Miniatures Kit Bashing Archive 2009

By Dal Downing (3dee) on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - 11:51 pm: Edit

I would consider adding a Gorn CL and/or a DD (posiably bought from the Gorn Goverment with a standard contract of a core of Exchange officers.) And a Snipe or 2 also bought from the Gorns. Throw a couple of the auxillaries from the different Freighter Hulls and maybe some APT or Cutter and don't forget your own Police Corvettes with alternate Weapon configurations to simulate different raiders.

By Gene Malin (Privateer) on Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 08:24 pm: Edit

The 6th Fleet is amazing, one of the finest sets I have seen anywhere.

By Ken Burnside (Ken_Burnside) on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 - 11:33 am: Edit

This might be the ultimate kitbash.

One Heavy Transport Shuttle.

At 1:1 scale.

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=135980

By Tom McThorn (Starfury) on Friday, January 23, 2009 - 11:51 am: Edit

I've finally gotten around to taking pictures of my FC/SFB ships. The camera isn't that good at the close up pictures but it's ok.

http://flickr.com/photos/34470879@N03/

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Friday, January 23, 2009 - 04:05 pm: Edit

Select and copy the whole address and paste into the address bar to get to Tom's minis page.

Looks good Tom. It's an interesting take the way you outlined some of the hull edges. Certainly not a boring fleet with little chance of misindification between units of the same side.

By Tom McThorn (Starfury) on Monday, January 26, 2009 - 06:15 pm: Edit

That was part of my goal to have each ship look a bit different from the others. It makes battles a lot easier when you know your ship is the green one.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 09:33 pm: Edit

Just ordered 60 mini stands. After more factory seconds and kitbashes than I can count, I've totally used up my stands. Problem is, I still have 60 some odd WYNs, Peladine, Gorn, and Orions waiting for a paint.

I think I posted some place that I was looking for a new paint job for some extra Lyrans I had. I ended up going in three different directions. I painted one ship per SVC's recommendation as a snow leopard (very cool), one as a "normal" leopard, and four in a four-tone arctic camo (dark grey, light grey, white, black). I'm planning to decal the final group as ships from Enemy's Blood. I liked it so much I ordered more minis. Lyrans are just evil!

By Paul Cordeiro (Ogoptimus) on Monday, February 09, 2009 - 04:35 pm: Edit

I'm working on a kitbashed Klingon cruiser, and have (at least some initial) ideas about how to make each part (or buy it) except the boom section.

A simple piece of plastic tubing just seems too simple and kinda lame to me since the boom on all Klingon ships tapers. And I'm not thrilled with covering the thing with green stuff and sanding it down into a roughly conical shape, since that seems like A TON of work for such a small part.

Does anyone have any ideas?

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Monday, February 09, 2009 - 04:45 pm: Edit

Paul: I suggest you take a look at some paintbrush handles - the kind of brushes used for fine detailing on minis for example. Cut down, they could do the trick.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Monday, February 09, 2009 - 04:52 pm: Edit

Paul - reply on the FedCom board. Short-version: Dremel + brass rod-stock = goodness.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, February 23, 2009 - 10:15 pm: Edit

Lyrans...lots of Lyrans...

Photo 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

Just got all these guys done, with less than one week left before we pack up to move to Germany. Photos don't do these justice, but I'm still under the weather and unwilling to fight the camera. A few kitbashes mixed in there: DNE, DND, Lioness, Jagdpanther, Tug w/ Klingon Pods. One Tiger build with left over parts from a DN and a CL. Thanks to almost limitless different paint jobs, Lyran minis are like crack. Enjoy.

By Bennett Eugene Snyder (Planner) on Monday, February 23, 2009 - 10:59 pm: Edit

Glad I'm not colorblind.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Monday, February 23, 2009 - 11:16 pm: Edit

Good Lord Jeremy! You're giving Tony Thomas a run for his money ;)

Amazing variety of schemes and all very nicely executed.

Someday, when my minis grow up, I hope to be able to post some group photos that impressive.

By Joseph R Carlson (Jrc) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 12:25 am: Edit

Jeremy,

Very nicely done.

By Kosta Michalopoulos (Kosmic) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 10:52 am: Edit

Wow, Jeremy, those are beautiful!

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 11:56 am: Edit

My favorites are the arctic cammo. But the "fire" ones are great too. Oh hell,

they're all great.

By Paul Cordeiro (Ogoptimus) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 11:59 am: Edit

Wow. The variety you've got there is great. The Red/black and black/blue ones really caught my attention, but they're all wonderful.

By Ken Burnside (Ken_Burnside) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 02:15 pm: Edit

I think that may be more cruisers than the Lyrans historically had for an F&E game...

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 02:57 pm: Edit

Beautiful. That's about $500 worth of minis just there.

Ken, maybe some are NG.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 03:06 pm: Edit

Absolutely amazing. I especially like the bright orange ones.

By Marc Baluda (Marc) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 03:44 pm: Edit

Awesome. How did you get my Farthest Stars fleet manifest?

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 03:49 pm: Edit

Thanks for the kind words gents. Dale McKee deserves credit for the Orange Tigers. He did those years ago for me in California, and I've tried hard to keep them in good shape. Here's a summary of what's in those photos:

Homeworld/Black Claw (Tan/Brown/Black Camo): BB, DNE (kitbash), BCH (old kitbash pre-dating the BC…a shortened DN), CC, STT, NCA, CL, DD, BS Enemy’s Blood (Arctic Camo): DN, BC, CA, CW, JGP (kitbash), CL, DW, DD, FF White Stripe (Dark grey/grey with white stripes): CCH (kitbash - slightly bigger center section) Red Claw/Golden Fang (Tan/Brown two-tone): DN, CA, Tug (w/ Klingon Pods), CW, CM (My Kitbashed “Pink Panther”…might get its proper colors one day! Built

before we had the CL mini…a shortened CA), DW, DND (kitbash), DD, FF Pelt Hunter, Bloody Claw, Blood Star (Tiger Stripes and Leopard Spots): BB, DN, CA, CL, DW, 2xDD, FF Dark Storm (Blue/Grey “Zebra”): BB, DNL, BC, Tug (w/Pallet), CW, CL, DW, DD, FF Doom Star (I used the Night Star color (Black)): BC, CA, CL, DW, DD, FF Fire Squadron (I used Hidden Dagger insignia): DN, BC, CA, CAL (kitbash), DW, DD, FF LDR: BCH (kitbash), CC, NCA, CW, CL, DW, DD, FF, F-AL, F-AS

All told, that’s: 3xBB, 4xDN, 1xDNL, 1xDNE, 2xBCH, 4xBC, 8xCCH/CC/CA, 1xSTT, 2xTUG, 2xNCA, 1xCAL, 1xJGP, 4xCW, 1xCM, 6xCL, 7xDW, 1xDND, 9xDD, 7xFF, 1xBS, 1xF-AL, 1xF-AS. 68 Ships. _______________________________________________

What's funny is I can think of other schemes I'd like to use, and more ships I'd like to see in these colors. Must...resist...buying...more...Lyrans!

Finishing up these minis is bittersweet. As I've mentioned before, I'm about a week away from movers showing up to pack-out the house in DC. I'll be on leave for most of March, then head to Stuttgart in April for 2-3 years. The family and I are excited, but I've made a hard decision regarding SFB minis.

Over the years, I've accumulated something on the order of about 800 SFB/Trek minis - of them, about 600 are finished, the rest being un-decaled Feds, WYN, Peladine, and a smattering of others. As I started to think about it, I really didn't like the idea of shipping these things across the Atlantic for 2-3 years, just to have to ship them back. So, I'm going to put these guys in safe keeping at my parent's place (along with some fine wine and the Mustang) for safe keeping. It stinks to not have access to them for a few years, but I just spent the last two years really cleaning up the collection from years of moves and rough handling, and I don't want to have to do that again.

What that means: SVC can expect me to continue buying minis over the next couple of years, but I'll likely ship them to my parent's place for safe keeping with the rest (better to keep the collection in on place rather than spreading it out over two continents). I might get an uncontrollable hankering to paint an SFB mini, or do some commissions for folks willing to pay overseas shipping, but we'll see. One of the real stinkers is the movers will not move paint, so it will mean buying all new stuff in Germany when the time comes. I guess I need something to spend the dislocation allowance on.

Anywho, once we get out of the house, I plan to bang out a few more photos at my parents' place to hang on the website before I go. I'll let you guys know when they're up.

Thanks again guys...keep cutting up those minis!

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 05:54 pm: Edit

Jeremy,

couldn't you pack and ready your paint for shipping and have your folks ship it once you are settled in Germany? (I doubt spray paint can be shipped, but I'd think regular bottled paint could.)

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 06:29 pm: Edit

Germans are fanatical model builders. I bet they have paints there.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 07:07 pm: Edit

No doubt, some of the best minis paints I used 'back in the day' were from Germany.

But it might be cheaper to ship what he has already. Then again, he might end up shipping the excelent German products back with him when he returns.

Jeremy, if you do ship paint, you might want to wrap each bottle in a basic sandwich bag since they might leak at high altitude during air shipping. Something you could do is warm them up while uncapped (or loose cap) them cap them tight while still warm. When they cool there will be a small vaccume (if the lids fit tight). Then during air shipping they may be less apt to leak.

By Mark Steven Hoyle (Bolo_Mk_Xl) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 08:22 pm: Edit

I shipped paint bottles back and forth to Germany several times --- just put them in their own little box with padding --- Packers didn't bother with what was there ---

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 10:06 pm: Edit

What I do know...there is a Games Workshop store in downtown Stuttgart (or at least there was as of my last trip there in July). Should have no trouble getting paint.

I'll probably just keep the paint I've used on the SFB minis with the minis. A lot of Testors Model Master stuff.

While in Germany, I'm planning to catch up on a bunch of Battletech and Bablyon 5 Wars minis that have been collecting dust for a long time in a closet. My first love will remain SFB, but it will be a nice change of pace.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 10:09 pm: Edit

And you'll be checking in regularly with the "Jeremy in Germany" show, right?

I look forward to hearing all about the gaming, fun, food, and the dark

underground romper rooms.

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 07:14 pm: Edit

My latest work, some Kzintis:

http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/100_2895.JPG

http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/100_2896.JPG

By Tim Losberg (Krager) on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 08:59 pm: Edit

those are real nice... good work Dale.

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 09:09 pm: Edit

Thanks Tim!

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 09:17 pm: Edit

Love the shading to the base-coat and the spiffy hand-painted crests.

By Tony L Thomas (Scoutdad) on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 09:45 pm: Edit

WOW! Those are very nice, Dale.

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 09:57 pm: Edit

Thanks Will. I basecoat my Kzinti in Citadel "Blood Red", then wash them with a diluted "Scab Red" to add depth and shading.

And yeah, the heraldry makes the Kzinti really fun. Unfortunately I suck at decals,

so I just hand-paint them (and the ship's lettering).

And thanks Tony!

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 10:14 pm: Edit

Sounds like we're opposites Dale. I suck at fine-painting, so I use decals.

I like the fact that there is more than one way to get good results at anything.

You do yours well!

I'm about to basecoat all of my Kzintis (after a mass stripping and reassembly party). I've struggled finding a nice deep dark "brick red" base color paint I liked. I have some Humbrol that I was leaning to, but I'll give those Citadel paints a look before I break out the airbrush.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 11:39 pm: Edit

Will, one other option is Testors British Crimson. It tends to be a little thin, and will require a couple of coats, but I like the results: Dated photo of my Kzintis

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 01:37 am: Edit

Will,

That's why they call it "art". It's not a science - there are a lot of ways to get

there.

As for a dark red, you might try "Scab Red" by Citadel. I use it as a diluted wash to highlight details, rather than as a base color, but it's in the neighborhood.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 04:39 pm: Edit

I'll check both of those out before I commit. Right now, I have several jars of a Humbrol "hull red" enamel that I'm hoping work. I'll be doing a "patch test" once it quits snowing here.

By Paul Cordeiro (Ogoptimus) on Friday, February 27, 2009 - 06:53 pm: Edit

Dale,

You're making me want to go out and buy more minis. I can't finish more than a few before I get some crazy idea and buy another half dozen thinking I'll get to those "someday".

Very nice work. I do need to get some Kzintis.

By Joseph R Carlson (Jrc) on Saturday, February 28, 2009 - 01:28 pm: Edit

I want to make a Klingon C8V. Anyone have suggestions on how to make the rear deck house and what it should look like?

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Saturday, February 28, 2009 - 02:00 pm: Edit

Thanks Paul. I had these sitting primed but unpainted for way too long, and

Jeremy's Lyrans finally inspired me to finish them.

By Paul Cordeiro (Ogoptimus) on Saturday, February 28, 2009 - 02:27 pm: Edit

Time for a megabattle?

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Saturday, February 28, 2009 - 04:54 pm: Edit

Joseph -

It likely looks a lot like the one from the B-10V (there were pictures in Captains Log 6). The B-10 mini includes the alternate carrier deckhouse.

Probably the easiest way to add the extra height is just cut a small square of sheet plastic (old credit cards or for-sale signs are cheap and readily available) and use that to pad-up the deckhouse. It might take a layer or two to get the appropriate height. You could also use sheet brass, but it's more expensive.

The doors on the rear face can either just be painted on or added with additional

small pieces of sheet stock.

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Saturday, February 28, 2009 - 05:43 pm: Edit

Paul,

Jeremy would win. He has far more painted SFB minis than I do.

Of course if we were to play B5W... the reverse is true.

By Charles Chapel (Ctchapel) on Sunday, March 01, 2009 - 03:58 am: Edit

Joseph,

I made my C8V by removing enough of the deck house so the B10V deck house would fit snug over what remained. If you don't have one someone may be able to trade with you!

By Jack W. Hsu (Jwhsu) on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 11:11 am: Edit

If you look back at the Miniature kit bashing topic under 2004 archive, specifically the "Through November 28, 2004," search for C8V. you will find a link for a kitbashed Klingon C8V I did years ago. What I did to make it was the following:

1) Obtain a C8/9 model and cut off the rear deckhouse.

2) Curse uncontrollably until you are able to remove the rear deckhouse in one piece (believe me, it is a royal pain).

3) Clean and epoxy the cut off area until it matches the contours of the rear hull.

4) Remount the rear deckhouse about 2-3 mm forward from its prior location. Putty/epoxy contours until smooth.

5) Use a pin vice/dremel to drill the 4 small holes in back to represent the balcony & track system.

6) Use styrene, epoxy, wood, etc. (material of your choice) to make upper part of deckhouse.

7) Detail with styrene and paint away.

Hope this helps.

PS: I have found the prior link and placed it here:

Klingon C8V

By Nick Samaras (Koogie) on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 - 11:13 pm: Edit

Some of my minis

http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t38/koogie_65517/

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 12:36 am: Edit

Nice work, Nick!

By Nick Samaras (Koogie) on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 03:27 pm: Edit

Thanks Dale!

Site updated with lots more pics

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 07:12 pm: Edit

I like the Juggernaught, and Aluda ship best, the others are great as well :+)

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - 12:56 pm: Edit

I just finished up my WYN fleet project and hope to get some pics posted in a day or two. This was a hold over from before we moved out of our place in Alexandria and I wrapped it up at my parent's place while on leave. All told, between new ships and old minis I cleaned up, my WYN fleet is up to 24 ships:

Fish Ships: CA, 2xCW, 2xDD, 2xFF Orions: CR Aux: AxBB (kitbash), AxBC, AxCVA (kitbash, my old AxBC), 4xAxC, 1xMon Captured hulls: PBB, PBC, LDD, ZDW, 2xZFF, 2xKE4

For anybody thinking about how to handle the checkerboard on the WYNs, I recommend checking out a decal company called Microscale. They do a lot of decal sets for model railroading and military models, but they also sell a decent selection of generic decals for striping and lettering projects. They sell sheets fo checkerboard decals that can be cut to fit the WYN models. I used their smallest pattern, and I would have liked it to be a tad smaller, but it worked great.

Also, if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend their decal solvent, Microsol. Been using it for years with great results. Best product of its type I've found on the market.

I promise...pictures in a few days.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - 05:07 pm: Edit

Looking forward to seeing the pics Jeremy.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 07:49 pm: Edit

As promised, the WYN fleet I just finished:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/WYN/wynmini.html

I'm in the process of revamping my miniatures webpage. I spent the better part of the day today photographing my whole mini collection (something I've been meaning to do for years now). It will take a couple days to get the webpages done, but this is what I plan to make them all look like.

Comments welcome, and enjoy!

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 10:06 pm: Edit

Any specific requests? Lyrans are about half finished, but which page should I build next...

Fed? Klinks? Roms? Monsters? Etc?

By Tony L Thomas (Scoutdad) on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 10:07 pm: Edit

monsters

By Scott Stohr (Scooter) on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 10:09 pm: Edit

VERY nice work, Jeremy!

Scott

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 07:06 am: Edit

Monsters it is Tony. Will work on getting those posted today.

Thanks Scott.

By Nick Samaras (Koogie) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 08:43 am: Edit

Nice work! Must see more

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 08:50 am: Edit

Lyran page:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Lyrans/lyranmini.html

Lots of photos, so the page may take a minute to load.

Got to take the truck to shop for some repairs. Will get those monsters posted after I get back.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 10:09 am: Edit

Tony, here ya go...Monsters:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Monsters/monstermini.html

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 11:35 am: Edit

Romulans, lots of Romulans:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Romulans/romulanmini.html

As with the Lyrans above, the page will likely take a minute to load completely, as there are a lot of photos. If you click on any of the photos, you get the larger image (same applies to the previous pages I've posted).

I'm particularly proud of these Roms. For a long time, my Roms were some of the roughest looking ships in my collection. Their white paint jobs had yellowed due to poor top coating and age, and many new minis had languished in storage waiting for paint. I decided to make things right a few months ago and refinished everything in chrome and green with proper decals. Man was it worth the effort.

By Tony L Thomas (Scoutdad) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 11:36 am: Edit

Thanks, Loren... space monsters are always cool, since no one posts a lot of them.

A few questions, though... The Space Eel - Is that the ADB version? The pose looks correct, but if it is -what color did you paint it? It almost looks like a molded plastic version.

The Space Dragon - Where did you get that one? I'm assuming it's a Reaper miniature, but which one? I like it and wouldn't mind getting one for my own monster collection.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 11:48 am: Edit

Tony, Loren? Who's Loren?

The Space Eel is the ADB version. I painted it with Citadel Scorpion Green with a light Camo Green wash. I can't remember the exact yellow I used for the spine, but the teeth are painted Steel.

The Space Dragon is a Reaper Mini: 02636: Blacksting, Wyvern. I built a new base for mine to replace the cast one that comes with the mini. The original base is cool, but it didn't make sense to have a base of rock and skulls in deep space. Mounting the wings can be a bit of challenge, but the detail is awesome. Be prepared, this thing a kinda big. Its got nearly a 5in wing span and it dwarfs a Fed CA. The base I made is the size of a megahex hex, so that should give a reasonable basis for comparison.

I made the base by taking a Battletech hex base and gluing some scrap lead to the top to build up the general shape and give it some weight. I cut down the original base to get the peg whole and put it on top of the new hex base. I then covered it in clay to get a more or less smooth shape.

By Tony L Thomas (Scoutdad) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 12:18 pm: Edit

Sorry Jeremy... I was talking to a co-worker while typing and got the two of you confused...

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 12:19 pm: Edit

No worries.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 12:50 pm: Edit

Ah, you mean you weren't thinking of me???

By Tony L Thomas (Scoutdad) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 01:06 pm: Edit

Ummm... Not this time.

By Paul Cordeiro (Ogoptimus) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 01:35 pm: Edit

Jeremy,

Wow. Very nice. I also really like your Romulans. I haven't done mine yet, since I'm not happy with the hull colors I've had so far. Metallic might be the way to go.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 01:56 pm: Edit

I used Testors Chrome Silver for the hull on the Roms. Its a little tough to work with (takes a while to dry, and will streak if your not careful), but I like the finish it leaves.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 02:27 pm: Edit

Klingons this time...

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Klingons/klingonmini.html

Lots of kitbashes in here. The Klingons are my favorite race, and I've gotten pretty carried away with variants.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 02:58 pm: Edit

"The original base is cool, but it didn't make sense to have a base of rock and skulls in deep space."

You could have cut off the skulls and put on a few of the old Elite minis 'choped up' to look like broken hulls at the base of the rock/nest.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 03:01 pm: Edit

I considered something like that. Actually, the claw openings are just big enough to neatly fit a Federation warp engine in the talons. I considered sticking a severed engine in there for kicks (and might still do that one day).

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 03:51 pm: Edit

Three Peladine Minis:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Peladine/peladinemini.html

Unfortunately, the Peladine are one race I have not gotten the chance to get back to. I painted these three cruisers back when the CA mini was released, and later bought the rest of the Peladine fleet while on sea duty. They remain unpainted...I'll get to them some day.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 05:38 pm: Edit

Gorgeous work (and good photography showing them off) Jeremy.

I feel truly lame for not having my webpage gallery populated, after the massive shotgun blast you just did.

By Matthew Alleman (Malleman) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 06:17 pm: Edit

Great work Jeremy! I have been admiring your minis for some time. My favorite is still your D-8. The Space Boar pack is also cool. They kind of scare me.

Are these pics on your website? I have not seen most of them before.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 07:06 pm: Edit

Matthew,

I haven't built a page to connect these to the website proper yet. The plan is to build all the fleet pages, then build a formal connection to the main website. Should be done in a day or two.

Glad you like the D-8. Its one of my favorites as well. Maybe one day SVC will find it in his heart to publish the design.

The Space Boars were kind of fun. I normally would not have bought 5 of them, but I got a nice deal a couple of years ago at Origins for them as factory seconds. As they are organic anyway, who's goign to notice any inperfections? I did give one Boar a bigger "ridge"...somebody has to be in charge right?

Will, gets some pics posted man! I've always liked your work.

Jeremy

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 08:00 pm: Edit

I know I've told Jeremy privately how cool his mini collection is, but for public consumption: ABSOLUTELY BADASS.

Great work, amigo! Thanks for sharing!

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 08:41 pm: Edit

One last fleet for tonight... the LDR:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/LDR/ldrmini.html

I'll continue tomorrow. Still to be built: Federation Kzinti Gorn Orion Tholian Hydran Andro ISC Seltorians Civilian Ships Planets

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica) on Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 12:05 pm: Edit

Those Peladine minis warmed my cold black little heart, Jeremy.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 12:19 pm: Edit

While I only have about 6 days left in the US, those Peladine cruisers looked lonely. I've got the rest of my Peladine minis primed and I hope to finish and photograph them before I leave.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 01:02 pm: Edit

Andros:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Andro/andromini.html

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 01:39 pm: Edit

Selts:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Seltorian/seltmini.html

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 02:22 pm: Edit

Jessica, it's not black, just deepest red.

Jeremy, Schweet! My envy is as green as your Andros... perhaps even the Selts.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 05:05 pm: Edit

Sir, you have been on a roll. More good stuff.

I like the green you used for your Andros.

By Paul Franz (Andromedan) on Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 11:19 pm: Edit

Jeremy, I love the Andros. I was wondering if antiquing the panels would make the panels really stand out.

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 12:30 am: Edit

too bad the Peladine minis are no longer in production :+(

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 12:43 am: Edit

Double too bad.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 05:33 am: Edit

For years I have used as a planet a painted 1/2 of a racquetball. If you put a small slice on the seam with an X-acto knife they come apart nicely. They make a variety of base colors and tend to hold paint rather well. I have used blue but have seen green, purple, pink, and red. The fact that they are rubber means they wont slide around on your map. They usually come two in a package so you can buy one color and your friend another and you can trade.

By Joseph R Carlson (Jrc) on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 09:40 am: Edit

Jeremy,

Thanks for posting links to these fleet pictures. Really nice work!

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 11:50 am: Edit

Tholians for Loren ...

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Tholians/tholianmini.html

Unfortunately, I've not gotten around to some of the newer Neo-Tholian minis.

And thanks for the kind words guys!

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 12:26 pm: Edit

Very nice. I really like the kitbashes. You wouldn't know if you didn't know already.

By Tom McThorn (Starfury) on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 06:52 pm: Edit

I've recently re-photographed my miniatures...found that using the kitchen table with sunlight works better than the flash/florescent lights.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34470879@N03/sets/

More coming; mostly 40k and dragons.

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 08:11 pm: Edit

Very nice! Extremely creative work, I like it.

By Mark Steven Hoyle (Bolo_Mk_Xl) on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 09:49 pm: Edit

So which of you fine photographers want to come by and snap shots of mine amateur attempt at painting --

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Saturday, April 04, 2009 - 08:26 am: Edit

Mark, don't laugh, but most of my pictures are taken with a $40 web cam. I used a regular camera for the larger shots, but I found the web cam almost fool proof for close range shots of individual ships. I'm a terrible photographer.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Saturday, April 04, 2009 - 08:37 am: Edit

Tom, awesome photos. I'm more of a "stick to the accepted paint schemes" kind of guy when it comes to SFB minis, but your work is really good. My buddy Dale isn't afraid to depart from the norm either...he is infamous for his "sky-blue Feds". But like you, his work is undeniably good. Clearly, you're a man who knows his craft. Very well done!

By Mark Steven Hoyle (Bolo_Mk_Xl) on Saturday, April 04, 2009 - 09:12 am: Edit

Jeremy,

One issue I have is motivation (just feeling like doing it), Another is lousy light created by the energy saving bulbs (can barely even read by them) --- Now that weather is getting better, need to get pics of my minis --

Have a mid range digital but would like one that had a faster lens speed (if thats what they call it on a digital), waiting for it to snap/take the picture doesn't suit my manners --- Have a few pics the shopping cart, some that could have been done better ---

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Saturday, April 04, 2009 - 09:47 am: Edit

Mark, I'm very similar. I hate fighting a camera and I usually lose. I found the web cam worked great because I can pick a good spot, tee up the camera, then just cycle my minis through. Best part, I can see exactly how the mini will look on screen before I take the picture, so I don't have to spend a lot of time moving pictures to the computer and fiddling with them. Its quick, which meshes well with my own impatience with cameras. I photographed about 550 minis in less

than six hours.

By Tom McThorn (Starfury) on Saturday, April 04, 2009 - 01:15 pm: Edit

Thank's for the compliments.

I finished taking pics of the rest of the stuff (Warhammer 40k/Dragons) http://www.flickr.com/photos/34470879@N03/sets/

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Saturday, April 04, 2009 - 02:27 pm: Edit

Tom, since we're both running SFU events at KublaCon, we'll probably get a chance to chat and show off minis. Hope you'll stop by, my event's at 10 am on Saturday!

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Saturday, April 04, 2009 - 11:33 pm: Edit

Kzinti's before I hit the rack...

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Kzinti/kzintimini.html

A few kitbashes in there. Enjoy.

Good news: Three days before I transfer to Germany and leave my minis in storage. Big batch of Orions and the balance of my Peladine will be finished and photographed by Monday at the latest. Few surprises left for the next couple of days. Stay tuned...

By Sean O'Carroll (Terryoc) on Saturday, April 04, 2009 - 11:33 pm: Edit

I was amused by the skulls on Tom McThorn's Federation CA. Maybe it comes from the Mirror Universe?

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Saturday, April 04, 2009 - 11:38 pm: Edit

Left to go: Federation Gorn Orion Hydran ISC Civilian Ships Planets

Plus a some more Peladine and a couple of WYN-Orions to add...

Should be done by Tuesday.

By Tom McThorn (Starfury) on Sunday, April 05, 2009 - 12:19 am: Edit

Dale: Sat morning I'll be running 18xx games and plan to do the Federation Commander game Sunday morning. I've only been able to actually PLAY the

game a few times since none of my friends do boardgames anymore..they're all hooked on WoW.

Sean: I used 40k decals that I had lying around, they look pretty good.

By Joseph R Carlson (Jrc) on Sunday, April 05, 2009 - 12:23 pm: Edit

Jeremy,

I look forward to your Fed pictures. I have a large number I am painting and I am looking for ideas.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Sunday, April 05, 2009 - 12:41 pm: Edit

I've been stalling. I have too many Feds and building the page is going to be longer than the others.. Unfortunately, only about a 3rd of Feds have gotten decals. Its time consuming work, and I never got to all of them.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 08:45 am: Edit

WYN page updated:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/WYN/wynmini.html

I've added a couple of Orions and my old WYN fish. You may need to refresh the page to see the new adds.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 09:05 am: Edit

Peladine page updated:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Peladine/peladinemini.html

I've finished up the rest of the Peladine fleet and added them. You may need to refresh the page to view the updates.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 09:41 am: Edit

Orions:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Orions/orionmini.html

I need to thank Dale McKee for his help on the "Starfield Camo" Orions. Dale painted the red CA, red CR, and blue CR for me years ago. I've always liked the paint jobs, but didn't want to bug Dale for more. He talked me through the process a few days ago and I painted the green BR, red SAL, green CR, and blue LR. The results were really close. Thanks Dale!

Once I get the pictures of the remaining fleets posted (goal is to finish today), I'm going to begin a slower process of adding some text to these pages. How I did the kitbashes or paint jobs, links to SSDs for ships of my own design, etc. When I get to that, I'll write up some instructions on the star field camo.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 12:44 pm: Edit

Federation Minis:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Federation/fedmini.html

This will take a minute or two to load (lots of photos).

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 01:22 pm: Edit

Gorns:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Gorn/gornmini.html

Breaking for lunch. Hydrans and ISC still to go.

By Todd Warnken (Toddw) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 01:22 pm: Edit

Jeremy, you've obviously never heard of command limits!

Nice work on all the minis. It's been years since I've last painted any. I still have a few that need to be painted.

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 01:39 pm: Edit

Awesome work as always amigo! Really love those Green Orion starfield cammos. Those are obviously the ships with the most green women aboard.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 02:56 pm: Edit

Holy cow Jeremy! You are really pounding out the photos and uploads. Great stuff.

I like the additional running lights you added on your Fed DNL, CF, and CVF saucers. I'm gonna have to do that on mine.

Did you get your names mixed up on the Fed NCA and NCF? (you have the NCA text as Manta Ray).

Nice to see someone else has done a Fed DDF kitbash too. =)

Nice to see some traditional gray Gorns. Nothing wrong with the more colorful ones, but I'm glad someone else likes the traditional color too.

I love the variety on your Orions. The camo and flame jobs are extra spiffy.

As far as posting photos of mine, eventually (when I do a proper photo-session [like you are doing]) they will all be: HERE.

Right now, only the Fed DDF pictures are there, and even those I intend to

replace with better photography this summer.

In the meantime, random in-progress pictures end up on my PhotoBucket page.

By Paul Cordeiro (Ogoptimus) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 04:05 pm: Edit

Jeremy,

You are really getting these things done.

I really like your Fed HDW kitbash and your FFB kitbash, looking forward to any short article you make about those.

I'm also curious about the NDD details. Did you make an SSD for that, or does it exist in SFB propper?

And of course I'm jealous of your old Gorn CLs and your FFs. Those look great. Wish I had some.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 06:21 pm: Edit

ISC ships...

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/ISC/iscmini.html

I'll get the Feds corrected in a few. Names are mixed up. Thanks for the heads up!

Paul, I promise to post some kind of discription on the HDW and FFB kitbashes. Probably going to be a few days...I transfer to Stuttgart on Wed.

The NDD is my swag at what I think it should look like. I've worked on an SSD on and off, but I'm not happy with it yet. Will eventually post something.

As always, thanks for the kind words!

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 06:26 pm: Edit

Feds fixed. At the same link (you may need to refresh your browser to see the correct version).

I fouled up cutting and pasting names. I'm naming my NLF Derfflinger rather than San Martin. Just personal preference.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 08:47 pm: Edit

Hydrans:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Hydran/hydranmini_files/image001.jpg

That's it for the big fleets. Still some odds and ends to post...

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 09:10 pm: Edit

Last of the mini pages...

Civilian (just a few freighters, most of my civilian ships haven't been painted): http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Civilian/civmini.html

Terrain: http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Terrain/termini.html

And that's it folks. I'll build a new "Master" mini page later. Time for UNC vs MSU.

By Joseph R Carlson (Jrc) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 11:36 pm: Edit

Jeremy,

Very nice work. Your kit bashes are cool.

Will,

I enjoyed your pictures.

Both of you have given me ideas for the Feds I and building and painting.

By George Duffy (Sentinal) on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 11:39 pm: Edit

Jeremy,

I know a Hydran Battleship can be a fleet unto itself.... but I've seen more of your hydarns than just him

B^)

[EDIT: And just like the rest of his mini extravaganza they're top-notch ]

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - 01:17 am: Edit

I think this is the link Jeremy meant to post:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Hydran/hydranmini.html

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - 08:47 am: Edit

Thanks Dale, that's the correct link.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - 11:19 am: Edit

OK, got my website mainpage updated with a link to the new "Miniature Workbench":

http://jgray-sfb.com/

Enjoy folks. Time to go pack for Germany.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 10:11 am: Edit

Paul, I posted the SSD for the NDD you asked about over in the proposals board.

I've also added some text to my Federation miniatures page.

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - 07:24 pm: Edit

check out the paint jobs on these enterprise models: http://www.startrekmovie.com/modelgallery/

my favorite is #21

I am not happy with the design of the whole ship, but I love those paint jobs, my second favorite is the one with the shark mouth #5. Would be great ideas for SFB minis.

sorry for the cross post but maybe this should have been posted here in the first place.. I wanted to talk about the paint jobs on the models not talk about liking or disliking the new star trek movie

By Tim Losberg (Krager) on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - 08:17 pm: Edit

21 is really well done, but I'd have to say #5 is my favorite...(although I'd use

#10 for a CAM )

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - 08:23 pm: Edit

CAM? Fed CA Mauler?

By Tim Losberg (Krager) on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - 09:11 pm: Edit

yes, Conjectural obviously...

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 03:28 pm: Edit

Finished up my new batch of Andros yesterday, a totally different approach than my original take done years back:

http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/BigAndros1.jpg

http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/BigAndros2.jpg

http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/LilAndros1.jpg

I actually painted 5 large and 4 small satellite ships, but just photographed two...

they all look the same.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 04:22 pm: Edit

Very cool. Is that like a candy-green or transparent green over metallic paint? Gives it a cool shimmer effect.

By Mark Steven Hoyle (Bolo_Mk_Xl) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 04:46 pm: Edit

Personally would add a coat of Matte, but thats just me --- protective coating is mostly gloss ---

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 05:12 pm: Edit

Nope, just a coat of gloss. The engine cowlings are silver with red ink overlay, tho.

By Bennett Eugene Snyder (Planner) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 09:53 pm: Edit

Candy-green?

Hmmm. How many licks does it take to get to the center of an Andromedan Intruder?

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 10:31 pm: Edit

They look pretty dang good to me!

By John McGrory (Ssgmcgrory) on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 - 12:15 pm: Edit

great work!!!!

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 09:56 am: Edit

I haven't posted anything here in a long while, so thought I'd share a few things I don't remember if I posted or not.

First, a hospital ship, the USS Hope.

Next, a re-work of the Fed BB.

Finally, a squadron of Fasa-brand Klingons.

I am working on some kitbashes for a comission, but plan to do some of the more recent stuff from R13. I've had it in mind to do the Fed War DN, but forgot it until Jeremy just reminded me it exists in another thread.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 10:05 am: Edit

Mike, any chance you might be able to make a War DN Master for ADB? It would really just be a rear hull (foward hull being a stock NCL). I know I for one would love to have one in the "when I get back from Germany stash". Not a lot of graphical info exists for the ship as it stands today, so there may be some room for artistic liscence. Rear hull might be a bigger version of the "boxy" NCA rear hull, or a more traditional "round" hull like your BB. I can think of a lot of cool configurations that would fit that SSD.

You may have missed my posts from a month or two ago, but I've transfered to

Germany for a 2-3 year tour at SOCEUR. I made the command decision to leave my SFB mini collection in storage in Charlotte NC with my folks, as I will probably not be doing a lot of mini gaming over here and I thought it best to save the minis from a trans-Atlantic shipment. But, before I left, I did something I've been promising to do since about 2004: I photographed my entire collection as it stood in March and posted it on an updated "Miniature Workbench" page. Its located in the same old spot: http://www.jgray-sfb.com/miniatures.html. Thought you might be interested. Cheers.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 10:24 am: Edit

Congratulations on the move! I assume that it either comes with or will lead to a promotion?

Good looking site! Your work has gotten even better, and it was already really good! Those are some purty Roms and Klingons, especially.

I would happily do the war DN hull, but need to pull out my books and see if there are any images of it to be found. I agree it's best designed as an add-on pack for the existing CL, though it's ultimately up to SVC to decide how to sell it. Probably not much to it; just a little belly pack and a pair of 12 point engines. I've found a new sculpting medium called Procreate that works REALLY well for sculpted parts. Kinda like greenstuff, but a bit smoother and dries harder.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 10:51 am: Edit

Thanks Mike.

Yeah, this move to SOCEUR (a joint tour) coincides with my recent screening for command at sea. Following this tour, I'll be heading to a ship as XO and will then be fleeting up to be her CO. But, for now, I have 2-3 years in Germany running around with SOF guys. Proximity to this much beer can't be a bad thing (can it?), but I'm getting to do some interesting stuff. Got my first fam on the M4 tomorrow. Who would have thunk it for a Navy LCDR?

Thanks on the compliments on the minis. If you haven't gotten to them yet, check out the Lyrans. I've probably made more progress there than anywhere else. They used to be way under-represented in my collection, but now I have way too many. Recent kitbashed there: JGP and CAL.

I agree with you on the War DN. I don't know of any images, but I'm still unpacking and can't check the books. Personnally, I'd like to see something that places the two lower engines more or less directly under the lower ones, kind of like a big HDW. But I could also see a shape that ends up something like a little BB. If no one gets around to making an "official" mini, I'm sure I'll eventually do a kitbash, but that could be years away for me.

Will have to check out Procreate. I'm planning to build some Borak minis out of

Styrene, but having some other materials at my disposal could be really useful.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 11:15 am: Edit

For anybody not wanting to dig through my Lyran page to fine them: Jagdpanther, Lioness

Obviously, I had to cut up a CL, CW, and DN to built these. With the parts left over, you can build a CC or a DNE (with an extra DN engine from a kitbash pack).

By John Pepper (Akula) on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 11:49 am: Edit

Mike, Jeremy : Vanguard did a War DN some time ago, I just e-mailed you the image.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 11:59 am: Edit

John,

Thanks! That helps. Looks a lot like Jeremy said; a big HDW. I would have to sculpt the dorsal connector and the hull, and add the engines. Probably just cut down DN engines; I have a pair, I'm sure. Lemme see what I can do. I have some Battletech stuff I have to get done for the yearly diorama at Gencon, but I think I can do this if SVC wants it. Reminds me, I gotta mail in that Terminator master.

By Paul Cordeiro (Ogoptimus) on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - 01:37 am: Edit

Here’s my first Orion ship… a Light Raider. Inspired by some of Adam Turner’s artwork, it’s my first non-standard paint scheme. And it’s my first attempt at flames on a miniature.

It’s rather bright, I know, but that’s because I haven’t hit it with a matte finish yet. And I need to fix up the starboard nacelle. And I still have to put on a decal or two. I’m mulling over the scheme now, wondering if it’s final or if I want to strip it.

Let me know what you all think!

Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Pic 4

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - 12:53 pm: Edit

Really nice job man!

I have some Orions on my desk that I was gonna paint in Adam's colors myself. I usually do a blue "starfield cammo", but Adam has some great colors. You captured that one well!

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, July 29, 2009 - 03:27 pm: Edit

Very cool Paul. I dig the white flame.

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 03:52 pm: Edit

Got inspired to do a few "Adam Turner specials" of my own, including the White Flame.

The DN is a kitbash built by Mike Raper years ago, before ADB produced its official version. Mike's is a chunk bigger - more like battleship - but is really cool. The other two are a BR and CR.

Adam, I really dig your work.

http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/OrionAT1.jpg http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/OrionAT2.jpg http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/OrionAT3.jpg http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/OrionAT4.jpg

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 06:09 pm: Edit

Amazing work Dale. The hand-painted detail on the "Abandon All Hope" flag is just stunning.

By Paul Cordeiro (Ogoptimus) on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 09:34 pm: Edit

Really nice Dale. I like the added black outline on the edge of the red flame tips.

And the white eagle is great too!

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 09:47 pm: Edit

Thanks guys!

Would love to see more life in this topic; sadly I've been too busy of late to do much mini-painting.

By Randy O. Green (Hollywood750) on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 01:04 pm: Edit

Jeremy, what base are you going to?

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 03:13 pm: Edit

Dale - I'll be on a painting spree later this summer. Right now I'm in a sculpting and mini-prep mode (which isn't very photogenic).

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 06:43 pm: Edit

Looking forward to it Will. Your stuff's always good.

Randy, Jeremy's in Stuttgard (sp?), Germany right now.

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 06:49 pm: Edit

And another inspired project: I painted a Gorn Commando Cruiser in WW II, RAF-inspired colors:

http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/GornCOM1.JPG http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/GornCOM2.JPG http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/GornCOMaft.JPG http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/GornCOMbelly.JPG http://home.att.net/~dalemckee/minis/GornCOMside.JPG

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 08:21 pm: Edit

Appropriately reptilian-looking ;)

By Reid Hupach (Gwbison) on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 10:25 pm: Edit

Looks like a tadpole I once caught

By John Erwin Hacker (Godzillaking) on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 10:32 pm: Edit

This GORN is envious (Turns GREEN with envy) ........hehe

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Saturday, August 15, 2009 - 04:33 am: Edit

Cool as always Dale.

Randy, Dale is correct. I'm in Stuttgart - Patch Barracks specifically.

By John McGrory (Ssgmcgrory) on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 10:49 am: Edit

my updated Andros/ by the Master on FC forum

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k304/SSGMcGrory/andro3475.jpg

By Dale McKee (Brigman) on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 01:40 pm: Edit

Nice work John!

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 01:43 pm: Edit

Very good, both John and Dale.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 03:33 pm: Edit

I like the contrast in this picture much better than the other one John. Much easier to see your nice paint work.

By John McGrory (Ssgmcgrory) on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 02:47 pm: Edit

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k304/SSGMcGrory/003-5.jpg

frigate upgrade and improved bases

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k304/SSGMcGrory/002-4.jpg

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 07:07 pm: Edit

john, what are the bases made of? How did you make them?

By John McGrory (Ssgmcgrory) on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 10:58 pm: Edit

these are standard bases. I used spray foam (thin-med), worked around the base. allowed to dry, trimmed up,painted with Elmers glue to seal. painted black and dry brushed gray. a few hours work.

FYI I got the barrel clasps at a craft store. brass tubing micro-mark.

By John McGrory (Ssgmcgrory) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 10:19 am: Edit

Shawn take a look 8-))

http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k304/SSGMcGrory/?

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 01:12 pm: Edit

pretty cool

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 08:00 pm: Edit

For those interested in what I've done (and am doing now), I've completely rebuilt my PhotoBucket page to better organize the pictures of my various minis projects.

I also added dozens of new photos, most never before seen.

Just pick an "Album" and browse away.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Monday, November 23, 2009 - 07:03 pm: Edit

It's still a little too quiet around here.

HERE'S a picture to whet the appetite for kitbashed minis (instead of turkey and stuffing).

This is an old lead Starline 2200 Gorn Battlecruiser I aquired in an eBay lot. This poor old soldier was missing a wing and both engines.

I chose to bring it back to game-fighting shape, but used as the basis for a kitbashed Gorn BF Fast Battlecruiser.

I know that in-game (and in the SL2400 minis line) a Gorn BF looks externally just like a BC. However, given John Schneder's spiffy master for the Gorn DNL, I really wanted a CF that had a common "look". That, and the Fed CF looks radically different from the "stock" CA - why shouldn't the scaly-guys'?

I removed the one remaining "wing", filed the center hull aft of the wings into a "wasp-waist" shape (like on the DNL), fabricated new more-raked "go fast" looking wings with brass sheet, and replaced the missing engines with a pair from

a kitbash pack (but only after modifying them to give them a "more powerful" look with enlarged "intercooler housings" from brass tube on the rear ends).

The full process is documented HERE.

By Tony L Thomas (Scoutdad) on Monday, November 23, 2009 - 09:59 pm: Edit

Looks good Will, but what is the purpose of the giant, starship-sized skis underneath it? Is the Gorn BF able to ride the pressure wave created by the approaching Romulan plasma torpedo and keep ahead of it until it disperses???

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - 03:41 am: Edit

That's the optional Hydrax-weather traction kit. Wiseacre ;)

By Paul Cordeiro (Ogoptimus) on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - 01:32 pm: Edit

Very nice Will. Makes me want to find more time at the workbench.

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - 10:10 pm: Edit

Now that the FRAX are out of the bag for FC, when will we see FRAX minis?

By Terence Sean Terry O'Carroll (Terryoc) on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 12:27 am: Edit

Shawn, I'm guessing we'll see FRAX when, and if, they are ever included in a main line Federation Commander product. The demand probably would not be there otherwise.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 10:17 am: Edit

I think that there are a few requirements for there to be Frax miniatures (or any particular mini). 1) Players wanting them. Requests here help but we are only part of that sales equation. 2) ADB wants to do them. 3) A sculptor wants to do them.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 10:21 am: Edit

I'd seriously tell you to just go buy some naval miniatures and call it a day.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 01:16 pm: Edit

These ought to work in a pinch for Frax. link

By Tony L Thomas (Scoutdad) on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 02:46 pm: Edit

I'd think many of Ad Astra's SITS miniatures could sub for the various Frax ships. They have a somewhat submarine feel to them...

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 03:46 pm: Edit

Lar, those are cool!

If anybody is looking for a cheap way to get naval minis to sub for or start as kitbash material for Frax ships, I'd recommend Axis and Allies War at Sea miniatures. Plastic vice metal, which may or may not be a negative to the individual modeler, but definately affordable and easy to kitbash. I've gotten into this "beer and pretzels" game for what it is, but I can't help thinking these things would be a perfect baseline for kitbashing Frax ships.

Lots of links in the Google search above. Cheers.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Sunday, December 06, 2009 - 01:41 am: Edit

Has anyone here tried to convert a D5 or Orca into an FD5 or Orca-F?

In both cases, I was wondering if the fifteen-box warp engines might not be representable with those from a D7 (or C7 or Shark)...

...indeed, if the same principle held for other empires engine-wise, some of the other fast war cruisers might be similarly creatable.

(For the NLF, however, one might simply leave the NCF's third engine unattached!)

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Sunday, December 06, 2009 - 04:30 am: Edit

Neither of those are in FedCom, so they are not on my radar.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Sunday, December 06, 2009 - 01:48 pm: Edit

I was thinking a bit more about the fast war cruisers in general, so far as converting models might go.

As noted earlier, I'd probably just leave the top part of the NCF by itself, to work as the NLF - since the minis have those nice, long nacelles already. Plus, D7 engines might work for the FD5 (and/or a potential KR variant) and Orca-F.

The Kzinti CMF and Lyran CWF could be given engines from their empires' respective BCs, so they might not be to hard to try either.

However, converting Romulan (Hawk-series), Gorn, Hydran and ISC models might need more work. The fast engines the first three have don't have an easy equivalent in another mini as it stands. Plus, in the case of the ISC CLF/CBR, it would be more useful perhaps to try and green-stuff an extension to the CL's engines, given their location on the dorsal hull.

Still, that would leave 1 fast ship more or less ready to go, along with another 4 (5 if you give the Roms a Kestrel-FD5) which only need engine swaps - not a bad

start, perhaps.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Sunday, December 06, 2009 - 06:13 pm: Edit

I would be interest to see what you could do with those Gary.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 06:01 am: Edit

In order to try and plan ahead for this sort of thing (which might take a while to implement) I had a few questions:

*What kind of adhesive do you use to attach engines to their mounts?

*Is there a good comparison pic of the Lyran BC and CW, or Kzinti CM and BC, back-to-back - showing the relative sizes of their engines?

*I noticed on the CMF SSD that the wings shown have no connecting struts dividing them from the hull, and seem to be facing in the opposite direction to the wingtips on other Kzinti cruisers. Would one have to turn the CM's wingtips around, and remove the interconnecting struts, to represent this on the mini?

*Are the centre warp engines on the Lyran CW and BC separate pieces when you buy those minis, as they are shown to be for the NCA?

(It occurred to me that the BC engines could be used on the NCA, also, to make an NCF.)

*Does the Kzinti NCA's nacelles come pre-attached, or do you glue them on yourself?

(With 4 BC nacelles and shortened wings, one could make that ship into an NCF, too... though buying 2 BC models just to cannibalise the required engines might be expensive.)

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 06:09 am: Edit

Hi.

When thinking over how to model a CWF miniature recently, it occurred to me that the same basic idea I had (to use a BC's engines to represent the 10-box nacelles on the Running Jaguar) might be extended to the NCA, in order to make a Lyran new fast cruiser.

(In background terms, perhaps a given county tried to upgrade one of their

CWFs, in response to Andromedan raids.)

For starters, one could replace the inner engines' disruptors with Ph-1s, as seen on the CWF's centre warp nacelle.

However, what other changes might need to be made to the NCA in order to make an NCF work?

(Indeed, in order to help with the anti-Andro thing, might the two inner nacelles have their disruptors replaced with special sensors instead?)

Moved from Lyran NCF Running King Jaguar by order of SVC. -- J.Sexton

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 06:12 am: Edit

Hi.

As with the Lyran example I wanted to explore recently, it occurred to me that the same principle mini-wise one might pursue to convert a CM into a CMF (by using a BC's engines) could be extended to the 4-nacelle NCA, in order to give the Kzintis a new fast cruiser.

However, aside from giving an NCA 4 10-box warp nacelles, dropping two disruptors, and perhaps placing the same shortened wings as the CMF, what else might need to go in order to make an NCF work?

Moved from Kzinti NCF by order of SVC. Link removed because topic was moved here -- J.Sexton

By John Wyszynski (Starsabre) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 08:03 am: Edit

Been Done. See Module R10.

Moved from Kzinti NCF by order of SVC. -- J.Sexton

By John Wyszynski (Starsabre) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 08:05 am: Edit

Been Done. See Module R10.

Moved from Lyran NCF Running King Jaguar by order of SVC. -- J.Sexton

By Terence Sean Terry O'Carroll (Terryoc) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 08:12 am: Edit

Gary, I think this thread should probably be in the "mini kitbashing" topic.

Moved from Kzinti NCF by order of SVC. -- J.Sexton

By Terence Sean Terry O'Carroll (Terryoc) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 08:14 am: Edit

I usually use cyanoacrylate superglue for my minis, but you could use epoxy of some kind.

By Tony L Thomas (Scoutdad) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 09:21 am: Edit

As with Terry, I use CA superglue for most of my minis. Kzinti engines are treated a bit differently; however.

Forthe Kzin, I use a tooth pick to place a 2-part, 30-minute epoxy at both ends of the engine mount, and then a second toothpick to place a small drop of superglue in the center. The superglue bonds rapidly and holds the assembly while the epoxy cures to provide a strong bond for what is typically a vry thin connecting mount.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 09:42 am: Edit

This is how I handled the wings on the Kzinti CF:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Kzinti/kzintimini_files/image023.jpg

Basically cut the pods off the ends of the wings, got rid of the connting struts, and built a shorting extension to mount the pods directly to the hull. Used the top down view of the CF in Module R6 as a guide.

I'd assume other Kzinti fast ships would follow the same pattern.

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 09:49 am: Edit

Gary, for a size comparison of Lyran ships, this might be a good picture. Ships are may not be directly back to back, but I think most of the major classes, as well as my various kitbashes, are all in this one:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Lyrans/lyranmini_files/image121.jpg

On the Lyran BC, CW, and NCA, the center engines are a separate parts. I've found the CW and NCA engines a little tricky to get attached, but CA tends to work fine. Real trick is just getting them glued on straight. Building up some kind of a jig to hold them in place usually helps.

The NCA's engines are attached. The two lower ones to the main hull, and the two upper ones to the "ridgeback":

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Kzinti/kzintimini_files/image043.jpg

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 12:51 pm: Edit

I must be blind - I didn't notice earlier that the CL/BC engines for the Lyrans don't have the same outline as those on the CW/NCA... that would really help CWF/NCF conversions stand out!

However, to clarify, which method of engine adhesive would be best suggested if one wanted to make the resultant mini into a potential master?

(I may have asked a similar question a few years back, since I doubted plain old superglue would do the trick.)

As an aside, most of the stuff I bought to try and put a master together the last time around was in Ireland, and it's not really feasible to try and bring it over to Canada... but even if I start this kind of project in the new year, there's only so much I can currently afford to get tools-wise.

Hopefully what I can get will be enough.

In any case, the funding issue for the minis to be converted will mean I'd only try one or two at a time - but I'm not sure whether or not to try the two Lyran ships first, or go for the FD5 and Orca-F to start off with.

Oh, actually, here's a question - are the third nacelles from the C8 and BC the same size and shape as those on the main hull of each? If so, maybe using those nacelles as a basis for conversion might be handier than carving up BC and D7 hulls...

By Jeremy Gray (Gray) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 01:11 pm: Edit

Gary, the C8's center engine is the same size, but has slightly different details. Its pylon slopes to the rear, which makes it perfect for fast cruisers. An example:

http://jgray-sfb.com/Miniatures/Klingons/klingonmini_files/image035.jpg

By BC, I'm guessing you mean Kzinti or Lyran. In both cases, yes the engines are virtually identical (only difference I know of is in the support pylon for the Lyran).

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 01:16 pm: Edit

I meant the Lyran BC - the only Lyran mini I have is the Cave Lion.

In the Klingon/WYN examples, I'm thinking of clipping the D5 engines off, removing the pylons from the C8 engines, then attaching the engines right onto the old pylons.

But that may change when I get a look at the minis up close. (I'm not sure how sturdy the swept-back pylons might be on the Orca or D5 hulls - though they would help give the ships a distinct look...)

For the Lyrans, I'd hope to only have to do something similar for the CW and NCA's two outer engines - but does anyone know if the slits on the centre hulls of

each would be enough to fit the BC centre engine pylons already?

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 03:14 pm: Edit

Gary: "...if one wanted to make the resultant mini into a potential master"

For any master-copy work, only *epoxy* glues can be used. Cyanoacrylates ("Super Glues") turn to goo under high heat in the mold. I've also heard that they release toxic gases, dangerous to the mold-maker.

Often joints need to be reinforced with brass pins and/or greenstuff putty "thickening" to withstand the pressures and bending that the mold-making process imparts into the master-copy.

Do note however that doing a master is not as simple as making a ship you want to see in the line and sending it to SVC.

I'd highly advise "asking first" before proceeding with making a master.

SVC is only going to put something into production if he thinks he can make money on it. It costs a good chunk of money to have a mold and master-casting made and then production molds from that. If the resulting product is only going to sell a very few copies, it is absolutely *not* worth the time and money for either you or SVC to do it.

That doesn't mean you should not "kitbash" any mini you want, for your gaming table.

I do that all the time, for things like fast cruisers (I just finished fabrication on my Gorn BF last night, I have a Klingon FD7 underway, and will be doing a Kzinti CF much like Jeremy's). The market isn't there for most fast cruiser minis from what SVC has posted recently (they don't look different enough in most cases). The market isn't there for a lot of the "variant" and "one-off" ships.

Most folks seem happy to just call the "stock" ship whatever is needed on the board.

Some folks are more picky (I'd include myself in that group), but I don't expect SVC and ADB to make a mini that they can't sell. I make it myself, for my use. Once in a very great while, someone pays me enough to make it worthwhile to do one for them (my wife sets those rates, and she sets them high).

For personal use on your gaming table, you can make your life much easier and quicker. You can use easy-to-work-with (and cheaper!) materials like styrene plastic and hobby-putties. You can use CA "super glues". You can leave things hollow. Etc.

Making a master that can survive the molding process takes much, much more work than a "good enough for gaming" kitbash, and imposes a lot of restrictions on materials and methods that are just not warranted, if it's not going to get used that way.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 08:45 pm: Edit

Gary: "However, to clarify, which method of engine adhesive would be best suggested if one wanted to make the resultant mini into a potential master? "

Another thing to note - The engines on the existing minis are often separate for a reason.

In the old days the ships had many (in the case of Kzinti a "great many") more parts. This worked better since it was easier to mold them separate (especially with the older rubber formulations in use back then). "Raised" details, parts on long thin "struts", and parts with large "undercuts" would usually be made separate. Back then, minis-builders didn't seem to mind having to deal with fiddly little bits too much.

Nowadays, the market wants one-piece ships. They are vastly more durable, that much is sure. Some aesthetic compromises are made to pull off a one-piece ship (where often they were multi-piece before), but this is often minimized if the sculpter is skillful (Alvin Bellflower, Mike Raper, John Schneder, etc., all did well with this).

At this point, if an engine or other part is separate on a modern Starline 2400 ADB mini, it is because it simply could not be molded any other way. This is usually due to excessive "height" relative to the mini's length (mold-depth and removal issues) and/or due to undercuts (removal issues). Note the parts breakup on the minis - if something sticks "up" or "down" too far (with bits that also stick long-ways fwd or aft), it is usually separated to keep it from "trapping" the mini in the mold.

Permanently attaching a part like that to any potential master you are trying to make is likely to kill your master's chances of getting made.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Wednesday, December 09, 2009 - 01:07 pm: Edit

To clarify, I wouldn't try to attach the upper engines in such a manner - this would strictly be for replacing the nacelles already mounted on the hull.

Also, whether any such attempts at such a model would be useful or not, I'd still like to try to make the mini the kind that could, in principle, be used as a master - if for no other reason than to see if I can do such a thing.

I only rarely tried such a thing before - most notably in a less-than-successful

attempt to make an ISC NCA a while back - but I'd like to try at least one more time before I write the concept off entirely.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Wednesday, December 09, 2009 - 09:47 pm: Edit

To those interested - I posted some new pictures of various kitbashes in-progress on the FedCom forum, along with links to more.

Links to there from here no-worky, since discus doesn't like url's with special-characters.