"Weathing Starships" Topic

So I find myself with about 63 or so Action Fleet Tie, X-wing, Y-wing ships and am looking to improve the appearance of them for a flight game come Summer. Anyone got a link to a few images or "how-to" sites that I can use for ideas? I have about the same number of the Starship WOTC series ships that look pretty good for toys from China. I like the effects on those but they are very small compaired to the Action Fleet series.
VR
James Mattes

Check out Starship Modeler – plenty of good advice there, and in the forums.

Weathing???

Weathering, I presume.

Dents, dings, rust patches, areas covered in 'Bondo', pieces duct-taped together, those window stickers where a small boy is urinating, that sort of thing, James?

You could make your starship fleet look like a flea-market parking lot in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.

Really, it'd be cool. You could have bigger ships with their own front porches and dogs chained to the busted refridgerator.

Okay my TMP-fu typing is off today, too many emails going in and out. AND yes I know weathering is technically impossible in space as there is no atmosphere. But I want to "dirty" them up some from the clear appearance out of the box.

Now who makes movement stands that are six feet tall?
VR
James Mattes

I suppose the crosspost is due to the weathering techniques being similar?

" Yes I know weathering is technically impossible in space as there is no atmosphere."

All that Dark Matter gets right into the crevices . It's an absolute nightmare to clean I tell you.

Actually, starships would suffer from debris that impacts it as it travels through the void. also, radiation tends to affect material at a molecular level. So we could create a concept of space weathering. Not to mention any battle damage left yet unrepaired.

I don't like my starships totally shiny, I like a bit of a dirty wash on them to show they have been operational for a while and have suffered the effects of wear and tear, battle damage and yes----Space Weather!

Bondo? Yeah, I always use that to keep the air in, and the vacuum put.
No, you have to use duct tape.

Yeap I cross posted as I have seen some very good techniques on the WWII aircraft. I keep looking at the WOTC Starship series and those tiny X wings have a really good look to them. I would love to replicate it on the Action Fleet Series ships.
VR
James Mattes

Not too mention the weathering that would occur from repeated re-etry from space into planetary atmospheres. The pressure, heat, and atmospheric chemistry would wreak havoc on a paint job.