HMS Scimitar Fast Patrol Frigate, 2120, FINISHED

[AeroplaneDriver]

Well I got most of the way through construction of my Hunter FGA.9 when I found myself overwhelmed by modeler's block, or to be more exact, I found myself in a state of JWN (Joyless Whiffing Numpty).  I was getting too wrapped up in developing a realistic backstory, paint scheme, weapons load, etc that they joy was gone!

Now I know this will be a temporary condition, and that if I set the Hunter aside for a while I'll be able to tackle it with renewed zest pretty soon, but in the meantime to break the JWN I thought a little sci-fi kitbashing was in order.

I've gone back to this basic design from last year, using a 1/72 Tomcat fuselage:



My problem with this design was finding a forward hull that worked.  While looking for something to make a spacecraft out of I noticed that the fuselage of a Revellogram 1/48 P-61 might work:




The engines will be englarged to balance out the large forward hull, with the P-61 engine cowlings making part of the extended engines.

I'm still not 100% sure what scale this will be, though I'm leaning towards 1/350.  The A-7 in the pic above is 1/350 for size comparison.  It will be an Patrol Frigate operating along the shipping routes between the Asteroid Belt, Titan, Mars, and the Moon, as well as patrolling the prospecting outposts way out towards the Oort Cloud.  It will exist in the same timeline and reality as my Martian Assault Lander and (still unfinished!) Heavy Fighter





I'm thinking that in 1/350 the Frigate will carry a heavy shuttle and a flight of three of these fighters in its hangar bay.  The frigate's weaons fit will include torpedo tubes, heavy beam weapons, and railgun turrets.

More pics as things progress.  Right now the P-61 fuselage is gued together and drying.

[kitnut617]

This is going to be interesting AD   

[nev]

Yes!! I remember this one!  Great to see it back on the workbench.

Nice to see that pink ship again as well

[AeroplaneDriver]

The forward hull is mostly together and has a generous layer of Squadron Green applied.  The Monogram P-61 kit has lots of open panels and doors for a diorama display, and not all of those open panels fit well on the closed position.  It's not really a problem since I dont care about the surface detail on the kit, so I can go to town with PSR.  



I havent decided yet if I'm going to fit the clear nose and just paint over it or leave a blunt nose, probably with thrusters and various antennae sprouting from it.  I'm leaning towards a blunt nose.  The openings on the lower hull, which were originally where the front and rear glazinf goes on the P-61, will be closed up with styrene sheet to form a hangar bay and weapons/sensor bay.

My plan to use the engine cowlings as part of the engine assembly has been shot down.  I didnt realise that only one cowling is molded as a seperate part.  The other is molded with the nacelle and has an open panel.  I seperated it and assembled the individual parts, but its slightly smaller than the other side and doenst have the cowl flaps in the same position, so it would look weird.  I may still use the two parts after some modification, but I'm also now looking for other options.

[sotoolslinger]

This makes me freaking ecstatic Are there any rebel planets or moons in your back story or can I just make the opposing ships Republic of Texas

[AeroplaneDriver]

This makes me freaking ecstatic Are there any rebel planets or moons in your back story or can I just make the opposing ships Republic of Texas

I did a pretty detailed backstory of the colonization of Mars to go with the assault lander (if you search for Mars + Talon you should find it if you're interested).  In that backstory there is a war on Mars between rival US/European and Chinese/Brazilian colonial factions over water resources.  The fighter, and this frigate will be in that same timeline and setting, but will patrol interplanetary space, mainly defending against the pirate threat along the shipping lanes.  However, there is another emerging threat, as the backstory alludes to.

[sotoolslinger]

Cool ,got it. Where is the build thread on the heavy fighter?

[noxioux]

Some of those dinky photoetched 1/350 figures would go well with this, too. . .

This makes my sci-fi modeling jones kick in full-time.

[AeroplaneDriver]

Cool ,got it. Where is the build thread on the heavy fighter?

Here is the build on the fighter.  I has been patiently waiting for over a year for me to find it a proper windshield and landing gear...one of these days...

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,14603.0/sci-fi.html

[Damian2]

 

Whoa this is going to be sweet!! For some ideas take a look at the craft from Homeworld 2 like the Vaygr Battle Cruiser below:



Or this Frigate (I think)



I've promised myself that I want to scratch a Sci-Fi ship out of some funk water pistols I found at a toy store

D

[sotoolslinger]

Absolutely Badarse thanks for the link . Love the fighter

[BlackOps]

  AD, it's good to see you take a side trip through Sci-Fi territory again, lookin way cool! 

[sotoolslinger]

AD can you make room on there for a light fighter  cause I just started one today

[John Howling Mouse]

Have to say I thought your first photo was the overall design concept and it looked killer as is (I pictured it being a "Defiant" sized craft).  Thought you would plunk a blunt bridge up front just ahead of the turret.  Didn't realize you were putting a whole other fuselage up front!

[AeroplaneDriver]

Construction has progressed nicely tonight, with the voices doing a pretty good job of telling me how this should progress.

It now has a name, HMS Scimitar, a Broadsword class Fast Patrol Frigate operating in the Combined Commonwealth Fleet along the deep space trade routes beyond Mars.

I've rounded up a nice selection of greeblies to go on, as well as a nice weapon complement.  The blunt nose will end up with a thruster and sensor array, maybe a few other little odds and ends too.  When finished the shuttle will be in the launch position under the center hull.  There is still some work to do on the engines, for right now they are just tacked on to see how they look.  Overall I'm happy with them, thogh there may be a few small changes to them.  The long, thin design is dictated by the linear warp field generated by first generation drives.