I'm guessing that square caged area is a lift which can extend up out of those hatches?
Yes. Though I can't think of many purposes for it, it's just another useful point of entry. I was going to make it into a cargo lift that moved all the way up and down but then I've realised the pod gets in the way. Ah, well.
Also am I the only one who can hear the TB theme in their heads while reading this thread?
No, you're not alone. In fact, it keeps me going. Although it does occasionally morph into the Busted song too...
The idea is that they can sort of disengage and drive about on their own (to a degree). I also credit the lift mechanism to Librarian-bot, though I've crammed four vehicles in (at least in the Firebug configuration) while he squeezed in three. I might even go and do TB6 based on this too as the deployed runway is well cool: http://librarian-bot.deviantart.com/art/Pods-in-Progress-206638450
That's a LOT of space you have there. So much so that I'm kind of wondering if it is really necesary to have such a big craft. I also must confess that I'm not a big fan of the second row of windows; they seem really out of place.
Well, there are medical and food supplies, a field hospital, fuel for the pod vehicles and for TB1, a fusion reactor... and big is kind of cool. The pod size adds to the flexibility. One configuration is jammed full of supplies for air drop, another may have shelter for hundreds while the one above contains the four Firebugs (that's Firefly and three remotes). I view a reboot International Rescue responding to incidents like the Haiti earthquake or massive forest fires as often as the implausibly bizarre circumstances shown in the original series. This vision of TB2 is as much a mobile field base as it is a transporter and the size reflects that.
Also, for smaller operations I'm writing in Thunderbird 8, which is the smaller prototype TB2 without a pod. Although its exact role I haven't figured out quite yet.
though is it a bit low? I mean, it has to be able to get low enough to drop the pod, but if it lands with the landing gear at that height.... isn't it going to scrap on the ground?
86m doesn't seem to massive. Granted it's bigger than a 747, but think about the Russian carrier plane. And TBs are meant to be a little over the top after all.
Yes, it would have to be raised up for a landing, but this would be the position at rest on the ground. So like the dropship, it would land, lower itself down to drop the pod and then perhaps raise up again to release it.
The An-225 is 84 m so is just a tiny bit shorter than this TB2, the A-380 is actually shorter, at "only" 73 m. A quick run around Google puts the original TB2 at 76 m, but comparing the windows on the model with the interior set makes it appear much smaller, probably about half that size. So it could be that the beasty scale of this version is just because the windows and details are in proportion. It'll be fun building the Round House in proportion because that was hilariously out of scale.
Yes fitting everything below and around the house, is likely to be the biggest challenge to the whole project. Indeed you might have to make the island itself a little wider. But scale never seem to get in the way of a good story where Mr Anderson's show were concerned. It's part of why we love 'em so much.
Thanks for the feedback and support, guys. Appreciated!
Again, little progress as I put off doing anything to the engines but I'm starting on some sort of HUD type thing. Any ideas, or even if someone wants to have a crack at a design themselves, are welcome. It'll probably be a case of doing it in 2D than 3D, of course.
Dr Timelord has a bit of a point there. She already looks like TB2, in that she has all the hall marks of the original. (Big. Green, Forward seeping wings, Rear spoiler etc.) Does she need to have the same sort of big asses thrusters on the back, as the one from the show. Which was probably done because of the need to replace the pyro effects etc.
If she is a new modern looking ship, with all the bells and whistles, why not upgrade those thrusters to being a more fitted and sleek design?
I think it would still pay to have some sort of external nozzles. You could set them up for thrust vectoring, which might be useful on a crate that big.
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Yes. Though I can't think of many purposes for it, it's just another useful point of entry. I was going to make it into a cargo lift that moved all the way up and down but then I've realised the pod gets in the way. Ah, well.
No, you're not alone. In fact, it keeps me going. Although it does occasionally morph into the Busted song too...
So are pods loading in like classic TB2, or sort of slotted in from the back? kind of like a cartridge for a gun?
The idea is that they can sort of disengage and drive about on their own (to a degree). I also credit the lift mechanism to Librarian-bot, though I've crammed four vehicles in (at least in the Firebug configuration) while he squeezed in three. I might even go and do TB6 based on this too as the deployed runway is well cool: http://librarian-bot.deviantart.com/art/Pods-in-Progress-206638450
God, that thing is huge!
Also, for smaller operations I'm writing in Thunderbird 8, which is the smaller prototype TB2 without a pod. Although its exact role I haven't figured out quite yet.
I have just sized it up and it looks like it's just over 86 m long when a 747-400 is 76.25 m. Maybe it is too big.
though is it a bit low? I mean, it has to be able to get low enough to drop the pod, but if it lands with the landing gear at that height.... isn't it going to scrap on the ground?
So if you have wheels on your TB2, you must think it should be capable of a runway landing/takeoff?
I do like the Catapult launch you have for TB2 it made the need for wheels a bit redundant, maybe have TB2 have extending leg platforms?
What I am thinking when i write this, is a landing like the dropship from Aliens
The An-225 is 84 m so is just a tiny bit shorter than this TB2, the A-380 is actually shorter, at "only" 73 m. A quick run around Google puts the original TB2 at 76 m, but comparing the windows on the model with the interior set makes it appear much smaller, probably about half that size. So it could be that the beasty scale of this version is just because the windows and details are in proportion. It'll be fun building the Round House in proportion because that was hilariously out of scale.
Looks excelent !
Again, little progress as I put off doing anything to the engines but I'm starting on some sort of HUD type thing. Any ideas, or even if someone wants to have a crack at a design themselves, are welcome. It'll probably be a case of doing it in 2D than 3D, of course.
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like they are built into the back on the ship.. uh.. plane ?
its just that the design looks great as is it, and I think you're feel like two red engines sticking out might spoil the look?
If she is a new modern looking ship, with all the bells and whistles, why not upgrade those thrusters to being a more fitted and sleek design?
Oh hell yes.
Thats great, you have managed to maintain the look of your new TB2 and keep the look of the engine blocks
Anyway, he's one of all the interior bits assembled so you can see the pod and other cargo sections.