Federation fleet so far
- Thread starter The Big D
- Start date
AdrianH said:
Yep scratch built. My shrinking macine is currently undergoing repairs after an unfortunate malfunction :wink:
I filed the end of a plastic rod into shuttle hull shape then glued two tiny bits of wire to the sides for engines. I then poked it a couple of times into a spare bit of mixed milliput to create a negative. Once that was set I got some little balls of greenstuff, put them onto a stick dabbed with a little water and pressed the milliput mould onto each ball. About 50% came out ok. Left them to set for a day then cut them away from the rest of the greenstuff. Tiny sized and as many as I need!
Geoff
bluebirds40
Mongoose
great job on the defiant.
Zarathustra Suicune
Mongoose
Really nice, how did you get the paint down the cracks/lines on the saucer sections?my paint ust seems to keep going over/not going in every time I try.
Zarathustra Suicune said:
2 Tricks. First I diluted the paint down 50:50 with citadel Lhamian Medium. It is wierd voodoo juice that works to thin down the paint to a sort of wash, but it still dries evenly whereas it wouldn't with water. Then I painted it into the cracks with a thin brush.
Second, I did spill it, but the thing that really brings it all together is that I highlighted around all of the sections on the the saucer. Yep every one. Using a 50:50 mix of the base hull grey and white. Very time consuming but it does neaten all the edges and cover the spills!
Geoff
Zarathustra Suicune
Mongoose
I shall try that then, as it has been driving me crazy trying to get paint down them. Your highlighting has certainly payed off I'd say.
Stu-- said:
Did them up myself using standard mongoose bases, an edding 780 white paint marker a gridded mat and a ruler.
First you need a ruler that isn't quite flat to the surface. I have a steel ruler with a cork back to it. If you use a flat ruler then the capillary action will tend to draw the paint under the ruler.
Next draw a line straight across the middle of the base. Leave it to dry - do some more bases while you wait!
Then you line up the first line on the grid vertically with two grid lines crossing in the centre of the base. This allows you to line up the ruler horizontally for the next line which goes straight across the base too.
(note this base has all the lines on it already!)
Once dry, rotate the base 45 degrees. you can line up the now diagonal lines with the crossing points of the grid squares if there is again 2 lines crossing in the middle of the base. I drew 2 little lines this time each 1cm long on each edge of the base. No real reason why, I just thought it looked cooler like that!
Finally rotate 90 degrees and put the last 2 lines on as before.
All done. Funky arc markers quick and easy!
The idea of pre marked bases is a good one, but these ships are used for multiple games systems. ACTA uses 8 octants through the F,P,S,A,FH,PH,SH,AH arcs. SFB and FC use 6 shield facings and multiple fire arcs across may weapons, or on a hex map where you probably want hex bases anyway. I dont even know what starmada does!
Turning markers are cool but if used with round bases specifically you still need a mark on the base to rotate from. This is why most turning markers use the ship rather than the base as the measuring point.
I did go hunting for premarked round bases but couldn't find any. Plus I'm impatient!
Lots of people have been opting for stickers on the bases.
Which ever you choose to do I hope we can see the results!
Geoff
People have commented on how they like the way I have done the engines on the fleet so I thought I would share the process with everyone.
All the paints are citadel.
Step 1
Paint the end Mechrite Red
Step 2
Paint the front of the cap Blood Red
Step 3
Paint a cross on the front of the cap with Blazing Orange
Step 4
Paint 2 lines between each branch of the cross to create a 12 pointed star
Step 5
Paint a cross over the original orange cross but smaller and thinner in Golden Yellow
Step 6
As before paint 2 lines between each branch of the cross over the orange ones but smaller and thinner
Step 7
Gloss Varnish!
Fly boldly into the deep of space where no man has gone before and all that!
Geoff
All the paints are citadel.
Step 1
Paint the end Mechrite Red
Step 2
Paint the front of the cap Blood Red
Step 3
Paint a cross on the front of the cap with Blazing Orange
Step 4
Paint 2 lines between each branch of the cross to create a 12 pointed star
Step 5
Paint a cross over the original orange cross but smaller and thinner in Golden Yellow
Step 6
As before paint 2 lines between each branch of the cross over the orange ones but smaller and thinner
Step 7
Gloss Varnish!
Fly boldly into the deep of space where no man has gone before and all that!
Geoff
Red-24 said:
Cheers! My pleasure.
Here's another one. I decided to name one of my CAs the Agincourt. There is no name for this ship on the mongoose decal sheet so I plated it together using bits of other names. First I scanned the decal sheet and pulled out the names I needed and and put them together so I can find the centre of the name to line up on the saucer.
Then I just built it up a bit at a time, varnishing each layer as a I went along to prevent the previous bit moving as I apply the next, starting with the middle.
Tada!
Geoff
McKinstry said:
Indeniably these guys make absolutely the coolest stuff around. They've done all of the little bits and bobs lacking from the mongoose sheets lights, lines, windows and all the other details present on the original studio Enterprise model translated to the rest of the SF line plus war rings! Ace!
I would love to get my hands on some of them unfortunately funding is currently lacking and I can do what I needed from the £4.99 mongoose sheets but I can't find the $100+ for the Tenneshington ones I would need which does bum me out a bit.
Such is life! Long live the Guys with the skills!
Do check em out: http://www.tenneshington.com
Geoff
I have been requested to put a little more detail on the Saladin conversions and some side pics so there they are!
Saladin from the side
DDL Lysander from the side
Saladin from the bottom
As to the parts used for the saladin 1 constitution or strike cruiser and the DDL used a battle cruiser plus a little 0.75-1mm wire to mount the dish and some putty of choice to fill gaps and a little card or plasticard to add details.
Step 1: Cut the mount of the engines and smooth down the marks left. This is a little awkward as the engine mounts tend to meet the detail on the bottom of the engine. Scraping gently with the tip of a knife works best and is much eaisier on resin than metal!
Step 2: File the detail on the side of the engine down and fill in with putty. I used miliput on the first one that I did because it is easy to file, but the other 2 I used a couple of coats of Liquid Greenstuff as it sets quickly and can also be filed!
Step 3: Cut the neck away from the secondary hull. It is best to use a saw and cut away more than you need in 2 diagonal cuts into the hull either side of the neck. Once removed, file a slight groove longways into the lower edge to give it a bit of a concave shape to better fit with the engine. For the DDL I kept the launcher of the BC as I thought it would be a cool place to put the plasmas!
Step 4: For the battle cruiser and strike cruiser remove the drone launchers from the top of the hull carefully with a knife and files. Also 2 of the extra phasers need to come off the lower side of the saucer of the BC at the front.
Step 5: Drill a hole for the stand with a 2mm drill bit. For stability drill the hole about 5mm back from the centre of the saucer. This is the centre of gravity of the finished model. One of mine used a metal engine on a resin saucer and for this one I drilled the hole in the bottom of the engine right behind the 3 rectangles at the front. This is dimensionally the centre of the ship but only on this one is it the centre of mass!
Step 6: File the lower bubble of the saucer flat and drill a hole the right width for the wire and a second one in the middle of the dish at the back. Bend the wire at 90 degrees and cut it down to mount the dish onto. I found the bend in the wire was slightly curvedand the joint is very close to scraping a bit of material out of the hole on the dish at one side allows the bend to be stuck as close to the dish as possible. Cut the rest of the wire down and stick it into the saucer making sure the dish is facing forwards. For the DDL to just clear the dish with the plasmas I filed a little off the top of the dish and mounted it as close to the hull as I could!
Step 7: Use some putty to widen the dish mount so it doesn't look like a piece of wire!
Step 8: Glue it all together!
Step 9: Additions! I added a shuttle bay (2 rectangles side by side) and a tractor (a tiny triangle)to the bottom of the saucer in much the way the FF/FFBs have them. I didn't add lower drone launcher (tiny rectangle with a hole drilled in it) as in SFB they don't have them on any of my SSDs but on the FC ones on ADB website they do which I didin't realise until finished and painted!
I may go back and add them later. I have no idea if I got them in the right place but I don't have any of the SL2400 to compare to.
I also added the PH/SH phaser 3s to the upper saucer next to the bridge section. These were phaser bumps cut from the bottom of the lower hull and stuck with a tiny speck of super glue in position. I didn't put them lower on the saucer as they would have vanished into the grooves and I would put the defensive phasers next to the bridge anyway!
Step 10: Paint it. I chopped up transters to get the names and numbers right, but I understand Tenneshinton (see above) are going to be doing custom decals for DD kitbashes.
Done!
Oh and the leftovers! (no spare engines as this was the reason for the conversions in the first place - missing/miscast)
Geoff
Saladin from the side
DDL Lysander from the side
Saladin from the bottom
As to the parts used for the saladin 1 constitution or strike cruiser and the DDL used a battle cruiser plus a little 0.75-1mm wire to mount the dish and some putty of choice to fill gaps and a little card or plasticard to add details.
Step 1: Cut the mount of the engines and smooth down the marks left. This is a little awkward as the engine mounts tend to meet the detail on the bottom of the engine. Scraping gently with the tip of a knife works best and is much eaisier on resin than metal!
Step 2: File the detail on the side of the engine down and fill in with putty. I used miliput on the first one that I did because it is easy to file, but the other 2 I used a couple of coats of Liquid Greenstuff as it sets quickly and can also be filed!
Step 3: Cut the neck away from the secondary hull. It is best to use a saw and cut away more than you need in 2 diagonal cuts into the hull either side of the neck. Once removed, file a slight groove longways into the lower edge to give it a bit of a concave shape to better fit with the engine. For the DDL I kept the launcher of the BC as I thought it would be a cool place to put the plasmas!
Step 4: For the battle cruiser and strike cruiser remove the drone launchers from the top of the hull carefully with a knife and files. Also 2 of the extra phasers need to come off the lower side of the saucer of the BC at the front.
Step 5: Drill a hole for the stand with a 2mm drill bit. For stability drill the hole about 5mm back from the centre of the saucer. This is the centre of gravity of the finished model. One of mine used a metal engine on a resin saucer and for this one I drilled the hole in the bottom of the engine right behind the 3 rectangles at the front. This is dimensionally the centre of the ship but only on this one is it the centre of mass!
Step 6: File the lower bubble of the saucer flat and drill a hole the right width for the wire and a second one in the middle of the dish at the back. Bend the wire at 90 degrees and cut it down to mount the dish onto. I found the bend in the wire was slightly curvedand the joint is very close to scraping a bit of material out of the hole on the dish at one side allows the bend to be stuck as close to the dish as possible. Cut the rest of the wire down and stick it into the saucer making sure the dish is facing forwards. For the DDL to just clear the dish with the plasmas I filed a little off the top of the dish and mounted it as close to the hull as I could!
Step 7: Use some putty to widen the dish mount so it doesn't look like a piece of wire!
Step 8: Glue it all together!
Step 9: Additions! I added a shuttle bay (2 rectangles side by side) and a tractor (a tiny triangle)to the bottom of the saucer in much the way the FF/FFBs have them. I didn't add lower drone launcher (tiny rectangle with a hole drilled in it) as in SFB they don't have them on any of my SSDs but on the FC ones on ADB website they do which I didin't realise until finished and painted!
I may go back and add them later. I have no idea if I got them in the right place but I don't have any of the SL2400 to compare to.
I also added the PH/SH phaser 3s to the upper saucer next to the bridge section. These were phaser bumps cut from the bottom of the lower hull and stuck with a tiny speck of super glue in position. I didn't put them lower on the saucer as they would have vanished into the grooves and I would put the defensive phasers next to the bridge anyway!
Step 10: Paint it. I chopped up transters to get the names and numbers right, but I understand Tenneshinton (see above) are going to be doing custom decals for DD kitbashes.
Done!
Oh and the leftovers! (no spare engines as this was the reason for the conversions in the first place - missing/miscast)
Geoff
GalagaGalaxian
Mongoose
Excellent conversion guide. If I ever pick some Feds up I may have to give this a go myself. Heck, its tempting to buy a strike cruiser just to try this. 
As for the drone launcher, it was part of one of the War-Readiness refits, the same refit also added a Phaser-3s in each of what CTA:SF would call the PH and SH arcs. Is your SFB set really old? My father's ancient SSDs (the half page ones with no helpful chart) lack any refits and stuff but the newer full-page SSDs I got have that stuff included on it along with lots of helpful charts and stuff.
As for the drone launcher, it was part of one of the War-Readiness refits, the same refit also added a Phaser-3s in each of what CTA:SF would call the PH and SH arcs. Is your SFB set really old? My father's ancient SSDs (the half page ones with no helpful chart) lack any refits and stuff but the newer full-page SSDs I got have that stuff included on it along with lots of helpful charts and stuff.
Old but not that ancient! 1995 was the most recent date on my stuff - Module M.
I have basic set, advanced missions,C1&2,R1-6,J,K,M,X1, G1 and D3
A lot of it is TFG but pretty much 'current' as SFB goes. I Think! :shock:
I have a random assortment of FC too Romulan border, Klingon attack and tholian attack that I picked up cheap after playing it with a friend some years ago.
Section R is always great to get some background on the different ships.
Geoff
I have basic set, advanced missions,C1&2,R1-6,J,K,M,X1, G1 and D3
A lot of it is TFG but pretty much 'current' as SFB goes. I Think! :shock:
I have a random assortment of FC too Romulan border, Klingon attack and tholian attack that I picked up cheap after playing it with a friend some years ago.
Section R is always great to get some background on the different ships.
Geoff
