HOUSE DAVION

1ST DAVION GUARDS

Arguably the premier unit serving the Federated Suns, the 1st has been
frequently stationed on New Avalon throughout its history, but they are not just
a parade unit. Filled with some of the best and brightest House Davion can offer,
the regiment also boasts cutting-edge tech. They put their skills and their equip-
ment to the test against Clan Smoke Jaguar during Operation Bulldog, hitting Port
Arthur in first wave of attacks, and Yamarovka in in the second.

For parades and ceremonies, the Brigade of Guards uses a blue, white, and red
striped scheme.

house davion 02
1ST ROBINSON RANGERS
Birthed in the fires of war with the Draconis Combine, the 1st Robinson Rangers
were among those sent to aid their Lyran brethren during the Clan Invasion.
Returning to the other half of the Federated Commonwealth afterwards, the 1st
contributed a battalion of troops to Operation Bird Dog’s attack on Port Arthur,
then fought alongside their ancient enemies during the following Operation
Bulldog, helping to drive Clan Smoke Jaguar from the Inner Sphere.

The Rangers’ paint scheme consists of deep red and black.

house davion 03
6TH CRUCIS LANCERS
Known as the “Flower Lancers” because of the unique habit of decorating their
equipment with flowers, either real or painted, the 6th Crucis ties that tradition
to an annual festival on Tsamma. Long stationed in former Capellan territory, the
6th has become both adept at dealing with and beleaguered by terrorist attacks
launched by local patriots who desire a return to House Liao’s leadership.

The Crucis Lancers use a parade scheme of Davion green with colored high-
lights. In the case of the 6th, those highlights are yellow and light green. Troopers
in the 6th also adopted the tradition of decorating their equipment with flowers,
preferably real ones, but painted when that is impractical.

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2ND CETI HUSSARS
Tracing their heritage back to the SLDF, the 2nd Hussars have spent their recent
history stationed along the border with the Capellan Confederation. While the
Ceti Hussars brigade has a reputation for flexibility to the point of disorganization,
the 2nd is the exception, known instead for slow, deliberate action. Their TO&E
supports this, with lots of slow, heavy units that bring armor and firepower to the
table, but little speed.

The 2nd uses the traditional Hussars scheme and paints their equipment dark
blue with light blue and red highlights.

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8TH SYRTIS FUSILIERS
Deeply loyal to the Haseks and their beloved Capellan March, the 8th has spent
a number of years garrisoning Lothair. Now tasked with keeping the peace on a
world where some residents’ hatred for their fellow citizens has spilled into armed
violence, the 8th would much prefer to be turning their attention back to the
Capellan enemy just across the border. When the time comes to attack, the 8th will
do so with a highly mobile force built for quick strikes.

The 8th uses the standard Fusiliers colors, painting their equipment dark green.

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ISLAMABAD
CRUCIS MARCH MILITIA
With a history that dates to the United Hindu Collective, the Islamabad CrMM
is a unit that boasts a number of excellent individual fighters, but is impacted by
a number of local influences that threaten unit cohesion. Currently, lance and
company-sized formations work well together, but exercises using anything larger
almost always end badly. It remains to be seen if caste-based issues and religious
differences from the past can be overcome and allow the Militia to function at
maximum efficiency.

Like all Crucis March Militia units, Islamabad technicians are well-versed in
applying their blue, white, and red paint scheme.

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CLOVIS
DRACONIS MARCH MILITIA
The Clovis arm of the Draconis March Militia harbors a deep hatred for the
Draconis Combine. Cooler heads long ago removed all JumpShip assets from
their roster to prevent any unauthorized strikes against the forces of House Kurita.
Recently, the unit has faced a crisis of discipline, and a new commanding officer is
taking drastic steps to try and return the Clovis troopers to fighting trim.

Draconis March Militia units used a deep red paint scheme.

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VALEXA
CAPELLAN MARCH MILITIA
Once on the forefront of fighting with the Capellan Confederation, after the 4th
Succession War, the Valexa Capellan March Militia instead found itself in the role
of garrisoning interior worlds. Once Liao and Marik troops rolled into the Sarna
March, that period of peace and largesse showed itself as the negative it truly was.
Now back in a position where enemy activity against them is more likely, the RCT
has stepped up their training regimen.

The Valexa CMM uses their parent brigade’s default of dark green and red
colors.

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4TH DENEB LIGHT CAVALRY
Another tradition-rich unit with a long history of success, to this day the 4th
Deneb prioritizes the recruitment of descendants of the families that served in the
4th during its days as a member of the SLDF. While they have served on the Clan
border after the Truce of Tukayyid, the 4th does not have a large amount of Clan
technology. What they do have is a strong aerospace contingent, boasting a full six
wings on their roster.

In another effort to keep their SLDF roots alive, the Deneb Light Cavalry prefers
a light tan paint scheme, even when their assignment might call for something
else.

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1ST KESTREL GRENADIERS
Formerly the household guard of the Duke of Kestrel, the Grenadiers recently
have a history of ups and downs in performance. The unit was nearly destroyed
in action against the Capellans just prior to the 4th Succession war, was rebuilt in
time to participate in the War or 3039 and perform admirably in fighting on Matar,
had to retreat during the Marik-Liao invasion of the Sarna March, and just recently
helped destroy the Smoke Jaguar’s 362nd Assault Cluster on Kiamba during
Operation Bulldog. Now rated as an elite unit, the BattleMech element of the RCT
has a fast battalion and two heavy battalions, one of which includes an entire
company of Longbows and Salamanders .

Casting an impressive visage on the battlefield, the Grenadiers use a black

paint scheme with blue flames. Enemies would be wise to avoid Grenadier ‘Mechs
adorned with red lightning as ‘Mechwarriors add such a pattern to their left side for
every kill.

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1ST FEDSUNS ARMORED
CAVALRY
Known Inner Sphere-wide for their ability to hit and run on a planetary scale,
the 1st FedSuns Armored Cavalry has a record of decades of success at carrying out
lightning strikes against the First Prince’s enemies. Traditionally stationed where
they can harass the forces of the Capellan Confederation, the 1st was another
contributor to Operation Bulldog, seeing action on Virentofta and Schwartz.

The Armored Cavalry equipment wears Davion green with white highlights as
their ceremonial colors.

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17TH AVALON HUSSARS
Technical difficulties prevented the 17th from reaching the front-lines during
the initial Clan Invasion, but they were able to help man the border post-Tukayyid,
and faced off against Jade Falcon forces more than once. Returned to their tradi-
tional posting within the Draconis March, the 17th let their hatred for the Draconis
Combine override good sense, and made public statements criticizing Federated
Suns’ political decisions. As a result, the 17th’s jumpship assets were reassigned,
and the RCT was not included in any of the efforts to destroy Clan Smoke Jaguar.

The 17th uses the standard light gray of the Avalon Hussars, and adds crimson
highlights.

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1ST ARGYLE LANCERS
Another proud unit with roots in the SLDF, the 1st Argyle Lancers joined the
AFFS in time to fight in the First Succession War. Having worked hand-in-hand with
their Lyran brethren during the War of 3039, the 1st was in the Suns’ half of the
Federated Commonwealth when the Clans first struck, and unable to relocate until
after the Truce of Tukayyid. More than willing to do their duty and defend worlds
against Jade Falcon predations, the 1st has found the Lyrans far less welcoming
during their second posting to traditional Lyran territory.

A black paint scheme highlighted with red and white marks equipment as
belonging to the 1st.

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1ST ARAGON BORDERERS
The 1st Aragon Borderers owe their existence to their home planet’s location.
New Aragon has been attacked by the Capellan Confederation more times than
some people can count. To counter those attacks, the AFFS expanded a planetary
militia unit into a BattleMech-equipped defensive stalwart and the Borderers were
born. Recently the 1st was selected to participate in Operation Bulldog, and were
involved in the assaults on Almunge, Coudoux, and Staplefield.

The Pride of New Aragon uses a blue and white ceremonial paint scheme.

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1ST NAIS CADET CADRE
Despite being in the numerical top spot, the 1st NAIS Cadre is not considered
the premier posting for NAIS cadets. Instead, the unit is the lightest of three,
equipped solely with light BattleMechs and vehicles. That does mean the unit
is frequently requested for large-scale reconnaissance assignments, which may
explain the still comparatively high-level of warriors in the unit who specifically
requested to be assigned there.

The cadets of the 1st pilot equipment painted in Davion green.

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1ST KATHIL UHLANS
Best known for their role in extracting Justin Xiang Allard from the Capellan
capitol of Sian, the Uhlans were involved in the assault on Matar during the War
of 3039, but sat out the Clan Invasion on their homeworld of Kathil. As the former
command of Morgan Hasek-Davion, it was almost a given they would be assigned
to Task Force Serpent once he was picked as that formation’s commander. After
the long trek, they were involved in the assault on Huntress and the Great Refusal.
Having taken extreme losses, the 1st was disbanded upon their return to the Inner
Sphere.

The Uhlans ‘Mechs are painted blank with a vertical stripe of gold on the arms
and left side.

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7TH FEDCOM
Few major events in the history of the Inner Sphere have had as much poten-
tial and, at least for the moment, fallen so short as the creation of the Federated
Commonwealth. The Federated Commonwealth Corps remain a visible reminder
of what has befallen that alliance. As an example, the 7th has yet to face off against
a single external enemy of the Federated Commonwealth, and instead has let the
stationing of the 5th Lyran Regulars as peacekeepers on their garrison world of
Nashuar lead to a rapidly-escalating series of incidents between the two units;
units that were in the same combined military not that long ago.

The parade colors of the Federated Commonwealth Corps are navy blue with
gold banding on the arms and legs. Gold is also used on the upper torso of the
‘Mechs and the turrets of armor units to highlight panels, resulting in a checker-
board pattern.

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CSO PAINT GUIDE: 3RD CRUCIS LANCERS
Welcome to our latest painting
guide! Our goal is to give readers
the knowledge, tools, and tips to
achieve good looking miniatures.
This guide will focus mainly on
the use of airbrush, modulation,
grisaille and source of light effects.
In this tutorial we will showcase a
Marauder in House Davion’s 3rd
Crucis Lancers livery: green with
yellow highlights.

STAGE 1 - PRIMING
AND BASE COLOR

The most common priming

colors are black and white. In
this case I used Vallejo’s German
Panzer Grey, but I could have used
black. As a rule, white is better for
brighter colors and black is better
for darker colors.
STAGE 1A

PRODUCTS USED
Bearing in mind that there are many
brands and lines of paint with equivalent
colors, here is a list of the paints and other
products I used for this project:
• Aerocolor Transparent White 28100
• Ak (3rd Gen Acrylics) Sunny Skin Tone AK
11055
• Ak (3rd Gen Acrylics) Anthracite Grey AK
11167
• Ak (3rd Gen Acrylics) Dark Green 11146
• Ak (3rd Gen Acrylics) Ice Yellow AK11036
• Ak (3rd Gen Acrylics) Light Green AK
11141
• Ak (3rd Gen Acrylics) Medium Rust AK
11103
• Ak (3rd Gen Acrylics) Pastel Blue AK 11168
• Citadel Contrast Iyanden Yellow
• Citadel Contrast Warp Lightning
• Golden Acrylics Open Hansa Yellow
• Golden Acrylics Open Titanium White
• Scale 75 Inktense Crimson SC90
• Scale 75 Sol Yellow SC40
• Tamiya Masking Tape
• Vallejo Heavy Red Gel GFC28581
• Vallejo Model Air Burnt Umber 71040
• Vallejo Model Air White 71001
• Vallejo Model Color Vermillion 70909
• Vallejo Surface Primer German Panzer Grey
73603
• Vallejo Thinner

HOUSE DAVION PAINTING GUIDE 19

 STAGE 1B
For the base color, I chose AK’s Dark Green. With AK paints I use water as a thinner in
a 50/50% ratio. The airbrush I used has a nozzle size of 0.2 mm and the pressure was set
to 1.8 bar/28 PSI. I could have used a bigger nozzle since I didn’t need to do any precise
work. The airbrush is fantastic for getting a good looking base color fast.

STAGE 2 - MODULATION AND GRISAILLE

The volume and blending in this miniature are achieved using two different tech-
niques. Modulation is the first; it adds a lot of surface information and volume to the
miniatures, even if they are small. Modulation helps us to create an illusion of light
hitting the surfaces of the miniature, creating a plane of light with darker and brighter
sections in every panel.

HOUSE DAVION PAINTING GUIDE 20

 In this miniature modulation goes a step further and instead of having brighter
sections where the light should be in every panel, we will have different planes of light.
In the panels parallel to the ground the light source will go from the back to the front,
having brighter sections on the back of the panels. The panels perpendicular to the
ground will have the regular source of light, from the front to the back. As such, the
upper front corners of those panels would be the brightest parts. It is not that realistic
but we get a lot of difference from parallel to perpendicular panels, gaining a lot of
contrast and volume.

The second technique is known as grisaille. The idea is that we should do a sketch of
the lights and shadows of the miniature with gray or white and then cover the sketch
with diluted paint. This technique has been featured in paintings from Giotto, Rubens,
and Picasso. Grisaille has two advantages over airbrushing with regular paints. The first
is that you can use inks for the sketch and white ink in particular is very easy to work

STAGE 2A

HOUSE DAVION PAINTING GUIDE 21

with. The second is that you can control the end result by playing with the diluted paint.
The diluted paint can be applied with airbrush or with brush; contrast paints are perfect
if you wish to go the brush route.

In this case, since the diluted paint will have poor coverage over a dark color, I made
a small change, adding dark green instead of dark gray or pure black. This way, the
shadows look better and more uniform.

STAGE 3 - PAINTING THE

MINIATURE WITH MASKING TAPE

Many painters are scared of

the airbrush. It is expensive, noisy,
finicky, and dirty. The worst part
is that it requires a lot of control to
achieve a precise effect. However,
you can get a precise effect with
masking tape. It is a bit time
consuming but, mixed with control
of the pressure and good aim, you
end with perfect blends. As a tip, try
to aim the airbrush at an angle.

The airbrush blows paint mixed

with air in a cone. The center of the
cone gets more paint and the edges
get less paint. With masking tape you
can cover the other panels. As such,
STAGE 2B you only need to aim the airbrush to
the area of the panel that you want
to be brighter. The masking tape will
protect the rest of the miniature. When you remove the masking tape you end with
a clear border between the brighter section where you airbrushed and the darker
section covered by the mask which gives you a nice, good looking, blended panel. As
a tip, before you apply the masking tape, remove some of the glue by touching it with
a finger a couple of times. This way, you make sure that removing the masking tape
doesn’t also remove paint.

HOUSE DAVION PAINTING GUIDE 22

 In this case, the miniature was painted with transparent white ink. It is very user
friendly and great for new painters. The ink was diluted with thinner in a 50%-50% ratio.
I used an airbrush with a nozzle size of 0.2 mm and set the pressure to 2.1 bar/32 psi. This
is more pressure than the usual for acrylic paints. With less pressure you increase the
chance of your airbrush “sputtering”, which can result in a dirtier effect.

You can see in this stage the volumes created with modulation. To avoid hitting parts
of the ’Mech while painting others, it is recommended to paint from bottom to top. The
Marauder is a big ’Mech with a lot of details. If this is your first try with these techniques,
you may want to choose a smaller or less detailed miniature.

If you make a mistake, don’t be worried. If it is very big, you can correct it by painting
with the base color over the white. The panel will look a bit different, because the base
color will have a brighter background, so more than one application will be necessary if
you want uniformity. For minor mistakes, you can hide them with battle damage, high-
lights or decals.

STAGE 3

HOUSE DAVION PAINTING GUIDE 23

STAGE 4 - GRISAILLE AND CONTRAST PAINTS

Once we have finished sketching in our highlights, it is time to use contrast paints to
add to the color. Contrast paints have a lot of uses. In this case, they work as an ink with
little coverage but with a lot of saturation, and they don’t have a glossy finish. You can
do this step with the brush but an airbrush is faster and you can prevent pooling. I used
Citadel’s Warp Lightning, a bright shade of green, as the first step. It was mixed with
thinner in a 50/50% ratio. You can add more paint to use less layers, but you lose control.

Since the contrast is very thinned down, it is better to airbrush the miniature from
far away. To prevent pooling you should move the miniature a lot. Also, you can dry
the paint just blowing air and no paint with the airbrush. Drying the paint will prevent
pooling and liquid paint moving over the panels.

You need about 16 layers to achieve the final effect. Since I wanted a warmer green
with hints of yellow instead of white, I used Citadel’s Iyanden Yellow (25% Green, 25%
Yellow, 50% Thinner) after the eighth layer. To make it look warmer, I used pure Iyanden
Yellow very diluted on the final layers.

STAGE 4
HOUSE DAVION PAINTING GUIDE 24
STAGE 5 - OUTLINING, INTONATION, EDGE HIGHLIGHTS,
AND EXTREME HIGHLIGHTS

At this point, the miniature has volume but it can still be improved. The first step is to
paint the panel lights and outlining with dark, reddish brown. In this case, it was Burnt
Umber from Vallejo. Red is the complementary color of green which makes it ideal for
the outlining because it adds a lot of contrast. The next step is intonation. With this you
add a lot of contrast and the colors become more saturated. If you paint a green ’Mech
with just dark green, medium green, and light green, the colors are flat and unsatu-
rated. If the darker sections have a glaze of dark red and the brighter sections have
been brightened with yellow instead of white the results would be better; I used AK’s
Ice Yellow. In this miniature I didn’t add any intonation because we will have a second
color in the lower sections.

STAGE 5A

HOUSE DAVION PAINTING GUIDE 25

 The next step is adding edge highlights to add a lot of volume. Also, this step can be
used to add surface details, like scratches or paint chips. Making brighter colors with Ice
Yellow or a paint like AK’s Sunny Skin Tone will make the green pop a lot more. Finally,
in the corners of the areas between the cockpit and the shoulders, you should add
brighter shades. This way you attract the attention of the viewer to the cockpit. You
may paint a few dots of white in the extreme highlights. Don’t overuse this effect, just
a few dots of white will help a lot. To boost the warm tones I added a glaze of Golden
Acrylic’s Hansa Yellow in the brightest sections.

The next stage will end with the miniature almost completed. After painting the
yellow highlights, you paint the metal surfaces. I like to use AK’s Anthracite Grey mixed
with Pastel Blue for the non-metallic metal steel effect. Finally, red glazes on the lower
sections of the NMM panels will boost the source light effect.

STAGE 5B
HOUSE DAVION PAINTING GUIDE 26
STAGE 6 - THE OBJECT SOURCE LIGHTING EFFECT

To create a basalt looking base I just used blacks and grays. For the lava effect I used
a red medium paste from Vallejo. After a day of curing it will be hard to the touch. Some
details with red and yellow will complete the lava effect.

Then we are ready to paint the OSL effect. The red glow will be done with airbrush.
With this ’Mech I used Inktense Crimson from Scale 75, a very diluted ink, mixed with
thinner in a 50/50% ratio. You should point your brush at the lower sections of the ’Mech
from a lower angle, as if the light came from the lava. The base must also have this glow.
And the lower side of the arms. Be careful
and do it with thinned down paint from
a distance. It is better to airbrush several
times and be patient so that you end
with a realistic, warm effect.

I hope this tutorial helps you to

master the airbrush and get better and
more spectacular results.

STAGE 6A

STAGE 6B
HOUSE DAVION PAINTING GUIDE 27
 CREDITS
Project Development: Matt Frederiksen
BattleTech Line Developer: Ray Arrastia
Assistant Line Developer: Aaron Cahall
Writing: Agustín Sieiro, Matt Frederiksen
Layout: David Kerber
Layout Assistantance: Dale Eadeh
Miniatures:
Dave “Hauptman” Fanjoy • Matt “00Dawg” Frederiksen
Bryan “Nomad” Mattys • Agustín “God and Davion” Sieiro

Special Thanks: A tip of the hat to the CamoSpecs team for the continuing hard
work on these guides. A nod to Chris Lemonis and the 2021 College Baseball National
Champions for making years of State fan-hood totally worth it. Finally, a special shout
out to James Frederiksen for shutting down Mountain Brook’s bats in the semi-finals
and letting me enjoy one of those special moments of fatherly pride.

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