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A question about Orion vessels paint schemes

 
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trynda1701
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Joined: 17 Mar 2008
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 9:55 pm    Post subject: A question about Orion vessels paint schemes Reply with quote

This might seem like a strange thread, but I'd like to post it nevertheless. Rolling Eyes

Between the different cool paint schemes on the Orion minis posted here and what I have seen on the Fed Comm products (Adam Turner's work especially), there are numerous paint schemes for Orion vessels. We can each paint them any way we want, from straight black hulls, or maybe that with a skull motif (my favorite scheme for my minis, with blood red skulls!), to the more varied colors seen on the aforementioned covers, or Dale McKee inspired 'starfield' camo. Even 'dazzle pattern' camo! Cool Cool Cool Cool

But is that officially what the ships would look like in the SFU? Yes, the minis look cool, and I don't wish to criticize all the hard work we all put into our minis, or anyones artwork. But would that sensible in the 'real world' of the SFU. If each scheme is unique, wouldn't that make it easier to track down a pirate vessel in the future? Each Empire's vessels would have access to a 'paint scheme database' to refer to in piracy patrol?

Don't get me wrong, I love all the different schemes I have seen. And as you can see from my avatar and signature, I love the Orions! I would just like to hear peoples thoughts on this matter. What is the 'official' word on this in the game. Do vessels have individual schemes, or are we all just playing with artistic licence? Or do people have their own opinion 'in-game', different from any official one? Very Happy

Mark
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 10:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Based on the original painting guides that came with the Starline 2200 Orions... the base hull color is black.
But is you look at the more recent, Orion Pirate painting gide produced by ADB for the Starline 2400 miniatures, this is not necessarily true.
Apparently, additional data was recovered from the 1967 Air Force tapes that indicated additional paint schemes abound.

Now, if you're asking paersonal preference, I have two or three Pirate groups painted up.
The first consists of a black hull color with a flaming motif, as seen here:


And a squadron in basic black:


Then, I have several separate minis painted in one off color schemes.
Only one has been photoed to date:


there's also an amethyst / gold LR painted for my wife... and a pearl pink CR painted for her... and a dozen or so others in various stages of completion.
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Darkwing
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 11:05 pm    Post subject: Re: A question about Orion vessels paint schemes Reply with quote

trynda1701 wrote:
But is that officially what the ships would look like in the SFU? Yes, the minis look cool, and I don't wish to criticize all the hard work we all put into our minis, or anyones artwork. But would that sensible in the 'real world' of the SFU. If each scheme is unique, wouldn't that make it easier to track down a pirate vessel in the future? Each Empire's vessels would have access to a 'paint scheme database' to refer to in piracy patrol?
Mark


I would expect that (in theory) there would be a complete spectrum of painting possibilities for all sorts of reasons. Since at one point ADB said that the base color is black, it most probably would be. But certainly with pirates being pirates, some ships would be painted differently.

In our own seafaring history there was not one single pirate flag, though most were fairly similar. Each pirate crew had their own flag. It served as a signal to the crew of with whom they were dealing. In the real world, it was often bad business for the pirates to kill or harm the crews of the plundered vessels. If the crew knew that they were going to be robbed but not killed they were likely to just surrender the cargo and be sent on their way. They would pass on their story and describe the flag. Others who saw the flag might just surrender without a fight at a later date.

Similarly, I imagine that Orions would have a more or less standard paint scheme, but individual captains would exercise a certain latitude and paint stripes, or flames, or whatever else they may like on the hull of their ships.

As far as them being easier to track down at a later time, our real world pirates did not engage naval patrols on purpose. A pirate's goal is to get in, take the treasure, and get out. Navy vessels don't carry the type of treasure a pirate wants and they are armed by professional military crews. The risk to profit margin is astronomical. I expect that getting caught or tracked down by the law really isn't an issue to a pirate.

I would seriously think that having a custom paint scheme on a pirate ship would be exactly like getting a custom paint job on a hot rod or a corporate jet. It would show the crew of any potential target freighter that this pirate crew is successful enough at piracy that they were able to spend money on something as silly as an elaborate work of art applied to the ship itself - or one step further - to a whole *fleet* of ships!

There might even be copy cats out there who would paint their ships like some more successful pirate to try and use that pirate's infamy to his advantage.

In short, I think the ships would have been mostly black early in the SFU timeline, but as time went on there would have been more and more variation until we might have seen just about any scheme anyone could ever imagine.

Just my two cents...I could be wrong.
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trynda1701
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 11:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scoutdad wrote:
Based on the original painting guides that came with the Starline 2200 Orions... the base hull color is black.
But is you look at the more recent, Orion Pirate painting gide produced by ADB for the Starline 2400 miniatures, this is not necessarily true.
Apparently, additional data was recovered from the 1967 Air Force tapes that indicated additional paint schemes abound.


@ Scoutdad

I like that info, didn't realise there were more up to date paint guides, transcribed from the Air Force tapes! lol

@ Darkwing

That's also a very cool 2 cents worth, Sir! Cool

Anyone else have some thoughts?
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Bolo_MK_XL
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 12:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Had a friends wife ask about camoflauging Battlemechs,
would it really matter if a 30 ft high robot was cammoed or not --

Also, the engineers working on the F-117 told the USAF, painting it black was the wrong way to go, wasn't the best color for the aircraft, but you know the military, they did what they wanted ---
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bolo_MK_XL wrote:
Had a friends wife ask about camoflauging Battlemechs,
would it really matter if a 30 ft high robot was cammoed or not --

If it was standing in front of 35 feet tall trees... it might. Confused
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Bolo_MK_XL
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 4:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
If it was standing in front of 35 feet tall trees... it might.


Maybe, behind some trees, but if it's in front of them, might as well paint it silver ---


As with SFU ships, if sensors can tell you what species the crew is comprised of, what weapons are on board and charged or not, paint scheme is moot.

Wouldn't matter much in space, but the US didn't paint the B-29s, as it added between a 1/4 and 1/2 ton of weight, just for the paint.
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mjwest
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 5:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Somewhere else in the forums, Steve was asked about the paint scheme Turner had given the OK6. He said that it was good, but that OK6 had multiple paint-jobs over its life, depending on the whims and desires of its various owners.

Basically, with Orion ships, they usually have multiple owners over a fairly long period of time. This means that an individual ship can end up with many different paint schemes over its lifespan. So, the official answer appears to be: do what you want. Someone probably did it in the SFU.
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Sneaky Scot
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 8:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Given that a hex is 10,000km across, even at range zero it doesn't seem likely that ID by paint job is a serious concern. I'd imagine it is more of a statement about the individual pirate than anything else.

Plus it looks pretty cool!
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