So, I'm taking a break from Star Trek right now. I've been watching some old Flash Gordon from the 1930s recently and I love that stuff. Those old serials were light on the science but loaded with fun action. But, that makes sense as spaceflight was still over 20 years away. (from the original Flash Gordon serial) Anyway, it's got me on this retro kick, looking at old Sci-Fi designs for rockets an whatnot from before human powered spaceflight was a reality.
I started off yesterday playing with an idea for a retro styled rocket, but it was too simplistic looking for my taste. So, instead, I started with a basic rocket design but I expanded the idea into a large space cruiser.
Obviously, I'm in the early stages, but there's actually a lot of work here. I worked on it a lot this morning, getting the basic shape of the fuselage ironed out. Then after lunch I went on an almost 20 mile bicycle ride. After that, I ironed out the shape of the fuselage and then did the big fin on top and finally the wings. The fin and the wings aren't the same shape because I don't want them to be. I took different ideas from old school rockets and kind of blended them together, but the design mostly came from my own imagination. Everything is one object so far, so it took quite a bit of tweaking before I finalized the sub D. After that, I spend a long time selecting edges so I could bevel them out and inset them for the panel lines. I still need to do the line work on the wings, but this is where I'm stopping for today. I'm not sure what the pods on the wings are for, possibly weapons. They're not engines, I'm going to put some large bell type rocket engines in the back of the fuselage.
For anyone wondering, this is not a small ship. It's 373 meters long, 219 meters wide and 115 meters tall. So, it's actually larger than both the original and refit Enterprises from Star Trek.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streamline_Moderne
You could put the refit's grills on it, then... ;-)
https://www.shapeways.com/product/QNR3DSKWL/flash-gordon-rocket-detailed
That’s the best I’ve seen
It's going to have grills for sure. I plan on putting them in the openings on the sides of the fuselage.
Good idea, that's probably what they'll wind up being. I already have openings in the front and back, so making them thrusters makes sense.
I've never seen that version of Flash Gordon. I'll have to do something about that. My favorite Flash Gordon rocket is the one from the Universal serials of the 1930s.
https://estesrockets.com/wp-content/uploads/Catalogs/Estes_1980_Catalog.pdf
https://estesrockets.com/wp-content/uploads/Catalogs/Estes_1977_Catalog.pdf
A massive nuclear flying-boat spaceship was looked at:
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/martin-antares-arcturus-and-aldebaran-rockets.41051/#post-476694
A more modest craft
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/martin-antares-arcturus-and-aldebaran-rockets.41051/#post-482106
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The second I saw your ship, I thought of this image. I loved those cheesy engine effects they had. Yours is off to great start.
It's hard to tell in that image, but the ribbing is actually individual rocket exhaust nozzles. In the original serial, those were the main engines. I think in the later ones, they had the rocket exhaust come from the larger nozzle looking things towards the back.
That's some really interesting stuff. I love looking at old catalogs.
Yeah, you've gotta love the sputtering firecracker effects.