Sunday, February 19, 2023

Even More 1/7000 Star Trek

 

Oh
      no.

     Could it possi
                      bly be
even more!

S          (to boldly go)
P
A                       (make it so)
C
E
ships.


Wonder.  Geez.  For a little while there I was transported to an alternate universe where everyone had to write like how e.e. cummings wrote poetry.  I'd go back and change it but I'm afraid of provoking another space anomaly and being stuck there for                 ever.



MORE 1/7000 Star Trek 

Returning to normal and moving on: I've been on a painting spree lately and have really been cranking them out; when compared to myself, which is the only comparison that matters.  Unless you're someone who paints even slower than me.  In which case my hobby-life is rich and fulfilling and yours is void and stagnant by comparison and I get rewarded by feelings of well being.
  
I'm tellin' ya; Downward social comparisons are the KEY to happiness.  You should try it.


Painting Sweet Spots

Returning to normal FOR REAL this time and moving on: I'm in the Painting Sweet Spot with these spaceships.  I'm sure all of use wargamers have felt the happy effects of the Painting Sweet Spot at one time or another, and it kinda comes and goes, and can be defined rather personally.  For me there are 2 definitions of the Painting Sweet Spot.

1) The time when painting a project that you have painted enough of X to have a good grasp on how you like to do it and you like the results, but you still haven't painted enough of X yet for it to be a boring chore; like my children are. 

This is where I am with the spaceships.  I've painted enough of them now (around 20) that I know what I am doing and I like the results but not sooooo many that the novelty is gone.  It's still engaging.  


2) The time when painting a project that you have painted enough of X that the project is nearly done, like 95% done, and the last things are easy.  It's the anticipation of completeness.  Sometimes it can take a LONG time to get there and sometimes you never seem to get there because the project just goes on and on and on.....  Like taking care of my children.  

This is where I will be soon with the spaceships; as there's only about 10 or so more to do and the project is done.  (unless I order another fleet....maybe Romulans?)  

I only said that last part to mess with Dai.  There will be NO Romulans.
(maybe, actually I found some Romulan ships that aren't crazy expensive, so we'll see).



Finished Feds

As seen in the pervious post: I've have some purchases arrive with Star Trek reinforcements.  I've now painted all of the Federation new arrivals for a fleet of 13 total ships.  Impressive?  yes. 


Defiant Class:



Here we have another Defiant class starship.
There she is:
Defying you to not to love her.




Excelsior Class:






Excelsior class starships.
They excel at being pretty.


As the work horse of the fleet I've added two more of the Excelsior class starships.  



Ambassador Class




Ambassador Class Starship.
She can be the ambassador to my heart anytime.



A good looking ship but with a stupid class name.  'Ambassador Class' sounds like the group of people who paid $30 extra to board an airplane first.  



Sovereign Class




Extra pics of this shup as I think it came out looking rather well.


Sovereign Class
She will reign over our hearts. 


This class of ship is the 24th century version of the Enterprise.  Known as the Enterprise E, and is the star of the latest Star trek movies.  Not counting the Kelvin timeline.  DONT GET ME STARTED on the Kelvin timeline.  Just call it a reboot and move on, we all know it's fictional.  (if you have no idea what I am saying then you have a more fulfilling life, probably because you don't have children or they are better behaved than mine). 

The previous Enterprise D was blown up in a movie; mainly because they wanted a new ship that would look better on the wide screen.  The Enterprise is always being blown up in movies.  


A Galaxy class next a Sovereign class.
The Sovereign obviously has gotten a few up grades.



Whole Fleet:


Technically I now have all the ships that I need to run a good scenario at the up coming sci-fy convention in March..  I don't even have to paint those additional Klingon ships that I got.  Which Kinda makes them a waste of money and time...  like these children I have.  Except that I actually wanted the spaceships.

Here is everybody:



Star Trek Federation fleet.
Also known as "The Grey Menace." 


Federation: "We like saucers and rocket thingys."



All that's left to do now is attach labels to the ship bases somehow.  And I'll probably paint up those unpainted spaceships I have laying around just for the sake of completeness.




That's Where I Do It

Someone started a fad now ragging across my favorite blogs of showing off the painting desk.  Though I have shown the marvel of my painting desk before,  I like to join in so I can feel included.  Here's my hobby desk in it's current glorious disarray (from about a week ago when I took the pic.)

down the length


From where I sit.
(the other messy desk in front of it is my wife's hobby desk.
She doesn't use it much anymore except for storage).



It's quite cluttered at the moment as I'm in the middle of being productive. 
It could almost be one of those "look and find" books for little kids.
Find the:
  • Screw driver that ought to be in the tool box.
  • Broken bicycle Christmas ornament that needs repairing; from 2 years ago.
  • 15mm Lutheran Seminary for ACW Gettysburg games, bought over 2 years ago and still not painted.
  • Dried up bottles of super glue.
and etc..least I think it COULD be like a look-and-find book.  I wouldn't know. Whenever the kids asked to do one with me I'd say something like "That sounds BORING.  You're boring. Find it yourself.  I got to watch Youtube videos' about how to make perfect fart jokes."





Kidding (this subtitle works on two levels.  I'm a blogging genius.) 

I'm kidding about the kids.  But maybe I did it a little too hard and now you suspect my parenting skills.
To put you back on team Me; here are two pics proving that I'm actually engaged with children.

here I am showing Daughter #1 (9 years old) my awesome dad-
I mean DANCE moves before we go to her schools Father - Daughter dance.
It was 1950s themed.


Son #2 (4 years old) had a rough night and little sleep due to nightmares.
The next day, we spent the morning making a dream catcher
(the plate with the center cut out)

Son #3 (2 years old) is playing peek-a-boo in the back.

What a 4 year old can have nightmares about is beyond me.  "Are there not enough cupcakes so that everyone in class gets one?  There ALWAYS enough cupcakes."

But there.  Now you know that it's not ALL yelling and timeouts and complaining.  Now you're back on team Stew.  


Thanks for Reading.
Double thanks for writing a comment. 
Till next time.  Live long and do that hand thingy.  I can do it, but it hurts my fingers.

50 comments:

  1. Love the fleet, Stew, the little windows you’ve painted on really work well. Not seen that done on Trek models of that scale before, (I’ll be stealing the technique). Now go get some Romulans so I can observe how you do those!

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    1. Thanks Jolly. the ships with all the windows actually have them as part of the sculpt so it was pretty easy (just need a small brush and a magnifier). While I like the look of the windows and is pretty iconic; it's weird to think that during a battle someone is off duty and just kicking it their room watching movies. 😁

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  2. The spaceships are looking good with bits of details picked out with a hint of colour here and there. Nice!

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    1. Thanks Peter. Yeah I think they came out pretty good. 😁

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  3. More beautifully detailed work Stew. In spite of the name, that Ambassador class ship is my favourite as it seems to have quite a traditional Star Trek kind of shape. Nothing against your dance moves but I initially thought you were telling your daughter to go to her room, and I'm thinking I could do with a dream catcher myself after the latest round of interest rate rises.

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    1. thanks Lawrence. Maybe that's because I look stern because I am focusing on my dance form.
      My favorite is still the Galaxy as that hits the nostalgia button for me. I didn't think of making a dream catcher for myself. couldn't hurt. 😁

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  4. Stew, you have put together a beautiful Starfleet in no time at all. The multicolored windows and the blue power plants over grey make for an eye-popping display.

    Three kids? Did you lose one? I thought you had four?

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    1. Thanks JF. It didn’t that long at all really; probably each ship is a unit to itself and are on the small side. 😀

      Children; yes I’ve had 4 children but only 3 have survived. The numbering scheme goes daughter #1, son #1, son #2, and son #3. Son #1 died as a baby so he doesn’t get to play peekaboo or have nightmares or go to dances.
      Life is…unfair.
      This was almost 7 years ago now. So yes I lost one but I know where he is. 15 mins down the road in the cemetery.

      Don’t worry. It’s fine to bring up. 😀

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    2. Thanks. While I have mentioned this on the blog before I wouldn’t expect you to remember. Didn’t mean to lay a trap for you. 😀

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  5. Superb fleet - I think the Ambassador class is my favourite of the bunch.

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    1. Thanks Norm. The Amb does look good but my favorite is still the Galaxy just bc of the show. 😀

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  6. Looking good! And the extra ships are for variety which is the spice of life and not an impulse buy...

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    1. Thanks space. Yeah a little variety never hurts. 😀

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  7. A great looking fleet Stew. Cool dance moves, hope it was a bit of Elvis.

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    1. Thanks Ray. It was more of a Stayin Alive move I think. 😀

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  8. You are right in the thick of it. I have a 2.5 and 5.5 year old keeping me quite run down. Spiders....my 5 year old has nightmares about spiders. And monsters that poke their head in the room and say 'Boo'.

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    1. thanks Dave. I tell my children just wait till you get older and then get a letter from the IRS. That's real fear. I'll take spiders any DAY. 😁
      I am i the thick of it. I'm surprised I get anything done sometimes.

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  9. Fine work there Stew and as always love your very dry humour and wit! I know my eyes would not cope without a good magnifying lamp to paint these now, so am impressed with what you have been able to achieve:).

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    1. Thanks Steve. To paint anything these days I have to use my Optivisor or it all goes blurry. Even then I'm only able to pull off adequate paint jobs. 😁

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  10. Great work Stew!
    "Ambassador class" battleship - hmmm I thought the Federation was the good guys -maybe not. 😊
    "We're here about the trade deal!"

    Very fancy looking paint desk - and dance moves. My children won't let me dance with them, or even within a 500 metre radius - some sort of restraining order 😁

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    1. Thanks Ben. The federation are the good guys, this isn't 40k where everyone is kinda a prick. Or Star wars, where ships are called star destroyers with names like "Enslaver." Star trek is actually pretty tame. 😁

      My dance moves helped me court my wife, though I admit I'm am rusty now. My children are still young enough to think I am cool. One day they'll find out...that I am exceptionally cool.😁

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  11. Great work on all the ST ships there, Stew. All your "kidding" made me laugh....but not so your son. It's all very well having an educationally advanced offspring who can read at the age of four but letting him see all the mean things you say on your blog about him and his siblings isn't good - little wonder he is having nightmares! God knows how your daughter will sleep after the trauma of that M cardigan......

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    1. thanks Keith. I'm not worried about the kids reading the blog. by the time that they get old enough to even care what their father thought about this post will be buried among hundreds of others, or the blog will be deleted or lost in an internet graveyard, or I'll be gone as well. Even the wife doesn't read it ever. 😁

      The dance was a 1950s sock hop theme (my daughter is wearing a poodle skirt). The sweater was my father-in-laws that everyone INSISTED that I wear it because it was close to the actual time (early 60s). I wanted to wear blue jeans and white t-shirt with my hair slicked back like Fonzie with my old leather jacket but i was voted down; soundly and repeatedly. 😁

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  12. Marvellous looking fleet Stewart with enough different classes in there to draw fans from all eras in, the Defiant and E class being mine.
    Great interactions with the little people, knew it had to be one of your jokes ! LOL

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    1. Thanks Dave. yeah, just jokes from one parent to others.
      The Enterprise E does have some pretty lines on her. I bet the other ships would give her cat calls if she also weren't so well armed. 😁

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  13. These new additions to the Federation Fleet are more good'ns mate. The extra effort on details that you've done really set them apart, almost like you're enjoying painting in general these days. ;)

    I'd like to see some Romulans. Afterall, they "are" far more refined compared to the brutish Klingons and a far better opponent for your Feds.

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    1. Thanks Dai. it's not so much enjoying painting as it is not minding it. It helps that the ships paint up pretty easily. 😁

      We'll have to see about da Romulans. Sometimes I think I could do another fleet and sometimes I think I can move on to another project. Besides which the Dominion / Cardashians would be a more logical choice. 😁 But of course the Romulans helped fight the Dominion.....

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    2. Cardies are my second fav so I would welcome seeing those added to your collection for sure!

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    3. You’re in luck because David J has already got some started. 😀

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    4. Yes, Cards, but they have only three ship classes, so it needs a ponder on what to do. (besides just have a ton of them!)

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    5. The obvious thing is to ally the Cards with some larger Jem'Hadar ships for a combined fleet. Or of course just have a game of smaller ships. Galaxy class ships can't be everywhere. 😁

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    6. I was going to mention the same. Cardassians made a poor choice allying with the Jem

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  14. And here was me thinking that your daughter was saying “look at all them starships!”

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    1. I don’t think she even knows what Star Trek is. 😀

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  15. Great to see the starfleet expansion…how many ships is enough I wonder ….the galaxy will be full. The painting table looks passable, we all have unpainted buildings, but after a while you should put it somewhere less obvious. Great kids but I’m not following the trend , my daughter would love me to dance with her but no chance !

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    1. Thanks Matt. I’m going for around 15 ships per side; enough for a 4 player game with some options to pick and choose from so it’s not the same ships every game.
      I should move the building, it’s just collecting dust. 😀

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  16. Amazing looking fleet, and it is great to see it "finished". I say "finished" because there are a LOT more ship classes you could add... canon ones at that! The Federation was clearly in an expansionist phase in the TNG/DS9 era, friendly ship names aside.

    Your kids are delightful, unlike mine who are stressful!

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    1. Thanks David. yeah there are a ton of federation ship classes, probably because they're like the main character of the universe. I'll tell you a secret: (whispers) I have 2 Akira class ships arrive the other day. LOL
      When those are done it'll be finished (at 15 total). that will be enough for any game with some choices so that it's not the same ships every time but more than that and the table is going to get really cramped. 😁

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    2. Follow up; TRUST ME my children are stressful too. Last night the 4 year old threw the biggest tantrum ever. They just behave better when company is around. And they’d better or else! 😀

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  17. Great looking star fleet, glad you added the last bit as I was beginning to think you sounded mean!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Iain. You should know me better than that by now. I’m not really a mean person. I just play one on the internet. 😀

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  18. The latest ships look great! You did a great job picking out all of these little lights on them. You're definitely headed down the dark path of competition painting with all of this attention to detail you've been showing lately ;) They look great altogether as well. That is a scary looking fleet for the opposition!

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    1. Thanks Jeff. I’m about as close to becoming a competitive painter as I am a competitive dancer. 😀
      I did win an award for best painted army at an lotr tournament long time ago. There were other armies there way better painted than mine; but mine was the only completely painted one so I got it by default. 😀

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  19. Wow, some amazing stuff. Have never tried painting Star Trek or Star Wars at all, or playing either - well, RPGs, including a couple fleet-based ones. What rules do you use?

    Impressive painting desk, too. I don't really have one, though if I ever get a second bedroom...

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    1. Thanks Jennifer. Painting starships is a relatively new thing for me as well. My hobby desk is from IKEA and tucked away in the back of the house. it does help to have the extra bedroom. My place is big enough that I can have the permanent hobby set up but not big enough to keep a permanent game table. 😁
      The rules I like are called Starmada Unity. Likely be a review posted on this blog in the near future.

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  20. Impressive fleet additions Stew. You talk about the Cardashians and Gem Hadar a lot. When are you going to add a few Borg Cubes? As I recall, just one took out a lot more than 15 Federation ships. A Borg Cube would be cool! Your painting skills at this scale are amazing!

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    1. Thanks a lot Vol. My painting skills are not amazing; I think it's just space ships look cool and it's easier to paint windows than eyes on a miniature. 😀
      The problem with a Borg cube is that it would be HUGE and it was more like 30 ships. very one sided. but i guess you never know the way that out miniature armies and fleets expand...

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