Federation Commander

[hobbybob]

In addition to the battle damage and Seltorian insignia added recently, I've just added four new strips to the Pomroy Production SFU decal line. These are available in both the block and rounded font:

FA/E21: Additional Heavy Cruisers (Constitution class)
FA/E22: Additional Fast Ships (CFs, CVSFs, and NCFs)
FA/E23: Galactic Survey Cruisers and Police Ships
FA/E24: Additional Strike Carriers

I've also added a list of the names and numbers of all Federation ships currently offered. This list is available at http://www.pomroyproductions.com/index.php?p=1_25_Federation-Ship-Names.

Samples will be posted shortly.

Thanks!
Bob
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[Maxtype]

Thank you for the ship names list, and *thank you* for the additional ships!

I for one will never get tired of doing Fed ships, and I need lots of names.

My suggestion for a future strip would be more DDEs and FEs: Timoshenko,Rokossovsky,etc.
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[hobbybob]

Thanks! I'm always looking for suggestions! Next up is the Federation Starbase and battle station, then I'll be adding names for Frigates, Destroyers, OCLs, and NCLs.
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[hobbybob]

Before I settled on my current product line, I had considered producing sets with just the Federation "NCC-"s and numbers that could be applied separately. Is that a product you folks would like to see?

Of course, it would be challenging to keep the numbers in a nice curve. I could probably produce a simple decal application guide, too.
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[djdood]

[Savedfromwhat]

I have to agree with djdood. When it is done right it can look really nice... but doing it right is a right pain.

[hobbybob]

Thanks! This is what I mean when I say you folks are so helpful! This is what I needed to hear!
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[Starsuperion]

I'm wondering..


How hard and what type of measurements could we give to have an "entire" saucer section done in One decal..

that is to say all horizontal detail decals are in their proper positions..

both top and bottom..

then all you need do is line up the center of the "dash" in the One decal to the center of the bridge, and a small mini teeny tiny line (on the decal) is used as a guider to the center of the bridge..

once centered and applied you could then just paint over the teeny tiny line, and then clear coat the entire saucer for protection..

this would make it faster to apply the saucer decals to the miniature, and reduce problems of unevenness.. not to mention improving the strength of the decal and minimizing "fold" problems during application...


It is just a suggestion.. not a request, and I really would like to hear what the rest of you "pros" think of this idea..

It's the measurements and the time it would take to get the decal sheets to fit the Miniature saucers exactly that I would think would be a problem..

but we do have some pretty savvy engineering people here who could figure out the circumference and provide HobbyBob the necessary info with minimal work on his part..

anyhow, what are your guys thoughts on this??
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[hobbybob]

That's an interesting idea. The bridge offers some problems, though... off the top of my head, without testing it, I'd say that there's too much relief (vertical difference) between the bottom of the bridge structure (deck 2) and the top of the bridge. A decal that "sweeps" around the saucer section from the starboard side of the impulse deck, around the front, to the port side of the impulse deck, would be much easier. That's how my Terran Empire decals are designed, with the lettering, gray bars (that I think of as sensor receivers), and phasors included. The bottom of the saucer would be much easier, as would the Dreadnaught & Battleship, that have different bridge structures.

Personally, I find large-area decals don't necessarily buy you headache-free application. My decals are thin, and it doesn't take much effort to rip them. The trade-off with that is that after applying Micro Sol, they really look "painted on."

I, too, am interested in what the group thinks.

Bob
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[Cosmotiger]

Regarding NCC's and separate numbers, I think it would work OK for the larger numbers on the top of the saucer/primary hull. But the Federation ships also have those tiny numbers in other places, like under the saucer and on the nacelle pennants.

At first it seems like it would be great to be able to construct custom numbers, but I find myself agreeing with djdood. For the very small numbers and letters, it would be extremely difficult, and probably not worth it. And without those, the model would still seem incomplete.

Regarding large single saucer decals: I can see there would be some benefits for alignment, but as a potential customer, I don't really have strong feelings either way.

[djdood]

Re: single-decals for the whole saucer top/bottom -
Those are all the rage in the Trek plastic scale modeling scene right now. They certainly have their benefits ("aztec" hull panel patterns on movie-era and TNG-era ships, etc.).

They are indeed tricky though. The printing has to be spot-on, with no sizing distortion at all, and that is hard to pull off without special equipment (most printers scale it to some degree, no matter what you tell them to do.

When a printer scales individual decals for phasers, hull numbers, etc., up or down 2-5% it's not really a big deal (And at our scale, it's unlikely anyone would even be able to notice) - the decals just get centered where they need to on the mini and off you go.

However, when an entire "array" of features is printed as one big decal, any tolerance in their sizing and their spacing suddenly becomes much more of an issue. You can (and often do) end up with running lights that aren't on top of the bumps, phasers that miss the bumps, ship name and hull number too close to the command teardrop, etc.

This is compounded when their are multiple versions of the same "ship" that the decal needs to work with. The perfect example of this is the Federation cruiser saucers. There are three completely different versions (five, if you count the BC and CF, which share parentage with the metal CA). The plastic saucer, metal CA saucer, and metal CC saucer all have different proportions, etc. On the gaming table, they all pretty much look the same from a distance, but making one decal that would fit all three would be nightmarish.

Another issue with "array" decals is that you are locked-into the "look" that the decal vendor provides. If you don't like rectangular (movie-style) warning-outlines around your phaser banks (and I personally don't), then you are stuck trying to either cut that portion out of the decal or trying to scrape it off (either of which compromise the decal and add to your workload in getting the mini done).

I'm much happier with the more typical decal sheets that Bob and other vendors are already doing, with separate decals for the various features. That way you can pick and choose what you want, and the decals are of manageable size (some get a little small and fiddly, but in time you can get used to it).

Re: Separate NCC-numbers/letters sheets (i.e. a sheet of 1111222233334444..., AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD...., etc.) -
These work at larger scales (like the Trek scale model kits) and are pretty neat, but again, would be really difficult to work with at our scale.

I'm much happier just paying a decal vendor who is willing to just change the art on his computer to what I need and then print that (or doing that myself), as opposed to cursing at my last "number 5" decal which went floating off and stuck to the side of the wetting-bowl.
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[hobbybob]

I'm satisfied with the responses I'm getting. It's relatively easy for me to set up the numbers with my graphics software. Trying to individually affix hull number decals at 1:3788 would quickly have me wanting to pick up an easier hobby… like reattaching Spock’s brain.

This is one project/product I’d be happy not to do. I think my costs for custom work are fairly low, and as time goes on, I’ll be adding many more of the “approved” ship names and registration numbers (That being said, I couldn’t help adding NCA 1665 USS Minneapolis).
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[Savedfromwhat]

Bob Are you going to offer the Terran Empire with the same small lettering? I am about to place an order and would like to include those types of decals if you will be offering them.

Thanks

[hobbybob]

I found some time today and added the small size; I plan to offer both. If you'd like to place an order, contact me at hobbybobp@hotmail.com.

Thanks!
Bob
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Those who can't paint, decal.

[hobbybob]

Hi Folks!
I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m going to have to bite the bullet and buy an ALPS printer after all. I can’t do it right away… I’ll have to wait until my sales cover the cost. But the value this (being able to print in white and to increase the opacity of my existing decals) will bring to my current customers will be dramatic, and the next area I’ll be pursuing (model railroad decals) really won’t get off the ground without it.

Keep watching the Forums and my web site… as always, I’ll announce when new decal sets are available.

Also, get this… there will be no price increase when the new printer is in place! What a deal!

Thanks!
Bob
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Those who can, paint.
Those who can't paint, decal.