#camospecs

It's hard for me to say because I don't futz with the Free Worlds League that often, but some things do stand out - if not archetypal - then as full-blooded Marik 'Mechs.

The Awesome.

The Quickdraw.

And the Trenchbucket Trebuchet.

When I (re)started my painting journey a little over a year ago at this point, I focused a lot on painting each and every model to meticulous detail. I am playing Battletech: Alpha Strike, as opposed to a game like 40k, so I thought that i can spend more time on each model since i only ever need to field around 5-10 of them at a time. Sure, it'd take me a while to get through them but i finished the 8 inner sphere mechs in the Alpha Strike Starter box within my first three months! Even with me slowly amassing a collection of gray minis calling my name, i was patient.

Everything changed when the fire nation attacked my entire collection was stolen out of the back of my car (more on that in a future post). After experiencing the generosity shown of my local community, I had to start repainting my newly rebuilt collection.

At first, I stuck to my old ways of painting just a few models to meticulous detail. I learned and refined techniques that enjoyed, and figured out how to quickly get through ones I enjoy less. Then, as I played more, ran more events, and developed the draft cube, I realized that it would really elevate my events and loaner models if they were all painted. And there's no way i'll get that completed in my lifetime at my current rate.

In only a couple weeks, i completed the equivalent of about 1 model a day. I know for some people, that seems really slow, but for me that's lightning quick. Especially considering i'm still learning how to airbrush, and using color theory and layering to try to achieve the blue that made me fall in love with this scheme.

You can see my first attempt on the panther was a bit too light of a purple, and the wolfhound is closer to the book example, but still a bit blue. While the latter is technically wrong, I really like how it looks. What else really matters? Plus it means I get to use purple primer and a purple wash, which is fun for me!

So, that's when I started to develop a method that is a balance of speed and quality. I realized I needed to learn how to become an army painter. Striking that balance of efficiency and quality and fun was the newest puzzle to tackle. I have physical hard evidence that i can paint to a high degree of quality. I don't need to prove that to anyone, let alone myself, anymore.

And here, with this scheme for a Free Rasalhauge Kavalleri Regiment from the Force Manual: Kurita book, I found a simple color scheme that uses some of my favorite colors and i can knock out quickly and to a high degree of quality on models that call for it.

Now, I think I've mostly transitioned into army painter mode for BattleTech. The most satisfying thing is completing chunks of models and making a dent into my goal of having enough painted minis that players in the events I host don't have to play with gray minis, if they're from my collection.

That being said, I am always trying to stay one step ahead of burnout. So mixing things up like Uncle Atom suggested in a recent Tabletop Minions video has been very helpful. Terrain, and large models like the Aurora Borealis DropShip from my previous post are great examples. I still get that itch to go deep on a project sometimes, and those are great outlets when there isn't a Battletech model I want to go deep on.

We’ve got a new Spotlight available, Stone’s Trackers.

Additionally, for those that follow and appreciate the fabulous BattleTech painting artists that comprise Camospecs Online, check out their Facebook page (where additional content is posted), as well as their new YouTube channel where there’s a ton of great videos already available!

Enjoy!