Looking beautiful as always Basil. Of course, you're going to have to get round to doing reflecting surfaces sometime...
DOH!!
Wow. Well, you just saved me a ton of experimental work Tobian.
I can't believe I totally forgot to activate reflectivity in Layout! Ouch!
Reflectivity... ON!
I must say with my many recent distractions, I haven't been too into this of late, but I honestly thought I had activated that setting early on. No wonder my render times were half what I expected.
I started this latest set of renders in Layout from scratch, separate from my previous bridge images, mostly as test shots for the new conn console panels. Almost the entire remainder of the bridge was left out to expedite render time. Since there are only two studio lights and virtually no surrounding set, I really thought the drab surfaces came from the camera angles, dim lighting, and sparse environment. Black on black doesn't reflect well. Still... wow. As I progressed, that astrogator dome was giving me grief making me think I had some setting off-kilter in the surface editor. At the very least I thought its curvature would yield better reflection than the dark flat surface panels. I was about to start testing its settings in a different layout to figure out my possible problem.
After your post, my light bulb went off :idea: and I figured I'd check the scene itself when I got home from work. Sure enough, I just totally forgot to switch on the reflectivity in the radiosity settings. :rolleyes:
With the two week long break I just took from rendering and modeling, I must have returned assuming I was still operating in the same ole scene settings as the previous bridge shots instead of this new from-scratch scene for the helm tests.
Having been inspired recently by several artists' presentations of FASA designed Federation starships, especially some of the Ranger class scout, I've begun work on my own version of Kevin Riley's awesomely re-imagined, USS Strider refit.
I never saw a finished version in his WIP images, so I'll have to make a few things up (warp nacelles most notably), but she's out of the gate and I'm happy with the start I've made. In addition to the warp nacelles, there are a lot of "stand-ins" currently that will slowly get replaced with more fitting parts. Here are some even earlier renders.
I've never been much of a fan of FASA's Federation ships (though they do have many interesting alien ships), but this actually looks quite interesting.
Having been inspired recently by several artists' presentations of FASA designed Federation starships, especially some of the Ranger class scout, I've begun work on my own version of Kevin Riley's awesomely re-imagined, USS Strider refit.
Wait... Last time I talk with Lt. Kevin (and it was years ago) he hasnAât finished the Strider. If my memory serves, he isnAât playing with 3dsmax anymore too. I have just two small renderings of the Strider saved in my inspiration folder. He finished the mesh?!?
Anyway Basil, your version is looking good. ItAâs a great start and IAâm anxiouslly waiting for the updates. :thumb:
Having been inspired recently by several artists' presentations of FASA designed Federation starships, especially some of the Ranger class scout, I've begun work on my own version of Kevin Riley's awesomely re-imagined, USS Strider refit.
The thumbnail-pic immediately reminded me of the the Strider. It's really too bad he never finished her.
Your model looks fantastic so far.
Can't wait to see more.
Thanks guys. Well, I don't necessarily want to join the FASA Bashers-R-Us club , but I agree that many of their designs are a bit on the loser-side-of-things. They did have a few really stand out designs which I still love however, and I look forward to tackling more of them in the future. Kevin Riley's Strider on the other hand, is one which he (much like his Phobos) took a lot of liberties with in redesigning, and that's why it is so much more appealing than the original Ranger class scout in my mind, not to mention most FASA designs in general. The Ranger itself was one of the most simplistic designs FASA ever presented, which actually made it ripe for customization purposes. Riley's version really went the distance though, rethinking some major structural features and adding many, many details.
Wait... Last time I talk with Lt. Kevin (and it was years ago) he hasnAât finished the Strider. If my memory serves, he isnAât playing with 3dsmax anymore too. I have just two small renderings of the Strider saved in my inspiration folder. He finished the mesh?!?
Anyway Basil, your version is looking good. ItAâs a great start and IAâm anxiouslly waiting for the updates. :thumb:
I've had to look into my inspiration folders too, in order to find images of his Strider for this project, but it will require some artistic license on my part to complete it. I'm by no means certain, but I don't believe Riley ever finished the Strider. I only have work-in-progress images and no evidence that the mesh was ever completed. Ironically in fact, the last image I ever downloaded of it was a clever scene of his, blending the CG mesh into a real life image of a scale model builder's hobby area, filled with plastic kit parts and similarly endeavored paints and tools. The image came complete with an apparently "finished" scale model of the Phobos sitting in the background with pieces of the Strider strewn about to look like unassembled polystyrene kit parts. Even a nearby box was cleverly Photoshopped to look like it belonged to a full production model kit of the "Star Trek: Strider" with some of its injection molded components still inside. Like most of the model kits I've bought throughout the years, it sits in a state of perpetual WIP.
Got some deflector grids stenciled and even smooth shifted on the underside, filled in some more greebles in the torpedo area, added some small, single-unit, phaser banks, and even started fleshing out the warp nacelles a little. Played around with some spotlights too.
Began adding some more minor details to the impulse deflection crystal area and incorporated some bridge elements from the Akyazi design as more mere stand-in.
I was thinking the saucer had a profile like the old lady, but I see itAâs a bitt different, especially on top. Looks cool anyway.
Therefore, the walls around that big torp laucher appears to be to much thin. I think it needs to be more "fat".
The top details are totally temporary until I start modeling those features in earnest. I just thought it looked a little naked with nothing up there so I stuck some stuff on. Right now they are just elements borrowed (and twisted a bit) from my Miranda and Akyazi classes. but they are soon to follow I hope. I am also now thinking the saucer itself might be a little too deep along its edge, but I never saw a really good edge on perspective, much less an actual side profile orthographic of the ship. Kevin Riley did put out one dorsal profile image that presented a nice scale comparison of the Strider, the Phobos, a shuttlecraft, and a Klingon Warship. That's what I've used to help put things in their proper place as seen from above, but I've had to estimate all dimensions from the top down using his WIP perspective renders, and I think I might have over done it.
I agree the torp launcher walls are a bit narrow, and I was probably trying to avoid the exact opposite of making them too thick. A touch of overcompensation. I may eventually think about widening those, but it's not currently a priority. Riley also incorporated a little pointy jab at the base of the launcher's opening, and I wasn't too interested in duplicating that feature at present either, though it cleary adds to the spirit of style that the Enterprise, Reliant, and Phobos torp launchers all share. I may add that feature later too.
Ok, so I chose to experiment with thickening those torpedo area walls, and I even played with the pointy lower ledge I'd been intentionally ignoring. The results are subtle I think, but somewhat noticeable. They may need further fattening though.
I also added some maneuvering thrusters around the saucer's outer rim.
Far from not using Max anymore, I still use it daily for work. Its been my right arm since 3ds r3. I've just been dumping my free time into an R/C racing club I started, so I don't do much non-work CGI these days.
Coincidentally, a few weeks ago I came across the Strider files while retrieving some materials for a long idling boardgame project I'm trying to wrap up (started '99), and while looking them over was thinking how much I wanted to get back to work on the Strider. But there are many other things I must attend to first, so on the CD it waits.
Then TallGuy sent me the link here! You're doing a great job, Basill. I'm glad to see the old girl getting a new life. You did a great job on the Akyazi, and I just discovered your renders of the Phobos' Engineering section, the exterior access hatches and shuttle bay! Holy smokes, I am very impressed, it all looks fantastic. Terrific eye for the details that make things feel authentic. Great job on the materials/maps and lighting as well. And thanks for staying true to the look and feel of the TMP-TWOK era. That is the time frame the Phobos and Strider were meant to be in.
I saw you mention you needed to work out the upper level details, so I've attached some of my old shots of the Bridge/upper spine/aft torpedo assembly. I hope that helps. The 'spine' bit I recall was very difficult to get to flow and blend cleanly with the saucer. The tools are much better since the Max 5.1 days, so maybe it'll be easier. If you need anything else, just let me know. (I also included Brian Gillies' original sketch redesign of the FASA version. Note the engine design. We wanted to go with something a little different. More bulky/stubby).
A word of caution though, the thing that kind of stopped me dead in my tracks was the realization that I didn't make the aft hull big enough to hold the shuttles. I was trying to work out a way to make extensions, but ultimately I would have had to just rebuild the aft section.
Note: The shuttle I was aiming to use are the short wedge type (Mr. Scott's Guide). For the U.S.S. Strider (this is a Ranger Class) they are called the AâArwenAâ and the AâEowynAâ... obviously . (I absolutely loath the shuttles from ST:TFF).
Sucks about the model kit, and it looks pretty neat, though a tad small.
Thanks so much for the comments. It makes me feel better. I thought about contacting you personally to ask how things were going and if tackling the design would be OK, but it appeared you hadnAât posted or signed on in some years and I was afraid I would be stuck in limbo. Then I was worried that the Strider would never dock at my station! . I remembered how open you were to personal interpretation in regards to the Phobos model so long as you were given proper credit, and since this was a from-scratch visual interpretation, I just dove in. IAâve tried to make sure you get credit, though I realize I have yet to post any text credits (for anybody) on any of my actual posted renders. I'll get to rectifying that. :notworthy:
Thanks for the images too, though those are some of the very images IAâve been referencing so far! I have something like 32 images, and itAâs honestly a gold mine! I was telling Starship the other day that your AâThis Old StarshipAâ format was like a regular do-it-yourself tutorial!
Fascinating to learn what stopped you, as you put it, Aâdead in my tracks.Aâ I noticed you had conceptually experimented with the docking ring shuttle and those aft shuttle bays with Aâextended landing platformsAâ seen on several fan designs (in both 2D drawings and physical kit bashes). The docking ring method (with no viable "nest" like the Akyazi had) fell kind of flat for me, though IAâve always liked the little extended platform bays on those fan design ships. Given the location of the impulse engines and the sheer size of the shuttle, its placement does seem to be a bit of a hindrance there. IAâve actually considered having versions of the ship with no shuttles whatsoever (after all the Akyazi has many such varieties), or planting one somewhere on the underside, A? la the TNG yacht-park-it style, if I could only find the room for it (although I prefer not to borrow too much from TNG). Another consideration I had, after seeing some nice, more-original-design-inspired, interpretations recently, was the possibility of creating an extension on the bow of the ship: analogous to that original FASA design, with its bulky front box. Your Gillies sketch hints at something similar. That way, the few ships that might want or need to retain shuttle service could do so. ItAâs not my favorite solution, but it would offer up some variation (like the Akyazi book did with all its sub-classes), and further hint at the shipAâs origins.
I actually hate asking for anything, but since you offered , did you ever do any orthographic style renders or screen shots, even with the earlier, stand-in features? All I currently have is that top down scale shot with the Phobos and the Klingon warship. If anything some other angles might help as a reference in my overall scale and positioning efforts. I keep worrying she's a little chubby in places.
Really its just cool that the Phobos was made into a physical model kit. I don't think Timeslip makes them anymore. Probably one of those little garage/hobby operations making limited production runs.
Don't fuss about credits in the WIP images, you've made it clear in your posts what its based on. Heck, mine came from collaborating with Gillies on designs originating from FASA. This one is your construction.
Below are a couple profile shots with my various construction Shapes overlaid to help clarify. I also looked at the shuttle issue again, trying to remember what I was doing in 2004! The shuttle shown in the WIP image years ago was scaled down to 56% normal size. I found a note (my past self telling me today) that the solution may be to use the space dock Clydesdale from ST:TSFS. I couldn't find any dimensions, but I'd bet they are 56% smaller.
The standard shuttle would just narrowly squeeze between the vertical limits of the aft hull, but is so long it would hang out the back. I estimate the rear would need to be extended about 13+ft. The bays themselves would be little more than garages just big enough to hold the shuttles. There wouldn't be any fancy equipment or Work Bees as on larger capital ships.
Below are also a couple shots to show the shuttle size issue.
Brian's original sketches had the forward hull extension, which was supposed to be the Fwd Torp. As I recall he didn't like the look and suggested making it part of the lower floodlight assembly.
I looked at the spacing for two shuttles housed in a forward bay and they would just fit. It would be a curved interior with a single door at the bow extension. It would take up the full fwd quarter of the saucer, but that could be the cargo area. I wasn't sure about this idea at first, but I'm really diggin' it now.:thumb: And it would make a lot more sense as it wouldn't block up all that Engineering space. (Bear in mind it still has to house a crew of 77 plus 6 Marines). (See image)
Something to keep in mind if aiming for the FASA specifications is the Phaser locations. They have one bank firing Fwd/Port and one Fwd/Stbd, which in game terms has them set so both banks overlap the forward arc, but only able to fire one bank on either side. This would place the banks at 45deg left and right of centerline (similar to the Phobos).
Wow! Thanks so much! That's just awesome, and I'm sure will help tremendously!
What's really funny is that I worked all day yesterday on the bridge dome area and found your post and images as I was heading to bed last night. I think I did a pretty good job, but these new images sure do reveal a bit more detail or my sheer misinterpretation of what I was seeing.
I also began on the upper phaser placements but was having a bit of conflict as to where to put them exactly and in what configuration. It's funny, I wasn't as worried about FASA stats so much, considering how far from the original this refit has strayed, but after I did the upper portion I was immediately struck with how awkward it appears. I had chosen the single units for the underside because of the overwhelmingly large and central placement of the torpedo launcher. Being a small scout ship, I didn't think it would be too out of practice to arm that section more lightly. The shape of the upper section however, is something of a reverse of other Starfleet ships of the era: flat on the outer rims while tapering to a sharp incline much closer to the central core. Though curved slightly, the Strider is considerably flatter for a wider portion of the center than others (until Excelsior came along I suppose). It had me thinking this traditional placement I've attempted looks a little goofy and redundant. I was close to dismissing it and then you mentioned FASA firing arcs. I've thought about moving the port and starboard banks to the more inclined rim area and replacing them with the single units I used on the ventral side, just to sneak in some variety. I also began working a bit on a new raised "spine" area completely from scratch. I was trying to follow the shape of the hull and I obviously overdid the effect. Part of that is certainly due to another error of which I am now aware. My saucer section is way too thick, so it'll have to be completely re-lathed. I'm hoping I can utilize the dimensions from the lowest section however, since the torpedo/sensor dome structure at the base fits so snugly in its place, and I have no inkling to remodel that.
Here are a few others renders; many are the same angles as previous renders with slightly different lighting and a few more details sprinkled about. I tried to flesh out the cylindrical forms hanging below on the underside as part of the deflector/sensor assembly (that's what I've always considered them at any rate). After fully crafting their forward facing features, I realized their aft ends were just cut off trunks waiting for some detail. I rounded the end of the larger one into a more capsule like form that curves into the flattened hull. I hollowed out the more narrow nested one to look like some form of aft facing vent. I might play around with it some more later.
I added some formation lights and mapped the glowing portions of the impulse engines with the UV map I normally employ on the few Starfleet ships I've constructed.
The shuttle ideas are pretty fascinating and I will certainly try a version with the forward extension now just for fun's sake. I'm not sure about the Clydesdale, as I've always thought they were fairly bulky craft, given the size of the pilot figures seen in the filming miniature's cockpit and the size of the maintenance personnel seen right next to them in the STIV:TVH movie matte compositions. I had trouble fitting the Clydesdale into the Phobos's shuttlebay, but I may have had the scale completely off. I'll have to consider the shuttle issues a little later and I'm really looking forward to deciding what direction to take with the warp nacelles, but my brain is fried for the weekend.
Again, Thanks again for all your comments and those new renders help out immensely!
Great stuff here! happy to see the old mentor checking in! ( and yes.. love the TMP wedge shuttles as well!)
yeah.. seen the Phobos selling at wonderfest last year.. was like.. Yep knew where that came from, and since your phobos is freely available, they probably cleaned it up and 3D printed the master for the resin kit straight from your 3D model.. and might have been a limited run, or the caster they hired decided not to do them anymore.. any numerous reasons.. Sucks that they didnt even contact you for permission, or throw you a kit.. as being in the business myself.. that irritates me!
The ship is coming along nicely, and yeah.. sometimes think of designs where theres an airlock where the wedge shuttle is attached more permently, and not the "Nest" you mentioned
Got some experimental nacelle work done and refined some saucer features. The saucer wasn't nearly as thick as I'd feared, but I did reduce some of that vertical girth. I also moved and altered some phaser banks and redid the saucer's "spine."
Based on your past work, I expect this will be a veritable work of art. I've followed your blog, and love the updates I get in my email. I look forward to the completed work, though I know better than to encourage the rushing of perfection!
Coming along very nice Basil. The variation over the calssic TMP nacele looks factible and interesting.
I know it isnAât like this, but I still "see" this ship having a similar size to the old Reliant. I think itAâs cause the similar shape. In fact, I toyed with this idea in one of my unfinished wips, but I donAât have your skills.
Good work all around Basil! :thumb:
Based on your past work, I expect this will be a veritable work of art. I've followed your blog, and love the updates I get in my email. I look forward to the completed work, though I know better than to encourage the rushing of perfection!
Thanks so much. Well, IAâd say IAâm far from perfect and certainly donAât like to be rushed, and those are the best two excuses I have for never finishing anything! I do tend to be in sort of a Aâpermanent work-in-progressAâ mode, but at least the fun goes on.
Coming along very nice Basil. The variation over the calssic TMP nacele looks factible and interesting.
I know it isnAât like this, but I still "see" this ship having a similar size to the old Reliant. I think itAâs cause the similar shape. In fact, I toyed with this idea in one of my unfinished wips, but I donAât have your skills.
Good work all around Basil! :thumb:
Thanks! Yeah, sheAâs actually considerably smaller than the Reliant, but definitely has some similar lines. A better sense of scale might fall into place when I've installed a few more features that better suggest a relative human size. This would include the main gangway or any exterior hatches and view ports I might add.
The whole thing tends to remind me of a car companyAâs compact model series that has similar styling to the larger vehicles of its make. Considering the original Ranger class reminded me more of a hockey puck with wings, IAâd say thatAâs an improvement.
Posts
DOH!!
Wow. Well, you just saved me a ton of experimental work Tobian.
I can't believe I totally forgot to activate reflectivity in Layout! Ouch!
Reflectivity... ON!
I must say with my many recent distractions, I haven't been too into this of late, but I honestly thought I had activated that setting early on. No wonder my render times were half what I expected.
I started this latest set of renders in Layout from scratch, separate from my previous bridge images, mostly as test shots for the new conn console panels. Almost the entire remainder of the bridge was left out to expedite render time. Since there are only two studio lights and virtually no surrounding set, I really thought the drab surfaces came from the camera angles, dim lighting, and sparse environment. Black on black doesn't reflect well. Still... wow. As I progressed, that astrogator dome was giving me grief making me think I had some setting off-kilter in the surface editor. At the very least I thought its curvature would yield better reflection than the dark flat surface panels. I was about to start testing its settings in a different layout to figure out my possible problem.
After your post, my light bulb went off :idea: and I figured I'd check the scene itself when I got home from work. Sure enough, I just totally forgot to switch on the reflectivity in the radiosity settings. :rolleyes:
With the two week long break I just took from rendering and modeling, I must have returned assuming I was still operating in the same ole scene settings as the previous bridge shots instead of this new from-scratch scene for the helm tests.
Duh... :stupid:
Having been inspired recently by several artists' presentations of FASA designed Federation starships, especially some of the Ranger class scout, I've begun work on my own version of Kevin Riley's awesomely re-imagined, USS Strider refit.
I never saw a finished version in his WIP images, so I'll have to make a few things up (warp nacelles most notably), but she's out of the gate and I'm happy with the start I've made. In addition to the warp nacelles, there are a lot of "stand-ins" currently that will slowly get replaced with more fitting parts. Here are some even earlier renders.
I've never been much of a fan of FASA's Federation ships (though they do have many interesting alien ships), but this actually looks quite interesting.
Sidenote: I have to agree on that I don't like 90% of FASA designs.
Wait... Last time I talk with Lt. Kevin (and it was years ago) he hasnAât finished the Strider. If my memory serves, he isnAât playing with 3dsmax anymore too.
Anyway Basil, your version is looking good. ItAâs a great start and IAâm anxiouslly waiting for the updates. :thumb:
The thumbnail-pic immediately reminded me of the the Strider. It's really too bad he never finished her.
Your model looks fantastic so far.
Can't wait to see more.
I've had to look into my inspiration folders too, in order to find images of his Strider for this project, but it will require some artistic license on my part to complete it. I'm by no means certain, but I don't believe Riley ever finished the Strider. I only have work-in-progress images and no evidence that the mesh was ever completed. Ironically in fact, the last image I ever downloaded of it was a clever scene of his, blending the CG mesh into a real life image of a scale model builder's hobby area, filled with plastic kit parts and similarly endeavored paints and tools. The image came complete with an apparently "finished" scale model of the Phobos sitting in the background with pieces of the Strider strewn about to look like unassembled polystyrene kit parts. Even a nearby box was cleverly Photoshopped to look like it belonged to a full production model kit of the "Star Trek: Strider" with some of its injection molded components still inside. Like most of the model kits I've bought throughout the years, it sits in a state of perpetual WIP.
Thanks. Yeah, I'd love to see how he planned on wrapping her up.
Got some deflector grids stenciled and even smooth shifted on the underside, filled in some more greebles in the torpedo area, added some small, single-unit, phaser banks, and even started fleshing out the warp nacelles a little. Played around with some spotlights too.
Began adding some more minor details to the impulse deflection crystal area and incorporated some bridge elements from the Akyazi design as more mere stand-in.
Therefore, the walls around that big torp laucher appears to be to much thin. I think it needs to be more "fat".
I agree the torp launcher walls are a bit narrow, and I was probably trying to avoid the exact opposite of making them too thick. A touch of overcompensation. I may eventually think about widening those, but it's not currently a priority. Riley also incorporated a little pointy jab at the base of the launcher's opening, and I wasn't too interested in duplicating that feature at present either, though it cleary adds to the spirit of style that the Enterprise, Reliant, and Phobos torp launchers all share. I may add that feature later too.
I also added some maneuvering thrusters around the saucer's outer rim.
Far from not using Max anymore, I still use it daily for work. Its been my right arm since 3ds r3. I've just been dumping my free time into an R/C racing club I started, so I don't do much non-work CGI these days.
Coincidentally, a few weeks ago I came across the Strider files while retrieving some materials for a long idling boardgame project I'm trying to wrap up (started '99), and while looking them over was thinking how much I wanted to get back to work on the Strider. But there are many other things I must attend to first, so on the CD it waits.
Then TallGuy sent me the link here! You're doing a great job, Basill. I'm glad to see the old girl getting a new life. You did a great job on the Akyazi, and I just discovered your renders of the Phobos' Engineering section, the exterior access hatches and shuttle bay! Holy smokes, I am very impressed, it all looks fantastic. Terrific eye for the details that make things feel authentic. Great job on the materials/maps and lighting as well. And thanks for staying true to the look and feel of the TMP-TWOK era. That is the time frame the Phobos and Strider were meant to be in.
I saw you mention you needed to work out the upper level details, so I've attached some of my old shots of the Bridge/upper spine/aft torpedo assembly. I hope that helps. The 'spine' bit I recall was very difficult to get to flow and blend cleanly with the saucer. The tools are much better since the Max 5.1 days, so maybe it'll be easier. If you need anything else, just let me know. (I also included Brian Gillies' original sketch redesign of the FASA version. Note the engine design. We wanted to go with something a little different. More bulky/stubby).
A word of caution though, the thing that kind of stopped me dead in my tracks was the realization that I didn't make the aft hull big enough to hold the shuttles. I was trying to work out a way to make extensions, but ultimately I would have had to just rebuild the aft section.
Note: The shuttle I was aiming to use are the short wedge type (Mr. Scott's Guide). For the U.S.S. Strider (this is a Ranger Class) they are called the AâArwenAâ and the AâEowynAâ... obviously
Keep up the great work!
Sucks about the model kit, and it looks pretty neat, though a tad small.
Thanks so much for the comments. It makes me feel better. I thought about contacting you personally to ask how things were going and if tackling the design would be OK, but it appeared you hadnAât posted or signed on in some years and I was afraid I would be stuck in limbo. Then I was worried that the Strider would never dock at my station!
Thanks for the images too, though those are some of the very images IAâve been referencing so far! I have something like 32 images, and itAâs honestly a gold mine! I was telling Starship the other day that your AâThis Old StarshipAâ format was like a regular do-it-yourself tutorial!
Fascinating to learn what stopped you, as you put it, Aâdead in my tracks.Aâ I noticed you had conceptually experimented with the docking ring shuttle and those aft shuttle bays with Aâextended landing platformsAâ seen on several fan designs (in both 2D drawings and physical kit bashes). The docking ring method (with no viable "nest" like the Akyazi had) fell kind of flat for me, though IAâve always liked the little extended platform bays on those fan design ships. Given the location of the impulse engines and the sheer size of the shuttle, its placement does seem to be a bit of a hindrance there. IAâve actually considered having versions of the ship with no shuttles whatsoever (after all the Akyazi has many such varieties), or planting one somewhere on the underside, A? la the TNG yacht-park-it style, if I could only find the room for it (although I prefer not to borrow too much from TNG). Another consideration I had, after seeing some nice, more-original-design-inspired, interpretations recently, was the possibility of creating an extension on the bow of the ship: analogous to that original FASA design, with its bulky front box. Your Gillies sketch hints at something similar. That way, the few ships that might want or need to retain shuttle service could do so. ItAâs not my favorite solution, but it would offer up some variation (like the Akyazi book did with all its sub-classes), and further hint at the shipAâs origins.
I actually hate asking for anything, but since you offered
Thanks again for chiming in!
Don't fuss about credits in the WIP images, you've made it clear in your posts what its based on. Heck, mine came from collaborating with Gillies on designs originating from FASA. This one is your construction.
Below are a couple profile shots with my various construction Shapes overlaid to help clarify. I also looked at the shuttle issue again, trying to remember what I was doing in 2004! The shuttle shown in the WIP image years ago was scaled down to 56% normal size. I found a note (my past self telling me today) that the solution may be to use the space dock Clydesdale from ST:TSFS. I couldn't find any dimensions, but I'd bet they are 56% smaller.
The standard shuttle would just narrowly squeeze between the vertical limits of the aft hull, but is so long it would hang out the back. I estimate the rear would need to be extended about 13+ft. The bays themselves would be little more than garages just big enough to hold the shuttles. There wouldn't be any fancy equipment or Work Bees as on larger capital ships.
Below are also a couple shots to show the shuttle size issue.
Brian's original sketches had the forward hull extension, which was supposed to be the Fwd Torp. As I recall he didn't like the look and suggested making it part of the lower floodlight assembly.
I looked at the spacing for two shuttles housed in a forward bay and they would just fit. It would be a curved interior with a single door at the bow extension. It would take up the full fwd quarter of the saucer, but that could be the cargo area. I wasn't sure about this idea at first, but I'm really diggin' it now.:thumb: And it would make a lot more sense as it wouldn't block up all that Engineering space. (Bear in mind it still has to house a crew of 77 plus 6 Marines). (See image)
Something to keep in mind if aiming for the FASA specifications is the Phaser locations. They have one bank firing Fwd/Port and one Fwd/Stbd, which in game terms has them set so both banks overlap the forward arc, but only able to fire one bank on either side. This would place the banks at 45deg left and right of centerline (similar to the Phobos).
What's really funny is that I worked all day yesterday on the bridge dome area and found your post and images as I was heading to bed last night. I think I did a pretty good job, but these new images sure do reveal a bit more detail or my sheer misinterpretation of what I was seeing.
I also began on the upper phaser placements but was having a bit of conflict as to where to put them exactly and in what configuration. It's funny, I wasn't as worried about FASA stats so much, considering how far from the original this refit has strayed, but after I did the upper portion I was immediately struck with how awkward it appears. I had chosen the single units for the underside because of the overwhelmingly large and central placement of the torpedo launcher. Being a small scout ship, I didn't think it would be too out of practice to arm that section more lightly. The shape of the upper section however, is something of a reverse of other Starfleet ships of the era: flat on the outer rims while tapering to a sharp incline much closer to the central core. Though curved slightly, the Strider is considerably flatter for a wider portion of the center than others (until Excelsior came along I suppose). It had me thinking this traditional placement I've attempted looks a little goofy and redundant. I was close to dismissing it and then you mentioned FASA firing arcs. I've thought about moving the port and starboard banks to the more inclined rim area and replacing them with the single units I used on the ventral side, just to sneak in some variety. I also began working a bit on a new raised "spine" area completely from scratch. I was trying to follow the shape of the hull and I obviously overdid the effect. Part of that is certainly due to another error of which I am now aware. My saucer section is way too thick, so it'll have to be completely re-lathed. I'm hoping I can utilize the dimensions from the lowest section however, since the torpedo/sensor dome structure at the base fits so snugly in its place, and I have no inkling to remodel that.
Here are a few others renders; many are the same angles as previous renders with slightly different lighting and a few more details sprinkled about. I tried to flesh out the cylindrical forms hanging below on the underside as part of the deflector/sensor assembly (that's what I've always considered them at any rate). After fully crafting their forward facing features, I realized their aft ends were just cut off trunks waiting for some detail. I rounded the end of the larger one into a more capsule like form that curves into the flattened hull. I hollowed out the more narrow nested one to look like some form of aft facing vent. I might play around with it some more later.
I added some formation lights and mapped the glowing portions of the impulse engines with the UV map I normally employ on the few Starfleet ships I've constructed.
The shuttle ideas are pretty fascinating and I will certainly try a version with the forward extension now just for fun's sake. I'm not sure about the Clydesdale, as I've always thought they were fairly bulky craft, given the size of the pilot figures seen in the filming miniature's cockpit and the size of the maintenance personnel seen right next to them in the STIV:TVH movie matte compositions. I had trouble fitting the Clydesdale into the Phobos's shuttlebay, but I may have had the scale completely off. I'll have to consider the shuttle issues a little later and I'm really looking forward to deciding what direction to take with the warp nacelles, but my brain is fried for the weekend.
Again, Thanks again for all your comments and those new renders help out immensely!
yeah.. seen the Phobos selling at wonderfest last year.. was like.. Yep knew where that came from, and since your phobos is freely available, they probably cleaned it up and 3D printed the master for the resin kit straight from your 3D model.. and might have been a limited run, or the caster they hired decided not to do them anymore.. any numerous reasons.. Sucks that they didnt even contact you for permission, or throw you a kit.. as being in the business myself.. that irritates me!
The ship is coming along nicely, and yeah.. sometimes think of designs where theres an airlock where the wedge shuttle is attached more permently, and not the "Nest" you mentioned
Things look great! keep it up!
I know it isnAât like this, but I still "see" this ship having a similar size to the old Reliant. I think itAâs cause the similar shape. In fact, I toyed with this idea in one of my unfinished wips, but I donAât have your skills.
Good work all around Basil! :thumb:
Thanks so much. Well, IAâd say IAâm far from perfect and certainly donAât like to be rushed, and those are the best two excuses I have for never finishing anything!
Thanks! Yeah, sheAâs actually considerably smaller than the Reliant, but definitely has some similar lines. A better sense of scale might fall into place when I've installed a few more features that better suggest a relative human size. This would include the main gangway or any exterior hatches and view ports I might add.
The whole thing tends to remind me of a car companyAâs compact model series that has similar styling to the larger vehicles of its make. Considering the original Ranger class reminded me more of a hockey puck with wings, IAâd say thatAâs an improvement.
Yes. Yes it is...
Mind you, all I can think to say is; OMG Basill, this looks friggin' awesome!
- Mike Oldfield