[Project X]Tier 2 WIP

All has not been quiet lately, but hobby time has come in short burst of productivity. Fortunately, that's been planned for...

More after the jump.

Last Friday I picked up the rest of the fleet, quite a bit of loot:

Some Mk1 Cruisers (to add to the rag-tag look, once I start using non-shunting Tier 2s), a Carrier box and a Tier 1 box.
The Skeleton Bone is for covering any bare spots after priming (AP primer should only be dusted on, which can leave resin showing in deep cracks), and the Quickshade is for...dun dun dun... shading!
 
As much as I love the design of the Nidus models, I'm finding myself loath to use them, and I'm considering using the Escort models instead, for two reasons:

1. Size (the escorts are _huge_ for a T3, perfect for a mini-carrier)
2. Spartan metals chip. Easily. My Snappers are already showing nicks, and they've been varnished, and spent most of their time on a display shelf... 

I'll probably still paint them, but I'm not sure they'll see much use after I receive my fourth Wolf Escort (got to love Spartans bitz service...)

I briefly toyed with the idea of assembling the Theridon in a tri-hulled design, mimicking the Apex dreadnaught, but with my limited time, and the fact that this is supposed to be a speed painting project, decided against it. Next time, though...

The Aranea shunt cruisers are _huge_. I'd have no problem using them as Battlecruiser class vessels, based on size... Then again, they are fairly two dimensional, with no real bulk to them.  Very nice detailing, though (as can be seen below)

Here is the current status (OK, sans a primed and brown-patchy Theridon).
As can be seen, the red and Terracotta works nicely together, and will probably be even better once the dip hits.
The bright metals will be dulled with a wash of Vallejo Tinny Tin (the dark metal showing on some models) to add some depth before the dip.

Doesn't look that much for the world yet, what makes or breaks this scheme will be how it looks once the dip dries (hence the Gila cruiser test subject, with the wooden dowel glued on). The amount of detail on the models should speak for themselves, and I hope the red patches will add enough visual interest to break up the monotony.

I hope to have most of the fleet done before my next gaming night, 8 days to go...