Thursday, April 16, 2015

So umm...how do you paint a geodesic dome?

I mean seriously. Usually they're silver, clear, chrome-ish...like this:


Yeaaaah, that'll paint up easy! Lemme just open my paint pot of chrome and...oh, um...or how bout whatever boltgun metal is called these days? I guess that'll work, right?

Doubt it.

Fuck it let's go all earthy, woodsy, and cozy-like this:


Cozy...Battletech terrain (which is what this post is actually about), umm....no I don't think that'll work really (though it would be easier to paint than a chromed dome I guess).

Anyways, here's what I actually got:

I dimmed the photos a bit so they just didn't look like white silhouettes.

 Okay, not all of the pieces are geodesic domes, but a good chunk of them are, or variations thereof.  These are from a little company called Xmarx (I believe they're in Knoxville, TN) so fairly local to me actually, though I got the above from my Noble Knight credit and NK is located in Wisconsin so go figure.

I wouldn't mind getting another set of these actually.

All of the Geodesic sections are separate pieces, so they can be arranged however I want. Whereas the odd looking collection of resin below is...actually something quite neat: armored exit ramp to a subterranean mech bay (the above surface variety is ridiculously expensive for some stupid reason).

Closed...
...and open.

I'm gonna try to  magnetize the armored shutters so I can have the option to position them either open or closed. I'll have to put it on a base or else the piece that the mech is standing on won't have anything to attach to.

One other set that I got, isn't specifically for Battletech, as it will also work for 40k, Bolt Action, WHFB, or whatever...

So cool, and water is such a rare site on most game tables.


7 comments:

miscreant said...

Vallejo paints has an amazing silver. It would look great for that.

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/liquid-gold/family/11

Da Masta Cheef said...

Hmm, I'll see if I can find that locally, thanks!

Karitas said...

I don't think I'd do metal. i think I'd pick a suitable glass colour, so a blue or green, and then highlight each panel on a gradient. - sounds like effort but with a wet palette, 2-3 colours mixed and a approach that shaded the panels while leaving an indistinct suggestion of visible forms beneath.. I'd be quite happy.

and if it didn't look right I'd paint it silver, wash it black and cut my losses :)

Da Masta Cheef said...

Wet blending gradients in each panel sounds a bit outta my league (sadly as I'm a few decades into this hobby), so I may just skip to the cut my losses part...lol.

Mordian7th said...

I'd say consider the shading idea, but rather than trying to shade each individual panel, pick a series of "high reflection" panes that would be nearly white (or the lightest possible shade of the base color you're thinking of using), then the panes around it in an arc a shade darker, and the next in an arc darker still. Note how each triangular panel in the picture seems to be a single color, but the panes around it are generally variations on the shade, reflecting the snow and/or sky the various panes are facing.

Time consuming, no doubt, but I'd imagine it would be quicker than trying to 'gem paint' each individual panel.

Regardless of what path you take, I look forward to seeing how they turn out!

greggles said...

Oooh this is gonna look wicked awesome! Can't wait for this!

I'd just use an airbrush to pick a "reflection point" and shade from there. Think of the Globe at epcot for disney.

Da Masta Cheef said...

Thanks but I don't have an airbrush, sorry.