SUPER NOVA Mech Warrior

Ral Partha Figure Review

SUPER NOVA Mech Warrior, Ral Partha.
SUPER NOVA Mech Warrior, Ral Partha.

This SUPER NOVA has been painted in a three-colour camouflage pattern similar to that used on French tanks of World War One. Many historic camouflage patterns may be adapted to paint these large bi-pedal fighters. Vehicle patterns are an obvious choice, but some of the humanoidal Mechs look equally attractive in a splinter pattern copied from a modern or World War Two infantry uniform.

The Mech was sprayed a basic light sand colour, and the disruptive bands were painted on in red brown and olive green. The disruptive colours are edged with a fine line of medium grey. The Mech was then sprayed with gloss varnish, and the panel lines were filled with dark brown ink. This selective wash dries in the recesses, shading them, but the raised panels stay clean. After the wash had dried, the Mech was sprayed with matt varnish, and the raised detail was drybrushed with a tint of the base colour.

Contents

  • SUPER NOVA Mech Warrior designed by Robert Kyde
  • 7 Parts
  • 40 mm Height

Evaluation

The SUPER NOVA looks like a mechanical ape, it has relatively long arms with triple lasers replacing the hands. The facial features are very interesting, this Mech has a long snout with a central air intake, and an aircraft canopy instead of eyes. Large air intakes on either side of the skull represent the ears.

Intermediate level of difficulty. The SUPER NOVA consists of only seven parts, but the placement of parts is not immediately apparent. The small pelvis which connects the mechanical legs could be fitted in four different ways. The slots for the upper body should be facing up, that much is obvious, but it is not clear which air intake faces to the front or back. Legs and pelvis fit into the base plate very well, and they form a stable platform once the superglue has dried. We used Rai-Ro adhesive wax to hold the parts in place during construction, otherwise the legs and pelvis keep falling apart continuously.

Excellent cast-on detail. The SUPER NOVA has just enough panel lines, gratings, and joints to add interest to the model. The upper body consists of sloped and angled panels which are big enough to accept a serial number and other tactical markings.

The SUPER NOVA is a wonderfully animated figure, perfectly balanced on its mechanical legs, and firing the triple lasers on its arms.

Cast from lead-free pewter. We decided to spray the base colour onto the figure without undercoating it first. The paint rubbed off some areas when the model was handled during the painting process, giving the Mech a realistic weathered look.

Not strictly compatible with 1:72 scale, the Mech is just a little taller than an M3 Grant medium tank. In this scale, the triple lasers on the arms look like they may be .50 cal. machine guns. Wargamers might want to treat the SUPER NOVA as a bi-pedal fighter plane. It can’t fly, but it may run fast, and jump obstacles perhaps.

The designer is the same who created the AKUMA Mech Warrior.

The SUPER NOVA is an excellent model even if it may be armed more lightly than other Mechs in this series. The model has a lot of character, and it can be painted in a number of interesting patterns. This Mech is slower than a Tiger tank, but the laser weapons on either arm have approximately twice the range of the Tiger’s “88” main gun. In “what-if” scenarios, the SUPER NOVA should not be too much of a problem for the typical World War Two or modern tank.

Battletech Mech Warriors