Federation ships colors??

Starsuperion · Post by **Starsuperion** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:38 am

Okay so I reread the back of the box set for the federation Squadron box #1

I must confess.. (the quality of the casting on the set I bought is less then perfect.. and a pain to work with..I was really bummed out.)

after extensive work..

I was going to paint my ships..

I primer-ed the 0233 (Federation Battle Cruiser).. and well..

I went an watched some of the Star trek Episodes of the animated series..

needless to say the instructions on the box matched the color scheme pretty closely..

but I had planned on doing the ships based on the TOS series..

Now I am not sure..

is the TOS series color scheme considered canon for the SFU or is the Animated?

I know we can paint our ships what ever we like..

but now I'm kinda perplexed..

I did come up with a great "Starship Grey" color..

Vallejo Paints..

5 parts brick grey
3 1/2 parts wolf grey
2 parts white..

it makes the perfect match for the TOS series..

but now I'm not sure..

maybe I should post pics of the color for approval..

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:04 am

I wouldn't bother trying to get "approval" because there probably won't be any. ADB puts their "approved" take on things in the paint guide in the box sets and online. That is the "canon" paint scheme for SFU minis.

They just say "white". Older painting guides say "off-white" (which is the molded color of the plastic minis).

"White" isn't based on the animated series or TOS in particular. It's just the general take on things, where Federation ships are "white". Most customers don't really care much beyond that.

The standard answer is "white" or "paint it however you want, it's your mini", as you note.

Obviously, there are others like myself who put considerable effort into paint tone/shade/color choice, but I think we are the exception rather than the rule. A lot of folks "Spray it with a rattle-can of Krylon white and call it good".

I dislike bright white as it doesn't scale well in my opinion and makes my minis look too toy-like. I also don't go for the darker grays, as they look too different from "tv". I've detailed my color mix, etc., elsewhere, so I probably shouldn't make redundant text on it here.

Starsuperion · Post by **Starsuperion** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:50 am

I suppose it is just up to the modeler.. but I feel like the off whitish grey is the best color scheme for the ships..

the other worry is that the decals I ordered would not show up as brilliant and brightly contrasted if I go with anything then what the box says..

which is "titanium White"

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 2:53 am

Decals (even laser printed ones) will look fine on any color up to a light gray.

Starsuperion · Post by **Starsuperion** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 2:58 am

djdood wrote:Decals (even laser printed ones) will look fine on any color up to a light gray.

that is good to hear..

so if I may ask, what is your color formula??

also what is the deal with the blue nacels?? is that the X-tech color of choice??

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:17 pm

My only notes for the color formula are on the outside of the bottle, so I'll have to go dig those out to answer that (I'm not in a painting mode right now, since it rains non-stop here in Seattle for 9 months of the year).

Re: Blue engine nacelle caps on minis -
There is no "official" information on them. No official minis for Federation X-ships exist yet, so there is no painting guidance for them either.

As with many things in the art-style of the SFU, the "look" of the X-ships varies depending on the artist. The guy who painted the SFB Module X cover all those years ago had a different take on it than Adam Turner now does when he did the X2 cover (and the Captains Log cover with the Klingon X-ship). Every minis painter who kitbashes an Fed X-ship for himself also has their own spin on it

Due to Adam's cover art, the "blue" engine dome look for Fed X-ships seems to be gaining consensus, but until ADB puts out something official re: painting a Fed X-ship mini, there is nothing to say, one way or the other.

Right now, "blue" on engine domes seems to be becoming the standard for "fast" ships (again, just because lots of folks are doing it, not because their is a painting guide saying so) and that seems to be carrying over to the X-ships.

------------

X Tech Ships in FedComm?

Starsuperion wrote:So what is the difference in the X-ships as far as aesthetics..?

I have seen some fed ships with red intake warp nacels and some with bright blue nacels.. so are the x-tech the blue??

same for the klingon ships art and minis.. red on soem and blue on others..

and what ships have been excluded by the time the x-tech stuff comes into play?? is there a comprehensive list?

is there a different paint scheme for x-tech?

just trying to understand the little changes so when I order a new set of minis and such I can understand the changes in the colors..

djdood wrote:The art style for the X-ships is the least defined. Different artists have taken different tacks on it.

Regarding the naccelle-cap colors, in the "normal" (i.e. non-X) SFU these colors have pretty well settled out as typical (for Feds):
Orange ("as on tv") - all standard engines, including GW-era "hot warp" types (CA, DD, DN, DNG, NCL, NCA, etc.).
Blue - all "fast" engines (DDF, CF, CVF, NCF, DNL, etc.)

There is no standard for Klingons. Any glow is not "per tv" and is purely artistic discretion (and looks cool). Some folks have added a bit of a green glow around the "cooling tubes" (to look a bit like the Ktinga-class ship in ST-VI), but lots of other folks don't. I leave mine "glow-less" and just paint the cooling tubes silver, the "bulbs" at the back light gray, and add some silver and orange details (all per the old SL2200 ADB/TFG painting guides).

Starfury · Post by **Starfury** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:14 pm

You can stick to the titanium white or...

Do what I did and mix it up. I've done my Feds in a variety of paint schemes and they look pretty good. Not "official" in any way but fun to paint. Plus in a battle you know which one you're flying by the color.

Scoutdad · Post by **Scoutdad** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:21 pm

Starfury wrote:You can stick to the titanium white or...

Woo Hoo! Titanium White, all the way....

Starfury · Post by **Starfury** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:32 pm

Scoutdad wrote:
Starfury wrote:You can stick to the titanium white or...

Woo Hoo! Titanium White, all the way....

Boring....

Wolverin61 · Post by **Wolverin61** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:32 pm

I'll stick to my French light blue gray, which is a lot lighter in person than it is on my monitor. It's actually a little lighter than the Micro Machines Federation CX I have.

OGOPTIMUS · Post by **OGOPTIMUS** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 11:13 pm

Testors Flat Gull Gray for my standard (non-X) Feds.

I also accidentally bought a Gloss Gull Gray once. That became Flat Gull Gray after I hit it with a matte finish (whew...). Not sure which of my oCLs that one is.

X-Ships get Testors Flat White (notice a pattern here?).

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 12:25 am

How do you keep your decals from "silvering", if you are using flat paints?

OGOPTIMUS · Post by **OGOPTIMUS** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 12:51 am

Maybe it's just dumb luck...but here's what I do:

1. Paint the mini (with mostly flat and acryllic paints).

2. Spray with a gloss coat.

3. Apply decals using water and decal setting solution (can't remember which one it is right now as it's not right in front of me, but it's not standard Micro Sol/Set brand).

4. Gloss coat #2 for durability.

5. A matte coat to dull it away.

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 1:04 am

Ahh... didn't know you had a gloss-coat stage in your process. That would explain it.

I use gloss paints for my base-coats. So far I've been lucky and that has been enough for good decal adhesion. After weathering and whatever, I seal the whole mess with matte coat.

Wolverin61 · Post by **Wolverin61** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 1:06 am

My friend in the model club told me that you can put Future floor wax on the mini where the decals are going to go before you put the decals on and they'll go down better. I bought a bottle to try it but haven't yet (since I still haven't found my decals.)

Federation Commander

Federation ships colors??

Federation ships colors??

Re: Federation ships colors??