Deck 1 - Comms |
Deck arrangement |
I've pretty much completed the modelling. That isn't to say that I won't redo a few elements. An airlock door, here. A few more banks of lamps and lights. Maybe even a ship name embossed on the hull, when I think of the name.
Guns, guns, guns. Tiny ones, just for point defence. |
Dropship bay at the bottom. Docking bay at the mid-point. |
That hulking mid-section makes me think of a snail lugging its shell. |
I was planning to complete the modelling by the end of today. Not quite, but not too much left to do. I'm reasonably happy with the progress. The command section (front bit) looks much more like the Sulaco than originally planned. It's referential but not slavishly copied.
Engine Port details and Lower Hospital block section still to do. |
There might be a few elements that I redo. The forward/rear airlock door for certain. |
Some projects run smoothly. Some don't. Some projects should be abandoned quickly, but are not.
I don't know where this project sits on the spectrum. I'm keen to do it. It's a tiny bit different -- a ship that exists (unofficially for copyright reasons) in the Alien universe. A medical frigate that looks like it belongs as a variant of the USMC Sulaco.
It's not coming to me because I've made quick starts without a lot of detailed planning. I've pushed into level-2 and level-3 details before getting the big pieces right. Age-old modelling problems for me.
Earlier design |
Updated design |
Making stuff out of simple forms but going into the details before the blocks are complex enough. |
First effort. I realised the shield plates are not circular on the outer surface. See above from an approach that is closer to the Sulaco. |
I got a bit burnt out drawing some greeble displacement maps. Yesterday was one of those rare days when I had to force myself to stop and take breaks. It's great not to suffer a rapid loss of enthusiasm because I begin to recognise growing flaws in a build.
Not that there aren't flaws here.
Greeble displacement map for the forward section |
Material Testing |
Lighting and render test -- Type A Free Trader shown to scale |
Some more progress on the Dreadnaught
Lighting Test |
Meson Gun "Pacman Mouth" details. |
Hangers and engines |
This is a bit mad. I should have been fixing and completing the Free Trader but instead I take on the biggest warship in the Traveller game. This half-a-million-ton monster warship suddenly looks piddly, contrasting with the Star Wars-style miles-long mega-ships. I calculated that the main sphere of the Tigress is about 200m in diameter. Roughly the length of the Starship Enterprise or the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier.
Mid details - from ahead |
Mid details - from aft |
This is a off-the-cuff Traveller ship project. I know! I know! The previous two Traveller ship projects remain incomplete. Bill me for my flightiness.
The Tigress-class Dreadnaught is the half-a-million-ton monster warship of the Traveller game. I've never fielded one in my games because they're the sharp end of the Imperium's defensive line, while most Traveller players find themselves in the galactic hinterlands during play.
Yesterday's explorative build. Not quite lining up |
Random flow to the rescue! |
Sometimes, I'll be sketching, and I produce something that makes me instantly want to start building. Sometimes it's a really simple idea.
I don't think I've gone overboard on the details just yet. There's some tidy-up and improvement required here and there.
Real windows. Next, I need to provide the cabin details. |
Ramp machinery needs a bit of work. More ladder mechanisms and a big box on the end wall. |
Some more work on the nose stuff. Lamps and sensors. |
Christmas 2024 is officially upon us. Family members are starting to gather, and presents haven't wrapped themselves. I've figured ...