“The Nova Is A Versatile Medium OmniMech…”

“…That is capable of acting as a workhorse design in most forces.”

This 1:285 scale plastic model of a Nova is made by “Catalyst Game Labs” and can be bought together with the Executioner, Timber Wolf, Adder, and Grendel in the company’s “Battletech: Clan Invasion” boxed set. All the pre-assembled miniatures in this “supplement to the BattleTech: A Game of Armoured Combat box” come with an assortment of Alpha Strike cards depicting various colour schemes. However, as I plan to employ this particular sculpt as a Dornier class Finnish War Walker for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign using some homemade rules, I decided to go with a predominantly white palette.

“Equipped with a 250 XL Model SF-2 Fusion Engine”, the 34mm tall figure was originally primed using two layers of “Vallejo” German Grey, shaded in “Citadel” Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” German Grey with a softly-bristled make-up blusher brush. It was then treated to a watered-down coat of “Citadel” White Scar to replicate the Finnish force’s attempt to provide the mech with some basic camouflage during the Continuation War’s wintry months.

The Axis Forces attempt to hold off a Soviet strike during The Continuation War.

In addition, I wanted to show a lot of wear and tear on the war machine, so started dabbing various edges on the miniature with a piece of torn foam covered in “Vallejo” German Grey. This was actually applied to certain areas using a pair of tweezers, as some of the spaces between the sculpt’s limbs were simply too close together to allow me to reach them whilst holding the foam with my fingers.

I also went back over a lot of the flatter surfaces with some more foam, this time with “Citadel” White Scar on it, to suggest where the Finnish camouflage had firmly remained in place. Once I was content with the overall weathering on the Nova, I applied a combination of “Vallejo” Gunmetal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil to some of its exhaust vents, and the main ‘bolts’ holding its two laser-toting arms in place.

"The Blood Angels were the IX Legion of the original Space Marine Legions under their Primarch Sanguinius."

As a final touch I applied a couple of “Hakaristi”, or hooked crosses, from my collection of “Decal Details” and positioned them onto the model’s shin armour plating. Frustratingly, I wasn’t entirely happy as to how these transfers stood out with their white circles against a predominantly “Vallejo” German Grey background, so in the end dabbed at them a bit with some extra “Citadel” White Scar on a piece of foam. 

Alongside the latest addition to my Axis Weird War Two walkers, I have completed three more 15mm Retained Knights sold by “Alternative Armies”. Available as part of the company’s "The Ion Age" range, I've actually painted these figures up predominantly using “Vallejo” Heavy Red and “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson to proxy some Horus Heresy Blood Angels from the "Warhammer 40K" universe.