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Building the SS Truxtun Part 6

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(This model started out as the SS Sokol and has been recast as the Destroyer – SS Truxtun.)

I’m done. Oh sure I could tweak, and mess and fiddle with it forever, but I don’t have the time. Today I spent the afternoon putting on decals and weathering. This is one of the most enjoyable parts of modeling for me. Turning a shinny, new model into a used, lived in and dirty machine.

The basic technique I used for weathering a starship is called dry brushing. This is where you dab you brush into some paint and then wipe off the excess until the brush it dry and then drag the bristles across the model. Now you can’t just do this willy nilly, you have to put some thought into it and if you overdo it, it can look bad.

I start with a lighter color and then get darker as I go. Sometimes, I will use black and try to make it look like grease or oil leaking from the machinery. When that was done and dried, I switched mediums to charcoal. Yup, regular artist charcoals. I dab a bit on the model and then use a dry paint brush to rub it around. Sometimes I use my fingers. I used the charcoal around the gun exhausts on the side of the Sokol. I also used it around the fins near the engines. Sometimes I accented with a white charcoal.

From Jul 16, 2011

I believe if you click on the images, you will be taken to a larger image over at Picasa. OMG the detail, it burns!

From Jul 16, 2011

I took it to work in an earlier incarnation and the engineers pointed out that there was no way to get from the body to the head. Damn engineers. So I added the tube north of the engine in the picture above.

From Jul 16, 2011

The only decals I had on hand were some old P-40 airplane ones. So I used them sparsely.

From Jul 16, 2011

I spent less time on the bottom, mainly because it would not be seen in the photos we will take for the book cover.

From Jul 16, 2011

The engines are nuclear with one liquid fueled smaller engine in between the mains. The nuclear drive is why the main body is separate from the engine section.

From Jul 16, 2011

Looks pretty good coming right at you. Even though it’s soft focus. Darn depth of field and instant focus cameras!

I need to rig up a wooden base and will probably mount it to the base with brass rods. Maybe put an engraved name plate on it. Not many writers build plastic models of the starships they write about. I guess I’m pretty unique in that respect.

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