Federation Commander

I'm trying to paint my models using the techniques that I've found about here, you guys are AWESOME!

In consolidating, I'm trying to do the really nice shiny nacelles effect.

I have a few questions:

1) Who started that (because it's way cool )?

2) I've got the silver first coat... how did you get it to go red? (When I use red paint, it covers the silver)

3) Red or blue? I get that people have done blue caps to indicate X-ships, but I'm starting to see blue nacelle caps now on "normal" ships. Is this a convention, or wandering off of the "beaten path"?

I think blue is for the pointy saucer fed starships, the fast ships.

Be different -- use green!

There is no standard for the "blue" engine domes, as there is no official painting guides for the "fast" ship minis.

What seems to be the general consensus is that the typical Federation ships have the "as seen on tv" orange domes (some folks do red instead; more like the "pilot" version of the tv ship).

In that same mind think, the light blue color is reserved for ships using the high-power "fast" warp engines (classes such as the DDF and CF) - many folks have also extended that to the X-ships (such as the DDX and CX; none of which have official miniatures).

Those "standards" have pretty well settled in, and are used consistently by Ted Geibel and Adam Turner in their cover art CGI work.

It's really up to you what you want on your minis. The official painting guides say red domes and also red "exhaust" domes at the rear. I don't know anyone who paints their engines with red rear caps.

I go for a "tv" look on mine, with orange that has been dry-brushed with some lemon yellow:


For "fast" ships, I use the same method, but with blue dry-brushed with white:


I'll let others detail the "shiny" dome technique (since I don't do it), but my understanding is that it's clear red over a metallic gold/silver base.

I use tamiya "clear" paints.
Silver base coat, then cover wit hteh transparent "clear" paints.

I use several light coats of clear red for most red ships.
Then I use the "clear" blue over the silver for the fast warships.

Sgt_G wrote:Be different -- use green!

I'm experimenting with clear green over a gold base for my ST2500 Romulans. We'll have to see how it goes...

I was thinking purple domes on my resin Romulans (kind of splitting the difference between the red and blue that has been shown in cover art), but green has some temptation. It would be unique.

I like to use a base of Model Master Brass and then overcoat it with a diluted coat of Tamiya X-27 Clear Red. This gives you a nice reddish orange color that catches light.

I've got a bottom of metallic green that if thinned properly and then applied over a bright base, should just "pop"

Failing that, there's silver base and clear green. but that's rather blaise' and so 17 seconds ago.

i used a gold under coat and semi clear metallic blue from testors.