Vykes' Shipwright

By Vykes, in Star Wars: Armada Painting and Modification

First, a shout out to the Jodocast, they hosted an awesome little picture contest and I got the Armada prize. Wooo, they're as great as alt art swag'n a bag, which is pretty frigging great if you missed 'em the first time 'round! And what can I say, they do a general star wars gaming podcast real good.

Agreed Salty, the old WEG source book was pretty good for stuff like that, from what I recall though I haven't set eyes on it in ages. Most of my recollection comes from the first edition "Essential Guide to Vehicles" back when it was first released and I ordered it from a school book fair (do they still have those?) The Assault Frigate wasn't included, but the Dread was, so I'm generally more familiar with the Dread than I am its derivative Assault Frigate. That said, I'm not a fan of how skinny the type V's aft is, and as I don't have much of a history with that ship, it's not quite as appealing. That said, the Type III is just superb, and the Type II is pretty good as well. The Type III just feels like the most 'balanced' ship of the lot, with the Type II just behind.

Congrats on winning, Some nice looking stuff you won there.

I have most of the old WEG Star Wars books, even though I never played it. I just loved reading them and looking at the pictures. If I knew how I'd scan them in to share (and they have been in storage since I got out of the Army). Probably why I prefer the Type V, since I have been looking at pictures of it for years. I also remember (and have) the old orange Essential guide you speak of. Those were great fun too. While the new canon is fun, I do have alot of nostalge for much of the old Legends stuff.

And a BIG THANK YOU for the tutorial. I've been trying, but I can't seem to get the right look. I'll take a crack at this way when I get home tonight.

Edited by Salted Diamond

YEP! They hold paint nicely... Shouldn't flake off, and they've got just enough flex that it shouldn't shatter.... |

I'm very impressed - I was about to bring out the Airbrush to do just that to some of mine... But you've gone and one-upped me yet again :D

It was some pretty awesome swag for me. Aye, I love RP style guides, Salty (I make my own as a D&D guy) so that makes perfect sense to me. Type V is a nostalgia thing but I didn't become acquainted with it until much later. I have no idea where my guide is, would be nice to find and read. This new canon is pretty great though so it's nice tp see. Hoping Y wings make a comeback.

Well, got some new stuff even if I've been mostly working on IA.

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I'll admit, I'm loving this colour scheme. Enough so that I may think of doing up a squadron/group in red rather than yellow.

Yeah, derived from:

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I'm sold on the theme rather than just typical colour X-wing colourations.

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Just a test for colours. Turns out oil paints do work and fairly well even at this scale. So, umber on a linen white. I knew it was great for stains and marks but as a full filter it's nice too. I may have to pick some other colours up.

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More CR90's... trust me, they actually look good but these CR90's are defying all my efforts to photograph them.

And finally (for now) I've got another small thing.

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Yeah, I may try to do something on those windows. I'll admit it now, Mel's Gozanti are far more my style, less boxy and cartoony and yeah, the FFG are the KIA Soul next to Mel's Wrangler. I'll take a picture pretty quick, but it looks like I'll be nabbing another soon enough.

That's it for now but hopefully I'll have something soon enough, and Ceknell will be getting a story update later on today.

Edited by Vykes

Seriously mate....you need to stop posting these.

They are so amazing I want to cry!!

Great work!!!

Now do some Zentreadi TIE fighters

Smuuuurf ya aaaalmost done cursed me! I'm not super happy with an interdictor I mocked up. Too flashy for me. But I shall persevere and post, apologies. :P And thanks a ton mate, seriously

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Hmm, you know Madagh, I did kinda do a Zent-ish FO tie for X-wing. Maybe that would be cool.

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Well, I'm getting a few new things done and a few old things done. I picked up another Raider which is mostly painted but I've still got to do a bit of engine work on it, so it'll be up in a day or two. I'm hoping to make a tournament tomorrow so that's something! Going for the imps this time around.

Then I snagged something from Mel. I broke one of my golden rules: never purchase terrain.

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But it was still too much nostalgia, it looked great, and I'm working so I get less time than I want for scratch builds. It's still not exactly finished, still trying to figure out what/if colour lighting is a good idea. It took about 2 hours is all, mostly because I'm just getting into the mindset of 'let the tools do the work', so it's mostly just a few airbrush blends and then picking out bits. Not my usual style but it might end up being in some cases. Tempted to get another one or another one and something scratch built below it to represent the new stations for the CCCP.

And not Armada based but what's also been directing some of my attention.

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They're pretty cool, just waiting for the basing stuff and wondering what this'll look like after its all matted down. Anyway, I'll likely get into IA after the rebel commandos come out, the shore troopers get released, and we see some proper scout troopers.

Smuuuurf ya aaaalmost done cursed me! I'm not super happy with an interdictor I mocked up. Too flashy for me. But I shall persevere and post, apologies. :P And thanks a ton mate, seriously

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Hmm, you know Madagh, I did kinda do a Zent-ish FO tie for X-wing. Maybe that would be cool.

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The Interdictor is way to cool. , as is the TIE. But that Interdictor is seriously lookin to put some hurt down on some poor sod ..............owwwwwwwww

Edited by stuh42asl

I have been really tempted by the station. You posting one is not helping. When I get my GI Bill check at the end of the month, I already have a $300 ($303 before shipping) order from Mel's sitting in the shopping cart. Now you might make me increase it. Darn you Vykes! :angry: :D

-laughs- thanks mates. You know, Stuh, I like the interdictor but it looks so overheated that it seems more like it's in danger of meltdown than turning an opponent's ship to slag :P I've been really having trouble putting them into a list but I will make that effort. Frigging awesome model that FFG put together though (and ILM, naturally). I think Lyraeus called it the 'Bing' over on Twitter: flashy and prone to overheating. Lets hope that it can pull its weight, eh?

Salty, I guess I should apologize on that one as I usually never-ever buy something that can constitute 'terrain'. But that station hooked me and... I may very well end up with 2. It's a very cool model, mine had a bit of a texture issue part of the lower section, but it's practically invisible. It painted up quick and clean too. Wish I had more negative things to say just to even it out :P I do wonder if I should add some numbers to that thing. $300, eh? That's a scary enough order. Curious what you've got in the basket there, -laughs- I am a terrible terrible influence and should pay some kind of penance. I think I planned for about $200 with the RAF Mk.I Type III (that's a scary acronym, eh?), more so if there's some victory II frigates to go with it.

Still gonna have some more painting done semi-soonish. I really need to make up a new workbench photo.

Edited by Vykes

. $300, eh? That's a scary enough order. Curious what you've got in the basket there, -laughs- I am a terrible terrible influence and should pay some kind of penance.have

It contains

x8 Royal guard intercaptor wings (X-wing)

x2 XG-1 Assault Gunboats (X-wing)

x1 Immobalizer 418 crusier

x1 Vindicator cruiser

x2 Dreadnaughts

x1 ISD Mk1 conversion kit

x1 MC40

x1 Lancer class frigate

total = $303.27 before shipping

And now a station and some Corrillian Gunships might find their way into the basket before I click order around the 30th of this month.

Edited by Salted Diamond

Niiiice, very nice Salty. Tha't sa right good list. Gah, don't tempt me into getting a small squadron of X-wing gunboats... then I'll need the Tie Avengers to go with it :P And I don't even really play X-wing! not, you know, beyond Aturi and narrative jaunts which are pretty great. (Those winglets do look great though).

The Immobilizer is a nice model, more suited to my taste (I'm really thinking of fan-creating a 1 experimental refit, speed 2, low end Int-418. In an Imperial Interdictor body it feels too capable). Dreads are always good, but I saw a fractal sponge dreadnaught that looks terrific to me, and I'm soooorta hoping someone picks up that version.

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Can't wait till Mel turns out some RAF Mk.I Type III's! Already got some plans for some. More so with some Victory II frigates. Do tell me how that conversion set is, I'm thinking of picking one up since I nabbed 2 ISD alt art cards and figure I can maybe strip and redo an ISD.

-laughs- thanks mates. You know, Stuh, I like the interdictor but it looks so overheated that it seems more like it's in danger of meltdown than turning an opponent's ship to slag :P I've been really having trouble putting them into a list but I will make that effort. Frigging awesome model that FFG put together though (and ILM, naturally). I think Lyraeus called it the 'Bing' over on Twitter: flashy and prone to overheating. Lets hope that it can pull its weight, eh?

Salty, I guess I should apologize on that one as I usually never-ever buy something that can constitute 'terrain'. But that station hooked me and... I may very well end up with 2. It's a very cool model, mine had a bit of a texture issue part of the lower section, but it's practically invisible. It painted up quick and clean too. Wish I had more negative things to say just to even it out :P I do wonder if I should add some numbers to that thing. $300, eh? That's a scary enough order. Curious what you've got in the basket there, -laughs- I am a terrible terrible influence and should pay some kind of penance. I think I planned for about $200 with the RAF Mk.I Type III (that's a scary acronym, eh?), more so if there's some victory II frigates to go with it.

Still gonna have some more painting done semi-soonish. I really need to make up a new workbench photo.

I think the best use for an Interdictor is to hyper it behind your opponents nastiest vessel and just plain play havoc with it's movement. An M-80 that is reduced to speed one is just a huge floating brick. Doing that will force your opponent to either engage what is coming down it's throat , or turn to get the monkey off it's back. Or just use it to tie up bombers by really pinning them in place. Interdictors are also good for "mugging' smaller ships.............just slow em down, tractor them, drag em kicking and screaming behind an asteroid and mug 'em. Just treat it for what it is a vehicle that throws out a "glue' field to slow down someone so someone else can wack em: :P

That is a sweet Dreadnaught model. I would love to myself one of those as well.

A "Mugging", eh, Stuh? That may be the best way to explain Interdictor tactics that I ever heard, and I'm not joking :P That seriously works! I may try to work a stripped down combat Interdictor with a pair of bully ISD-I's and some light fighter cover to do exactly that. It sounds like a fun experiment! I had that happen to a Liberty but as I had already figured it was going to hurt, I just kept up the navigate commands. I will admit, the whole 'temp one lower speed' thing was pretty irritating buuuut I did still murder it with Mon Karren. Turns out bullying that particular schoolyard brat wasn't a good idea. :P

It so is Broba, it so is.... and lo, Lord Mel hath heard mine plea. verily, I say! The Dreadnaught, henceforth to be calleth 'the good version' is nigh! And perhaps, nay, perchance, hath I purchased a pair of the vessels in question. 'Tis a good thing, for when I looketh upon them, I see naught but dread. Is it not good, that in such trying times, a name is a name that reflects the soul of the faux iron behemoth? secondary translation: Mel made it, I bought some, and I've been smiling way too much because I can finally feel happy about owning a Dreadnaught!

Oh yeah, minor painting update: GR75 and a squadron of CR90's inbound, once I figure out what markings I want to go with on the Cr90's.

Edited by Vykes

That is a sweet Dreadnaught model. I would love to myself one of those as well.

Well, it's here:

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Nice Mel. Any updates on the Assault Frigate Mk I (type III or V)?

It's so much more... chunkier.

I'm so veeery much looking forward to getting my grubby little claws on those Dreadnaughts! I love the heavy look with visible cannons. And my two went into production today! Gleeeee! I'm thinking about just following the Fractal 'ESB-esque' blue colour scheme, though a maross blue and light grey scheme could be pretty cool too.

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Oh, and something something, did a bit more painting but hung up on corvettes and I vastly prefer the brighter GR75's. But the big news is Dreads of doom!

Edited by Vykes

definitely going to get a few of my own when i have disposable income. i for one will be using them as the imperial equivalent to the AF1. a faster refit of the aged dreadnaught than tge rebel version.

Yes the dreadnaught is a beautiful model..............unfortunately I am tapped out on funds.............so any of you rich young fellas wanna help out an old man and send me one :rolleyes: Come on feel sorry for an old timer.............. :)

-laughs- weeeeell Stuh, if I wasn't working a second job just to keep up with my own Armada addiction, I very well may :P I sorta already gave away a few ships, (not to mention several warhammer armies when that game was all hot and popular).

Alright, new stuff: well a CR90 peg broke and I had to use an X-wing stand to fix it, still been doing a lot of IA instead, and I'll have some new squadrons, Liberty, and Dread's in the next little while, but the only interesting new attempted bit was this. I was asked to do some royal guards, so I did. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

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Hell yeah! :)

I was asked to do some royal guards, so I did. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

They are, of course, executed to your usual levels of perfection, Vykes.....

But I feel they're a little Orange.

Aye, I figured it looks more natural than the solid fire-engine red. I tried that and it looked fake, much like my old intrepid, so I went and highlighted it with a bit of orange then blended it back with a red glaze so it was 'faded'. -laughs- After going straight red, I'm pretty content.

Well, I got my replacement Liberty in, so I'll be doing that soon too.