Basing and varnishing notwithstanding, the first half of the models that came with the Battletech Anniversary box are done. The quality of the models is still a long way from the detail I am used to painting, but a little ink goes a long way to bringing out what's there.
The best thing about painting a passel of giant robots like this is just how liberating it is. Since they aren't intended to be a cohesive force, they don't have to (and really shouldn't) have a uniform appearance. Since they operate on all sorts of planets, they can have all sorts of unorthodox camo or paint schemes. And since they are giant robots ranging from 30 to 100 tons, you don't lose a lot by ignoring concealment altogether, and getting by on style and audacity instead.
Some of these paint jobs (like the green and grey Zeus, and the brown, black and white Dragon) are intentionally reminiscent of paint jobs I had done on my original Ral Partha 'mechs those many years ago. I even had one like the yellow and black striped Clint, which I based on a vintage CF-104 Starfighter .
Putting a bright green colour scheme on something called a Grasshopper seemed pretty natural, as did the round orange head on the biggest 'mech, the 100 ton Atlas. Possible names for that one include Samhain, Big Jack and Helloween, but I've always loved the idea of a fearsome war machine called The Great Pumpkin.
And yes, the red and blue 'mech is called a Spider. I just couldn't help myself.
Actually that orange-headed mech reminds me of the Red Skull, having just recently watched Captain America.
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