What gets me about this design is the way the nose and forward virewports are drawn--it really doesn't make much sense and it's inconcistent with other lines as they progress aft. And these drawings aren't truly consitent with how it was drawn onscreen. Indeed I think it generally looks better here. Still, it's a hastily drawn idea with little thought to how it all really works as a physical object. It's a very interesting general look, but it needs a good rational fleshing out to make it work in 3D. I think I might have an idea how to reconcile the nose because it can't really narrow so drastically given other elements in the drawing. I really don't like that sensor dish on the bow--it mars what is otherwise a nicely rakish idea. Like all the other TAS shuttlecraft this craft is shown with a standing height interior. Given the above proportions this thing would be huge and the step-up height to get into the vehicle from the ground would be ridiculously high. I will have to tweak the proportions some to make it work more realistically.
The shuttle in this storyboard is basically Matt Jefferies' Leif Ericson as designed for AMT. I mean, just look at this view (link).
While I appreciate how you are trying to be accurate I do hope that you post it without the sensor dish too. I think it looks good without it.
I have done this before and I am presently leaning on this approach again. The sides will be more rounded and I plan to have some subtle curvature to what were otherwise drawn as straight lines. It might lend a suggestion of an aircraft look to the design.
Okay, so this evening I finished off the main hull of the model I was working on. And then after studying it I threw it away, even after several days work. It looked stupid. I tried to adhere closely to the onscreen design and it just looked bad in 3D. The exaggerated proportions don’t work as a realistic physical object—it looks dumb. I have to regroup and rethink the whole thing. I think my best bet is not to try recreating the onscreen version, but rather try to capture the general idea and feel of it, but through a (somewhat) more credible perspective.
We literally say that Bob used a sketch of the AMT Leif Ericsson as a place holder in the book...and that Matt Jeffries designed it,
^^ I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. Part of the issue is that there is little real consistency from one view onscreen to the next. Also the apparent shape doesn’t really work well in 3D. So I will try to capture the general look of it while trying to reconcile or fix the weird parts.
Sounds awesome. At first I misread you post to say, "there is little real conspiracy from" instead of your actual post... lol. Totally messed me up. lol
One specific thing I don’t like. Onscreen the exterior views show a ridiculously small forward viewport while the interior shots suggest a large wide viewport. Taken at somewhat face value this infers a vehicle that is huge in size, certainly bigger than could be shoehorned into a starship’s hangar. But in rescaling the forward viewport you change the overall look of the design and it doesn’t have that distinctive look anymore. This is essentially what I’ve done each of the three times I’ve modelled an interpretation of the design in the past.
That is the exact problem the TIE fighter has. In all the exterior shots the Windows of the Cockpit are different from the Interior shots: https://i.redd.it/c9z1nb61j5zz.jpg My advice is ignore the interior, and use the exterior.
Looking at that image, it is the same window, just turned so the points are up/down instead of the flats. That is a major difference in appearance, but achieved simply.
Having an inner spinning ball cockpit like a steady cam would be new. A B wing like TIE shaped like a hurricane symbol seen from the front would be cool.
Here are some previous threads. https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/rays-tas-shuttlecraft.144360/ https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/conjectural-shuttlecraft-design-tos-era.269254/ https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/tos-tas-shuttlecraft.292367/ https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/tas-scoutship-shuttlecraft.262771/ https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/my-tas-shuttlecraft.55045/
Of the previous versions I attempted I think the first one of the scoutship was the most realistic even if it only passably resembled the onscreen version. https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/rays-tas-shuttlecraft.144360/ We’ll see how my current effort compares. I should have something to show soon.