Jetfreak's Alternate Universe Excelsior...

[erifah]

You know, I'm looking at them covers over the Bussard collectors, and I'm stroking my chin in a thoughtful manner, and mumbling "hmmmmm" to myself...

The JJPrise design theme uses parts that move visibly... I have a wild thought - it's crazy, but it just might work: What if starship Bussard collectors are a somewhat delicate technology, and they are covered until needed; at which point, those hoods retract?

(And could it even be done without it looking like a dog's penis right before ol' Spot gets jiggy wit' the neighbor's poodle?)

 

[erifah]

The struts curved on the Galaxy class and the Ambassador class.

This is true. And I've always had that concern about the conduits with those ships.

Notice how Master Probert's Enterprise Refit features struts with a nice, straight shot?

 

[largo]

it's hard to conceive, i know, but even in the early 21st century we can make curved conduits.
even ones which contain protons moving at over 99% of the speed of light.

 

[erifah]

it's hard to conceive, i know, but even in the early 21st century we can make curved conduits.
even ones which contain protons moving at over 99% of the speed of light.

Yes, I was thinking of those particle accelerators they build in the middle of the desert.

 

[RoJoHen]

The JJPrise design theme uses parts that move visibly... I have a wild thought - it's crazy, but it just might work: What if starship Bussard collectors are a somewhat delicate technology, and they are covered until needed; at which point, those hoods retract?

I think it would be interesting if the front of the nacelles looked a bit like eyelids. Keep the bussards the same, but change that + design in the front to more of a () shape (but turned on its side to look like eyes). Does that make any sense at all?

 

[B.J.]

The JJPrise design theme uses parts that move visibly... I have a wild thought - it's crazy, but it just might work: What if starship Bussard collectors are a somewhat delicate technology, and they are covered until needed; at which point, those hoods retract?

With the current design, it would remind me a lot of the Jaffa staff weapon.

 

[MadMan1701A]

See, I wondered when somebody would say that. When I was actually sketching my idea out on paper, I happened to be watching SG1 fighting some Jaffa at the time.

 

[largo]

mmmm... jaffa cakes.

 

[Kaiser]

your current update are nice and i agree the bussards should be blue but only cus in the Enterprise B they were where as in the Excelsior the warp field grid was wrapped all around the nacelle and glowed blue

 

[Praetor]

For the record, I also say yay to the smexy curviness.

 

[MadMan1701A]

Thanks guys.

Alright, been playing with patterns and arrangements on the rim windows. It this actually looks pretty good...

What do ya'll think? The idea is that the rim there is one deck thick, and the windows are of the floor to ceiling type like we saw sometimes in TNG.

Onward to more windows...

 

[lennier1]

Can't help it but something about those Bussard covers feels odd. Something like "place screwdriver here".

 

[Dac]

Yeah, either change the colour of, or just ditch the vertical stripes in the bussards if you ask me. They just seem unnecessary, especially with them terminating immediately after they curve around the nacelle.

 

[largo]

i like the bussards as they are. if they change again, i swear i'll photoshop them back on every wip image i save to my hard drive.

 

[MadMan1701A]

It's not evident in these images, but if we were closer, it's not actually a stripe, but a grille connecting the two parts together.

I think I am going to change the color, though. Still thinking about green...

 

[sojourner]

I like the window shapes, but the pattern of them is a little too uniform, needs more variety in number/placement.

 

[erifah]

Thanks guys.

Alright, been playing with patterns and arrangements on the rim windows. It this actually looks pretty good...

What do ya'll think? The idea is that the rim there is one deck thick, and the windows are of the floor to ceiling type like we saw sometimes in TNG.

Onward to more windows...

I think you should take that idea and run with it a little further.

What if the windows (or some of them anyways) wrapped around the rim, going up into the ceiling like the D) AND down into the floor? I don't recall seeing anything quite like THAT before...

 

[TheSeeker]

I am really liking this design but I have to admit I lke the nacelles in the concept sketch much better.

 

[Saquist]

This is awesome. The only change I would make would be move the nacelle pylons aft leaving the nacelles themselves in the same place relative to the saucer and secondary hull. That would make the ship scream Excelsior to me.

I agree with that... The pylons are a wee too far forward... But whatever.

Let me preface this with my disdain for the ubber size of the nu enterprise... That said. MadMan's ship really reflects the scale of the nuExcelsiour in relation to the nuenterprise, and it really works here.

By abondoning the idea of "using" an almost exact copy of the original Excelsior saucer (like they did with the TMP enterprise), it's allowed him to make the larger scale work more effectively as far as I'm concerned.

This ship, to me, is a truely in-spirit of the original Excelsior. Taking the shapes and specific details, twisting them around into something quite graceful looking. And more balanced dare I say (because I get kicked in the balls for bashing the nuprise) then the nuenterprise.

One thing I was really taken aback by was the warp nacelles. The cowling is a truly clever interpretation of the original's... Wrapping them around like that really is a good idea. My only suggestion would be to tone down the thickness of those cowlings. Make them more subtle looking- almost more fragile looking.

Anyway dude. This is a freaking awesome looking ship. I'm really looking forward to seeing it completed.

Thanks. I see what you mean about the cowlings... they started a little thinner, but I thought they looked better overall being a little thicker. I may have some other details for them, though.

While I always love what Madman does when modeling and the changes he has made. I feel that he is getting very far away from the source material here. Personally I would love to see him model closer to the original drawings and then if you want to go off on this tangent and do a variation, go ahead. Just my two cents.

It's true, I am deviating more than I thought I would, but too many ideas keep coming up. Jetfreak did say it was OK to make changes... the Secondary Hull is staying as close to the way he drew it as I can, as will be the bridge area and the crystals up on top and everything. I do have his permission to make changes, of course.

Well, some updates. Not much, but something, anyway...

More later, guys...

Looks good from just about every angle but the bottom.

 

[RoJoHen]

I am really liking this design but I have to admit I lke the nacelles in the concept sketch much better.

Yeah, the more I look at the nacelles, the less I like them. I think the front needs to have something resembling the cowling of the original sketch. The Philips Head Screwdriver look isn't really working for me.