O-F1C E Class drone

   This one has been a blast! Giving myself a time limit for building forces me to think faster in terms of shape relation than my previous project, TUGG, which I had all the time I wanted. I did however have as long as I wanted to paint and apply decals.

   The ship in this project was made primarily out of an old Samsung mobile phone that I found broken on the floor outside. Most of the inspiration from this ship came from an old fountain pen ink capsule. It's a long, thing, slightly tapered tube which I can imagine being a radar unit or fuel tank. I really wanted to incorporate it so I've made it the main component of the ship by placing it in a way that you can view it from almost any angle.

   Painting the theme of a menacing/military drone was a bit of a challenge. It's name was a mash of the word "Office", because all of the parts are from things you'd find within one. So I'm pleased to announce, my makeshift, military, low orbit defence drone "O-F1C E Class".

Post No:2 - O-F1C E Class

    This is the mobile phone that I found. It's condition wasn't much better than this.

   After 2 hours worth of assembling time, this is the result. I hadn't documented the build of this as well as the previous project as I was not only timed but I was more focused on recording the painting. Only offcuts of plasticard were used to keep it random and keep my build time target achievable.

   Looking at the side you can see how the fountain pen ink cartridge suits the body well. Acting as both a tail ballast and a fuel tank/radar of some kind.

   Priming it white helps to lock components down, remove gloss/matte contrast (which creates confusion when trying to imagine what some parts will be made of), removes colour and helps make further paint layers adhere much nicer.

   The front panel has inspiration from the "Scout A-class" from a FPS called Hawken ;) You can see how small this ship is in comparison to my hand.

   This depleted C02 cartridge found outside will be used in another project coming soon. This component will most definitely be a fuel tank for either a long range vehicle or a fueling ship.

   Initially, I wanted the ink cartridge to be this olive drab colour, simulating real life radar covers however I couldn't get any other colour to contrast well with it. So I later decided to paint the entire thing to black.

   After priming it black I lightly drybrushed the black areas with a lighter grey to add detail that was lost.

   This technique is called "paneling" - the ability to create panels using tape or gouging holes. "Tamiya masking tape 6mm" was used and slices into thin strips. Placing it onto the model then painting over it seals it in. A very simple and effective method to add detail to a boring surface. Less is more though so don't go overboard.

   This is what it looks like once it's been painted to blend in with the rest of the radar unit.

   Using "AK Interactive Rust streaks" again on this one to give a more organic essence.

   This is after white spirit has been used to streak it. The next project will have lots of flat surfaces so I shall incorporate a tutorial in that project.

   The panels I found didn't stick out enough so I painted them white.

   This is a decal sheet from Revell "Tornado GR.1 RAF". Lots of great shapes, markings and indicators. Although I found that as my vehicle was mostly black, there weren't many decals that were white or high contrast. Still a very useful sheet though.

Adding more strips of tape for "paneling".

   Merges very well into the background colour and as long as you don't try to pry it off, it will indefinitely stay on the model.

   Painted white and adding more white details to break up the boring grey tone. Also note that more gray paint has been added.

   Micro electronic components (resistors, capacitors, transistors etc.) make great detailing! especially when painted with the contrasting colour. Keep any circuit boards you have as they make great panels because of the small electronic/robotic/space ship details.

   Using Vallejo "Liquid Silver - Silver" for scratch trim on some panels, the engine colour and the vent colour on top (the much appreciated zip tie ;) ) creates a very crisp, bright metallic look. I highly recommend the Vallejo "Liquid Silver" range however being that the pigment is suspended in alcohol, not water/oil/enamel, it makes it very difficult to work with. Smells great but dries literally in seconds. Think of it as painting with super glue. Don't dilute with water otherwise the pigment rusts.

   After adding many more decals, here is the final ship.

   I decided to add blue to the coil at the front (just wire from a broken charger) because although this is a military ship, black/red/white is too cliche. Red is a great colour to accent evil objects and vehicles but in very small amounts. Too often the "Shadow the hedgehog" Black/Red 50/50 mix is done and it not only looks childish but also unrealistic.

   Here we have it. The "O-F1C E Class drone" ready for low orbit planetary defence. I'm debating about adding it to a small diorama which will be the ship suspended in a workshop. Showcasing 1:144 scale human miniatures (as that's the scale all my ships will be in) to help represent how large it is as well at setting the scene. Thank you for viewing. Next project - fuel tanker.

162-B TUGG

   I've recently succom to conceptual design. Sci-fi space ship design to be precise. I've done conceptual design in the past using a more reliable media; digital. Although digital design has it's benefits; being able to undo, layer, save, copy etc., I find it is missing an essential part of design. Interaction.

   I've been a very hands-on person my entire life. It's the fastest way I interact, it's the most fun way to play and it's by far the most efficient way for me to learn. Over the past few weeks I've been looking at everyday objects in a much more conceptual/abstract way. Traditionally, one would go about understanding and comprehending relationships between shapes, colours, patterns through observation. Then through this observation, apply what they've tried to learn through conceptual work i.e. drawing/painting. Personally, I find this lacks essential human interactivity, the organic sense of touch and the necessary clutch on reality. 

   Through my first two weeks of hands-on work with materials in this exploration of conceptual design, I've started to learn much more about my learning process than I ever would have through digital conceptual design. Using this very real, 3D approach to conceptualism, I can create higher quality work, faster than my digital skills, with more enjoyment and then having the ability to interact with it. This blog will be showcasing my work along with aid for those who are also interested.

Post No:1 - 162-B TUGG

This beautiful mess is what I started with!

After some modeling with plasticard, I made a "Form".

Using the "Form" I began to experiment.

Only after about 30 minutes you can start to create a somewhat believable space ship. Given that you understand roughly where engines would go, doors, panels, pipes etc. you can make something "feel" more 

real than it is.

These are how small the bolts where. I believe I spliced these up once more as I found them too tall.

Now we're getting somewhere! What happened to the front right panel?

Good question! A technique I created during this project called "Metaling" - giving a metallic/rusted industrial paint texture to plasticard. By simply applying plastic cement to the card and smearing it in a direction with a non-weldable (plastic that doesn't adhere to plastic cement i.e. nylon/PTFE (made from bottles)) it melts the plastic and gives it an effect of metal with paint that's chipped off it. 

I recommend taking pictures of the project before applying the base coat so you can look back and investigate what materials/objects you used for future inspiration for yourself and others :)

After priming white and taking well lit photographs I can display a very pure visual of the "Form" of the ship. This is also recommended so you can get a better sense of "Flow" (the relationship between shapes that compliment each-other through lighting, contrast, shape disposition and texture). You can also extrapolate pictures for photo-manipulation to help deter a colour scheme without ruining the textures you have.

These colour schemes were rough ideas of that it could look like using real world examples of tug boats/oil tankers and international trading vehicles.

I applied a base coat using an airbrush. This is highly recommended because its effectiveness at keeping detail is similar to that of changing the colour of the material, rather than painting over it.

Masking the ship up, getting it ready for a thick black stripe down the middle. This would simulate weather resistant paint.

So blurry!

Yet so crisp!

(I'll be documenting this process better later) Using "AK Interactive - Rust Streaks" on white paint can create absolutely stunning realistic rusting effects. Using the pits, divots and imperfections melted into the plastic from "Metaling" works beautifully with rust effects.

The contrast between clean white and rusted white can be seen very well here. No other colour was added to either the black or the white. The muddy, creamy, brown/orange tone is from the rust effects leaching into the matt white paint.

Ready for rust ;) Also added a dark teal band on top to create a somewhat realistic look yet original.

This is the scale of the painting.

Doing one panel at a time with detail and intricacy can yield great results.

And we're done! (Nearly ;) ) Some more touching up here and there is all it needs.

   Add plenty of transfers from model kits in places where you'd expect them to be; danger signs near exhaust ports, walking lines where people can stand etc. I will later be making a diorama for this to be situated in. I intend to have the ship floating on chains. I will document this when it's done ;) Thank you for viewing.