Advice sought on sprucing up a starship model

[Hrothgar]

While making my rounds on campus  (I work at a college), I discovered a nice little gem at student government rummage sale. For only $2 I picked up a fully built AMT/Ertl Rio Grande runabout shuttle. The model is over 13 inches long and will fit well with my 28mm forces, and I intend to repaint and modify it so that it can be a generic military dropship/shuttle.

Since I have found the model,  I have been mulling over how to make this model look less like a Star Trek vehicle and more like some generic midtech military shuttle  So I thought I would post some GIS pics of the model completed as intended by the maker and ask for some suggestions from the learned and skilled modellers on the forum:









I was thinking of giving it some sort of earth tone paint scheme, perhaps with shades of OD, adding more conventional engine nozzles to the engine pods, landing struts, perhaps a gun turret or two, and maybe some multidirectional thrusters at various points. Any suggestions for me on how to make this ship look more the tired old military landing shuttle and less Star Trek ultra-high tech?

Thanks in advance!

[YPU]

Besides the things you already mentioned painting the panels on the front and back in a blue or green glass scheme should help immensely the change the perception of scale.

[fastolfrus]

I'd go with the military paint scheme and a couple of turrets for starters and see how it looks then.
Not too many turrets, and not too big.

Possibly put in a couple of dents or bumps, or just paintwork scratches to make it look more "jeep" and less "ferrari".

[alone_withmyaxe]

I would like to see a canopy at the front, maybe with pilots inside?

Maybe some hatches for entrance, A big drop ramp at the back for rapid assaults?

Its the nacells that case some problems, they are so iconically Star Trek, Maybe squaring them off and adding a landing strut up front?

Perhaps also pop the bit of the top and mount it under the nose, minus its little wings, like an intake?

Any chance of a 28mm fig for scale, really struggling to get a bead on the size?

Might need another model for parts depending on your bits box!

[Hrothgar]

Great ideas so far, everyone-thanks!

Will post some pics of my own with figures for scale when I get home tonight.

[anevilgiraffe]

lose the nacelles completely... maybe some kind of missile pod? or do some major work and some kind of VTOL engine in their place... def ramp at the back and lose the top section, maybe a turret up there...

[Westfalia Chris]

Maybe add some "Lifting Body" wings with upswept tips, such as on the Marietta X-24 or that big shuttle from the "Avatar" movie? Replacing the nacelles with those and reworking the cockpit area would go a long way "de-trekifying" that model.

[warrenss2]

All the above and a futuristic looking chain gun and missile launcher on the roll bar!!!

And "rust" it up a little bit too.

[anevilgiraffe]

how wide is the existing cockpit area? you could have a canopy one side and a chain gun position on the other... or a forward troop hatch...

[Hrothgar]

A few pics of the model with 28mm troopers to provide scale:



By the way...

For those more knowledgeable about such things, wasn't there a Traveller ship design that was very similar to this shuttle? It has been a long time and all my Traveller aides have been long sold off.

[bandit86]

This might be strange but how about making the front the back and the back the front?

[P_Clapham]

Which is which?   

If the 'pointy' end is the back, I'd use that for the front of the ship.  With some thrusters on the back and a dirty & rusty paint job, it would look like something out of Firefly.

This might be strange but how about making the front the back and the back the front?

[Tacgnol]

The roll bar looks like it would be easy to make into a rack type rocket launcher- a more mid-tech, enclosed version of this but probably with only one row of rockets:

[supervike]

I've been hunting that model for quite some time on E-bay and various spots....always just a tad too expensive, and it escapes my grasp.....

I've been wanting one for the same exact purpose a small dropship for my Sci Fi Alpha Forge crew....


On the Rezolution forums, a fellow named Chris Passeno did a very good job of kitbashing his....

Here's the thread:

http://rezolutiondt.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=2268

But unfortunately, the pics are not there anymore....>I'll see if I can get him to post the pics back up!

[Patron Zero]

Perhaps raising the craft off the ground would offer some possibilities, a nice set of heavy duty landing gear would allow clearance beneath for small turrets or even a dedicated 'bomb bay'.