Neil_W's half-baked design thread

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Well this is what I get for trying to think outside my box. I am now lost in cluelessville. Are any of these headed in the right direction?
pd2_paint_clueless.png

In #2 and #3 clearly I have no idea what to do with the middle BT section. It looks very bad in all white next to the black transition, so it definitely needs *something*.
 
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As much as I like the blue bar on the nose, I like the hite flames of 1.

Like you've burn't the paint off. With Style!
 
Hmmmm... I'm not a fan of the flames at all. Turns from Sci-Fi into HOT ROD!
 
Hmmmm... I'm not a fan of the flames at all. Turns from Sci-Fi into HOT ROD!
I am leaning that way as well. I really like the flames but it looks like they're from a completely different rocket. Unfortunately I don't seem to be having much luck coming up with a sci-fi decor scheme. Back to the drawing boa--- er, program.

But I am now convinced that a psychedelic flame job is in my future. :)
 
Switching gears for a minute... here's some concept art I found on the web that has caught my eye. Each image is linked to the original on the web.
fighter_fleet_sm.jpg
heavy_interceptor_sm.jpg
spaceship_sm.jpg

Also this amazing build from Hornet Driver:
 
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Hmmm... The last one would be really cool with a small core and two big motors in the wing pods... Totally impractical, but cool.

Just putting the idea in your head- the exhaust on the first one looks like AT super thunder or new thunder... I know you build mostly LPR, but there's always the option...
 
Just a quick note: if you haven't already done so, click on the last picture and go read Hornet Driver's build thread. That is some inspirational work right there. I would love to do something like, although I'd have to do a lot of visualization in my head, which is not my strong point.

It makes me want to give a bit more thought to GlenP's suggestion to apply cardstock fillets along Alcubierre's side wings, to give the whole thing a more composite molded look. Actually, what it *really* makes me want to do is apply the whole skinning treatment to the nose and the body. I have no doubt it would look good if I could pull it off (big "if"). Do I have the guts to do it? i don't know. I guess, given the fact that I'm working with BT55 rather than BT60, doing the same skinning design but with cardstock could be a smart move.

I am also waffling a bit regarding the great looking but possibly structurally unsound use of only two mount points for the giant ring. I have little doubt it'll hold going up, but wonder if the the thing is gonna crumble the first time it lands; when the ring hits the ground it's going to put a lot of torque on the two small joints between the ring and the wings. Extending the dorsal and ventral to attach the ring would undoubtedly solve this problem while looking less cool.

Gotta do some thinkin'.
 
Here's a version with 4 pylons. Doesn't look as nice but would sure as heck be more likely to survive a landing.
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Options on acrylic or some other transparent material for the vertical braces?
 
Not a fan, except in cases where it's required for scale appearance or stuff like that.

I could de-emphasize with some paint. This looks a little better maybe...
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Breaking up the connection with a curve there is almost magical. Really great idea I would like to use on some of my own ring fin designs. Very clever!
 
Breaking up the connection with a curve there is almost magical. Really great idea I would like to use on some of my own ring fin designs. Very clever!
Well I hope it looks as good in real life because that's what I'm probably going to do. The crazy schemes I was coming up with to make it strong enough with just the two wing mount points were just not worth it. Now I can make the whole thing using standard build technique and it should be plenty strong and still look good (enough).

I also fiddled with adding chines to the sides to create a more blended-wing look and didn't like my results, so I'm just gonna build it like the above picture. This build is now ready to go.
 
Idly pondering ways to turn this into a rocket:
200-blue-dna.jpg



I'm thinking two canted motors, Deuce-like, spin stabilized, to give a double helix smoke trail. Body treatment TBD.
 

I like!

Not sure about the "Charlie Brown stripes" but I definitely like the rest. Maybe the bottom tube ones could be diagonal stripes instead? Maybe move the fins forward and cut a slant in the back of the tubes to match the TE slope of the fin? Hard to render in OR, but it would be cool...

The one other thing I'd like to see is something to break up where the lower BTs meet the transition.

Definitely looks like a step in the right direction to me though!
 
Still looking good, time to build lol

The front kind of makes me think of the Orion escape tower on a Mercury capsule hehe
 
Now you've ruined it. :(

(although I was unsure about that feature anyway)

Will keep fiddling. I do feel like it's getting there, inch by grinding inch.

Charlie Brown came to my mind as well with those stripes.

To me, it looks like minus the zigzag stripes, you have design apogee. Seems complete. Already cool enough no need to add more, IMO.
 
I like!

Not sure about the "Charlie Brown stripes" but I definitely like the rest. Maybe the bottom tube ones could be diagonal stripes instead? Maybe move the fins forward and cut a slant in the back of the tubes to match the TE slope of the fin? Hard to render in OR, but it would be cool...

The one other thing I'd like to see is something to break up where the lower BTs meet the transition.

Definitely looks like a step in the right direction to me though!


I dunno......could change background color to yellow and call it Blockhead!
 
This thread ain't dead! Haven't been doing to much OR hacking lately but did cook up this little trifle on a whim. Kind of cute, a little different from my usual in some respects. Probably needs to be a bit longer.
attachment.php


never_mind_the_lugs.png
 
This thread ain't dead! Haven't been doing to much OR hacking lately but did cook up this little trifle on a whim. Kind of cute, a little different from my usual in some respects. Probably needs to be a bit longer.

If that's a BT 50 airframe, you could opt for a ping pong ball on the forward and stretch those aft trannies a bit....uh....er...TRANSITIONS!!!!
I'm seeing a bit of a sleeker look.
 
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