847 replies to this topic

[Hayden]

(NOTE: I am currently accepting new requests for a limited time)

Hey All,
You may be familiar with the recoloring work I do, and as much fun as that is, I feel that I need to branch out a bit and start working on another area very near and dear to my heart. Unit insignia have been a part of Battletech since time immemorial* and therefore are important to Mechwarrior Online.

Unit Insignia are awesome, but it's a mixed bag. Many insignia online are tiny, pulled off various BT products, only available in black and white, or simply have no visual counterpart. In other cases, players want their own unit insignia so they can stand out from the crowd. So this next endeavor (which will overlap, not replace the recolors) is designed to bring large (500x500 pixels), clear, quality images into the fray. These images will not use visual components from other people's works, aside from color and geometry (I.E. I won't be copying in things from Google and changing the colors, etc).

My intended projects include requests (yay!), "vintage" logos that need more attention (I'm thinking Amphigean Light Assault Group, hate the shark love the horn), and similar works from both the Clan and Inner Sphere.

Looking forward to see where this leads,
Hayden

*(ok, since at least the mid 80s, when the Second Edition came out and the rule book had unit insignia for the mercenary units Hansen's Rough Riders, Wolf's Dragoons, Lindon's Company, the Erridani Light Horse and the 21st Centauri Lancers. After that came the Succession Wars board game, chock-full of counters with full-color unit insignia. Around the same time we also saw the release of the Camo Specs booklet, which contained information not just on unit insignia, but also paint schemes for various units (this was also my chief source of inspiration for the recolor series I've been working on))

NOTE TO PURISTS: Fanon Ahead! A lot of the work will be original or derived from canon, but in the spirit of canon; much as Piranha's 'mech designs and many of my recolors are. I will do what I can with the information available, and will gladly take input from the community. If you have concerns or comments please do not hesitate to post or PM me.

EDIT: If it wasn't implied earlier, the images I post here are for the community to use as they see fit! So, if you see something you like and want to use it, please feel free! You don't even need to ask!

Edited by Hayden, 18 May 2014 - 09:07 PM.

[Hayden]

PAGE 1
EDIT: I'm dubbing this little series "Paradise Lost-Part 1".


Chesterton Reserves - This unit is destroyed by this timeline, but they're an old favorite of mine. Maybe someone will see fit to restore the mighty Chesterton Reserves to their former glory! Though a shadow of it's former glory, elements of the Chesterton Reserves (Kingston's Legionaries and Sung's Cuirassiers, both of which are later transferred to the Victoria Commonality Rangers) actually survived the 4th Succession war! As of 3049/50 the Chesterton reserves are still among us. Backgrounds will be in a clashing color so that they are easy to remove. Based in the Chesterton Commonality. 2011-12-03


EDIT: Murphy's Law - This was a custom job that I did earlier this week. It's a parody of "Blind Justice": a Devil has stolen her robes and scale. The Scale is now heavily tilted. The dagger he holds is based heavily on the one used by Caesars Legion. Future custom jobs will not typically make such heavy use of gradients, though let us not rule anything out. 2011-11-30


EDIT: MacGregor's Armored Scouts - Another Capellan unit lost to the ravages of the 4th succession war (which was particularly devastating for that nation), I was partial to it as well, even though its history isn't particularly outstanding. Floating. 2011-12-03


EDIT: McCrimmon's Light Cavalry - Another Capellan victim of the 4th Succession war. I always felt the insignia was a little unfortunate. Floating. 2011-12-04


EDIT: Liao Reserves - The defenders of the Liao Commonality, another unit that fell to Davion invaders. Based in the Liao Commonality. 2011-12-04.


EDIT: Sian Reserves - Unlike many of the other units on this page, the Sian reserves were not destroyed in the 4th succession war but were disbanded and assigned to other units. Sian Commonality. 2011-12-04.


EDIT: Sarna Reserves - Another formation that fell victim to the Davion aggressors in the 4th Succession war. Up until now I've been trying to keep true to the original designs, but I made a little change here. Normally the star in the center is pure white, as far as I can tell. To make it "pop" a bit more I modified it to include some light gray. Sarna Commonality. 2011-12-04


EDIT: Tikonov Reserves - Part of this unit was wiped out defending the Tikonov Commonality. The remaining elements were transferred elsewhere. Fairly liberal interpretation in this rendition. Tikonov Commonality. 2011-12-04.


EDIT: Blackwind Lancers - This unit is still around, but for some reason their insignia is of a dragon wrapped around a planet. I was never too keen on it, so here is a good example of their former logo insignia. I'll admit that I'm not 100% on it, but it should get the job done. Floating. 2011-12-04


EDIT: Capellan Reserves - The Capellan Reserves survived the 4th Succession war but were reformed into other units. Capellan Commonality. 2011-12-04.

Thanks!

Edited by Hayden, 24 September 2013 - 10:31 AM.

[Hayden]

PAGE 2
Since the last page had a Capellan theme, this one is going to be directed toward the Draconis Combine.

Aphigean Light Assault Group (Old) - Playing the Succession Wars board game years ago, I fell in love with the insignia of the Amphigean LAG. It just seemed like such a simple, yet profound design: a golden horn on a field of blue. ALAG soon became "my" unit (at least as it pertains to the Draconis combine). Years later, I found out that they changed the insignia to some type of metal-plated shark. I just never warmed up to that logo: it always seemed so damned pretentious, like they were trying too hard. I wanted to say "Come on, guys! You're the Amphigean LAG! You don't need a shark to prove you're tough!" Anyway, their insignia will always be that golden horn in my mind. Floating. 2011-12-04


EDIT: Rasalhague Regulars - This unit was disbanded after the foundation of the FRR. For the duration of its existence, the unit suffered from poor cohesion and suffered from back-biting from within the combine. Rasalhague District. 2011-12-04


EDIT: Matar Militia - The Matar Militia does not exist. Even beyond the extent that the rest of the Battletech Universe does not exist. The Matar Militia appeared in the Succession Wars table top game and as far as Sarna and other sources tell me, never again after. This is modeled after the unit's insignia as seen in the Succession Wars table top game. Deployment info unavailable. 2011-12-04


EDIT: Chian Militia - The Chian Militia is in a similar boat as the Matar Militia: no existence known to me or Sarna beyond it's appearance in the Succession Wars game. Deployment info unavailable. 2011-12-04


EDIT: Sun Zhang Cadre (Old) - This is an earlier logo used by the Sun Zhang Academy Cadre. It has since been replaced, though new logos do bear elements of this (from what I can tell) original logo. Like many of these older logos, I am partial to this one. Floating (?)/New Samarkand. 2011-12-04


EDIT: Dieron Regulars (old) - everyone knows and loves the Dieron Regulars. This is my take on their old insignia, as found in the Succession Wars game. It's a .png, as I'm too stupid to consider that other image formats aside from .jpgs exist. I will be converting older images to this new and exciting format. No more hot pink for you all! Dieron District. 2011-12-04


EDIT: Wolf's Dragoons - By the 3050s Wolf's Dragoons had long since split from their former employer, the Draconis Combine. That said, before the 4th Succession War they played a major role in the establishment of several elite units in the DC, in addition to their normal functions as mercenaries. I wanted to make sure I got this right... I'm still not totally satisfied but I figure this is about as good as it'll get and still be reasonable. Mercenary. 2011-12-04


EDIT: St. Cyr Heavy Assault Group - This was another mercenary unit in the employ of the Draconis Combine, serving during the 4th Succession War. I took some creative liberties with this, the green band around the black circle is not normally present. Mercenary. 2011-12-04

EDIT: Samarkand Militia - This is another conjectural unit which is only referenced in the Succession Wars board game. The insignia was similar, except the largest compass point was a sword and the yellow border was a square instead of a circle. Since I don't like to give into the kind of "theme party" trite (mean I like a bit of multiculturalism, thank you very much) that's seeping into modern battle tech imagery, I changed the sword to a single large compass point. I did away with the square because it didn't feel right. Unknown Deployment. 2011-12-04




EDIT: Requested Insignia. Yes, that is the head of an Urbie impaled on a winged sword. 2011-12-04


Thanks for watching!

Edited by Hayden, 05 December 2011 - 09:16 AM.

[Hayden]

OK! The pink is gone, never to return again! I forgot that the .png format was for more than just Dawn of War

[Metalbourne]

Can you do the Wolf's Dragoons?

[BduSlammer]

The Rasalhague District and later the Republic was born on a opps from Fasa. They had the game Renegade Legion the colors for the R came back backwards and were wonder what to do with all the Rs .

[Hayden]

Page 3 - Federated Suns.

NAIS Cadre - Per Succession Wars game. Pretty close to the original, but I added a white border. 2011-12-04

EDIT: Avalon Hussars - Basic highlights on the shield and sword. Otherwise very similar to its depiction in Succession Wars. 2011-12-04

EDIT: Aragon Borderers - This is based off the old version. It is very similar to the new, except the old version uses solid colors and has a slightly different structure and proportion.

EDIT: Crucis March Militia - As it appeared in Succession Wars. It's very similar to the modern insignia, which is rounded on the bottom. 2011-12-04

EDIT: 1st Kittery Borderers Insignia. I killed the gradients. Otherwise, it's close. 2011-12-04

EDIT: "Emerald Riders" - Requested home-brew mercenary unit. 2011-12-04


EDIT: 12th Vegan Rangers - Another Mercenary outfit. This is based off an older design scheme seen in the Mercenaries Handbook from the mid 80s. 2011-12-05

...and this one is related, per request. A variant with "scrolls" for writing things on.

That's it for tonight, folks!

EDIT: Ceti Hussars - This is based off the old insignia, but with some changes. 2011-12-05

EDIT: Argyle Lancers - This is a bit of a departure. I really liked the older logo (the spear goes through the A) I wanted to make something that looked dynamic and angular. I'm not totally satisfied, though, so I may revisit it later. 2011-12-05


Thanks!

Edited by Hayden, 05 December 2011 - 06:08 PM.

[Cake Bandit]

This is some really cool work.

[Skwisgaar Skwigelf]

This is the stuff that makes the BT/MW universe great. Keep it up!

Edited by Skwisgaar Skwigelf, 04 December 2011 - 08:38 PM.

[godzofwar]

I have a special request for an art picture but I don't know how to request this in private.
If you would contact me to discuss this matter I would appreciate it.

Thank you for your time & consideration

[Grotonomus]

The Emerald Riders Live!!!

Great Heaping amounts of thanks to Hayden. For finally giving my old TT Merc unit a Beautiful Logo

Edited by Arden Sortek, 06 December 2011 - 06:33 PM.

[Odin]

Hayden, thats an outstanding contribution to our hobby, well done!
Love the Horn, playing Waldhorn here, and of course your Mech paintjobs.


S!

[benben10]

12th Vegan Rangers insignia could used some serious expounding.

[Hanyit Greyhame]

Hayden, on 04 December 2011 - 04:42 AM, said:

EDIT: Requested Insignia. Yes, that is the head of an Urbie impaled on a winged sword. 2011-12-04


Thanks for watching!

I happily take credit for this request! Great work Hayden, and before you all call me an urby hater, the CO of my merc company takes a particular sic pleasure in making sure that the most difficult bot in any practice battle is an urby, and sics him upon me. Needless to say, I have gotten good at beating the little buggers...

On Topic: Great work Hayden, thanks a bunch!

Regards,

Hanyit Greyhame

[Hayden]

Page 4 - Lyran Commonwealth.

Sakhalin Regulars - Yet another conjectural unit from the Succession Wars table top game.I modified the insignia from a square to a circle, the blue field was also originally white. 2011-12-05

Odessa Regulars - Yet another conjectural unit from the Succession Wars table top game. Little is changed aside from proportion. 2011-12-05

Black Hearts - A Steiner Mercenary unit from Succession Wars. No other known appearances. Lots of liberties taken with this one. 2011-12-05


EDIT: Dragon's Breath - This is to my mind one of the better logos from earlier times that was tragically replaced. This logo was awesome in a lot of ways, a good design and I felt I needed to bring the old one back to light. I worked from eye and took some liberties with the basic shape, but the original intent is still very clear. This is one of the few times that I agreed with the use of a gradient. Mercenary. 2011-12-06

EDIT: Lyran Regulars - NAILED IT! I love how this turned out. 2011-12-06


EDIT: Donegal Regulars - Another Succession Wars unit that never made it to prime-time. I always liked this insignia. 2011-12-06


EDIT: York Regulars - Another Succession Wars unit that never made it to prime-time. 2011-12-06


EDIT: Hesperus Guards - Another Succession Wars unit that never made it to prime-time. 2011-12-06


EDIT: Arcturan Guards - Unlike many of these other forces which never quite made it, the Arcturan Guards are a pretty big deal. This insignia is based off older renditions. The newer ones are similar, but feel cartoonish to me, because the shield is so squad and there is such heavy use of shading. I did take a couple liberties with this, the handle is longer and the position is changed to reflect this. Also, there are no gradients. 2011-12-06


The Bad Dream - This is a mercenary unit. Not much to say about it... 2011-12-06


Thanks All!

Edited by Hayden, 06 December 2011 - 09:49 AM.

[Marauder3D]

12th Vegan Rangers over at MWLL should get a gander at these! Good work again mate.

[Threat Doc]

PM Sent, Hayden. Thank you, either way.

I built the following for a BattleTech Mercenaries unit, Ignatova's Instigators, that I played there once. I wish my players would have been more interested in the story, because I know I was having fun... If this one is too big, I'll edit for a smaller one. Not too big, but definitely too dark, hehe...



It needs a little work, but it's not horrible.

Edited by Kay Wolf, 05 December 2011 - 08:58 PM.

[Taliesin]

Wow! These are blinding! Do you mind if I use some of them on the textures for my Locust paper model?

Tal

[Hayden]

Kay Wolf, on 05 December 2011 - 08:51 PM, said:

PM Sent, Hayden. Thank you, either way.

I built the following for a BattleTech Mercenaries unit, Ignatova's Instigators, that I played there once. I wish my players would have been more interested in the story, because I know I was having fun... If this one is too big, I'll edit for a smaller one. Not too big, but definitely too dark, hehe...



It needs a little work, but it's not horrible.

It's a little busy/colorful, but the basic idea is solid. It has easily definable elements, which carry strong connotations. I think you should keep at it if you enjoy it, and it makes you happy!

Marauder3D, on 05 December 2011 - 08:16 PM, said:

12th Vegan Rangers over at MWLL should get a gander at these! Good work again mate.

Thanks! I find that I often like the end product on requests better than things I do as personal side projects. I'm terribly pleased with how the 12th Vegan Rangers turned out.

Taliesin, on 06 December 2011 - 12:59 AM, said:

Wow! These are blinding! Do you mind if I use some of them on the textures for my Locust paper model?

Tal

That would be fine; these are for the benefit of the community. I'm designing them with an eye toward versatility: it's easier to add effects to something like this later, instead of trying to remove them. You can also feel free to modify them and make them into something special for you. I don't own the rights to the images, so I lose nothing by letting you or anyone else do what they want to with them

[Hayden]

Page 5 - House Marik

Marik Militia - The most prolific of the various units in the FWLM. This should be very close to the origional, but bigger. 2011-12-06


Atrean Dragoons, Old - This is based off the old Atrean Dragoons insignia. Like many of my other designs, I did away with the gradient, opting instead for a solid shade of yellow/orange. Otherwise, it's quite similar to the older one. 2011-12-06


Atrean Hussars, Old - This is based off the old Atrean Hussars insignia. Like many of my other designs, I did away with the gradient. However, the design demanded a two-tone solution, so I added a white circle to the middle. Otherwise, it's quite similar to the older one. 2011-12-06


Fusiliers of Oriente, Old - I'd always hoped that this was supposed to represent some kind of man-eating plant. I don't know if it is or not. What I do know is that the new insignia is very different. This one is very nearly identical to the old one, with very few liberties taken. 2011-12-06


EDIT: Stewart Dragoons, Old - Per Succession Wars table top piece. The only thing I really changed was that I removed the white from the image and replaced it with black. 2011-12-06


EDIT: Oriente Hussars, Old - This is the old Oriente Hussars insignia per Camo Specs '87 and Succession Wars TTG. I borrowed the head from the Marik Militia bird to save time. 2011-12-06

EDIT: Ok, this next one is a bit of a "dump". I started on the Sirian Lancers, based off the Succession Wars TTG image. Anyway, as I was working, I became curious as to what the modern equivalent looked like, or if it was even the same. What I discovered (to my abject terror) was a series of logos looking like something I'd once seen in a disco in Berlin (I get around). Shocked at the amount of purple and neon colors and flames I collected my thoughts... something had to be done about this. So I decided to see if I could merge the best aspects of both insignia. What I have for you now is the Sirian Lancers Insignia, and the Insignia for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Lancers. These take the basic coloration and arrangement of the SW imagery, and combine them with a lance closer to that seen in the new logos (as opposed to the pointy stick in the old one), as well as utilizing elements of color inspired by the new units (but not always identical). I hope you enjoy this compromise.





As an aside, on the 3rd Lancers insignia the Lance is also white. All four images 2011-12-06.

Thanks for watching!

Edited by Hayden, 06 December 2011 - 12:14 PM.