With the Akria getting closer to being finished I though it was now time to start thinking about building a fighter craft that would go with her.
The only Federation fighters we have seen have been the reuse of the trainer craft from a TNG episode and the Marquis ships. As I don't want a stock ship, I started to look at different ship designs, Trek and non-Trek.
I came across Ryan Dening, Edison Class shuttle/fighter that he did during the early days of Star Trek On-line.
I like the idea behind Ryan's design but it looks a little small. I worked it out at being roughly 4 meters long. As this is a little smaller than I would like I am using his design as a spring board for my own design. My fighter is double the size coming in at just over 8 meters.
It will also be a one man fighter. At the moment it just at the shaping out stage so there will be changes to it and fleshed out a bit.
This is where it stands at the moment.
Here is a size comparison with my Type-11 Shuttle with no textures just the materials.
It was also a test for how the materials will look on the fighter.
Posts
@ TALON, I agree fighter should have some aggressive lines. But even the Defiant Class does not look too aggressive.
I want to keep the flowing shapes that the fed as gone for in TNG and post era.
I did try with a longer nose area but it did not really work. But I am still throwing ideas around so it could all change.
No seriously, I don't agree that the Defiant isn't aggressive, because from a pure aesthetic viewpoint, it is. Look at the thing and then to the Valiant pathfinder vessel: it has nothing in common with standard Starfleet design, save for the fact that it has a deflector array and some blots that are supposed to be the bussard collectors and warp coils. In that light I think the craft really could benefit from being lengthened a little bit as to create a sleeker profile, because right now it's as I said: cute. You don't want your fighter to be cute
smaller means harder to shoot at.
and obviously lighter, meaning more agile.
i'd see this cute little thing by wings of 20, swarming arround capital ships like wasps
its cute. i would want my fighter to be cute.
dont you just HATE the cute and deadly design enemy units in RTS games, swarming and killing your troops ?
the love/hate factor...
I'll look and see what she looks like with some harder lines.
In the mean time I have added four forward facing micro torpedo launchers, and pair of twin Pulse Phaser cannons.
This was the reason for the size increase of the ship. She has a larger warp core than a normal shuttle. This is because the power for the pulse Phaser Cannons are feed of this. Second reason for the size increased is that she can hold a lot more micro torpedoes than the Edison Class. Edison Class most likely holds no more than ten. (We have seen ships fire up to five torpedoes in one volley during battles. This would depilate the Edison Class in one shot. Also a micro Trop is no way as powerful as a standard size Trop.)
I'll post update of what she currently looks like and with the Hard lines soon.
So I have taken that onboard and remodelled part of the meshes to get rid of the "cuteness" and give it some sharper lines. This mainly around the top of the hull as it had a curve. This has been flattened out. I also played around with the cockpit windows. This I copied from the Edison Class, but I not sure about it. So here it with both version of the cockpit.
Before I had done this work I had added twin Micro Torpedo launcher on each side of the shuttle, A Warp core ejection hatch on top of the shuttle a set of twin Pulse Phaser Cannons. I have also added the Ramscoops. These are the areas in green just to show it off as they are not seen when clay rendered.
I did not like the ones on the Edison Class, so went with more of a horned look. This would so it would also give the fighter a more aggressive look.
So here it is with these add on’s with out the sharpened lines.
As I said I not sure about that version of the cockpit. It has been comapried to the cockpit of the Egale from Space: 1999
I think you your suggestion might work.
The Edison Class Buzzard are really simple and I don't like them.
I wanted the shuttle to have Buzzards more in line with post TNG Buzzards. However due to their shapping it would be blocky and not really fit the desgin of the fighter. I rounded them out so that they fit with the shape of fighter. This gave it the horned look.
The Cannons placment is still up for change. They also my get reworked as they look more Klingon than Fed at this point.
Yes the Edison Class does have two mirco Trops on Top. But as I said in the first post this is not the Edsion Class.
I am using that launch pad for a different class of fighter.
Modelled out the Impluse engines, I have to say that I have very happy with the way the grill came out. Took me a few attempts to get it right.
Add a hatch to the back, This will most likely be used for trops to be load and not for the pilot to get in and out. For that I am thinking that the cockpit windows moves up and forward. I have also started work on the deflector dish.
Here where she stand at the moment.
Anyway, just my two cents.