Which do you prefer: Studio or on-screen?

Personally, I go with the way the 'subject' appears on-screen, since that usually gives me the best references. So, my 3 TIES are all light grey, not lite blue.

Klik

On screen, i look at it this way, if its going to be judged or critiqued by people, their first port of call for references will be the on screen version. So if you make it look like the on screen version, then the only people who are going to complain are rivet counters and haters.

I'm not a "realist" fanatic. Studio model or On Screen are just guides to me. Not laws.

For example, they don't do many metal ships because of lighting/reflection issues but I'm currently doing my Cylon Raider in aluminum finish because Fighters were mostly metal finish in WWII.

I wouldn't go so far as to paint the Enterprise pink {I've seen it done} but Star Trek ships have gone through so many incarnations there is no exact color standard. Peal vs white vs gray base color. Blue vs Green vs Lavendar accents.

As long as it comes out the way you wanted it to, then you've done it right.

I agree with Gerry - the reference as it is chosen, for me, is purely aesthetic. I have a Klingon Bird of Prey that I painted all the geometry black to give the ship a pirate look - I havent worked on it in quite a while.

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Nice Morbane - I never liked the bird motiff on Klingon ships. That was a Romulan thing.

But it does give lots of possabilities. I prefer grays to greens on that ship but canon says green.

I haven't touched my Cylon Raider in 2 weeks. Just took a break. back to it next week

Gerry

Nice Morbane - I never liked the bird motiff on Klingon ships. That was a Romulan thing.

But it does give lots of possabilities. I prefer grays to greens on that ship but canon says green.

I haven't touched my Cylon Raider in 2 weeks. Just took a break. back to it next week

Nice take on the BoP, Morbane.  While I've yet to replace the one I lost that was completed, that has inspired me to think about an alternate take with one of the spares.

Gerry, can't wait to see the metallic Raider.  I'd think the concept would fit, given the chrome look of the toasters.  besides, why would a purely logical, mechanical AI race bother with paint where it wasn't absolutely necessary?  Skipping the paint actually makes sense in the same way as eliminating the Cylon crews for the Raiders in the new series, though maybe some dull metallic weathering would be sensible for a ship that's trans-atmospheric.

Would you be offended if I also tried out the "metallic Raider" idea?  I'd be sure to give you credit for the original.

For Sci-Fi models I will generally look at all sources and then plan the scope of the project.  Some things I simply can't do with the tools, material, and money on hand.  For example, I can't afford all of the fine photo etch products to super detail most of the projects I'm working on.  Also, like Gerry, I use the source material as a guide and not as a Bible. 

I tend to skip the extras like that, but have gotten a few conversion kits and such.

Unlike a lot of the guys here, I son't worry much about whether the cockpits have every dial and switch, especially since it's fiction and not much is visible on a lot of kits, but some kits (like the old AMT Millenium Falcon with 2 seats instead of 4 ) could use some extra work that doesn't need expensive PE ( extra seats recast from an F-22 with square-section styrene underneath and a recast of one of the gun hinge plate parts for the "dashboard" and control panels used less than $2 in supplies ).

Of course, there are things that are more expensive than a $30 PE set.  There used to be a "correction set" for the Falcon that had resin replacements for the edges, cockpit interior, and add-on parts for the undersides that was at least $150.  Fortunately for me, while I was considering the idea and looking for the discontinued set, FineMolds came out with their 1:72 Falcon kit  While expensive, it was a case of a kit that was good enough to not need aftermarket parts ( though they are available ).