MatteoRoma

This week I focused almost entirely on the Borg Cube, beginning the long process of turning a raw print into something that feels like it belongs in the Star Trek universe.

The first step was applying several layers of black to establish depth across the surface. Once that was in place, I went back to clean up the details, refine a few areas and even rework some sections to improve the overall look before continuing with the paintwork.

To help guide the shading, I temporarily placed a couple of green LEDs inside the cube. They weren't meant to represent the final lighting, but simply to reveal where too much light was escaping so I could darken those areas and improve the overall balance.

After that came a subtle metallic drybrush, followed by selective metallic highlights. I also introduced a few very faint blue and reddish tones across some panels. They are barely noticeable on their own, but they should help break up the large surfaces once the final lighting and the phaser effects are in place.

Before wrapping up the week, I couldn't resist doing a quick composition test. With a bit of white tack holding the elements in place, I temporarily positioned the Enterprise in front of the cube to get a better sense of the scale and how the final scene is starting to come together.

There's still some cleanup and refinement left on the cube, but it's finally starting to look the way I imagined. Over the next couple of weeks I'd like to shift some attention to the electronics and the display box, with the goal of putting together a much more complete lighting test soon.