British BSG Pegasus

[pyro-manic]

Only on special occasions....

[jcf]

Like spelling my name (Alun) as Alan or Allan or Allen or even Alyn. They're all wrong, and it's infuriating (and quite insulting) when people continue to get it wrong once they've been told. A frequent occurrence, unfortunately.

Take it "Ellen" is quite out of the question then? 

[seadude]

I don't think there's anything more that needs to be discussed about a name for the ship. Eventually, I'll think of something. I don't need my thread devolving into political discussion or bashing about names. 

[Old Wombat]

 

[seadude]

However, discussion about paint schemes, decals, and/or weapon systems can still continue if anybody has further suggestions.

[Steel Penguin]

having had a ( skim) read of a couple of references with WW2 ship stuff in them, I would go as far as suggesting than you need more AA weapons, the list for light stuff on the big ships is big 2 or 3 types with 40 times and 60 times in front of  the calibre.
for weapons themselves,  BSG seemed to be energy for the light stuff, with a few very big missiles ( WARNING ive not seen the new version )  so Gatling  or clustered barrel  energy weapons  in turrets,  with some of the trickier areas covered by telescopic pole mounted remotes.
and for paint scheme, how detailed do you want?  if your going for a decommissioning scheme ( weren't they going to retire Galactica that's why she wasn't at the peace parade)  big name and id codes on the launch pontoons, and top side full colour pic of the ships name character, with the 12 colonies flag on the under side. ( how mad do you want to get??)
or the really sorry looking found parked on a wrecking asteroid look, red primer, rust,  a dozen coats of slapped on grey in different shades, and the "cut here" lines already painted on.

[Weaver]

having had a ( skim) read of a couple of references with WW2 ship stuff in them, I would go as far as suggesting than you need more AA weapons, the list for light stuff on the big ships is big 2 or 3 types with 40 times and 60 times in front of  the calibre.
for weapons themselves,  BSG seemed to be energy for the light stuff, with a few very big missiles ( WARNING ive not seen the new version )  so Gatling  or clustered barrel  energy weapons  in turrets,  with some of the trickier areas covered by telescopic pole mounted remotes.
and for paint scheme, how detailed do you want?  if your going for a decommissioning scheme ( weren't they going to retire Galactica that's why she wasn't at the peace parade)  big name and id codes on the launch pontoons, and top side full colour pic of the ships name character, with the 12 colonies flag on the under side. ( how mad do you want to get??)
or the really sorry looking found parked on a wrecking asteroid look, red primer, rust,  a dozen coats of slapped on grey in different shades, and the "cut here" lines already painted on.

New BSG (which is where seadude's Pegasus model comes from) uses projectile weapons and missiles almost exlusively, with the occasional nuke thrown in for good measure. Chief defensive tactic of Battlestars is a "barrage" of projectiles with what seem to be time/proximity fuses.

Here's a short compilation that gives you the flavour of it without any spoilers, should you want to watch the series at some point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgmj0tjiGro

[Steel Penguin]

in that case,  lots of turrets,  Gatling's, Quad  barrel pompoms,  maybe some long  twin  barrels for rail guns.  mwahahahahahha

[seadude]

in that case,  lots of turrets,  Gatling's, Quad  barrel pompoms,  maybe some long  twin  barrels for rail guns.  mwahahahahahha

The more armament I add, the more crowded the ship looks with guns all over. All the colored dots in the picture in my first post show locations for the bigger anti-ship turrets that Pegasus and Galactica normally have. I have nothing in my spare parts box for tinier 1/700 or smaller gun turrets for anti-fighter/missile defense.

[zenrat]

...or the really sorry looking found parked on a wrecking asteroid look, red primer, rust,  a dozen coats of slapped on grey in different shades, and the "cut here" lines already painted on.

Why would it rust in a vacuum?
Unless the asteroid it had been parked on had a thin but highly corrosive atmosphere clinging to it's surface.

How about having a small dreadlocked figure in a space suit finishing off painting the name?

[Steel Penguin]

as im assuming its built from super ceramics and unobtaium , corroded, and sorry looking are probably better descriptors    but rust is a good shorthand for them and is easily look up able,  trace gas interactions from the roid , space dust, and the interior atmosphere interacting and eating it was out through corrosion of the hull etc.

the above option is a weathering  dream ( or nightmare)
Id prefer to go to the full on LOOK AT ME peace parade version  ( aghh a thought strikes even as I type and my head cold makes it hurt!!     do the  parade version after she been at the roid ....  all the lovely painting and stuff but with the corrosion eating chunks, and dust obscuring stuff   .....)

[Weaver]

Well Galactica aged and eventually wore out as the series progressed, so that can be a guide to how these ships react to time and use. What killed Galactica eventually was structural problems due to repeated FTL jumps, which are apparently quite stressful in the BSG universe. Add to that some serious battle damage, including direct nuke hits, of course.

I think if a battlestar were left on an asteroid, the kind of weathering you might see would be quite subtle: they are, after all, armoured to blazes. Pitting from micro-meteoroids would dull the surface and, given enough time, erode shapr corners into round ones. Exposure to UV might change the colour for brighter or darker depending on the surface finish.

I think a more interesting yard-wreck would be one on the surface of a planet, but it would be a harder modelling job. You might imagine the structure sagging and collapsing under gravity, or even being partially dismantled, and rust and other forms of corrosion would now definately be a factor. Vegetation is an interesting option too: nothing says "abandoned" like a tree growing through the middle gap between the flight bay and the hull.

[scooter]

Well Galactica aged and eventually wore out as the series progressed, so that can be a guide to how these ships react to time and use. What killed Galactica eventually was structural problems due to repeated FTL jumps, which are apparently quite stressful in the BSG universe. Add to that some serious battle damage, including direct nuke hits, of course.

Don't forget about (Spoiler Alert!) shoddy workmanship during construction regarding the keel exacerbated that.

[ennobee]

What about that floating aircraft carrier that UNIT was operating in the Doctor Who universe? I believe they named it HMS Valiant? It either got blasted out of the sky during the great battle between Torchwood and the Daleks, or they got rid of I because if looked 'too damn Captain Scarlet'. But something like HMS Valiant II (refit) could work. My only suggestion then would be to cut the top of the two sideways fighter launch bays and transform them into open flight decks. May be with some of Captain Scarlet's Angel fighter jets standing around for good measure?

'Niklas

[zenrat]

The beauty of weathering Sci Fi stuff is unless you are building an exact replica from comics, film or TV pics no-one can tell you you've got it wrong.
For example, "rust" could be a hull eating space-lichen that gives off iron oxide as a waste product.
And who knows what effect energy weapons would have on an armoured hull?
Iain M Banks talks of spaceships having "Scar Hulls" on which the patterns left by enemy CREWs (Coherent Radiation Emitting Weapons - Lasers, Masers, Grasers etc) are worn as badges of valour.  Not sure which book.  Possibly Excession?
Of course building a Culture ship with its fields extended would require no weathering - just spray a large plastic egg with Alcad Chrome!

For weathering the question should probably be not "what weapons does the Battlestar have" but "what weapons have been fired at it"?