From ForestP: 1 Squadron (12 6mm? vehicles) of Imperial Armada of Marduk Spaceships from Hydra Miniatures [LV426] (44 points)

So, after that absolute unit of a terrain piece, The Alamo, I needed to take a little rest from painting. Quite honestly, my painting hand hurt something fierce after that much work, and since I have to write and type as a significant portion of my career, I wanted some time to heal. I seriously feel for those individuals who have to suffer through carpel tunnel syndrome on a daily basis. Now, however, that I am suitably rested it's time to get back in the saddle... or is it cockpit?

Having taken a Warp Maelstrom to Arrakis I found myself compelled to travel the Void Sea to the Alien world of LV426 next. What better way then to be escorted by a squadron of the finest Imperial Armada of Marduk Class 1 and Class 2 spaceships from Hydra Miniatures? I've had two squadrons of miniatures for Hydra Miniatures War Rocket Retro Sci-fi Space Combat wargame a little over a decade now. I half-way painted the Zenethian squadron all the way back in May, 2010 (proof), and I decided to finish them up prior to doing the Imperial ships. I'm obviously not counting these for the Challenge, but I figure you'd enjoy seeing how they look.

In case you are wondering I used Windsor & Newton Brilliant Green ink to do that translucent green.

Now, with that out of the way, onto the matter at hand. I decided that I really wanted to use some of the Turbo Dork Color Shift and Metallic paints that I bought last summer on these miniatures, so as per instructions from Turbo Dork I primed the ships in Krylon ColorMaxx Gloss Black (5505). 

The lore of the Imperial Armada of Marduk indicated that the paint scheme of most of their ships are liveried in the standard Imperial colors of red with gold and black accents. Well, I don't want to do that, so nyah. Evidently "His Imperial Majesty Marduk permits alternate color schemes for veteran commanders as long as they still include red, black, and gold." I considered that, but no, I want more flexibility. A-ha! "More latitude in color schemes is allowed for the vassal planets of the Imperium." Yes, that'll do quite nicely. I decided to make this squadron the 1979th Nightcallers of Kavinsky (listen to the unit's march here). May you enjoy them in all their synthwave/80's pastel glory. 

Working from a lighter-to-darker framework I started by painted each ship in Pearly Gates. The ColorShift and Metallic paints by Turbo Dork all require multiple coats to get the full effect. As you can see by image below, three coats of the Pearly Gates does give an amazing metallic look to the miniatures. Dare I say it, this paint is my favorite silver-chrome paint to date.

I love how this metallic paint looks!

The bulk of the ships were painted with Turbo Dork Bubblegum Crisis. As you can see from this little video the paint goes between bubblegum pink to a gold color. It's a little hard to see in the video, but trust me, it's there!

The color shift doesn't show up well in photos or video, but it looks great in person.

Moving forward I picked out details and accents using Bubblegum Crisis, Crystal Cavern, Purl Grey,  Sakura, and Shell Shocked, as well as Vallejo Deep Sky Blue (70.844), Deco Art Americana Pistachio Mint (DA253), Deco Art Americana Electric Pink (DA231), and Deco Art Americana Royal Fuchsia (DA151). Windows were picked out with Vallejo Dark Prussian Blue (703899) and given a highlight pop of Vallejo Deep Sky Blue (70.844). Weapon ports on the Class 2 ships (the bigger ones) were picked out in Craft Smart Neon Green (23669). Finally, exhaust ports on all ships were dry-brushed with Vallejo Flat Red (70.957) followed by Vallejo Deep Yellow (70.915). I finished off the miniatures by sealing with Hobby Lobby Clear Acrylic Coating Gloss Spray (706945).

The whole squadron

Now, who wouldn't be terrified of these? :-)

Close-up of the Class 1 fighters.

The three Class 2 ships.

Close-up of the Class 2. I love the retro futuristic look of these miniatures!

Anyhow, this is my entry for the week. I wasn't super happy with the Color Shift paints from Turbo Dork, but that may be because I'm just not comfortable with putting them on. Also, from what I've seen online they are better served being airbrushed rather than with a traditional brush. I really like Turbo Dork's Metallics though! In summation, my points are calculated as follows:

12 x 6mm vehicles @ 2 = 24 points

LV426 (Middle Ring) bonus = 20 points

Total = 44 points

Not as much as last time, but a decent showing nonetheless. I'm definitely not as good painting sci-fi as I am historical figures. I think I prefer painting with a guide as my imagination just runs too wild otherwise. Until next time!!!

From Millsy:

Certainly not as big or involved as The Alamo but a great post nonetheless Forest!

These ships have a groovy Flash Gordon feel to them and your vibrant colour scheme really takes them to the next level. I particularly like the go fast style of the Class 2 ships and you've really managed to pick out the detail for such a small scale. Nice choice for LV426 too.

Top work mate and here's hoping we see more of this stuff before the Challenge finishes up.

Cheers,

Millsy