The Block 7 Suleiman Type-S scout class; marked by a shift from the sharp-angled wedge hull to more of a rounded version. Along with this were improvements in sensors, cockpit visibility and cargo access. While many initially derided the departure from the “traditional” scout ship which had served the Imperium for so long, it only took a few years for the new design to win the hearts of the Service.
This ship bears markings clearly identifying it as belonging to a Solomani Rim scout veteran. When IISS ships are transferred to inactive duty status the assigned ship hull number is suffixed with an “R” designating “Reserve Vessel.” Most depots will simply mark this in standard Imperium font and color shades for the sector; Solomani crews seem to take almost a perverse pride in hand-painting the “R” in a bold, contrasting color. Similarly the application of a ship name, in this case the “Risqué Business,” and a hull-marking artwork of a scantily clad female figure date back to Sol pre-space era vessels and traditions.
The vessel is conducting a low-surface survey of an Earth-like planet, possibly in search of resources or signs of civilization. The vessel depicted is outfitted with a triple turret, set up for a pulse laser, sand caster and missile launcher combination. The ship shows the typical wear, scattered markings, and uneven hull painting of a detached-duty Scout ship which does not see regular maintenance.
The ship model was graciously provided by Teddy Lindsey @ https://tedlindsey.com as part of his development process. The model was 3D printed and his process and own thoughts and work (which far surpasses mine!) is available on his website here. Hopefully he is able to continue development and market a commercial product soon.
Mixed vinyl masks, decals and lettering, obtained from various sources.
LEDs from Evan Designs model train supplies at https://www.modeltrainsoftware.com. Two slow-flashing paired white and one red and one green solid. Powered by a 3v coin cell (2032).
Base by Secret Weapons Miniatures www.secretweaponsminiatures.com.
Basic priming was done with Tamiya spray primer The initial airbrush layers were done with a variety of acrylic paints, followed by a seal and an oil wash. I make no pretensions at being an expert modeler, and I’m well aware many people do far better work! The base was set up with a mixture of colors, a water fill for the low spots, and model grass features on the rest. I was able to use one of the tree stumps as a path to route the wires for the LED lighting and to an exterior switch box I constructed from a dental floss container. I kept the colors for the stumps just different enough from terrestrial to add an element to go with the ship.
Initially the ship was intended to be sitting parallel to the surface; due to an epoxy incident it ended up at the angle shown. However, I actually prefer this version as you get some view of the underside of the vessel.
If doing it again I would have spent more time on the initial airbrushing and markings before trying to apply the wash and highlights. Additionally, some of my initial decals and masked paint marks were damaged during the rest of the process, leading to changes. I blame all those on my skills and not the materials.
Additionally, I don’t have a photo booth or professional camera, so I apologize for the phone quality pictures - they also had to be reduced in quality to meet board size needs.
Hopefully it gives folks some ideas though. With the growth of the 3D printing market, I would love to see more of our beloved ships come to life.
This ship bears markings clearly identifying it as belonging to a Solomani Rim scout veteran. When IISS ships are transferred to inactive duty status the assigned ship hull number is suffixed with an “R” designating “Reserve Vessel.” Most depots will simply mark this in standard Imperium font and color shades for the sector; Solomani crews seem to take almost a perverse pride in hand-painting the “R” in a bold, contrasting color. Similarly the application of a ship name, in this case the “Risqué Business,” and a hull-marking artwork of a scantily clad female figure date back to Sol pre-space era vessels and traditions.
The vessel is conducting a low-surface survey of an Earth-like planet, possibly in search of resources or signs of civilization. The vessel depicted is outfitted with a triple turret, set up for a pulse laser, sand caster and missile launcher combination. The ship shows the typical wear, scattered markings, and uneven hull painting of a detached-duty Scout ship which does not see regular maintenance.
The ship model was graciously provided by Teddy Lindsey @ https://tedlindsey.com as part of his development process. The model was 3D printed and his process and own thoughts and work (which far surpasses mine!) is available on his website here. Hopefully he is able to continue development and market a commercial product soon.
Mixed vinyl masks, decals and lettering, obtained from various sources.
LEDs from Evan Designs model train supplies at https://www.modeltrainsoftware.com. Two slow-flashing paired white and one red and one green solid. Powered by a 3v coin cell (2032).
Base by Secret Weapons Miniatures www.secretweaponsminiatures.com.
Basic priming was done with Tamiya spray primer The initial airbrush layers were done with a variety of acrylic paints, followed by a seal and an oil wash. I make no pretensions at being an expert modeler, and I’m well aware many people do far better work! The base was set up with a mixture of colors, a water fill for the low spots, and model grass features on the rest. I was able to use one of the tree stumps as a path to route the wires for the LED lighting and to an exterior switch box I constructed from a dental floss container. I kept the colors for the stumps just different enough from terrestrial to add an element to go with the ship.
Initially the ship was intended to be sitting parallel to the surface; due to an epoxy incident it ended up at the angle shown. However, I actually prefer this version as you get some view of the underside of the vessel.
If doing it again I would have spent more time on the initial airbrushing and markings before trying to apply the wash and highlights. Additionally, some of my initial decals and masked paint marks were damaged during the rest of the process, leading to changes. I blame all those on my skills and not the materials.
Additionally, I don’t have a photo booth or professional camera, so I apologize for the phone quality pictures - they also had to be reduced in quality to meet board size needs.
Hopefully it gives folks some ideas though. With the growth of the 3D printing market, I would love to see more of our beloved ships come to life.
