Buy a $5 skin to get the backer status. Wait for a sale that opens up the lower tier ships for discount again. It happens about once every three or four months. I would buy one of the lower tier ship packs that gives you full access to the Alpha-Beta cycles and some other account items. Most of those packages are in the 45-100 buck retail range. You can always melt down a ship package as a backer, get full credits for the package and spend the value however you see fit. I have moved so many ships using that method, my head hurts just thinking of all the grey market sales I had to make in order for SC to a neutral cost investment to deck out two accounts.

Don't make me have'ta Troll ya Bro!