[Unknown Target]

I'm gearing for this to be the standard US Fighter. What do you think so FAR? It's missing a lot, but I want to make sure the fuselage is on the right track.

[aldo_14]

Bit too early for me to tell, to be honest....  Nose looks a bit...fat, though.

[Unknown Target]

Update.

[Thrilla]

Big nose

[NGTM-1R]

Excellent field of view from the cockpit, good for a dogfighter or for deck landing...

I'm going to assume the wings don't abruptly cut off like that in the final version. I'd suggest, well, straightening the fuselage a bit. Not too much though, because the bent shape gives it a unique character.

[Grug]

Maybe an extruded hemisphere on the side of the fuselage for the gun?

Looking good.

[Unknown Target]

You were right, ngtm1r, I was going to blend the body with the wings. Here's an update
A note: That side intake is only on the right side.

[Gregster2k]

Is this a spacecraft, jet fighter, or spacecraft/jet fighter hybrid? If its atmospheric, I think it should have little tiny landing gear bays visible somewhere, or at least rectangular bumps on the bottom where they would be.

After all, if your spacecraft's hovering abilities conk out a mile above a planet surface when trying to land, you'll be NEEDING landing gear...

As for the fuselage itself, i love the idea...maybe two small fins on the back next to the engines, two 45-degree slanted fins on either side of them? We already have jets that look like that...

[Unknown Target]

I was already considering fins in the concept sketch, but they're hard to implement, I'll look at them though. And I have an experimental copy of the model with gear, I'm going to try and implement it at a later stage (I'm doing the cockpit now).

[Unknown Target]

Cockpit update

[Ghost]

Ooh, pretty. For the cockpit: I suggest you use Nico's cockpit model, but obviously not the map. What era fighter would this be, near future or present day?

[Unknown Target]

Semi near future (about 100 years). It's in a different universe, though, so I can't use Nico's cockpit.

[Ghost]

Ah, so I see... still, I think using the cockpit model itself would be okay, and then apply your own map later.

[Unknown Target]

Thought some people might appreciate this The front wheel and shock absorbers are gonna come out though, unless FS2 gets some magical easy to use animation ability all of a sudden.




And with the gear up:



And I'm not done yet!




---------------------------
Model Statistics (with gear up)
---------------------------
Vertices:   1207
Triangles:   2252
Groups:   16
Materials:   1
Joints:   0
Smoothing Groups:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Mins:   -53.74 -19.39 -64.01
Maxs:   53.74 23.17 66.39
Center:   0.00 1.89 1.19

[BlackDove]

In the Robotech mod, if you press a button, your fighter transforms into a mech.

Maybe just use that to bonk the wheels back after take-off.

[Unknown Target]

Just so you know, I posted an update with the gear up (after you just posted).

And anyway, the problem with the robotech mod is that uses basically a hack. The mech portions are all debris, and you can't reverse it, you have it stuck like that.

[StratComm]

No, but there's code now to support rotations properly.  I do have issues with using the landing gear though if this is ever supposed to go into Freespace, as it unnecessarily raises polys and subobjects to an already complex design.  You'll never see them down, and while it looks ok for render purposes the gear is completely useless from a gameplay perspective.

[Flaser]

If that cockpit is to scale than it's a really small fighter by FS standards.

[Unknown Target]

The gear looks cool, that's simply why it's there. That and I'm preparing just in case such a thing might be implemented as a feature in the future. Since this fighter is going to be the "poster child" for most of the publicity (it being the standard fighter) I want it to be as detailed as possible. Also, when the gear is up, the only gear modelled is the rear. The forward landing gear isn't there.  And for the millionth time: it's not in the Freespace universe.

[Unknown Target]

The cockpit still isn't done, but that's always last. Texture work so far.