable drive to game with, I finally got to get some models on the table though not as often as I would like.

And now I've got quite a collection of BattleTech, numerous sourcebooks, a complete 21st Striker Regiment of my beloved Eridani Light Horse based on the fluff from one fo the original Mercenary Handbooks (well, one day they'll get decalled which is a skill I never managed to learn), a complete 8th Donegal Guard regiment, a unit of Davion militia, 2 Trinaries and a Binary of Clan Ghost Bear, and two lances of 20th Arcturan Guard.  Recently I've also been working on a 4th Arkab Legion force as well.  There is also a collection of Aerotech vessels but those have never been fielded in a game ever.

Also I've been really into playing a new BattleTech PC game that came out this last year.  I got in on the Kickstarter for it and have really been enjoying it.  It's a really good recreation of the tabletop into the PC gaming universe and it's been a lot of fun.

So that's where we are for now, and I'll do a work up of my various forces over the coming weeks.  A lot of this will have been posted over on the Lions blog previously but this will get it all in one place.  So that's a pretty good intro I think and we'll see how it goes from here.  I think getting this started will be good for getting me to get the Arkab project going again too.  So as George Ledoux as Duncan Fisher would put it, "So long Solaris fans and see you next time."