I've really enjoyed the development process on this ship, there's a whole bunch of really creative ideas present here. Your concepts for the secondary hull shape and the nacelles getting tucked together during slipstream are very good, in particular.
Wider engineering hull / larger saucer / quad nacelles / weapons pod on top / all this suggests that this is far more powerful than the 'base' version.
I'm really liking the evolution of this design. Also, kitbashes are always fun.
Kind as ever
I'm also enjoying the progress, even if right now i'm yet again struggling with a combination of not knowing what i want to do, and then also being very early in my progress which makes putting those vague ideas to pixels pretty hard. But that's all part of learning.
I guess the evolution of the design is also the evolution of my ability to produce it. Learning new things generates new ideas, and new iterations, which cause new problems to solve, which leads to more learning and more change... <lionking_circleoflife.wav>
Maybe eventually; I'll get to a reasonable point with this ship, and then i'll do some more final kitbashes to cover the usual basic variations just as i did with that blockout. It's a lot of fun to just be able to grab what you've made and throw together some quick and dirty designs we see in trek all the time when a new ship is needed for an episode, or a fleet scene.
The pink bits are two sets of 3 torp launchers and 2 sets of 2 phaser cannons (each is about 25% the power of the phaser lance in all good things)
Back of the neck has 2 sets of 2 torp launchers
On the belly you can see another launcher: that's the special ordinance launcher for things like tricobalts, transphasics, probes.
Also added phaser strips. Need to add the point def phaser pods.
Added some hull detail, but much yet to do.
Need to add the micro torp/flare launchers - 1 each side of the neck pointing 45deg down, and 1 each side of the top of the saucer at the rear pointing 45deg up
Ahh there we go! I was really struggling to find a good place for those mini phaser cannons, but it turns out that it's better to have the one big lance, and to recess it into the hull.
Can't be just me who plans out surface details with markers? Yellow is for the point defence phaser domes, red is for micro torp launchers, and the pink blob there is maybe a recess for a sensor array greeble.
I've added more. Mostly where the neck and saucer meet to hide a crappy join add some interest to the area.
Also starting to get all the RCS thrusters on there. Went vanilla for those.
Got the micro torp launchers on, but now all on the saucer. These would launch normal micro torps, micro quantum, and probably also flares and chromium chaff
Because windows on a spaceship are pointless at best, and a structural weakness at worst. Especially this one. Let's just pretend there are holo emitters in quarters and off-duty areas which can simulate everything from boring space, to more exciting space, and forests, and whatever else. This ship has a whole buttload of power generation, so making the mess hall a big holodeck is trivial.
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Why does this make it a Dreadnought?
Wider engineering hull / larger saucer / quad nacelles / weapons pod on top / all this suggests that this is far more powerful than the 'base' version.
Kind as ever
I'm also enjoying the progress, even if right now i'm yet again struggling with a combination of not knowing what i want to do, and then also being very early in my progress which makes putting those vague ideas to pixels pretty hard. But that's all part of learning.
I guess the evolution of the design is also the evolution of my ability to produce it. Learning new things generates new ideas, and new iterations, which cause new problems to solve, which leads to more learning and more change... <lionking_circleoflife.wav>
Advice very much appreciated on this....
I've added more. Mostly where the neck and saucer meet to hide a crappy join add some interest to the area.
Also starting to get all the RCS thrusters on there. Went vanilla for those.
Got the micro torp launchers on, but now all on the saucer. These would launch normal micro torps, micro quantum, and probably also flares and chromium chaff
Because windows on a spaceship are pointless at best, and a structural weakness at worst. Especially this one. Let's just pretend there are holo emitters in quarters and off-duty areas which can simulate everything from boring space, to more exciting space, and forests, and whatever else. This ship has a whole buttload of power generation, so making the mess hall a big holodeck is trivial.
At least phasers are easier...