[ShadowWolf_IH]

ok scaled the guns, moved one set to the nose, figured out a decent looking mount system, and slimmed the shoulders a little, x and z axes.

Guns:


3/4:

[ShadowWolf_IH]

Slimmed the mid-forward fuselage, did some greebling, AO baked.

Front


3/4


Rear

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Now that's getting somewhere

Modern models are often so heavily greebled that there are no longer individual greeble 'elements', but they flow over into one another all over the surface. The new Medusa and WIP Apollo are good examples of this. On the Vasudan side, the Thoth is probably the best illustration; see pic below. So in short, I'd suggest that you keep greebling

[ShadowWolf_IH]

ok lots of greebling, not too sure about the rearward most vent system.  still have the wings and underside to do.

[Trivial Psychic]

Details good, but they're too square which makes it look more Terran.

[ShadowWolf_IH]

Yeah It is decidedly Terran looking.  I know how to combat it on my next model, and maybe on this one.  It'll get better.

[Colonol Dekker]

I can has 1980's Cylon?

[The Dagger]

Hmm... This model's looking good  .

I can't offer much advise, but I'll describe what I do for my models. I post the images as URLs because I don't want to spam your thread with tons of big images that have little to do with your model.

- To create curvy shapes from a relatively low poly model I create a new object, to keep the original shape in sight as I model the profile curves.
Image1
- I usually spent a lot of time manually moving points so that the edgeloops curve smoothly viewed from various angles.

- I use the inset tool heavily, it can give good results with some creative selections:
Image2
Note that it doesn't work too well on edges at the mirror axis, so you'll have to correct them.

- To avoid square panels (which look Terran), I usually draw irregular panels over my base with the grease pencil and then cut it with the knife tool (added in blender 2.56 methinks). That tool is tricky 'cause it will create non-quad faces. After making the necessary adjustments and simplifying the borders a little, I use the inset tool to bump the panels. In the image you can see there's a lot of faces with more than 4 vertices after I use the knife tool.
Image3

You can find lots of examples of both techniques in the model I'm working on
Image4
The engines and most of the paneling in the back are simple insetted regions.
The panelling around the cockpit was build with the base shape + knife + inset method.

Final tips:
- I normally do some sort of concept drawings before I start modeling. Gives me a reference and seriously helps with getting the general shapes right from the start. I also like to make a rough model and then refine the concept based on that (you just have to take a screenshot and draw over it, no need to make a Rembrandt out of it).
- If you are modeling your panels, let some space between them and don't be afraid of giving them some depth. I normally use a depth around 0.12 but it depends on the model size. If you are aiming for not-so-deep panels, it may be better to leave the surface smooth and use normal maps (although that's something I can't do very well).
- Most of times, the inset tool works well, but if you're dealing with a specially non-planar area, it may give awful results. In those cases I prefer to extrude each face individually and then manually join the resulting bits.
- Giving your models a quick lightmap UV and baking the Ambient Occlusion to it will help you see details better. I regularly make ligthmap UVs and an AO bake while modeling.

Hope that helps you and keep up the good work!

On the Vasudan side, the Thoth is probably the best illustration; see pic below. So in short, I'd suggest that you keep greebling

Y U no like nuSekhmet?

[ShadowWolf_IH]

I have been extruding each area.   I either extrude then scale, if I want sloping faces, Or like on the wings where I want the greebling to flow into the wing edges, or duplicate, scale extrude, delete original face, add new faces to connect the duplicate/scaled section to the rest of the model.   

- To create curvy shapes from a relatively low poly model I create a new object, to keep the original shape in sight as I model the profile curves.
http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r503/Dagguerreotype/start1_zps2cc4720c.jpg
- I usually spent a lot of time manually moving points so that the edgeloops curve smoothly viewed from various angles.

- I use the inset tool heavily, it can give good results with some creative selections:
http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r503/Dagguerreotype/start2_zps0ac4de17.jpg
Note that it doesn't work too well on edges at the mirror axis, so you'll have to correct them.

- To avoid square panels (which look Terran), I usually draw irregular panels over my base with the grease pencil and then cut it with the knife tool (added in blender 2.56 methinks). That tool is tricky 'cause it will create non-quad faces. After making the necessary adjustments and simplifying the borders a little, I use the inset tool to bump the panels. In the image you can see there's a lot of faces with more than 4 vertices after I use the knife tool.
http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r503/Dagguerreotype/start3_zps0b267d08.jpg

I haven't used any of those tools, but it is probably (read as "I'm sure it is" ) easier than what I was planning, wihch would be massive amounts of subdividing and manual placement of vertexes.

You can find lots of examples of both techniques in the model I'm working on http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r503/Dagguerreotype/start4_zpsb36355f4.jpg
The engines and most of the paneling in the back are simple insetted regions.
The panelling around the cockpit was build with the base shape + knife + inset method.

That is so far beyond what I am capable of it isn't even remotely amusing, looks awesome though.

Final tips:
- I normally do some sort of concept drawings before I start modeling. Gives me a reference and seriously helps with getting the general shapes right from the start. I also like to make a rough model and then refine the concept based on that (you just have to take a screenshot and draw over it, no need to make a Rembrandt out of it).

I can't draw, really I can't, I drew a stick figure once and my daughter asked what it was supposed to be.  But looking at it, and knowing it reminded me of something made me start looking, see below for what I think I was seeing in my mind's eye as the basic shape when I started.

- If you are modeling your panels, let some space between them and don't be afraid of giving them some depth. I normally use a depth around 0.12 but it depends on the model size. If you are aiming for not-so-deep panels, it may be better to leave the surface smooth and use normal maps (although that's something I can't do very well).
- Most of times, the inset tool works well, but if you're dealing with a specially non-planar area, it may give awful results. In those cases I prefer to extrude each face individually and then manually join the resulting bits.

I don't have a clue on how to do normal maps, not yet anyway, but like i said, extruding each face indivdually and then manually joining is what I have been doing.

- Giving your models a quick lightmap UV and baking the Ambient Occlusion to it will help you see details better. I regularly make ligthmap UVs and an AO bake while modeling.

Oh yeah, I've been baking just cause I think it's pretty. 

Hope that helps you and keep up the good work!

Thanks.  HLP must be getting warm and fuzzy cause people have been gentle about critique, I have garnered a great deal of good help both in the thread and the irc chats. 

Inspirations: I think I was subconsciously trying to make a fuselage based on the Switchblade, but the air intakes obviously become missile bays.



and the wings from the Pak Fa.

[The Dagger]

I haven't used any of those tools, but it is probably (read as "I'm sure it is" ) easier than what I was planning, wihch would be massive amounts of subdividing and manual placement of vertexes.

Well, the inset and knife tools are rather poorly presented. I used your same method until I saw this on the release notes of the new version.
For the knife tool, there's this video: http://cgcookie.com/blender/2012/08/17/blender-knife-modeling-tool/
The inset tool is simple: firstly, select the faces and press "I" or open the Specials menu with "W" and then selecting "Inset faces". Moving the mouse dynamically changes the thickness of the inset. Pressing "Ctrl" while moving the mouse will change the depth. Enter to accept. Voilà!

[ShadowWolf_IH]

ok lod0 is done.  I'm actually quite happy with it.  Not my original vision, but better than what I was thinking.  Thank you to all.

[mjn.mixael]

Looks good. The only thing I would recommend is to try and smooth out the cockpit glass dome area. I think a more sleek, aerodynamic look might suit it nicely.

[The Dagger]

I have a tiny comment. I think that black rectangle in the side is a face with normals inversed or, if you used the knife tool, a non-quad face.
And I agree with mjn that a smoother cockpit would be nice.
Otherwise, great first model. 

[ShadowWolf_IH]

slimmed the cockpit, smoothed it some too.  Also the black triangles were a quirk, the back of one face trying to show through the front of another.   Either way, handled.  I wanted to keep the basic shape of the cockpit, as I like the "forward" lean to it, adds a little aggression to things.  But I did slim it on the x axis, and did some work on the y and z axes as well.

[bobbtmann]

Good job! That came together really well, especially for being a first model. I like its bulkiness.

I look forward to seeing your future work.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Now there's a pretty darn decent first model

[The Dagger]

That's a much better cockpit .
And just curious: Will you be texturing too?

[ShadowWolf_IH]

I will.  But not immediately.  I am planning to get a few more models under my belt so that modelling related lessons stick with me when I do branch out to learn texturing.  Then I will be modelling and texturing, and then I will branch into learning the things I don't know in conversion.  I just don't think it's a good idea to try learning too many different things at once.  I'm still learning to model, the rest will come in time.

So yeah, fair warning, this thread will probably be necroed.

[BengalTiger]

So yeah, fair warning, this thread will probably be necroed.

Not only this one.

It's happened before, will happen again.

In that case, what are the next few models going to be?

[ShadowWolf_IH]

Redo of my stealth bomber,  http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=82857.0

then a redo of my Normandy Assault Transport system  http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=83235.0

POF and learn to texture (Pharaoh).

Cockpits for Pharaoh and Nefertiti.  Cruiser, Carrier, Installation.  Ground based things, a satellite for my "String of Pearls,"  Asteroids (special), and a few other things that currently need to go unmentioned.

This is probably just going to get moved to CoW dev pics.