Scratchbuilds

semperatis · Post by **semperatis** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:30 am

The current size of the FRA fleet,I've got two OCA's in the mail,and I'm on the lookout for two CL's to finish off the fleet.I've still to build the bridge unit for the last of the DD's,but other than that,I've finished. I may at a later date build the DN,but that's a project for later.

Darkwing · Post by **Darkwing** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:07 pm

Great work! I do like that battle station and I can't keep from staring at that strike carrier.

Nerroth · Post by **Nerroth** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:28 pm

You do the Republic proud, semperatis.

semperatis · Post by **semperatis** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 7:21 am

Thank for the kind words lads,it's much appreciated.

I've been examining the DN's SSD,and all I can say,is that this thing is a monster,both in size and firepower. This is truely a core ship around which the rest of the fleet maneuvers,as it's got the turn mode of a planet(E).
This thing has more firepower than a Fed DNG,with 10xPH-1's;8xPH-3's; 4xPHOT;2xHPHOT;4xSRC(later 4x TAC)a massive 16pts of armour;7xTrac;9x Tran;6xBtty;41xWarp;6x Imp;10xAWR;20xFHull;12xRHULL;10LAB;and a total of 11 control spaces.Her shields are quite impressive too @46;36;36;32 The one place you definately don't want to find yourself is anywhere in the forward arc,with this beasts weapons fully armed.She also has 3xSHTL bays with a total of 7 spaces worth of either Admin shuttles or 1/2 space shuttle bombs,(Ouch).

I'm really going to have my work cut out when I get around to building this beast,in order to do her justice.

semperatis · Post by **semperatis** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 11:04 pm

Once I've got the other two CL's & CA's through and painted up,then I can finally get to game with this fleet. I'm really looking forward to giving them a go,as on paper at least,they do look good,time will tell if I can do them justice.

kinshi · Post by **kinshi** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 11:42 pm

semperatis, you relaly have my imagination going with your scratch build minis.

What tools/materials do you use in your construction? I would really like to try my hand at some of this and you have inspired me

semperatis · Post by **semperatis** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:31 am

You don't need special tools,that's the good part. You need some form of cutting mat;a steel rule;a set of pointed tweezers;liquid poly adhesive(Mek Pak for instance,not a tube type cement); various thickness's of plasticard:- 10 thou;15thou;20 thou ;30 thou and either 40 or 60 thou,plus some plastic rod,which for some strange reason usually comes in metric sizes. 6.4mm; 3.2mm;2mm;1mm and 0.5 or smaller if you can find it. The most important piece of kit that you'll need though,is a surgical scalpel with some No.10 and No.11 blades. The reason that I say a scalpel rather than a craft knife is that a scalpel blade is much thinner than any craft blade out there,as well as being far sharper too. You will also require some needle files and at least one engineering file,I usually use an 8" double cut flat file for the heavier filing jobs,and finish off with needle files. For applying the liquid cement,I usually use an old 00 brush. I hope this gives you some idea as to what you'll need.

Good luck with your modelmaking,and don't be put off by your first few being not very good. Never throw them out,if you're not happy with them, as they're a good reminder of where you could have done better. If you're going to build some Federation style ships,I would recommend that you also invest in a compass cutter too.

If you look back through my earlier posts,you'll find two very early models of a Fed DD and CA,which date back to 1991,which whilst not looking very good compared to later models still hold a place of pride in my heart as being my first attempts at that type of ship.
David.

kinshi · Post by **kinshi** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:50 am

Thank you! I am excited to see that I actually have a lot of the tools in question already..so off to a good start.

as far as the plasticard goes, I hear that one can use stuff like "Beware of Dog" plastic signs, as they are pretty must the same thing and can be had very cheaply at hardware stores. (and you repaint them anyway). Have you had any experience trying to use those sorts of materials?

I have a few laying around and figure they might be good to experiment with in my beginning phases.

semperatis · Post by **semperatis** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 12:12 pm

The only real drawback with these signs is their thickness,usually around 0.080".Now whilst this is a good thickness for the like of Fed saucers,it's really too thick for any other kind of detail work,especially at the scale that we're working at. It's fine for layered use to create thick section material though.
Another thing that you need to be aware of is that not all signs are made from the same grade of plastic. Some of them can have a nylon content to them,which is of no use,as the glue we use won't work on it. Still,if you're getting it for free,don't look a gift horse...... The easiest way to check,is to put some poly on the sign,and check for a reaction ,like you would get on a plastic construction kit for example.
Another tool that can be quite valuable,is a set of modelling sidecutters,these will cut through up to 1/8" plastic sheet in thickness.(You can't use them like scissors though unfortunately).

Good luck mate,
David.

Scoutdad · Post by **Scoutdad** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:25 pm

The type of material you are speaking of can be used, but as David points out - it is very thick for use at this scale. I have bought out the Yard Sale sign stock at my local Walmart several times when various projects come up.
The best example to date is this Warhameer 40K Baneblade.

It was built from the plans in an early White Dwarf, long before Forge World started releasing the monster (in both size and price) kits. Other then the tracks off a T-72 kit from a yard sale ($2) - everything on it is scrap bits.

semperatis · Post by **semperatis** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:29 pm

That's a smashing job that you've made of the Baneblade Tony....Excellent work.

Scoutdad · Post by **Scoutdad** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:34 pm

Thanks.
It was much more impressive to field the two Baneblades and the Shadowsword before everyone with a six-figure income could have one.

But I did get more for them than I put into them when I finally sold off all my WH40K stuff.

Nerroth · Post by **Nerroth** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:13 pm

I do hope you get to try making the DN soon; any ship which can give even a Dominator a bad case of indigestion all by its lonesome deserves no less!

Looking beyond the Republic's borders, are there any other Omega Octant (or LMC) empires you have thought about trying to build something for?

As a side note, there are a couple of other FRA ships in Module Omega 5; though only one of those units, the Escort Destroyer, was historically built.

semperatis · Post by **semperatis** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 5:17 pm

Ok Nerroth,but it'll take a few days work to put this leviathan together. Here's a comparison pic of just how large I envision this beast to be in relation to the BC. If you think it's too vast,let me know,but it's also down to intimmidation value as well. Unfortunately,the engines on this beast will need to be scratchbuilt,as I don't have any more official ones left.

semperatis · Post by **semperatis** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 11:10 pm

It appears that these ships have struck a chord with some of you,I've even had an e-mail requesting that I build someone one of each type for his own collection. I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to charge for them,as I got out of that game a long time ago.
Now before more of you jump on the bandwagon,let me just say,that I'm NOT getting back into the modelmaking business on a commercial basis. These ships were made purely for my own enjoyment,as I knew that the models weren't available,and I had to prove to myself that I could still do it.
Now these ships were just thrown together any old how,I certainly didn't take my time with them,but if I'm having to make them for someone else,that changes things dramatically. There were no plans,or measurements taken,they were all done just using the Mk1 eyeball,so there will be slight variations in shape and design,which cannot be helped.

What have I gotten myself into this time?????????