Re: FT Mini's, Official colors?

>   Well I fanally went out and picked up a few Full Thrust mini's...and
I
>was wondering if there were any guidelines for color schemes for each
>faction?  I saw the stuff on the Kra'vak being green and pink( I think,
>don't have the book right here), but I didn't see anything with regard
to
>the other fleets...If there is an official scheme, or if anyone just
has a
>really cool one could you let me know?  
>
>Thanks,
>
>Thomas Ellis
>tnellis@utk.edu
> 

This is a reposting (slightly updated) of an answer to a similar
question
some considerable time ago:

Starship Colour Schemes:

When asked how the "official" FT ships should be painted, my usual
response
is "paint 'em any colour you want, they're your ships!!" However this
question has been asked so often now that it seems I am going to have to
make some kind of pronouncement on the matter. Before giving the colour
ideas, though, I must stress that these are ONLY IDEAS - they are
suggestions as to how we see the various fleets, and you are still free
to
paint your own ships any colours you like. If we ever get to the G*m*s
W*rksh*p state of saying "you can't play our games unless your figures
are
the right colours" then I think it'll be time for us to hang up the ol'
laser for good.....

So, here we go. In some cases these colour schemes are the ones used in
our
own demo fleets for show games, in others they are just what we think
looks
good. 

Overview of ship colour theory in the FT universe:
[WARNING! High level of PSB (pseudo-scientific bullsh*t) follows....]
There is no "ideal" paint scheme for combat ships in the 22nd century,
and
as a result all the major powers have adopted different ideas. As
optical
detection is still a significant part of most sensor suites it would
seem
to be sensible that a ship is painted in dull, dark colours to minimise
visibility against the starfield; this has problems, however, in that as
well as not providing a reflective target for enemy sensors it can also
not
reflect solar energy, beam weapon energy or anything else - result: a
hot
ship that you are forever having to cool by some means, which of course
gives off a big IR signature anyway. On the other hand, if you make a
ship
bright and reflective so that it does not needs such effective cooling
systems, and you have something that stands out like a sore thumb
against a
starfield, shining in any little bit of reflected starlight....
So, space naval colour schemes come down to part compromise, part
aesthetics - a smart looking ship looks good on the holovid newscasts
back
home......

1) the NAC:
New Anglian ships use a predominantly grey/white scheme, though
blue/white
is a good alternative if you prefer it. a good technique is to paint the
ship an overall medium grey (or blue), then either i) pick out all the
raised panelwork in white, or ii) simply dry-brush in white (not quite
as
nice, but a lot quicker and easier!). A finishing wash of a dark shade
(blue-black or black) will bring up the surface detail and give a "used"
look - not strictly authentic on a spaceship I know, but all the movie
modellers use weathering so why shouldn't we? 

2) the ESU:
Eurasian ships are generally mid-green or yellow-on-white (both look
effective, so its up to you); as with the NAC suggestions it is best to
use
a base colour of a darkish shade and then panel-shade or drybrush with
lighter colours. Markings could be traditional red stars, with some IDs
in
either cyrillic or Chinese!

3) the NSL:
Neu Swabian ships are usually a functional mid-grey with lighter grey
panelwork, though some squadrons have been seen in  "dazzle" patterns of
diagonal dark gray, white and pale blue-grey stripes. NSL command is
often
surprisingly lenient about special paint schemes on certain ships,
especially if the commander and/or the ship has suitable aristocratic
connections (for example, there may well be at least one of the new
Richtofen class Battlecruisers painted overall bright red.....).
One important note concerning the NSL: according to our background, they
are NOT "Nazis in Space", so no swastika markings! Think in terms of
noble
Austro-Hungarian and Prussian aristocracy - use WW1/modern German
crosses
if you wish, though we prefer stylised eagle symbols.

4) the FSE:
Either an overall mid-blue (French blue), or else a blue base with white
or
pale blue paneling overlaid.

5) the Kra'Vak:
When we mentiond a "shifting, green-purple" scheme in More Thrust, this
was
because a friend of mine had painted up a few KV ships this way using
shades of green, cyan, purple and even pink in places. Believe me, they
DO
look good! Since we haven't yet let on just how the KV society works,
you
could get away with almost any scheme - probably different 
clans/tribes/packs (or whatever groupings they use) have different ideas
anyway.

So, there you go - a few ideas to be going on with. If you have any
further
ideas or comments on all the foregoing (or indeed any better schemes)
please let me know.

Jon (GZG)