Zeus-class Warstar

[Landlubber]

Here are some in-progress pictures of a Zeus-class Warstar that I picked up at Historicon.  This ship would be used in a Battlestar Galactica-themed game, but I'm probably just going to use it as a display piece.

Here is the model ( only 2 pieces) unpainted (the material is white metal, I believe):



First coat of paint--GW's Fortress Grey:



Black ink wash:



Followed by a dry-brushing of Fortress Grey:



And now, a first pass at the paneling.  Battlestars have a textured surface, not unlike the "aztek" pattern seen on Federation vessels in Star Trek.  The black wash and subsequent dry-brush really made the panels on this ship stand out, so I'm going over them with several different colors:  light grey, gunmetal, and dark ghost grey from Testors; grimy black from Polly Scale, and Codex Grey from GW.



Will probably do one or two more passes on the paneling, and then dry brush it again with Fortress Grey to even out the colors.  Then I'll move on to the engines and weapons.

Thanks for looking!

[Andrewchristlieb]

Looking good. I like the different panels they add some good visual intrest.

[Landlubber]

Thanks much.  Due to other events, I probably won't be able to post updates for a bit, but I'll pass them along as I can.

[Camthalion]

looking very good

[Ruckdog]

Nice looking model! Looking forward to seeing how it looks when you are done

[Landlubber]

Thanks all for the kind words.  Due to my current living situation and a major upcoming trip, I probably won't get any painting done for the next month.  Will update when I can.

[Landlubber]

Got a few spare minutes, so I finished the paneling.

Here's what the final raw paneling looked like:



And here's the ship with another drybrush of GW Fortress Grey, to even out the colors:



Not *quite* what I was going for, but this is the first time I've tried this technique.  This is the final version of the paneling--if I go over it again, the grey will probably cover up the colored panels.

Ok, this should be my last update until I get back from the trip. 

Comments are welcome--thanks for looking!

[Ruckdog]

I like the overall look! I get the impression you aren't completely satisfied, though. Did you want the various panels to stand out more?

[MadDrB]

Thanks for the step-by-step with photos.  I just picked up a bunch of starship models, finally deciding to take the plunge into sci-fi battlefleet gaming, so I'm looking for techniques, and this seems relatively simple while providing a very interesting effect, as if damaged panels had been replaced by newer components in drydock, etc.

[Landlubber]

Ruckdog--well, I'm not sure.  Had an image in my mind, and the reality turned out to be a little different.  I think I should have stuck with one or two different paneling colors, instead of 5.

MadDrB--hasn't thought about the repair angle.  I was going more for "texture" than "battlefield repair" with this idea.

Thanks for the kind words--will post more updates when I can.

[Landlubber]

She's done!  Check the Showcase thread.