Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Join up, we can always use more discussants! Besides, the guy behind it is Philip Sibbering, who used to do some art for GW and has some of his own (maybe weird) ideas regarding the 40k universe.

As for the ship, currently the model's dimensions will be: 24mm wide, 11mm high (haven't counted the turrets in this) and 98mm long. The smallest details are 0.1mm, which is a bit of an exception, most details are either 0.4mm or 0.2mm. I'm gonna try and get them to 0.4, because otherwise it might be difficult to see them.

Tried a few things with the propulsion, none of them worked. So I 'procrastinated' by working on the turrets.




I made them slightly chunkier, made the barrels longer and changed the shape somewhat. Primary reason is to make them more 'workable' at the scale we're dealing with (major details on that thing are 0.4mm). If stuff becomes too small you won't be able to see it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
A tiny update. I've hollowed out a lot of parts of the ship. I've kept the walls rather thick (at least 2.4mm) to keep the print throughout the entire model.

Also, I've cut the ship up in components. This will allow me to make variants of the prow and main weapon system:



Green = Distortion engine + back thrusters
Blue = Lance turrets
Red = Main weapon system (in this case launch bays)
Yellow = Prow

Been working on a variant of this ship. Since people were suggesting different prows, I thought I could take it to the next level. The ship is already divided into components, so the possibility of different weapons wasn't that far fetched.

So I started working on a lance turret component. It's still very WIP...




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Today I've mostly been figuring out how to make models watertight for printing. Man oh man...it was such an annoying task, finding the right software, learning that the different programs aren't compatible and tend to contradict each other, e.g. a model that's fully tight/fixed according to Netfabb is considered to be full of holes/etc according to CADspan. Very frustrating. However, Netfabb offers a free fixing service, so I'm sticking with them at the moment. Shapeways apparently also work with these guys, so I'll trust them.

In the meanwhile I started working on the thrusters a bit. They are still very WIP:


After that it's going to be the prow that will be tweaked so it has several torpedo launchers. That would mean the first model is done, and I can start working on some other components. I've got the following in mind:

Prows:
-Torpedo prow (one I have now);
-Eagle head;
-Prow mounted superweapon (comes with the middle hull part I think);
-Prow with fighter launch bays;
-Neutral (no weapons).

Middle:
-Launch bays (one I have now);
-Lance turrets (WIP);
-Superweapon (see above, comes with prow);
-Cargo.

'Turrets':
-Lance turrets (one I have now);
-Torpedo launchers;
-Neutral (armor plating);
-Bridge (unofficial) I know the demand is high for this one since it fits a certain aesthetic. I might end up making a bridge part you could put instead of one of the turrets. Personally I won't really use them, but I know there are many players who like to have such a thing on the ship.

The back part (Distortion Engine + back thrusters) will remain the same. Don't have any plans to make variants for that one. The idea is that the ships are constantly retrofitted with different weaponry/equipment. I can imagine the same ship constantly changing form by getting different component whenever needed for that fitting situation. So lets say the ship 'Lucius' (very original name) might at one moment have been a carrier craft, but during the other campaign it could have been armed with giant turrets and yet another time it was a transporter.

I liked the idea that these ships first have a live human who every now and then 'plugs' into the ship to control certain aspects of it. But this is quite demanding on the body, meaning that eventually, part be part he becomes 'fused' with the ship. Thus the ship truly becoming an extension of his body. Kind of reminds me of that Doctor Who episode The Girl in the Fireplace.

Here are three variants of the Legion Cruiser next to each other. The one on the left is armed with additional lance turrets, enabling it to take out enemy shields from a distance. The middle ship is a military transport ship. The size already enables it to transport entire regiments, including all sorts of support gear. I was first thinking of beefing the ship up some more, but didn't find it too fitting. I might at a later date make a battleship variant which is an even larger transport. But I would imagine normal transport ships (which are already larger) would be civilian ships, not military ones.

The ship on the right is the carrier I've been working on all this time. Not that much changed in it yet.

Note that all the components are still very WIP, the turret component still needs a lot of detailing. The transporter one needs something extra to make it stand out. The prow (single variant at the moment) will need further detailing and torpedo tubes. The engine and the rest of the components need a few thrusters and details before they're ready.

Tweaked the 'transport component' a bit, meaning it has become the assault barge component:



The launch bays are still quite big considering the scale, but instead of launching clouds and clouds of fighter craft and boarding pods, it unleashes dropships, drop pods, landing craft and so on.

The turrets it has can scare off raiders or some enemy ships, but it is rather vulnerable, meaning it would need other ships to support it, such as the carrier seen next to it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Little teaser...

Been watching the thread and just have to say I'm loving the designs and concepts presented here. Keep it up!

The Ship reminds me of some of the designs from Homeworld 2.

Thanks for the kind words!

@Boblogik: Definitely! Plan is to have a few more components ready and then start working on the battleship.

@Rhesusforbreakfast (cool username btw!): Homeworld 2 was my initial inspiration for this project, and more specifically the Lego models done by Pierre E Fieschi. Especially the Tempest Bombardment Platform (I'm planning on making a similar type of weapon for a component), Sobani Battleship (first one I saw, and main reason behind this whole project), Drone Carrier (just too cool not to mention specifically), Sobani Freighter (might need to look more into that one for the transport/barge component).


In the meantime, an update, a rather small one.

In the meantime I've started working on some ordnance:




Automatically Appended Next Post:
And some variants...

I've been away for a couple of days, so sadly no new updates yet. I have some ideas for a variant prow with large turrets on it. As for the current turret component, I need to rework the turret design a bit since they are perhaps too small to print, so I started to tweak the design a bit:



The one on the right is the old original turret, the barrels are too thin to print out without them bending. So I made the first variant (middle turret) which is the standard one mounted on the ships. However, I wanted the turret component to have something a bit different, so I started working on another variant (left turret). It still needs some beefing up, especially at the back.

I've also been pondering about the torpedos a bit. So far the original design is the strongest. The ones with the studs on them either look like something a frustrated housewife might keep in her bedroom drawer or something made for a David Tennant era Dalek episode of Doctor Who. Nothing against Doctor Who, I love that show, but I don't want a Dalek aesthetic for my stuff. So I need to kind of rethink the design for torpedo variants. I remember GW once had different types of torpedos for BFG, not models but markers, does anybody have that picture somewhere?

In the meantime (I love saying that) I started working on the anti armor turrets. At first I was planning on making a 'sniper turret', which would have been a single long barreled device. However, the sizes we are dealing with here are super small, meaning that such a barrel would become very frail. I tried making it thicker, but it ended up looking ridiculous. So I came up with something different: PLASMA TURRETS! They are quite detailed, and I really wonder if the print will be able to show that, or that people could even see it at such a scale.

Those turrets look quite nice. In my opinion though they would look better being maybe 50% longer keeping the details on it. Being short doesn't give me the impression of tackling capital ships but adding just a little length would help. Just my two cents.

Looking great. I'd take a fleet, that's for sure.
Really reminds me of the human fleet from the Fifth Element. That's a good thing by the way.

Also really glad the eagle prow is gone.

 Boblogik wrote:
Those turrets look quite nice. In my opinion though they would look better being maybe 50% longer keeping the details on it. Being short doesn't give me the impression of tackling capital ships but adding just a little length would help. Just my two cents.

Check these:


@Splod: Thanks!

 Malika2 wrote:

 Boblogik wrote:
Those turrets look quite nice. In my opinion though they would look better being maybe 50% longer keeping the details on it. Being short doesn't give me the impression of tackling capital ships but adding just a little length would help. Just my two cents.

Check these:


@Splod: Thanks!

Yep exactly what I meant. Looking sharp. Does it still fit the look and feel you're aiming for?

It still first more of less, but they are tiny bit too long at the moment. Shortened them with 20%, but I still need to see if all the turrets can turn normally without bumping into each other.

Been working on a prow variant. It's still very WIP, meaning that a lot of the details need to be added to it so it fits with the rest of the ship.

By the way, here's a comparison shot between the plasma prow and torpedo prow:



Note that the prow is still very WIP.

Update on the plasma prow:

So I found my really old photobucket account with all sorts of ships I designed in the past. I might look into them again, tweak them a bit and put them up on Shapeways. Let me know waht you think!

Imperial Warpike:







Dagger Class Corvette:





Harbinger battleship:






Broadside Carrier:

Sadly enough I've lost the original files of this project.

But...it enabled me to make new ones!

After a couple of hours I've got the front part of the ship ready. Now I need to do the engine, bridge and that sort of thing.



Plan is that this fellow will be a light cruiser, comparable to the Defiant Class Light Cruiser from BFG. But I'll tweak it slightly more to stay on the safe side. But I think the design so far is original enough. Expect it on Shapeways in the coming days/weeks. (unless somebody would be interested in casting it...)

Thanks dude! I hope the printing will be able to handle the details. That's why some of them seem slightly bigger (like those studs).

In the meantime I've updated the design slight to match the Imperial Warpike. Also to move it slightly away from being too clearly GW.

Teaser...

Almost done...

Finished!

I like it but where are the guns?...

It has flight decks instead of guns. On top of the prow there's a lance cannon. In the game it would count as a Defiant Light Cruiser.

Gotya I see it now!

Will you make the dauntless as well?

Next up will be the Endeavour.