Dropfleet Commander first look

After a some what frustrating week I was fortunate enough to call in at the Dropfleet Commander launch event at Wayland Games. I was handed some sprues and asked to come up with some simple but effective colour schemes. 

 With access to limited paints and supplies, I built 8 UCM Frigares, and 8 Scourge Frigates, and primed half of each with Army Painter Uniform Grey spray, and the other half with Army Painter Plate Mail Spray.

Paints I had access too were the following:-

Vallejo

990 Light Grey

Game Colour Sun Yellow

Game Colour Glorious Gold

Game Colour Bloody Red
Game Colour WhitePrimer

Game Colour Black Ink 

Game Colour Chain Mail

Games Workshop

Waystone Green

Averland Sunset

Druchii Violet

Nuln Oil

Brushes used were an Army Painter Regiment Brush, and a Citadel Shade Brush, with other tools being Citadel Superglue, Army Painter clippers and an xacto blade.

For ease of handling I have superglued the ships to a length of sprue, the models can then simply be cut off with a sharp blade and the paint work neatened up ready for use.

Uniform Grey primed ships

UCM

Step 1 Drybrush Vallejo Pale Grey

Step 2 Pick out spot colours with Averland Sunset or Bloody Red

 

Step 3 Shade with Nuln Oil (Ship A was washed with Druchii Violet)

Step 4 Dry brush white

Step 5  Pick out details with Black Ink

Step 6 Dry Brush engines with Glorious Gold

Step 7 Give engines another coat of Black Ink

Step 8 Pick out spot colours again to make them brighter and bolder using another coat of either Bloody Red or Sun Yellow

Step 9 (Optional) Paint exhaust of engines white, then give them a coat of Druchii Violet) Pick out centre with white again to give impression of glow.

Scourge

Ship A

Step 1 Paint with Druchii Violet

Step 2 Paint stripes of Black Ink

Step 3 Drybrush Glorious Gold

Step 4 Paint Eyes and engines white

Step 5 Paint Eyes and engines  Druchii Violet, then give them another spot of white

Ship B

Step 1 Drybrush Bloody Red

Step 2 Shade with Nuln Oil

Step 3 Dry brush Bloody Red

Step 4 Dry Brush Glorious Gold along the top ridges

Step 5 Paint Eyes and engines white

Step 6 Paint Eyes and engines  Druchii Violet, then give them another spot of white

Ship C

Step 1 Dry Brush White Primer

Step 2 Dry Brush Averland Sunset along ridges and top edges

Step 3 Shade with Nuln Oil

Step 4 Dry brush white areas white

Step 5 Dry brush yellow areas with Sun Yellow 

Step 6 Paint Eyes and engines white

Step 7 Paint Eyes and engines  Druchii Violet, then give them another spot of white

Ship D

Step 1Paint stripes of Waystone Green

Step 2 Shade with Nuln Oil

Step 3 Drybrush Glorious Gold along ridges

Step 4 Paint Eyes and engines white

Step 5 Paint Eyes and engines  DruchiiViolet, then give them another spot of white

Plate Mail Spray

UCM

Ship A

Step 1 Shade with Nuln Oil

Step 2 Drybrush white

Step 3 Pick out Bloody Red details

Step 4 Paint engines and weapons Black Ink

Step 5 Paint lights Averland Yellow

Step 6 Pick out lights and engine exhaust with White

Step 7 Shade engines with Druchii Violet

Step 8 Pick out Engine Centre with White

Ship B

Step 1 Paint with Waystone Green. (May require several coats to get a bold green)

Step 2 Drybrush Chain Mail

Step 3 Paint Waystone Green again

Step 4 Paint turrets and details Light Grey

Step 5 Paint Weapons and details White Primer, leaving some grey showing at edges

Step 6 Paint engines and weapons Black Ink

Step 7 Paint lights Averland Yellow

Step 8 Pick out lights and engine exhaust with White

Step 9 Shade engines with Druchii Violet

Step 10 Pick out Engine Centre with White

Ship C

Step 1 Paint with Black Ink

Step 2 Drybrush white

Step 3 Pick out Averland Sunset details

Step 4 (Optional) Paint Averland Sunset details Sun Yellow

Step 5 Paint engines and weapons Black Ink

Step 6 Paint lights Averland Yellow

Step 7 Pick out lights and engine exhaust with White

Step 8 Shade engines with Druchii Violet

Step 9 Pick out Engine Centre with White

Ship D

Step 1 Shade with Nuln Oil only in the deepest details

Step 2 Drybrush Chainmail

Step 3 Pick out Bloody Red details

Step 4 Paint engines and weapons Black Ink

Step 5 Paint lights and details Averland Yellow

Step 6 Pick out lights and engine exhaust with White

Step 7 Shade engines with Druchii Violet

Step 8 Pick out Engine Centre with White

Scourge

Ship A

Step 1 Shade with Druchii Violet

Step 2 Drtbrush Glorious Gold

Step 3 Shade with Druchii Violet

Step 4 Drybrush Chainmail

Step 5 Pick out lights and engine exhaust with White

Step 6 Shade engines with Druchii Violet

Step 7 Pick out Engine Centre with White

Ship B

Step 1Paint stripes of Druchii Violet. This may take a few coats to get a strong colour. Allow each layer to dry before doing the next.

Step 2 Paint stripes of Waystone Green. This may take a few coats to get a strong colour. Allow each layer to dry before doing the next.

Step 3 Drybrush Chainmail

Step 4 Pick out lights and engine exhaust with White

Step 5 Shade engines with Druchii Violet

Step 6 Pick out Engine Centre with White

Ship C

Step 1Paint stripes of Druchii Violet. This may take a few coats to get a strong colour. Allow each layer to dry before doing the next.

Step 2 Paint stripes of Black Ink. This may take a few coats to get a strong colour. Allow each layer to dry before doing the next.

Step 3 Dry brush Chainmail

Step 4 Dry brush  spines with Glorious Gold

Step 5 Pick out lights and engine exhaust with White

Step 6 Shade engines with Druchii Violet

Step 76 Pick out Engine Centre with White

Ship D

Step 1Paint stripes of Averland Sunset. This may take a few coats to get a strong colour. Allow each layer to dry before doing the next.

Step 2 Paint stripes of Black Ink. This may take a few coats to get a strong colour. Allow each layer to dry before doing the next.

Step 3 Dry brush Chainmail

Step 4 Pick out some details with Glorious Gold

Step 5 Pick out lights and engine exhaust with White

Step 6 Shade engines with Druchii Violet

Step 7 Pick out Engine Centre with White

These techniques are designed to be quick and easy, and I managed to get all 16 vessels from sprue to painted starting at about 12:30, and finished around 21:00, including a drive home at peak traffic, lunch, dinner and time to look at toys. 

Real time I think I probably spent no more than 5-6 hours in total.  These are fantastic little models and deceptively big too, the cruisers and battle cruisers are really quite significant models, and I can't wait for the battleships to be available. 

I haven't had a chance to try the game yet so can't comment on the game play, but seeing games in action there appeared to be a lot of movement and focus on objectives, but hopefully I'll get a game in soon!

I'm going to try some airbrush techniques in the next week or two on some cruisers and more frigates to try out some colour schemes in readiness for my Kickstarter arriving. For those unfamiliar with the Dropzone/Dropfleet universe you can find out more in my over view of Dropzone here, and visit the Hawk Wargames Website for more info. 

As ever, you can see more of my work or contact me regarding commissions at Volley Fire Painting Service