Some did, yeah. I think what we got there still kept the basic shape of the Galactica without deviating too much from the original. The thru-deck landing bays and multi-level launch platforms made a lot of sense, and I personally liked the retractable pods. What we might have gotten, however, could have been a lot worse. I think at one point (mentioned in one of the early commentary tracks) they were considering modeling the nuGalactica off of some kind of weird modern-art vase they had in one of their offices. Another conceptual design for Galactica, IIRC, became the Cylons' Resurrection Ship - that cathedral-looking thing. I think those decisions for a battlestar would have made even my stomach churn and I like to think I have a pretty open mind about ship designs in general. What we got, wasn't too bad. I really liked the Pegasus and Valkyrie designs, too. Unbeknownst to some, the original idea for TOS was to have battlestars of all different shapes and sizes (much like what we got in NuBSG), but Larson couldn't get the budget to build multiple large-scale ships like that, especially if it was only just for the one opening "peace convoy" scene. So, we wound up with one battlestar miniature, filmed at multiple angles and with different name placards (sometimes they were blank) for the Cylon attack. NuBSG at least gave us some more designs.
Are you saying that didn't happen with the Enterprise? Look the overall silhouette of it. It's more like the original Enterprise then nuGalactica was to oldGalactica. nuPegasus resembled oldGalactica more then nuGalactica did.
Sure, at its core, the NuEnterprise does generally follow the same lines as the original. The difference (to me) lies in the things that changed. As I mentioned in NuBSG, the landing bays, armaments, etc., I thought were better thought out than the original. There seemed to be more attention paid to technical and military detail in NuBSG than TOSBSG and the NuGalactica's design reflects that. TOS purists would likely disagree. As I mentioned in NuTrek, the bulbous warp nacelles, curved pylons, lack of imagination over the engineering design (although I loved the new warp core in STID) and inconsistency in scaling IMO detracts from the NuEnterprise design. Many people who like NuTrek would likely disagree. In the end, it all comes down to aesthetics and a subjective eye to art design. We can rationalize technical details all we want, but in the end it is all simply opinion, which is why I started my second sentence you quoted with "I think", rather than "I know" . Sure the NuEnterprise followed the general shape without deviating too much from the original, but in my opinion, the design choices used to attain that deviation didn't work as well as they did in NuBSG, but they will always get proponents and detractors no matter what they do. And, since we're on teh Interwebz, EVERYONE has an equal voice on the matter!
Very much agreed about the part where everyone can have their own opinion. And that can talk and discuss is only a good thing, I think.
Dunno if it was mentioned upthread, but the Cinfex article on STID describes the Vegeance as being about 4,500 feet long.
Beautiful model. But I'll have to stick with the Hot Wheels version as it's a bit more in my price range.
Hey guys... it's not dead! I actually got some time to work on this tonight... modeling all of the major parts is done. I've got a little bit of detailing left to do, before I start texturing it. It's not 100% accurate, but I think it looks pretty close. I need to get it done, though, since it's needed for a fan film. And, once I get all the textures on it, it'll be hard to tell the difference anyway. More later, guys... -Ricky
Can't wait for the textured renders. Hopefully some variants might show up down the line - some of the Abrams Constitution ones you did were great.
Yep, a third nacelle version is definitely in the plans. I'm just trying to think whether I should attach it to the saucer, or to the secondary hull. -Ricky
You could do both at the same time - have the front of the pylon connect to the back of the saucer, while the rest connects to the secondary hull behind the impulse engine. Also, you should totally do a render of the Vengeance as the ISS Enterprise - it's perfect fit for the Mirror Universe.
Looking great! And I can't wait to see the three-nacelled version, too. I'd vote to having the third strut coming out the back of the saucer, at an angle, so it's also partly coming out of the back of the neck. What do I have to do to convince you to do a two-nacelle variant skinned as the altverse U.S.S. Excelsior when you're done?
I could do that... I had thought of painting one up to usual Starfleet specs. I can name it Excelsior when I get around to it. -Ricky
I have the Deluxe DVD Blue Ray everything set, and the ship actually has great 3/4 views and looks more graceful than you may think at first glance.
I'd love to see someone take a crack at doing a TOS themed version of this, with some phase 2 inspired warp engines.
Hey Madman. Not sure if you remember me from Scifi-meshes and I have emailed you a few times in the past. I'm the one that rendered you a huge orbit render for your "Defiant" you built. Ive posted a few times at the madshipyard. I was just curious. You building this for yourself like that NuExcelsior you built, or do you plan on releasing this on your site? -Justin