Magenta 5, Standing By - Skipray Blastboat Design Part 3

Great day, pilots! Welcome to part 3 of the Skipray Blastboat design. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2. Today, we are covering everything that deals with the actual Skipray miniature on the tabletop. We'll analyze the size of the ship, finalize its ship base size, and go over the painting process.

When we looked at the Skipray in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, we got the following parameters for the size of the ship:

1. The Skipray is lean.
2. The Skipray is long, twice as long as an X-wing.
3. The Skipray's cockpit isn't very roomy, like an X-wing.
4. Luke classifies the Skipray as a fighter.

Based solely on this info, my mind's eye pictured a ship that about the same size as the U-wing. So, I was genuinely surprised when I saw the "official size" of the Skipray miniature I bought in the 1/270 ratio. The Skipray miniature is actually closer to the size of the Firespray. 

This surprise led me to research the ship's size. According to Wookieepeida, the ship is a lot bigger than it is initially described in Heir to the Empire. The tail fins and engines may be lean, but the chunky body and sensor pylons are far from that. The large cockpit is much roomier than the cramped seat in an X-wing. Finally, the ship's official size is classified as gunship, rather than a fighter. (In fact, the Wookieepedia article even goes so far as to call the Skipray a miniaturized capital ship).

After scrutiny, the only part of Zahn's first description of the Skipray that is still correct is that it is twice as long (if not a bit longer) than an X-wing. I understand that the Skipray probably evolved in size and shape since its debut in Heir to the Empire. I personally feel that the 1/270 Skipray looks oversized, just like the Firespray model. However, despite that, I still really like the look of the Skipray on the tabletop. It is beautiful to see it fly in games!

Since the miniature is so big, it does make sense that its standard base size is large, rather than small. However, I made home rules for medium ships in 1st edition. With my Skipray design in mind, I included the ship as one that can take a medium base. This better fits the Skipray's design and allows the ship fulfil its role as an attack gunship. Here's the link to my rules on Medium Bases.

Ok, with the business out of the way, let's finally get on to miniature itself. I bought my Skipray miniature in the 1/270 ratio from Mel Miniatures on Shapeways. I got the White Natural Versatile Plastic, which looks great and has lots of details. It even had a large base peg built into the bottom of the ship for use with X-wing Miniatures! My only complaint was that the miniature was covered in white powder, which was probably knocked loose from the model during shipping. 

After washing and drying the model, I tried to prime it. However, I used grey enamel paint, which was a mistake. The enamel paint did not dry on the plastic model and was hard to clean off. After learning that lesson, I started over on the painting process.

This time, I primed with a plastic-friendly grey primer. As for color scheme, I decided to follow the painting of other ships in the Scum faction: black cockpit, dark grey panels, maroon ship striping, and a black wash to fill in all the cracks. To finish off the model, I used a clear matte finish. Now, I'll admit that my paint job isn't good enough to sell the model right out of the box, but I am super happy with it. The magenta striping was a perfect fit, and the ship fits at home with other Scum on the tabletop.

There you have it! We finally have a physical ship and it is looking great. Enjoy the shots I got of the miniature on the tabletop! All that is left is to get pilots and upgrades for this expansion. See you in the next design post!

PGP out.

My Fourth X-wing Miniatures Modification - A Smorgasbord of Projects

                This week I am happy to present some of the painting mods I've been doing on the side. Sometimes it is really nice to take a break from strategy and just enjoy a fun hobby.

Rebels' New TIE

                When the First Order TIE Fighter was announced, I wasn't one of the people who jumped on the bandwagon of repainting existing TIE miniatures. First, I am not brave enough to try white paint yet. But I was also suspicious that the TIE/fo would make an appearance as its own ship in the X-wing game. So when The Force Awakens came out I was able to pick up three of the new ships without having to repaint.

                But things were a little different when the mid-season trailer for Rebels came out. They showed a new type of TIE Fighter. Some have theorized that it is the precursor to the TIE Interceptor. I personally think it is one of the transitional stages between the V-wing and the TIE Fighter, just like how the AT-OT was a transition between the AT-TE and the AT-AT. But regardless, there is more than a good chance that this type of TIE won't be appearing as its own ship. And this mod would require no scary white paint.

                It was a delicate but simple job of cutting away the front two panels of each wing. Then I sanded down the plastic so the cuts would be nice and smooth. And finally, I put on some grey paint to help the new lines blend in. It was an enjoyable project and also a fun new look for the TIE Fighter.

Engine Glow

                I have seen a lot of miniature repaints involving engine glow and I must say that I do not have the skill to repeat it. The shading, the different colors, and the pop: I can somewhat understand it, yet I am not sure how to create it myself. But honestly I am ok with something easier.

                For the X-wing, I simply added some red into the inside rims of the engine exhausts. For the Hawk, I painted blue over each engine section then dabbed the paint on the top. That way only the paint in the crevices remained. They both give a good feel of engines for me. 

Paint Tune Up

                Next on my list was my gold Y-wing. I like the color scheme it has but I do not like how faded it looks. So I got some goldenrod paint and I went over it. There really isn't that big of a difference but the yellow stands out more. And to finish it off I added a dollop of red to the top of the R5 unit.

Finn's Helmet

                My last repaint actually isn't a starship miniature. But the story is so great that I had to share it. I won one of the games at my family's Christmas Party and received a prize. It turned out to be a 12 inch figurine of the new Episode 7 Stormtrooper. Later that day my young nephew approached me and asked if he could play with the Stormtrooper. Knowing that there was a big chance of things going missing with my whole extended family present, I opted to not open it and pointed him towards the Family Room's big toy box. However, I did not keep a close eye on him and, much to my chagrin, he was later found with it red handed. Now, it would have been fine except for the fact that he was literally red handed: he had also found himself some red lip balm.

                Needless to say, my once brand new Stormtrooper was now slightly pink. But I decided to make the most of the situation. After a lot of thought, I was inspired by Finn's helmet from the Force Awakens. The red paint actually helps the pink splotches blend in, making them less noticeable to the eye. And even if you are looking for them they now look like residual stain from the "blood". Plus it gives the figurine a lot more personality. My camera didn't show it as well as in person but here is before and after my paint job.

                And that's it for me this week. Thanks for checking out my repaints, I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave any comments about the miniatures you have worked on. Have a great week flying your custom creations!

My Third X-wing Miniatures Modification - The E-wing & Hot Shot Blaster

                     So here's the thing. I actually started my E-wing mod long before my Starspeeder. As much as I love the E-wing I have never liked the dorsal cannon. I understand that the ship is supposed to be next-gen but that gun always looked out of place to me.

                Using a little pressure I was able to work the dorsal cannon out of its slot. Yes, you do need to work carefully when modding miniatures but I honestly found that they are surprisingly elastic and resistant. However, once I got the gun out I really had no idea what to do. Anything I tired didn't look any better to me than the original. And so I sat on it for a few weeks.

                Finally, after enough simmering on the back burner I came to my conclusion. I thought the look of the new Kihraxz was pretty slick and so I just filled in the hole where the cannon had been. It was a simple solution but I like it.

                What about the leftover cannon? I couldn't let it go to waste. So I looked around at my other ships to see if anyone needed an extra gun. And I finally found my answer in the "Hot Shot" Blaster. I cut off the extra plastic and glued the gun onto the side of one of my Black Sun Headhunter.

                When I did my analysis of the new Scum Faction I included a look at the Illicit upgrade slot. At the time I didn't include the Hot Shot Blaster because I honestly couldn't find anything "inhumane" about the weapon. But when I attached my own Hot Shot onto my Headhunter I finally realized why it is an illicit weapon. It is installed and hidden inside the hull of the ship...the same place where vital ship systems are supposed to be housed. What had to be removed to make room for this one-shot turret? Life Support? Long Range Scanners? These poor saps have to fly breathless or blind because the guys up the chain of command want some extra firepower in the fleet. But hey, that is just another day in the life of the Scum of the galaxy.

                Anyways, by no means are these the neatest mods but I sure do like them! And I hope you will too.

My Second X-wing Miniatures Modification - The Star Tours Starspeeder 1000

                Welcome back, PGP fans. Before I went off to Disneyland I promised I had something in store for you. I am now happy to present to you my second X-wing miniature modification. When I set plans for a vacation at "The Happiest Place On Earth" I knew that I would be able to purchase Star Tours memorabilia at the souvenir shop. Sadly, upon going I was told that they had discontinued their line of model Starspeeders. However, they did still carry the toy version. The toy Starspeeders are approximately 2.5 inches long and have little wheels like a Hot Wheels car. So they are a bit unproportional when compared to X-wing miniatures but honestly they still fit in rather nicely.

                The first part of the modification was quite simple. I used a small Philips screwdriver to remove the screws in the bottom and took out the wheels. It was the second part where it got hard. If I owned a drill, I could have easily drilled through the bottom piece to create a mounting hole for the pegs. That is the recommended course of action. But since I didn't have a drill I had to be a bit creative. I took a small nail and carefully heated the tip. And with cautious precision I drove the nail through the plastic like an awl through leather. Did I mention that I took every precaution while doing this? Once I had the hole, I placed a peg inside with glue. I got the angle right and set in down for the night to dry. The next day was just simply putting the screws back in and mounting it on the stand.

                I plan on using my Starspeeder to replace the 2D Senator Shuttle in the first mission: Political Escort. Now I just need some icy comets to replace my asteroids and I can reenact the original Star Tours adventure! As for casual Standard play, I'm still working out all the details. I like keeping the shuttle's stats of 2 Agility and 6 HP. And because the Starspeeder has forward lasers I am giving it a 2 Attack Foward Firing Arc. This now sounds a lot like a bare Tie Bomber but the upgrades would be different. It makes sense for the Starspeeder to have the Astromech and Crew Slot and possibly even a Systems suite. There is still lots of play-testing to be done.

                I don't plan on painting the model, I really like the Star Tours orange. Let me know in the comments below what you would give a Starspeeder for stats, point cost, and maneuver dial. I took a photo with an X-wing in order to compare size. Thanks for reading!

My First X-wing Miniatures Repaint - The Poor Grey Pilot

                I don't consider myself an artistic person but I discovered something today. You don't have to be talented to do repainting. Ever since I started playing X-wing I wanted to have a Gray Y-wing to fly, especially since 2 of the pilots are from Gray Squadron. So I finally got around to buying a second Y-wing miniature. Let me tell you my thoughts and what I did.

                After a little research I found that acrylics work really well with miniatures. You can go to game stores and find acrylics made just for miniatures or you can be like me and go to a craft store. Craft acrylic paint is too thick and globs easily on miniatures so if you are going to use it you need to thin it down with some water. Once I got the desired color and constancy then I was ready to paint. I wanted the smallest tip of paint brush that I could find so that my job wouldn't be overly hard. Using light dabs of paint, and a little patience, I carefully painted over the gold patterns on my Y-wing. It didn't turn out perfect but honestly, the slightly unkempt style works really well with the worn look of the Y-wing.

                The art of the Gray pilots shows the painted stripe on the head to be more thin and delicate than the one on my miniature. But not only would that have been a much harder job, it wouldn't have let me cover up the yellow paint that is originally there. Who knows, maybe in my next project I would take a try at stripping paint and redoing it fully. Until then I am very content that my Poor Grey Pilot has a ship to call his own.