I recently ordered from shapeways and was wondering if I could get some advice on how to paint my ship. Also I'm a first-time painter so any knowledge you wonderful people have to offer or any post you could link me to would be fantastic.

It depends on what material you got them in really

Yes. For that lost-cost grainy stuff, I can help you. I painted some minis for Heroclix. It's really, really hard to remove all the grainy texture. But it can be done. Just don't expect to ever get a totally smooth surface. It's grainy because the model is made of billions of tiny beads that are welded together with a laser, and the plastic is basically one big sponge. This is also why it's hard to paint. It soaks the paint . . . like a sponge. You should coat it with a primer first, sand it smooth, then repeat until it's smooth. The primer will fill the little holes in it and harden, then you can sand away until it's smoother. Then you can paint.

Mind you, it's much better to go with the detail plastic, because it's already smooth and doesn't require as much paint, and you end up paying about MSRP for the model, which I don't consider *too* bad.

Which models do you use? And how?

(Just wondering really if you 'houserule' non-existing ships in the official game or proxy not released stuff )

On the white flexible materiel I rub it with a toothbrush take off the plastic dust that sticks to the printed model before painting.

The detail plastic needs to be washed before painting as a wax is used to support the plastic whilst it cures.

On the white flexible materiel I rub it with a toothbrush take off the plastic dust that sticks to the printed model before painting.

The detail plastic needs to be washed before painting as a wax is used to support the plastic whilst it cures.

I did not know about the wax. I have painted some and had great results, then painted others and been less than thrilled. Must have been a more "waxy" batch. I will wash them better next time. Thanks for the info!

Also I ordered in the frost detail plastic.

Then id be careful with the toothbrush work, but a short wash in warm rather than hot very slightly soapy water will do wonders for the finish then dry immediately then (at least i do) leave over night wrapped loosely in a papertowel to soak up anything that might have been missed and unless you want to prime it will be ready. i usually dont bother priming but i know many prefer to do so for added durability of the paint

Which models do you use? And how?

(Just wondering really if you 'houserule' non-existing ships in the official game or proxy not released stuff )

This is my first custom ship, the delta 7, although I've got an eye toward creating a republic faction for casual games.