Started with blank yeah. For the earthy planet I dropped in a land looking texture and a white crackly texture for cities. Yeah the glow is a bit too artifical, got myself carried away aha. Wasnt aiming for any planet in particular but ill claim it aha :-) The gas planet was complete scratch. I've got some rings I could make to drop around it, ill post what I have worked on yesterday and today which is basically what you were thinking I'm guessing. Thanks for the comments, really helpful.