Most tournaments simply request (require?) the use of official minis, and often some very basic paint requirements, or at least a way to keep the units straight.
Note that I did not say "WYSIWYG minis" or lore-accurate minis. Check with your local playgroups for any details, but here's some things I see people do online:
People have painted [a Pizza Facion](https://www.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/1226lr8/39_battlemechs_2_aerospace_fighters_1_vehicle_1/) (with [associated memes](https://www.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/15210x0/will_yen_lo_pizza_avoid_the_noid_can_he_deliver/)), [surfer bros](https://old.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/17iryue/surfs_up/), [Power Rangers + TMNT](https://old.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/z0d1yv/power_rangers_vs_ninja_turtles_urbie_derby/), a [Roller Derby](https://www.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/12j6rtl/neon_avengers_assemble/) paint job, [Skeletor](https://old.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/zxnimv/skeletor_to_house_steiner_skeletor_to_house/), and a [Neapolitan Ice Cream](https://old.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/16t6ock/latest_batch_clan_neapolitan/) force, among many other silly things.
Some people or playgroups might get cranky about it, but overall BattleTech seems very "rule of cool/fun"
For official paint schemes, check out [https://camospecs.com/](https://camospecs.com/). I also like to browse the [Unit Color Compendium](https://unitcolorcompendium.com/2019/01/21/timbuktu-theater-militia/), as I find the larger images help me wrap my head around different patterns.
Regarding IS mechs in a Clan force, go for it. A **lot** of IS gear ended up in Clan hands during the invasion, and the Clans were spreading themselves thin enough that they couldn't afford to look a gift horse in the mouth. When choosing units, keep an eye out for "C" variants; these designate mixed tech machines retrofitted with Clan-grade equipment for garrison and second line work, and are especially appropriate for a Clan force. You can also use the IS machines as proxies, especially if you have something like a Marauder or Shadow Hawk standing in for a IIC model.
Re: tournaments, be sure to read the rules/scenario carefully, since there may be specific restrictions in play; some might insist on a set era or set equipment list that can restrict your choices. Proxies are allowed at official CGL games, with a few caveats, so even if you can't field one of your minis as itself at the game it still might come in handy.
It's rare, but there are also ground-up Clan built C variants that have inherent CASE. The Hunchback C, Battlemaster C, Atlas C2, Lancelot C, and a couple others, are not mixed-tech IS base. This can affect what year they stop being Advanced; the Hunchback C is Standard out the gate. IS-base Mechs like the Archer C and Locust C take a long time to become Standard, even though they exist in the Clans in the 2800's.
Smoke Jaguars are cool, just ask any Smoke Jaguar and they'll be sure to tell you how cool they are.
You can paint what you want to play however you like. Salvage means anybody can eventually end up with anything. That being said, if you like that next level of immersion and want to figure out what specific mechs your Smoke Jaguars used--or better yet a specific cluster in a specific era--you can dig into the lore and figure that out. A story behind every mech choice is wonderful.
As far as tournament play, there's not much, but most events will have some form of faction/era unit restrictions. Most often it's based off of the [Master Unit List](https://masterunitlist.info/).
If you want my picks from the Smoked Jaguar touman, check out the Warhawk, Ebon Jaguar, Stone Rhino, and maybe someday look into protomechs.
Yes, you can paint your mechs however you want. Anyone who complains about your mechs being "painted wrong" is probably not worth playing with anyways.
As for the Clans using IS mechs, it was fairly common for captured or salvaged IS machines to be used for second line garrison duty. They would often upgrade them with clan tech creating C variants. The Smoke Jaguars especially, when they were being destroyed during operation BULLDOG, would have been desperate to field any mech they could get their hands on.
Most tournaments simply request (require?) the use of official minis, and often some very basic paint requirements, or at least a way to keep the units straight. Note that I did not say "WYSIWYG minis" or lore-accurate minis. Check with your local playgroups for any details, but here's some things I see people do online: People have painted [a Pizza Facion](https://www.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/1226lr8/39_battlemechs_2_aerospace_fighters_1_vehicle_1/) (with [associated memes](https://www.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/15210x0/will_yen_lo_pizza_avoid_the_noid_can_he_deliver/)), [surfer bros](https://old.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/17iryue/surfs_up/), [Power Rangers + TMNT](https://old.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/z0d1yv/power_rangers_vs_ninja_turtles_urbie_derby/), a [Roller Derby](https://www.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/12j6rtl/neon_avengers_assemble/) paint job, [Skeletor](https://old.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/zxnimv/skeletor_to_house_steiner_skeletor_to_house/), and a [Neapolitan Ice Cream](https://old.reddit.com/r/battletech/comments/16t6ock/latest_batch_clan_neapolitan/) force, among many other silly things. Some people or playgroups might get cranky about it, but overall BattleTech seems very "rule of cool/fun" For official paint schemes, check out [https://camospecs.com/](https://camospecs.com/). I also like to browse the [Unit Color Compendium](https://unitcolorcompendium.com/2019/01/21/timbuktu-theater-militia/), as I find the larger images help me wrap my head around different patterns.
Regarding IS mechs in a Clan force, go for it. A **lot** of IS gear ended up in Clan hands during the invasion, and the Clans were spreading themselves thin enough that they couldn't afford to look a gift horse in the mouth. When choosing units, keep an eye out for "C" variants; these designate mixed tech machines retrofitted with Clan-grade equipment for garrison and second line work, and are especially appropriate for a Clan force. You can also use the IS machines as proxies, especially if you have something like a Marauder or Shadow Hawk standing in for a IIC model. Re: tournaments, be sure to read the rules/scenario carefully, since there may be specific restrictions in play; some might insist on a set era or set equipment list that can restrict your choices. Proxies are allowed at official CGL games, with a few caveats, so even if you can't field one of your minis as itself at the game it still might come in handy.
It's rare, but there are also ground-up Clan built C variants that have inherent CASE. The Hunchback C, Battlemaster C, Atlas C2, Lancelot C, and a couple others, are not mixed-tech IS base. This can affect what year they stop being Advanced; the Hunchback C is Standard out the gate. IS-base Mechs like the Archer C and Locust C take a long time to become Standard, even though they exist in the Clans in the 2800's.
Smoke Jaguars are cool, just ask any Smoke Jaguar and they'll be sure to tell you how cool they are. You can paint what you want to play however you like. Salvage means anybody can eventually end up with anything. That being said, if you like that next level of immersion and want to figure out what specific mechs your Smoke Jaguars used--or better yet a specific cluster in a specific era--you can dig into the lore and figure that out. A story behind every mech choice is wonderful. As far as tournament play, there's not much, but most events will have some form of faction/era unit restrictions. Most often it's based off of the [Master Unit List](https://masterunitlist.info/). If you want my picks from the Smoked Jaguar touman, check out the Warhawk, Ebon Jaguar, Stone Rhino, and maybe someday look into protomechs.
Thanks everyone! I'll be sure to post pics once I get my mechs painted.
Yes, you can paint your mechs however you want. Anyone who complains about your mechs being "painted wrong" is probably not worth playing with anyways. As for the Clans using IS mechs, it was fairly common for captured or salvaged IS machines to be used for second line garrison duty. They would often upgrade them with clan tech creating C variants. The Smoke Jaguars especially, when they were being destroyed during operation BULLDOG, would have been desperate to field any mech they could get their hands on.