Revisiting my Orion Raider

Hey guys. I'm redoing this ship, the Orion Raider-class cruiser from SFB, which I posted on here a long time ago. I wasn't really happy with the level and kinds of details it ended up with. So I'm trying it again, with a more toned-down and realistic feeling. I'm not very far on it. The warp engines, the only part I've started detailing, aren't complete yet. But this will give you a sense of where it's going. So far, I'm much happier with this version. Enjoy, and comment if you like:

 

Yum Yum!

 

This level of detail definitely accentuates the much smaller scale of the Orion ships (especially compared to the big cruisers). I like where you're going with it.

 

Cool.


I really have to resist the urge to ask you to call it the Throne of Ozymondas - which is the Orion CR that happened to be in the Aurora system when the latter (and former!) were whisked off to the Omega Octant...

 

I see you jumped on the sombrero bandwagon too.


Marian

 

When you see a Dominator outfitted with a giant straw hat, it's a good idea not to laugh...

 

There you are. You never did follow up on the SFB vs FC thing. I went and started a whole new thread in the Gaming forum and everything.


Marian

 

Awesome modeling, Adam! I love the detail on the nacelles -- it's much more realistic. I can't wait to see the finished model and a work using it.

 

Update on the model:

 

Looking great! The detail on the wings rocks.

Something that I've never been happy with is the way that the nacelles are just stuck into the hull of the pirate designs. I don't know if it would be possible to refine that without overstepping your allowed artistic license or not, but it's really detracting to the engineering of the overall design the way it is.

Maybe if you could make slightly enlarged copies of the nacelles and use them to boolean out the hull so they tuck inside, keeping the overall outline of the ship intact, but they aren't just imbedded like they are now?

 

Thanks!

I like your idea, but I don't know if it would fly with the Steve's. Petrick is a MASSIVE stickler for accuracy, and SVC has told me that they've gotten complaints from nutjob customers who get upset when the official artwork deviates even a little bit from the miniatures they've purchased.

It does seem strange to me that pirate engines are so set into the hull like that. I always assumed that the reason most ships keep keep their engines out on pylons is that they produce some kind of harmful radiation or something, which is best kept away from the crew. And given the amped up nature of Orion engines, it seems like they'd need that more than anyone. The only rationale I can think of is that Orion ships need to keep a smaller profile for their stealth(and Orion ships perhaps aren't quite built to the same safety standards as, say, a Star Fleet ship).

 

Minor Update:

 

Well, the Orion's engine tech might be more advanced considering their ability to do engine doubling. Possibly part of their stelth tech comes from better shielding. Who knows? We Trek fans are so good at explaining away stuff.

 

Well, the modeling part's done. Next comes the fun of texturing.

 

I have the opposite problem. I wish the miniatures looked like your models. Especially the primary hulls on the Federation fast cruiser and light dreadnought.


Marian

 

Upon reflection, now that the hull's all detailed the nacelles don't look too bad the way they are.

I'm guessing the four rectangles near the front and back of the bottom are landing gear, and the two larger ribbed rectangles are cargo bay doors? I seem to recall reading somewhere that this ship can land on a planet.


Marian

 

You're exactly right about that. And thanks.

 

I made a couple of minor adjustments to the front of the model and the wings to more accurately reflect the miniature. Now it's pretty much done(apart from texturing that is).

 

It's done.

 

Now that....is utterly badassed!