MC30c Frigate

Utar resin (1/4290)

The Build

This is resin cast from Utar Ships based off a 3D print he made. It came in 3 sections which all fit together very well. All I did was sand down some of the curved areas that looked a little rough from the 3D printing process. By the way, the quality of the resin cast was superb.

I primed it in the usual Tamiya Grey. Then I airbrushed a medium/dark grey as a base coat. I then sprayed some AK Worn Effects fluid and then a slightly lighter shade of grey. I chipped the Worn Effects with water and sealed it with Future. I then moved to painting the various “splotches” of the Mon Calamari ships. Beforehand, I added another coat of worn effects. Then I used several browns and greys in splotches. I also cut out lines in masking tape and sprayed red stripes along the hull. All of these were chipped using water/Worn Effects.

I started the weathering by adding some AK DAK wash along the inner panels. I went heavier in the engine area. I then used a greyish wash on the upper panels to create contrast. Mainly, I was just blending the washes in different areas/concentrations. Engines got the darkest colors. The main body got a medium coat. Then the side panels that stuck out the furthest got a lighter color to make them “pop” a little.

Finally, I hand-painted blue engines. I then came back with a watered-down white paint. The paint pulled itself to the edges of the engine rings and left a neat effect that looked like a thruster glow.

Backstory

Among the smaller Mon Calamari ships, the MC30c Frigate was one of the most impressive. It sported 5 large thrusters giving it an unmatched speed in its class. It also featured an array of weapons, including turbolasers and proton torpedo launchers.

The major disadvantage to the MC30c was that it had relatively weak armor. While it could take on larger cruisers in a support role, any concentrated fire would usually destroy the frigate outright.

Specialized variants of the MC30c carried cluster bombs in the various blisters along the hull. These proved quite devastating against enemy fighters that flew too close.

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