Topic: Fed YCA Confederation Class Cruiser

[FoaS_XC]

I like! Textures on the nacelles could stand to be matched closer to the rest of the ship, but that's small cookies.

[atheorhaven]

Yup, colour matching isn't done yet.. I just got 'em close to check and see how it will look once completed.

Really liking how this is looking, but should also ask.. Bernard, is this close enough for you, or did you want original naclees back on it?  If original, I'll do so, and just release this one as a refit or something. 

[Bernard Guignard]

The More the Merrier as I always say

[atheorhaven]

I read that as both..

[FoaS_XC]

The More the Merrier as I always say

Here here.

[atheorhaven]

Quick update, colour matching isn't done yet, and I have to find the dark banding on the secondary hull yet.. but meshes are complete..

Both versions here.. Connie nacelles are v2, Helena nacelles are v1.  Also, v1 has the larger impulse deck to more match the picture that Bernard posted.. wondering how I'm going to do the weird dual lit structure that's on the top and still have it look decent..

[Chrystoff]

I likey! 

[Starfox1701]

nice good job

[atheorhaven]

Quick note: should have some time (I think) to work on these this weekend.  With summer coming to a close, work has been super busy and the honey-do list isn't shrinking quickly enough.  :p

But at the very least, want to get colour matching done this weekend so that it can be released soon. 

[Kreeargh]

Atheorhaven ,what about another challenge?  Just kidding i know we are all 
I modeled this up trying to help with the orignal Tos version . 
Attached is all the build files so one can edit. Look at readme.  Gmax files      all scratch built.  2ndary hull is 1 hollow part the saucer is 3 parts and neck and pylons seperate . Have fun anyone but keep it SFC !

[atheorhaven]

Atheorhaven ,what about another challenge?  Just kidding i know we are all 
I modeled this up trying to help with the orignal Tos version . 
Attached is all the build files so one can edit. Look at readme.  Gmax files      all scratch built.  2ndary hull is 1 hollow part the saucer is 3 parts and neck and pylons seperate . Have fun anyone but keep it SFC !

Got 'er..

[I, Mudd.]

[Bernard Guignard]

I mudd  Nice to see you   

[I, Mudd.]

'Thought I'd poke my nose in and see what progress is being made here. All looks good so far.

[atheorhaven]

Geez John.. if all it took to bring you back around was to start a kitbash of your work, I'd have done so months ago. 

Good to see you man, and I like what you're doing with Lightwave btw.. you've got some nice stuff going on deviantart. 

Need to swing by more often, even if you're not doing that much with SFC anymore, it's still always good to see you here. 

[I, Mudd.]

Truth be told, I never left; I lurk here quite a bit.

I never tumbled to Lightwave, just 3DS Max and Daz Studio.
What your probably referencing is Daz Studio work. (Meh, it was a phase.)

[Panzergranate]

I thought I do a version for SFC 1.

The engine meshes are from a Moskova, which are the closest I could find to the plastic model.

The secondary hull mesh is from a CA, I cannot remember who's, with a shortened landing pad.

The saucer I had to make.

The Impulse drive started out as a pod on the Taldren SFC 1 Klingon freighter.
 
It took just over an hour using the MFCSFCED modelling tool, bearing in mind that a lot of this time was spent doing the textures.

I generally cut 'n' shut starships, with a bit of manipulation of polys, just for the fun of doing it. I have gradually amassed a whole breakers yard of starship parts, some borrowed, others I created. I study how some are created to figure out how to create some of my own.

I gave the Confederation the following specs in the LAN games we occasionally run here:

Shields = 24, 22, 20, 18
Warp = 12 per engine.
Impulse = 5
APR = 1
Btty = 1
Ph2 = 2 x FH, FRRX, FLLX, RH
Photons = 2 x Double launchers FA
Crew = 15         
Deck = 4               
Marines = 6 (12)
Shuttles = 4
Suicide = 1
Weasle = 1
Tractors = 2
Transporters = 2
Movecost = 0.75
Breakdown = 5
Turn = C
HET Nimble = 1
Acceleration = 10

I place the Confederation, in terms of Federation cruiser evolution, just before the start of the "Franz Joseph" style TOS fleet, maybe less than 5 years, as it is clearly a halfway house between the Baton Rouge and the Equinox, Horizon, Archon, Agincourt, Constitution, Achenar and Tikopai cruisers and heavy cruisers that followed.
 

[atheorhaven]

Looks good man.. did you follow the reference images and add those yellow triangles up top, or did you do away with them?

Also, are you releasing, or is it going to be a private build?

[Panzergranate]

Maybe I'll release it, though originally it is a private build. I've been preparing for a possible future LAN campaign for the Klingon - Federation 4 years war (2241 - 2245) that was mentioned by McCoy in relation to Sherman's Planet during TOS "The Trouble With Tribbles" episode.

We've already tried out skirmishes for this campaign and also the earlier Kzinti - Federation incursion dispute during the 2220's / 2230's.

I used a lot of parts and textures, form SFC 1, SFC 2 and SFC 3, from various modellers so the permissions and acknowledgements thing has to be sorted out.

The Constitution Class entered service in the closing stages or after the war had finished in 2245, possibly as a result of deficiencies and losses in existing Federation cruisers. The Franz Joseph style fleet dates from 2245, with modifications in 2265 (Constitution bridge and warp nachelles end caps).

So far I've modelled the Confederation, Equinox (pre Horizon conversion), Horizon, Mann and Avery (first launch and 1st upgrade) classes.

I need to possibly model the Hyperion Class. The 2nd hull is done but the saucer needs some consideration.

The which version of the Baton Rouge is debateable as when exactly did Star Fleet realise that a heavy cruiser capable of only Warp 4.8 would be better suited for conversion into a shuttle carrier??

Another project is the original pre-2245 Saladin Class destroyers, which should possibly resemble the Avery Class scout without the 2nd hull. Apparently it is possible that there were originally only 10 in the 1st production run.

I've also modelled the Kovaris (DD-460) class destroyer, which was based on the long serving Burke class frigate.
 
Most of the other required ships, expecially the Klingon fleet for 2241, has already been modeled by myself or a few of you guys out there.

[Panzergranate]

I need to modify the saucer textures a bit more. The yellow triangles I'm going to have as red, to match the Rich Sternbech Baton Rouge illustration and from which class the saucer is from. I've no idea why they're red on the kit model. The upper sensor dome should also be red. 

The model shown is just a proving model to try out in LAN games here. Better details will be added later but I have other projects in the slipways.

That's generally how things are done here.... a sort of OK but rough model is created so as to be available for some LAN skirmish or campaign, followed by a refined version later. As I'm the only person able to do the modelling, though my son did make a Centaur class destroyer 2 years ago, everybody just leaves it to me to do or convert from SFC 2 and SFC 3 into SFC 1, then whinges that it doesn't look precisely like the downloaded illustration, diagram or book straight away. They're still happy enough to fly them into battle though or shoot holes through them.

Yes, I'm not satisfied with the textures yet either.