Scrappy little airships. offcuts of offcuts of offcuts....

[nic-e]

As some of you may have seen, I've been making islands.

As fun as it's been, It's been leaving me with ALOT of plasticard offcuts that are too small to do much with.
Because I didn't want to waste anything I used them to make a little airship, which i will eventually use to start playing imperil skies.
I'll be making more of these since this was a fun little project to kill 45 minutes, But probably not regularly.









Hopefully I'll get it pinted and based soon, Let me know what you think!

[secharles]

nothing is ever wasted if you enjoy the doing.

[von Lucky]

Nice one. They really look like fun and will paint up well.

[nic-e]

Cheers chaps!

Put together a second one today after work. This one is a little gunboat, with 4 small cannons below decks.









It's a little shorter than the other ship but has a deeper hull and a sleeker shape.

[von Lucky]

I like the supports on the sides - little extra effort that makes the design pop.

[warlord frod]

I look forward to seeing how this project develops.

[nic-e]

Just made my first ever attempt at painting wood planking. I'm not normally a fan of painted on detail, But since these are just scratchbuilds I figured there's no harm experimenting on them.

Pretty happy with how it came out. Lines could be straighter and i messed around from side to side so some of the planks look different to others, But overall it looks good from a couple of feet away.

[nic-e]

the gunship is done!



I've started thinking of a little world to set these in, A sort of alternate 1910 setting. I think I may need to move this thread to VSF if this carries on....

The Pequod is an old central block gun runner. Designed to act as aerial fortifications and cargo escorts, These ships were quickly made obsolete by the advances in anti grav technology. The fore mounted guns which had made them formidable to face became a liability as faster ships with more powerful engines soon filled the skies. The old central block runners found themselves outgunned and easily out manoeuvred, Their unarmed aft sections proving to be a dangerous weakpoint.  Originally built with an armoured steel deck, Many of these ships were stripped and retrofitted with wooden decks in order to provide steel for the larger battleships of the great wars and to allow the gun runners to perform operations at higher altitudes.
whilst they are no longer produced, Old runners are often seen in private hands or in the aerial forces of those nations that lack anti grav production capabilities, Operating as mercenary vessels, smugglers ships or corporate escort vessels.

[von Lucky]

Lovely painting and fluff.

[Rich H]

love it!

[nic-e]

cheers chaps. It's fun to be working on some ships that aren't pre printed and flatpacked!

[nic-e]

Painting on the larger ship begins!

[Stroezie]

Beautifull little ships!
Your painted on planking looks great imo.
Is there a technique for painting them or is it just carefull painting, tiny lines and a lot of patience?

[nic-e]

Beautifull little ships!
Your painted on planking looks great imo.
Is there a technique for painting them or is it just carefull painting, tiny lines and a lot of patience?

Paint on a couple of unever coats of brown with a big soft brussle brush that leaves alot of streaks. that gives you a god grainy texture to build on and saves the need to add in texture as you go.
Then do your lines, then highlight with thin layers of watery paint.

[nic-e]

Done!

I wanted this one to be a little more beat up , like it's not seen a repair station for a few decades and has maybe spent a few too many days docked in some seedy smuggler filled aeroport.



The Aurora may be a rust bucket, But few would doubt her construction.
A modified meridian tender, Ships like the Aroura are a common sight in the meridian empire, the central block and the unaffiliated regions.Designed as a workhorse vessel, These tenders are one of the most common airship designs in the world.So common in fact that their trade and construction is one of the few remaining elements of the original meridian-central peace treaty.
 originally designed as a harbour vessel and crew transport to serve larger war vessels, their easy controls, rigid construction and powerful engines have seen these ships be repurposed as gunships, cargo vessels,  cruise ships, exploration craft, pirate ships, houseboats, smugglers vessels, troop transports, taxis,restaurants,observation platforms and in the case of the aurora, Whaling ships.
So ubiquitous is this model of ship that many refer to them as iron gulls, For they are often seen flying around the massive warhulks like gulls around a beached whale.
The Aurora sports a single long ranged gun used to hunt vapour whales and the colossal air lamprey that live in the dense cloud formations of the western desolate regions. Whilst her crew hold valid permits to operate within this lawless region, their ship holds a few secrets.Beneath her decks is a hidden storage bay used to smuggle weapons and munitions out of the territory of the meridian empire and the central block and into the more radical cities of the unaffiliated regions.