Battle Cruisin'

THE ANNAPOLIS-CLASS BATTLE CRUISER ARRIVES FOR THE FEDERATED STATES OF AMERICA

 

Painted in preparation for an upcoming Battle Report, the Annapolis-class Battle Cruiser brings serious firepower on the Medium hull to the Federated States of America. Rivalling a Battleship in terms of damage output, and featuring both a Rocket Battery and a Generator option, the Annapolis allows you to have your cake and eat it. Released with the new Naval Battle Group, I was impressed with the model for continuing the aesthetic of the FSA and sitting nicely amid the various classes. There is clear progression from the Light Cruiser all the way up to Dreadnought, and the Battle Cruiser fits neatly amidst them.

One of the new generation of Federacy vessels, the Annapolis is covered in detail - from the intricate exposed workings of the paddle-wheels to the stars sculpted onto the armour plating. I am especially fond of the stars as they allow a new contrast colour to appear - bold white

The Battle Cruiser packs two Main Turrets, a Rocket Battery and a hard-point for Kinetic or Shield Generator. This makes it even more versatile than the Battleships, who have to choose between the rockets or the additional protection

Painting the Annapolis used all the skills and tricks learned while painting the other vessels in the fleet - it has a simple design, almost identical to the Georgetown and Liberty-class vessels. The hull was painted with Vallejo Brown Violet and highlighted by adding Iraqi Sand, then detailed with black-lining and rust to add contrast

The vessel has a tall profile, with a far more built up super-structure than other American vessels. The Annapolis stands even taller than the Heavy Battleship. The large super-structure is covered in detail, such as the exposed engines and gears of the paddle-wheels. Some kind of technological wonder also sits at the top, behind the funnels. I painted this in a weathered bronze, so it would stand out from the rest of the mechanical contraptions across the ship

A solid vessel bringing Battleship-level firepower for a bargain price, I will be painting a second soon!

This model was a joy to paint, as with all of the FSA vessels. It is rugged and simple, with lots of room for interesting colours, weathering and highlighted armour plating. The Annapolis may have been damaged early in the Battle Report (spoilers!), but still managed to cause trouble. Ben has decided he would like to run a pair in an upcoming game, and so the second ship will soon make its way to the painting table!

 

Thanks for reading,

George