MacrossMartin | 13 Oct 2016 4:30 a.m. PST |
Well, I said this would take a while. I lied.
Isn't she cute??? ;) Mind you, that caboose is as big as a moose… O_o Opinions of her so far? I think I've got the command pod slightly too large. I kind of like her stubby nacelles though. |
wminsing | 13 Oct 2016 4:49 a.m. PST |
I actually think the command pod looks 'right' for the size of the connecting boom; if you reduce the pod I'd consider reducing the boom size. The nacelles are perfect (good job fitting them in according to the rules but keeping them in the right place in the design), the ship looks like it struggles to get anywhere which is highly appropriate. :) -Will |
Garand | 13 Oct 2016 6:07 a.m. PST |
Are these going up on Shapeways at all? Damon. |
MacrossMartin | 13 Oct 2016 6:47 a.m. PST |
Thanks Wil! I should have clarified – I meant reduce the pod AND boom. My bad. :) Damon – I MIGHT offer my own designs in 1/3125 scale via Shapeways. But, as I have said elsewhere, I'm really doing these for my own enjoyment. As for the possibility of them being available in other scales, keep your eyes peeled, it may happen… I can't say more than that at the moment, my apologies. - Martin |
Tachikoma | 13 Oct 2016 7:11 a.m. PST |
What program are you using for the 3D work? |
Lucius | 13 Oct 2016 8:05 a.m. PST |
I've loved the previous designs – they really captured the gracefulness of the original D-7. This one seems to be a little lacking in the gracefulness department. The Klingons may not be subtle, but they do have style. Maybe flattening out the hull and sweeping it back a bit, and making the boom a bit thinner? A very unobtrusive secondary boom on each side of the hull? |
Parzival | 13 Oct 2016 9:46 a.m. PST |
Sorry, I think this design is just too clunky to be a Klingon vessel, much less a battleship. Freighter, maybe. Even in TOS, the Klingon vessels looked sleek and deadly. TNG messed up the larger Klingon vessels, but the smaller Bird of Prey ships (originally from ST:III & IV) remain gorgeous and sinister. My advice would be, yes, to slim the neck boom and command pod (especially the boom, as right now the whole thing is way too phallic, IMHO), but also to lift the nacelle wings to the side, or to an angle. Thick isn't bad (implies armor), but the drastic 90° drop on these winds up making the ship look boxy and sluggish, which doesn't fit the Klingon style or persona. Yes, they like a straight-up brawl, but they also value martial skill and know the value of speed and agility in a fight. IMHO, their ships should reflect the same. Remember, the Klingons developed the bat'leh graceful yet direct, and deadly from end to end. |
Tachikoma | 13 Oct 2016 10:13 a.m. PST |
The L-13 Battleship was designed by FASA when they had the Star Trek license. MacrossMartin has done a good job of capturing the feel of the original illustrations. |
wminsing | 13 Oct 2016 11:30 a.m. PST |
Thanks Wil! I should have clarified I meant reduce the pod AND boom. My bad. :) That's ok, just a nomenclature gap! I think she'd still look fine. Sorry, I think this design is just too clunky to be a Klingon vessel, much less a battleship. Freighter, maybe. It's inspired by an old FASA-trek stalwart, which historically was a marginal ship. The ship is SUPPOSED to look boxy and sluggish- because it is! -Will |
Ghostrunner | 13 Oct 2016 2:04 p.m. PST |
I think you captured the look, and made it clear where the engines are. If I were to offer one suggestion, it would be to try canting the nacelles inward just a bit (maybe 15 degrees from vertical). Not sure that would work with the lines of the sides of the aft hull, though. Something to look at if you are open to tweaking the design. I like the mods to the command pod – particularly the 3-towers. Makes it look bigger than the D-7, assuming the towers are more or less the same size. |
Eclipsing Binaries | 13 Oct 2016 2:42 p.m. PST |
Looks great. I agree about the thickness and weight of the front end needing a bit of work, but you've sorted the issues I saw with the back end. The nacelles now look right (though I agree with Ghostrunner about angling them) and although it's a box it looks more Klingon and predatory… though a slow, ambling, unable to change direction once its started, kind of predator. |
Ghostrunner | 13 Oct 2016 3:27 p.m. PST |
I gotta say… at 1/3125 this is going to be a bookend of a model. |
MacrossMartin | 13 Oct 2016 4:32 p.m. PST |
96mm long, Ghost. Not too much longitudinally, but the sheer volume…! Tachikoma – I'm working in a program called Art of Illusion. It's not the most complex, but it is free to download, and the interface was designed to feel familiar to users of 2D illustration software (like me!) Yep, she's a boxy lump of a thing, but then again, she's supposed to. For those unfamiliar with the L-13, may I recommend Brad Torgesen's excellent fansite for the Star Trek Starship Combat Tactical Simulator: ststcsolda.space Where, under the listing for the L-13, he neatly summarises the, um, 'appeal' of the Fatman. I'll post more pics this weekend. Still quite a few revisions and details to go. - Martin |
Eclipsing Binaries | 14 Oct 2016 4:27 a.m. PST |
If and I understand it is an if you make these available, and if you manage to scale them for the FASA/Starline 2400 enthusiasts, how long do you think this miniature would be? PS, Just had a look at that Art of Illusion website. I'm a graphic designer (mostly for print and advertising – not web or anything hi-tech) and was really surprised at the way they present the software. It doesn't look cutting edge. But as we can see from your designs it certainly is capable. |
MacrossMartin | 14 Oct 2016 4:52 a.m. PST |
EB – Art of Illusion has been under development for years, almost entirely supported by a band of loyal enthusiasts, without any commercialisation, in-product adverts, etc. Remarkable, really. It's not slick, and it certainly can't match something like Z-Brush for organics, but I'm finding it great for mechanical objects. If you can use Adobe programs without regularly banging your head in frustration, you can use AoI. Lots of how-to videos on YouTube, btw. I've still got a way to go before I'm entirely happy with my efforts, but the program is pretty patient with an amateur like me. :) Hmm, I think the L-13 would work out around the 78-80mm mark if scaled to match the Starline 2400 stuff. She's not that big, just – well – rotund. ;)
- Martin |
Tachikoma | 14 Oct 2016 5:17 a.m. PST |
Martin – thanks. I use TurboCAD for mechanical stuff but keep my eyes open for a program that handles organics/complex curves better than those engineering programs. |
Eclipsing Binaries | 14 Oct 2016 6:07 a.m. PST |
Thanks for the advise Martin, I may give it a go, as I use Adobe InDesign / Illustrator / Photoshop daily and its second nature. |
LoudNinjaGames | 14 Oct 2016 6:40 a.m. PST |
An excellent updating of the design. I would not change the boom or the command pod. They are nicely scaled for the rest of it. This is one ship that I feel might look better without the "deck house" though. Perhaps a hint at that with a couple of the protrusions out of the top of the hull, but integrating most of it into the hull. -Eli |