1/2256 Fleet Commissions

[nicholassagan]

A German fellow was super interested in my first MC-80 build so much so that he commissioned me to build a more studio-accurate version. While embarking upon that errant venture (ha!) he asked if I would do a Dreadnaught, too. So here they are! There's also a few support ships that will be added to the mix. Each of the larger builds will have a mirrored base and will be powered by wall warts.

Here are the previous build posts:
http://nicholassagan.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/bench-update-12256-mc-80-mon-calamari-cruiser-commission/
http://nicholassagan.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/bench-update-12256-dreadnaught-commission/

Anigrand's MC-80: First step was to fill all those obnoxious panel lines. They're HUGE. Sanding them took a while but I think it will pay off in the end.

JPG's Dreadnaught: Had to hollow the fuck out of this one. What a beast! Then had to go back in a fix a bunch of holes I accidentally punched through.

 

[Ozzman78]

Can't wait to see how that Mon Cal ship turns out.

 

[Glorfindel]

Gonna be nice seeing you build big again Nick.

 

[JohnSimmons]

Awesome stuff man!

 

[Quaralane]

Definitely some work to be done. But you've got some good stuff going here

 

[nicholassagan]

Lotta work on these commission pieces. My camera was out of commission but I found a way to share. Ok…so…I did a little extra detailing on the Transport. Nothing too major. I might knock down the heavy panels a little bit. They just stick out way too much.

Added some extra bulges here and there; I’ll add the bridge module later once it’s pieced together and the other surface detailing begins. The wings were also attached so it’s starting to take shape!

Also poured over all my screen caps to get a reasonably accurate layout of all the windows then I marked where each section will go. There definitely won’t be as many as on my last build, but there will be a lot. One thing I’m doing differently is using a smaller gauge drill bit and fiber optic. While .5mm is good in a lot of cases, it’s a little inaccurate for the scale so I’m using #77 bits and .25mm fiber. It’ll be a very good look.

I also spent a good chunk of time taking the pieces to town with my Dremel. In order to get windows to certain places along the tail I had to route out sections. I’ll of course have to fill and re-detail them, but again, it’s all for the sake of matching the studio model. The hangar was also cut out so I could detail it and get that nice side light effect.

Oh, and thanks to some friends and some time spent with screen caps, I have a TON of really good reference shots showing surface detailing. There are a ton of wires and things and bits here and there that the model doesn’t have. That’ll be fun. You might also notice a bit of warpage still with the main hull parts. I’m not too concerned with this as it will go away once the halves get joined. I might put a vertical brace in the inside near where the power plug will be just so there isn’t atrocious warping down the line.

 

[kolja]

Wow! Can't wait to see more!

 

[ModelMakerMike]

WOW!!!!
Incredibly kewl!
Where did you find the big Mon Calamar ship? I suppose it's a resin kit?
Those port-holes you drilled out do look good scale-wise.

 

[nicholassagan]

it's the OOP anigrand kit

 

[ModelMakerMike]

I bet that set you back a few sheckles, eh?

 

[nicholassagan]

well, this build is a commission so i didn't have to pay for it

the FIRST one...yup. it was about $175 or so.

 

[ModelMakerMike]

I guess $175.00 isn't too bad.
Mostly because of the quality I have seen on the Anigrand kits

 

[Grendels]

Nice work on this.

 

[Quaralane]

Some excellent work here

 

[nicholassagan]

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been since September!! Anyway, with all those other things out of the way I can finally get back to focusing on this guy. I figured I’d push for a Wonderfest deadline and bring it on down. It still needs the mirror base, but that can come later. My time this weekend is being spent tediously masking all the little squares and rectangles, trying to match the studio model as closely as possible (with a couple minor artistic interpretations). First layer will be the rust/red, then some more masking and then the medium/dark grays. It’ll be damn fine when it gets there.

 

[nicholassagan]

I should also add that the Dreadnaugt itself is done and all that remains is to finish up the base. A friend cut some nice frames for me so now I just have to sit down and wire up the post! In the meantime, here are some more detailed shots of the build with a little showcase on the lighting.

 

[nicholassagan]

The color contrast is a bit high right now, but once I had some more tone here and there (and more panel decals) I'll be able to blend it with some really thin gray...

Actually, I'm kind of in a odd spot to figure out what to do next. Here's the order I'm thinking but if anything could be different or of anyone has suggestions...lmk

seal with clear coat
trim fibers
seal with clear coat (only where fibers were trimmed)
panel decals
seal with clear coat (only where decals were placed)
overall tone down (light, thin, transparent warm gray to blend all colors)
carbon scoring and toning (smoke color from airbrush)
detail painting (dry brushing, silvers, coppers highlights, etc)
flat coat
pencil in panel lines
flat coat

 

[Quaralane]

These are looking really sharp, Nick

 

[JohnSimmons]

That looks so cool man, and your order of weathering etc sounds spot on to me

 

[nicholassagan]

Thanks. The Future is drying now (boy it looks good all lit up!) and I'll be applying decals tonight