Ships of the Line 2014 - REVIEWS

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Pixel, May 15, 2013.

  1. Pixel

    Pixel Commander Red Shirt

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  2. Ó Méith

    Ó Méith Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    The last I herd was that the calendar has been saved for at least 2014.
     
  3. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    Unfortunately there exists a very real possibility that 2014 could be the last, considering the close call we had.

    But never mind that for now. As always, those are some awesome images. February appears to be NX-class refits in action, June is a new design from the TOS movie era, July a new 24th century design and October a new ship related to the ringship. Pretty awesome shit.
     
  4. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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  5. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    What version of the Klingon battlecruiser is on the cover? I don't think I've ever seen that variation.
     
  6. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    It looks like a version of the D-4 that was designed for ENT: "Unexpected". A quibble over the lack of windows led to them reusing their D-7/K't'inga model instead.
     
  7. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    ^Yeah, 8 of 5 said it was an unused design from Enterprise.
     
  8. Dukhat

    Dukhat Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    Well I'm seriously underwhelmed. Aside from that ringship (which is admittedly kind of cool), we've got two shots of the Enterprise-E, two shots of the NX-01 (one with the secondary hull that we already saw in last year's calendar), The Enterprise-J underside that I saw years ago on Drexler's blog, a Belknap class ship from FASA, Deep Space Nine and a runabout, and the Enterprises docked at the starbase with a space shuttle surrounded by weird yellow lines and a (laser?) shooting at the starbase. Not to mention that the calendar publishers showing yet another scene of the Reliant and an Excelsior. I'm surprised there were no BoPs this time.

    The two TNG-era ships seem okay, but not very unique.
     
  9. DS9forever

    DS9forever Commodore Commodore

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    The runabout looks amazing!
     
  10. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    The TWOK image looks cool. The rest is rather meh. It's always the same stuff. That ship museum image I already seem to know. I've seen a lot better versions of the exact same "Enterprise in drydock" scene already. And I don't like it when they use those fan made non canon designs when they could be showing us some nice Voyager, DS9, Defiant, Delta Flyer, etc... images. And the Enterprise-E twice, both beauty shots?
     
  11. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    They're not really "fan made." They're designed by the professional artists who work on these calendars. And who cares? They're cool looking, and that's all that's really important.
     
  12. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    ^Right, and many or most of those professional artists have worked on Trek shows and films in some capacity.
     
  13. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    Meh.

    It's like having TOS photograph calendars with new actors or uncanon characters.
     
  14. Avro Arrow

    Avro Arrow Vice Admiral Moderator

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    Yeah, I have to heartily disagree with this. Seeing new, never-before seen designs is the best part of SotL to me.

    When you say "uncanon characters", do you mean like artwork featuring characters from the TOS novels? If so, that might actually get me buying the TOS calendars again. Right now, what's the point, when all you get is screencaps from the episodes?
     
  15. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    If they did a calendar with images of novelverse characters, I would buy that thing in an instant. Especially if they had Vanguard, Titan and Voy-R 2.0 characters.
     
  16. CaptainDonovin

    CaptainDonovin Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    I'll be getting this one, like the Belknap. Loved the detail it got in The Ships Of The Star Fleet from what seems like eons ago. I miss those cool reference books.
     
  17. publiusr

    publiusr Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    Aridas Sphia still does art at Fed Ref, and shows that of others
     
  18. Markonian

    Markonian Fleet Admiral Moderator

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    The calendar has arrived!

    I was underwhelmed by the preview but the images look better in real size.

    While the craft is as superb as ever, but I do have some criticisms.

    Generally, I dislike blurred ships (like the shuttle in January). Sure, they insinuate motion but why mangle a probably fine model just for the effect? On the other hand, it is very well executed in Richter's September entry.

    Imho, we've seen the Enterprise in drydock for the umpteenth time. (January) We've also seen the Reliant often but the picture (April) looks so spectacular I mentally added it immediately to my all-time favourites.

    February: The Columbia-class is a graceful design and its NX-class sister ship (Endeavour, Intrepid NX-07?) makes for a welcome comparison. I also welcome to see the - Imho - most beautiful BoP ever again, though these ships could've done without the blurring. (And a bird painted underneath would've been extra awesome).

    March: The OV-101 is the highlight in this picture. The yellow support net add a welcome contrast to the otherwise black and gray hulls dominated gathering. IIrc, I saw a similar gathering around an orbiting starbase ten years ago in a ST magazine, made by Tobias Richter.

    May: The Sovereign-class is one of these few ships that look attractive from most possible perspectives. May presents a rare perspective of the ship and somehow, even though it is clearly a painting, it feels like a real piece of technology, like something from an illustrated guide of state-of-the-art tech I used to have as a child.

    June is another major highlight. The ship itself is a typical 23rd century kitbash of the Constitution class, although the design is influenced by the alternate reality. It still is a kitbash but the details (e.g. the hull plating on the saucer), the curvy secondy hull and the AR-type deflector make it pleasing to the eye.
    But more on the picture: Every details is crystal clear, like an HD image. Everything adds to the composition to make it complete: the planet, its satellite, the ship, the nebula background, even the star-like lense flare! And the astronaut painter is the icing on the cake. Another one of the best images.

    I like the combination of the J with a more interesting background, especially because it is "clouds in space". I suppose 26th century Starfleet hides weapons, lifeboats, etc. under hull plates again as in the 22nd and 23rd centuries. The enigmatic Universe-class is still as awe-inspiring as it was years ago.

    July: Tje NCC-76890 looks like it's set in-between the Ambassador- and Galaxy-classes but more advanced than both. While it is certainly good-looking, I wouldn't think Starfleet releases an exact intermediary between two flagship classes. Maybe we could learn more about that ship if it receives a cameo in a novel.

    August: The idea of fighting a lava space kraken stands out in the calendar(s). The dark gray hull reminds me of one of the skin options in STO.

    October: A new Enterprise enters the Star Trek unverse! The design is reminiscent of the XCV but looks sleek and contemporary state-of-the-art.

    November: As usual, the craft and details are flawless - but this is the one perspective the NX looks unattractive, Imho, because it looks like something has been cut away from underneath. On the other hand, it makes it that much more apparent that the class needed a secondary hull.

    December: The cratered moon and the magnetic field are simple yet pure eye-candy. This perspective of the Big E underlines its heavy-set part, not to the design's detriment.

    Last but not least - the title page by Graves. The D4 is a beauty and the more we see of it, the better. Let's hope it makes its way into ENT-R Unexpected someday.

    Despite all criticisms, which only stem from my personal aesthethics, I'm amazed by the artwork again and so glad we got another calendar. :bolian: I only wish the holes were at the top of the pages and not the sides.

    Conclusion: The 2014 calendar was worthy to wait for.
     
  19. publiusr

    publiusr Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    Books a Million in Alabama won't carry it.
     
  20. Relayer1

    Relayer1 Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Ships of the Line 2014

    Off on a slight tangent, it would be good to gather images from the novelverse together somewhere. I know there's stuff around, but an getting pictures of both ships and characters from the books together in one place would be a great resource.

    I'd be particularly interested in Vanguard, The Voyager Fleet and ships from the Enterprise novels, particularly Christopher's RotF.