When I saw the double-rim of your 1701-F, Vektor, for a while I thought that would make a cool seam for a saucer separation. . . Then I followed your seam and noticed it wasn't contiguous, and I remembered, "Oh, that's right, he's one of those sensible guys who doesn't do the saucer-separation thingy."
Well, I can't completely disavow it. The Grandeur has a separable saucer, although in that case it's a very well-armed and independantly warp-capable saucer. I did briefly consider adding the option to my Ent-F design and the double-rim was actually inspired by that, but I just decided I wasn't going to go there.
I hope I wasn't all Ricky Gervais on your entry there, Vek, because I think there are gorgeous elements to it. I notice how the top line of the profile references the NX-01 just a bit, which is a nice touch. I just think That One Part of it doesn't fit for me.
There was no conscious effort to reference the NX-01. Not that I didn't like the NX-01. The most direct influence was actually my old USS Titan design, which had almost the exact same plan view silhouette.
It might interest you to know, though, that I have been mulling over your observations and I have come up with an idea for a very minor alteration to the deflector area that I think could make all the difference. I'll try to put together an updated sketch within the next day or two if I can find the time to work on it. Not that it will matter to the contest, but if I'm only one waddle away from perfection then I guess I can't quit now.
