About a month ago, Arcas asked me to convert a 3DS Max model of the Archer-class scout (designed by Masao Okazaki, modeled by Mark Azevedo), from the Vanguard novels, to a format he could use in DAZ|Studio, a program similar to Poser, which is what I generally use for my 3D images. I hadn't (and still haven't) read the novels, but I figured I'd give it a go, and in the process, the little ship kinda grew on me . The model is available on ShareCG.com; it has an OBJ file if you want to import it into any 3D program and have fun with it - I know I am . Since so many Trek ship fans like ortho views, I thought I'd do one, too, before someone asked This was actually my first image done to show the scale of the ship - it was also the first one to show the landing gear, also designed by Masao, although I haven't even attempted to model a working version of it (!) First attempt at modeling the ends of the nacelles, based on Masao's description. Close, but no ceegar ... (still, I liked 'em!) The final version of the nacelle ends ... and a really cool shot of the Iceland volcano erupting a couple years ago! Opened up the cargo ramp, and discovered a pretty impractical cargo bay behind it . Another shot for size comparison, against my reimagined Bonaventure (based on the Leif Ericson, another Matt Jefferies design ... ) I did a TRON version of the Crossbow, and just couldn't resist doing it with the Archer-class, as well ... The 'Old West' feel of a Martian outpost prompted me to use the TRON version as a 'stealth' adaptation, and I parked it along with the standard version - the storyline that developed was that the stealth version was used to secretly enter and investigate Tholian space, and since the Archer-class ships are all named after actual archers of history and myth, "Spectre of the Bow" seemed appropriate .
Actually, if you Google "Archer-class model," there IS a small resin model available . EDIT: Actually : http://resinilluminati.com/showthread.php?t=8609
The cargo bay is more like the trunk of a car. You can probably put in a bike and few cases of beer (or someone you've whacked). But it should also continue out to the curved sides of the bottom dome rather than just being straight back from the door.
Oh, it does ... I tried to stick to the schematics of the floor layouts; the tightly-curved wall there was in place around the circumference of the sensor dome, but I don't know if that would be smaller or perhaps even larger. I would say there's probably about 2m - 2.5m between the top of the ramp and that wall, and then the open space on either side, but the curve of the hull would make it tough to efficiently pack cargo or supplies in that space, as well as a couple of small excursion vehicles (ya know, a couple of Segways would probably be perfect! If we ever go back to the moon and they don't use something like that for EVAs, I'm going to be really disappointed ).
OK, I see. You've boxed in the door way on two sides. I agree it's pretty cramped. I had hoped that there would be enough space for a small wheeled vehicle of some kind, but that was more of a "fingers crossed" kind of think than a designed capacity. David Mack did ask me whether a specific number of objects would fit in the hold for his next Vanguard novel.
Nice... THis is a fun little ship. Looks great. And thanks for posting that reimagined MJ ship. I like that!.
I remember when Todd Guenther was painting his art print "Echo at Station Keeping"... http://s3images.coroflot.com/user_f...original_353995_dt0hje3pGVInMP9oyv1LEmgrK.jpg ...We discussed a similar kind of self-illumination scheme to deal with the contrast issues in the composition. It's interesting to see this and have a chance to see how the idea would have worked.
It makes me wonder, sometimes, what Trek would've looked like if we'd had CGI in the '60s, rather than having to build 11' foot models that required arc lights to get even a dim image on the available film stock - I could easily see Matt Jefferies proposing that the registries, if they were going to be on the ship at all, be lit internally, rather than using spotlights across the irregular contours of the hull; we certainly have the technology to make it happen. It makes perfect sense now, but having set the precedent, it's hard to go with some of the logical improvements that we now know are possible, because 'that's not the way Gene did it.' (the only place I have seen it done is on the Operative's ship in Serenity)
You could park the vehicle on the ramp itself and tie it down. No reason it has to be able to drive all the way in. Yeah, I'd like to see more stuff with self-lit markings too. The only problem is that many people had a weird reaction to seeing the Operative's ship like that, simply because they're not used to it.
I was discussing the vehicles with Arcas a couple days ago, when I was trying to add a couple of Flynn's lightcycles (with Starfleet markings, natch ) to the render of the open cargo ramp (the models, while brilliant, were also 700k polys each and completely overran my PC ). An idea he had was that the bikes, whatever they may be, could be garaged in the space over the ramp, but I think that would put them in the impulse drive unit, which would be a problem. An idea I then had was to put a column at the end of one of the walls on the ramp, which would act as a 'bike rack,' with a platform or swing arm on which the bike(s) would be latched; when parked, they would be to the side, out of the way, but when needed, the column would be the pivot, and the bike(s) would be rotated around from the parked position to the ramp itself, then set on the ramp for exit.
Like the idea for the inclusion of Tron-style bikes. Ptrope and I have long discussed Trek's appalling lack of ground transport. It's just silly that they'd walk everywhere, when it makes so much more sense to have a means of getting around on a planet that allows them a greater degree of protection, as well as the ability to carry more equipment which might be needed. A nice all terrain bike or ATV of some kind makes all kinds of sense.
The other thing I was thinking, when it became clear that I was either going to have to find a Cray or rebuild the bike into something less RAM-intensive, was just what is a logical mode of transport for Trek? Since it is a drama, logic can't be the only consideration, but some logical requirements need to be addressed or it's just fantasy. 1. Trek, even in TOS, has shown a number of instances of anti-grav technology, so do you have anti-grav ground support, too? I thought about 'speeder bikes,' but that would immediately draw Star Wars comparisons, however unfairly. What about something like Major Matt Mason's sled? 2. As cool as anti-grav is, wheeled vehicles are probably more energy-efficient - why constantly require power even when standing still? And then, is a bike, an ATV or a Segway the best option? I was also thinking about modeling a mono-pod, like those designed by Syd Mead in his Sentinel book (after all, looking through that book, you can also see that Syd is the apparently-uncredited creator of the AT-ATs, as he depicted walking vehicles whose engineering is almost identical to the structure of the AT-ATs). 3. When I was modeling Endeavour as an alternative to ENT, I designed a shuttle that had large, off-road-capable wheels - it made sense to me that if your vehicle has anti-grav, then wheels shouldn't interfere with its flight capabilities, either in achieving or returning to orbit - they may look silly on a flying vehicle (only because we've never seen them, frankly), but logically, they have just as much right to be there as little stubby, unneeded wings. And once on the ground, rather than hopping from spot to spot, a landing party would have the ability to cover a reasonable amount of area without needing to fire up the heavy power, using it only if they need to move to another region entirely, or return to the ship. Perhaps the shuttles should be more like RVs ... that can fly to orbit . A ship the size of the Archer-class is perfect for planetary exploration and research missions - base it around a lab configuration, and provide portable transports so that the ship itself functions as a 'base camp,' maybe even to the point that it can expand once it's down (again, like an RV, where they have slide-outs that convert it from a bus to a home-away-from-home), and the crew can go off on missions of some distance before they need to return to the base. But, of course, since it's Star Trek, there's a certain amount of all this logic that will need to be toned down or sacrificed in order to make it 'sexy.' We just need to find the balance. I thought the inclusion of bikes, of some sort, in this ship was a good start.