Mech Every Day Force Saturday #3: 1st St. Ives Lancers Medium Lance

The Capellan Confederation has always been the smallest of the Successor States. It was formed out of necessity, when three even smaller nations banded together to resist pressure from their expansionist neighbors. For much of the Succession Wars the Confederation shrank even further, culminating in its near-bisection during the Fourth Succession War. These losses halted there, and at the end of the Jihad House Liao had nearly reclaimed all of the territory lost since 3025. In the current day of 3152, the Capellan Confederation holds nearly as many worlds as it did during the fabled First Star League.

One of the prominent regions in Capellan space is the St. Ives Commonality. During the Fourth Succession War, this district broke away and remained independent for several decades. After a brief war it was reabsorbed into the Confederation. The 1st St. Ives Lancers were integrated into the Capellan Armed Forces, and in deference to the Chancellor they modified their paint scheme from using yellow highlights to ivory. Thus, the pictured lance is from some time after the reintegration.

This Medium Battle Lance is typical of the average Confederation force. On the whole, it presents a mix of speed and firepower. The heaviest unit is the 55-ton Shadow Hawk, a multi-role trooper used throughout the Inner Sphere. The next-largest is the 45-ton Vindicator. This has long been a staple of the Capellan Confederation. Its PPC and LRM rack give it excellent range and punch for its weight class. Rounding out the Medium-mass 'Mechs, the 40-ton Assassin is an extremely mobile design that's a bit undergunned, but can react to a fluid battle by quickly repositioning itself to wherever it is needed. Finally, a diminutive UrbanMech adds a nasty short-ranged bite with its heavy autocannon, though its laughably slow speed requires some tactical skill to make sure it can contribute to a battle.

This bright green with ivory highlights scheme is really only going to be found in the Capellan Confederation. As with most of my painting, it's simple to achieve, just Liao Green (AKA Orc Skin) painted over a white primer coat. The ivory is Revenant Bone (AKA Boney Spikes) which provides a nice contrast. It's not obvious from the above picture, but besides the knee pads and stretched chevrons, I tried to emphasize a circular structure on each miniature in ivory: the Shadow Hawk's shoulder guards, the actual shoulder actuator on the Vindicator, the elbow actuator on the Assassin, and the UrbanMech's "halo" above its cockpit.