thanks for your feedback.
Gathering the various suggestions I looked into mounting the Hydras sideways.
It actually looks better than I thought, however, the space is just too limited, and once the engines are mounted on those two stubby wings, these would interfere dramatically.
Scratch idea 1...
Mounting them directly on the side, is also too limited, as the field of fire isn't very good, and actually the deck is too narrow to really rotate the turret.
Scratch idea 2...
Mounting the Hydras behind the superstructure would work, but since I already have the Nemesis CIWS planned to be positioned here, this won't work either.
Scratch idea 3...
And mounting the Hydras below the current deck line, on new "islands" would be another major overhaul. However, by now (after 2 years) the plasitcard is too brittle to sustain another one of these operations, and I'm afraid it would really mess up the current outline and silouhette of the ATHENA.
Sorry
Scratch idea 4...
So it looks as if I will keep the Hydras where they are (at least for now).
But I wasn't lazy :)
I painted the ATHENA mural.
I started off by spraypainting the background.
Then I applied the basic skin color, using Elf Flesh.
The base color for the gold is Boubonic Brown.
For some of the metalic parts I used Shadow Grey,
while I used Fortress Grey for the lighter metallic items.
For the "brush" on the helmet, the purity seal, and the "I" bracelet I used Scab Red.
For the leather straps I used Bestial Brown,
and Bleached Bone for the skulls and Kommando Khaki for the parchment.
Terracotta for the hair,
and finally Skull White completed the base colors.
After that I worked out the details, starting with the skin and the face.
Then I worked on the details for the golden items.
Details on the metal.
And then all the rest :)
Some shadows and first dirt stains and she was completed.
So here she is :)
So what do you think?
Thank you for your time and feedback.
Cheers
Klaus
