[CountBuggula]

No apology required, I didn't think you came off rough.  Just civil discussion.  Also, thanks for the additional background.  What you've said makes more sense in that light.  That said, hopefully we can come up with something that both fits our image of what the mod should be, AND something that would look awesome as a toy.  Why not both!

Funny you say that about it being a two seater - while most canon sources that I'm aware of have it as a single seater, that's one of the things we already agreed on for this mod - we like the idea of it being a side-by-side two seater.

[swashmebuckle]

The only part of starslayer's concept art that I didn't really like was how the slenderness of the central fuselage made it seem like a sleek rocket type of thing. I like how it's been widened out a bit in your (rhettro's) take on it, and I think you could maybe even widen it out a little more to make it more explicitly a two seater.

That width really makes it seem like the kind of thing that drives straight at the enemy and punches them in the face rather than something that wins by outmaneuvering other little guys. I think if you further developed that version using ideas from your more "flying tank"-like original sketches you could end up with something really great.

[Hawkeye88]

I don't recall... Has a final size/length been decided upon? That might have some bearing on whether it's more fitting as tandem or side-by-side.

[Hawkeye88]

Just thinking... I understand wanting it to be a little more squat/wide so it looks like a flying tank rather than a dart. But the narrow look helps keep it from looking like a scaled-down Lambda with two extra wings. A common design lineage should show some common features, but not copy wholesale. At least, that's my opinion. (This is actually a major pet peeve with me in the ST universe with that gawdawful BoP)

Yeah, I see why everyone hates this frakking ship.

[Hawkeye88]

Psst! This thread has been bumped. Pass it on.

[rhettro]

It's not dead.

[Dragon]

Looks good, I'd say. Who knows maybe it'll get finished in time... Also, are you gonna make the Missile Boat later on?

[swashmebuckle]

I think it looks really good. What sort of wing folding mechanisms are you envisioning to get it to be able to land? Do the missile pods themselves fold up or just the wings?

[FekLeyrTarg]

Well done. In my eyes, you really found the right balance between redesigning the Gunboat and keeping the original design.

[rhettro]

Who knows maybe it'll get finished in time... Also, are you gonna make the Missile Boat later on?

Finished in time? That’s crazy talk. Hopefully soon though. I’m starting the Missile Boat right after this one, I even have a preliminary base modeled.

I think it looks really good. What sort of wing folding mechanisms are you envisioning to get it to be able to land? Do the missile pods themselves fold up or just the wings?

Thanks for the complement. I actually considered folding at the missile pods, but I think that may be too radical of a departure in design, so at this point it’ll just be the wings that fold.

Well done. In my eyes, you really found the right balance between redesigning the Gunboat and keeping the original design.

Thank you. I think this is the right direction and I look forward to polishing it up.

[swashmebuckle]

Will the wings go straight up in their folded position or do they end up sticking out to the sides?

[rhettro]

Will the wings go straight up in their folded position or do they end up sticking out to the sides?

I was thinking of having them fold up to match the outside angle of the missile pods, like 70 degrees instead of 90.

[CountBuggula]

Wow, I'm really impressed!  I'd about given up on this ship ever seeing the light of day, but it's looking almost ready for textures!  I agree that it looks like it managed to keep just about the right amount if recognition while making a fresh take on the model, taking into consideration all the feedback and guidance (and debate) that's been thrown into it.  Job very well done, and I look forward to seeing it to its completion.

As for the folding up wings, I think a good 70 degrees would work quite well and prevent the middle wings from having to fold as well - they could remain fixed with the vertical stabilizer, adding rigidity and cutting down on complexity.  Keep it up.

[Boomer20]

That looks really awesome!!!! I had thought that this was dead and buried for a while but its good to see you've made progress. Keep it up!!!

[rhettro]

A few minor tweaks, still lots to do.

[CountBuggula]

A few minor tweaks, still lots to do.

Overall, I like it.  That said, there's some things I don't like all that much:

1) The gap between the gun pod and the wing.  Makes it look fragile and toy-like.

2) The connection between the fusalage and the gun pod.  Maybe it's just the angle, but it looks like there's just a single 2D wing connecting them.  I'd like to see that connection much more solid-looking.

[rhettro]

There is going to be a gap at the wing, but there will be an edge treatment that makes it look better. As far as the pod to.fuselage goes, there is only a 2D plane in place right now. Just a visual cue until I can flesh it out some more.

[Hobbie]

That looks super-good. It certainly bridges the gap between the Gunboat and the Missile Boat without losing the notable silhouette the original ship had.

[swashmebuckle]

I like the look of it, though I too think that the wing attachment area could stand to be jazzed up.  A larger indent in the upper side of the missile/engine pod where the wing attaches could make the shape of the pod more interesting overall and make the wing look more like it has a place to go during landing. Very cool stuff rhettro

[rhettro]

Slight update. Now in 3d.

Assault Gunboat - Prelim (View in 3D)