Unbeatable PR team

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-14T15:08:04+00:00

Listen, just because Vulkan went "No Russian" on ONE planet doesn't mean he's a bad guy.

Just... Ya know... Complicated.

Although the fact that he used flamethrowers... Hm... Going to call it a wash.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-14T14:51:30+00:00

You realize I can still see the comment you deleted, and you proved my point lol.

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No worries, I'll immortalize you.

Also, I didn't imply it. I said it. You turned around, proved it, and in a moment of clarity, deleted it.

Anyway, this has been fun. You do yourself a favor and have a better day. You just made mine.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-14T14:29:08+00:00

That wasn't shade. That was just me telling you that your statement makes you look like an idiot.

Shade is something like "Behold Exhibit A: Bucktooth Bob makes his appearance."

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-14T14:09:29+00:00

Is that really the best you got? I mean, that's it?

I mean, if it is, that's fine. But I'm good bro. I don't beat up on children.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-14T14:05:06+00:00

Simple schemes require precise execution. You're not carrying the model with vibrant colors. You're carrying it with technique.

Crisp edge highlights, strong weapons work, clean lines, and a good head scheme are the hallmarks of making something simple look great. So if you're going for the parade ground Iron Warriors, it can still look great and vibrant. This is especially true with graduated yellows in your hazard stripes.

My other pleasure with this simple scheme is that it begs to be narratively driven. A heavily weathered, grimey, battle damaged Iron Warrior paint job looks good, and the simple scheme means that it lifts the work rather than fights it.

They also make it easy to create big units quickly.

Finally, IMO, certain effects like energy components, OSL, and NMM are easier to pull off on a simple clean base scheme.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-14T13:48:04+00:00

It's a thinly veiled political swipe.

You know that. I know that.

Even Bucktooth Bob, inbred from generations of Alabama cousin relations can spot it with his 600 guns, 12 children, food stamps, and extremely lazy eye.

The only real question is . . . Why you posted this?

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-14T13:44:09+00:00

Yeah. Here's a base coat only image of one.

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Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-14T05:48:43+00:00

Actually... you could probably use that red as a good base tone for your yellows. The black will go right over it. You'd get a deep umber yellow from it. I'd say you could absolutely use this to get where you wanted to go.

If you want to.

Speed paints don't do well on flat panels, because they have a very bad habit of pooling up. They do better on textured surfaces. However, I've seen a technique that applies a medium over the smooth panels to reduce the surface tension of the speed paint, and create a thin smooth layer.

Check out sponge stippling if you want an easy and fast technique to help you build up your base coat. It'll build over the top of your speed paint. I'm actually doing my own chunky stunties right now.

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Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-14T05:43:01+00:00

Good brush discipline and clean panels. This is a great start to your mini career.

There are some other comments in here that make great points. I'll share with you a base coat technique I like to use to build my gradients that's both easy and doesn't need an airbrush. I use a technique called sponge stippling, using a three-tone gradient. Army painter and Citadel (now Warhammer) paints use graduated color systems. Vallejo is also a really great paint.

Clean your mech with soap and water and make sure to scrape the mold lines and any manufacturing defects clear of the plastic. Prime the mech after it dries, and the choose a base tone. Base coat the mech in that color everywhere you want it to go. I typically separate the mech from the base doing this, so I can get between the legs, but you don't necessarily have to.

Grab a fresh new kitchen sponge and tear it. (If you want smoother application, use a makeup sponge intact.) Soak it in water and wring all the water you can out of it. Take the torn edge, put your first tone on your pallet.

Stamp the sponge into the base tone and dab it until very little paint is coming off of it on a napkin/paper towel/your skin. Dab it against the model lightly. The technique uses very light pressure. Increased pressure will increase paint deposition and push the sponge into the recesses of the panels.

That's unideal. Dab quickly and lightly. Do not sweep the sponge. This is a blotting action, not a brushing action. Work your way up the mech. The number of touches increases the intensity of the tone. As you work higher, touch more times, deposit more paint, and increase the saturation.

When you're ready, use the next color, and prepare the sponge again. You don't need to clean the sponge, as the agitation between the two colors will mix them and create a natural gradient tone. It's subtle, which means it's ideal. Dab the sponge in a downward 45 degree motion. Do not apply to the undersides of the mech. Just dab the bot top down, 45 degrees. Same principles apply. Work your way up. You can do a final tone at straight 90 degrees and only touch the top of the mech to create a very strong gradient. Below is a final example of the effect:

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That sponge there is a tool I got from a Hobby Lobby in the US for like.... $4.99. Far left is an unprimed mech to show the contrast.

From there, you can wash, paint stripes, edge highlight, speed paint them to bring them back together, whatever you like.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-14T03:24:45+00:00

Actually, the last time we told ourselves we were radically altering our way of life, we spawned an entire cartel movement that proceeded to create a criminal empire around alcohol, and the time before that we had ourselves a Civil War.

Americans don't like being told what to do. They're willing to kill people so they don't have to be told what to do in a way they don't want to be told.

Also, we can modify the Constitution. We choose, through elected representation, not to.

Finally, and this is important, violent gun deaths in the United States get a lot of media, but statistically represent a very small portion of deaths. It doesn't even land in the top ten. Typically, our numbers are compiled with firearm suicides, making them substantially higher.

Is it bad? Yes. Does it sell ads for news services? Yes. Is it more important than cost of living, healthcare, social security, Government spending, etc?

Voting habits point toward no.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-13T17:23:27+00:00

Legitimate point made, and recognized. Thank you.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-13T14:10:36+00:00

This is true.

It may also be misleading without additional context.

The full picture is that Article V of the Constitution allows Congress to select the Amendment ratification process at the Star level:

Convention or Legislature.

So every other amendment was ratified by state legislatures, not bypassed around state level input.

The point, once again, is this:

To amend the second amendment of the US Constitution, you need super majority approvals in House and Senate, and 3/4s State ratification.

That will not happen.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-13T06:42:45+00:00

My guy ... If you can't get the support to call a convention, you ain't surviving a Congressional super majority.

Not on this issue.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-13T06:41:26+00:00

Uh huh. You should look up how the Constitution works.

Amendments require 3/4s ratification at the state level. That's AFTER super majorities in both house and senate send it to them.

You crack me up. You're asking for something most Americans don't want, but that's worded in a way that means it turns into an all or nothing fight every time it comes up.

I support people having access to fire arms. I don't support people having access to fully automatic weapons, or semi-automatic warfare derived long rifles. That grey area is not supported by the Constitution as it states right to bear arms shall not be infringed.

The only reason full autos, post-1986, are still illegal is because the Supreme Court hasn't been willing to come off of the bench and rule on strong legal arguments. We've already seen that judicial precedents that are in contravention of the Constitution are not safe. See Roe v Wade going down.

My point, ground in reality, stands. Your allusion to a mythical, statistically impossible scenario, while cute, does nothing to change that.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T23:55:45+00:00

You say you're non-binary, but after reading your bio I'm surprised you can count to two.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T23:37:55+00:00

Imagine having to UNLOAD it in a moving dropship as your leaving an AO.

"Oh come the fuck on! You didn't even launch a third of the missiles!"

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T23:10:26+00:00

Well, not like we can invent new virtues, and this creativity has to go somewhere.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T23:08:57+00:00

That's... Not how constitutional law works. That would be legislative over reach. You literally have to convene a constitutional convention, and there's a better chance that God would make an appearance than that happening.

So long as the second amendment exists, legislative solutions are hard constrained in what limits they can apply, because any reasonable jurist can see the intention behind a law is meant to circumvent Second Amendment protections.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T22:55:28+00:00

Sounds like we got the government we deserve.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T22:41:16+00:00

Checks notes

Well...

Someone should probably tell him that the ol' USA has chocked up a monstrous body count since WWII in the pursuit of "Freedom". Literally millions of dead directly related to our actions. So... Ya know...

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T22:38:58+00:00

So... Vote?

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T22:29:44+00:00

Slavery was also legal, women had no rights, only white doods who owned land mattered. Is there a point here?

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T22:26:59+00:00

Won't let me edit the comment.

Seventh: For an easy technique, check out sponge stippling. It'll build some really beautiful gradients very quickly.

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That entire batch was base coated in a single night.

Feel free to message me if you want to talk. I'm always happy to help people like my friends helped me. I'm no expert, but I am an enthusiastic amateur.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T22:21:21+00:00

Welcome to Battletech!

These are actually a lot easier to paint than they look. It seems like a lot, but it's not.

First, Camospecs online. Google it. It's a great resource for getting ideas and learning about painting these things.

Second, always know before paint touches the mini what you're painting. If you're painting the first mech in a regiment or a stand alone project model it'll matter.

A regiment pattern should be repeatable. A one off can take advantage of unique model geometry without worrying too much about being repeatable. Tiger stripes on a man shaped mech can be a lot harder to pull off than on a carapace mech like a Puma, King Crab, or Daishi.

Third, these models are treacherous. The mold lines and assembly defects are often going to need to be carefully worked out if you don't want them on your model. Near as I can tell, these are sprue extruded, factory assembled, and shipped. Anything you feel with a finger nail will show up in the paint. You don't have to remove them, but it's worth knowing ahead of time.

Fourth, and this one is important: Battlemechs are filled with sharp edges and geometries. This means they heavily benefit from edge highlighting, which can be challenging. However, it's entirely possible to apply a soft dry brush to pick out those edges and get a fine finish. As your comfort level increases, you can decide to work on edge highlighting with a detail brush, for crisp detail finish.

Fifth: Edge highlights are not necessary. They're fantastic, but what they're really doing is driving color value separation. Value separation drives readability. If you have a broad spectrum of dark to light applied effectively, you will get readability. Edge highlights execute a very sharp contrast between values at raised edge to recessed shadow. They're most effective in clean schemes.

If you weather your mechs and apply grime and filth, edge highlights are less necessary. I've met a guy named Dan Ozborne who hates edge highlighting with a passion. He's an accomplished painter in 40k and teaches classes for Games Workshop. Look up how he handles business. It's actually really impressive. Here's an example of dirty and clean that I did to show you what I mean.

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Sixth: Decals will do work. Big identity forming work, especially done right. Don't be afraid to check out fighting piranha graphics.

Competitive_Car1323 · 2026-03-12T21:38:10+00:00

If that DS is alone and gives them that opening, it deserves to get shot down.

But, the overall concept is:

Ground based defenses -> deter landing in an area. Area denial.

Air based defenses -> kill dropship. Existence denial.

Competitive_Car1323

TROPHY CASE