Federation Commander

My latest submission is a jump on the Kelvin Bandwagon:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31396370@N06/

These are in progress shots: I used parts from a DNS and a shortened DNL secondary hull. I felt that visually these components fit the design better than those of a CA. Comments?

Rick Smith wrote:

Cloaky_McCloak wrote:something could be worked out and you could in fact join the sculpting ranks...

Hear hear!

That would be up to the powers that be....though I'd like to find out how to apply...anyone?

Sorry it took me so long to get back here :(

Darren any input you would like to give would be great. Actually, this goes for anyone that has input. Making a better sculpt is the ultimate goal so any constructive input (or what you don't like as well) would be appreciated.

John, I'm putting ...

John wrote:

Scoutdad is absolutely right. I kit-bash a lot as I am often very displeased with the poor sculpts of some of the ships.

Darren,

As one of the sculptors I would be interested in which of the designs you have problems with. (This is not meant as an argument starter, I just want to ...

Just to pick nits (your work is gorgeous, I'm just talking semantics) but the Zocchi DD and DN are two different ship minis. The DD (Destroyer) is a saucer and nacelle and pretty much just that. All the parts you are using seem to come exclusively from DN (Dreadnought)'s. I'm assuming this is just ...

Hi all. I'm an experienced AFV modeller/painter and am just now starting to collect and paint minis for FC. I have found that some of the techniques I use for 1/35th AFV painting don't work/can't work when painting FC minis.

For example, after undercoating my AFVs, I always 'pre shade' them by ...

...Some of the other pics show clear plastic or something for the parts...

The original "Zocchi" models [The Fed Dreadnought, Heavy Cruiser, Tug, Scout, and Destroyer] were injection molded plastic models. The came in white (well, it was tan, actually), "glow-in-the-dark" (which was a luminous ...

Very nice! I'm curious about your technique. I see the work in progress on the DNL, and in pictures 6 and 7, it looks like you're polishing or buffing the metal. Also, did you cut off and re-attach the engines on the FF?

You're spot on. All metal areas are heavily filed. sanded and polished using ...

I've posted pictures of my finished Feddies complete with Litko bases:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31396370@N ... 279283318/

I'd appreciate any comments...

Darren you make federation ships absolutely breathtaking. I am color blind and would love it if you would give us a rundown of the colors you use and an explanation of your technique for filling in that hull grid. Seriously making me want to strip my feds and add start fresh. Thanks for sharing ...

I've posted some pics of my latest projects: My DNL, Battlecruiser, SCS, and Fast Cruiser:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31396370@N06/

Any comments would be appreciated.

I use a two part approach: First I scribe the grid on using templates that I custom make for each saucer type. At this stage, I scribe with a very sharp awl which allows scribing curves. Then I deepen the lines using photoetched scribing tools - 1.5 mm thickness. I fill in mistakes with Mr. Surfacer ...

Here's the ship that got me modeling Starline minis back in '84! What a gorgeous design! Anyway, the base needs finishing:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31396370@N ... 279283318/

What do you guys think?

Thanks for the advice on the DNL. As for the build inquiries - I'll give a quick overview: The nacelle caps are bronze coated with Tamiya clear orange. Both the FF and DNL are modified from the original miniatures.

The FF had its nacelles cut off and replaced with scratchbuilds based loosely on ...

Here's my in progress pix of a DNL and my almost finished Frigate. Let me know what you guys think. Oh, can someone tell me if a DNL is a "Fast" Starship? I want to decide what color to paint the warp engine caps (orange or blue.)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31396370@N06/sets/72157608279283318/