BSC2025 Lost Egg's Protectorate Shuttle

[Lost Egg]

So I could hardly miss out on the comp given I suggested the Theme. Plans and whatnot to follow...

[has.been]

I look forward seeing all of that.

[AKULA]

I look forward seeing all of that.

I agree - should be a good one to watch 

[Lost Egg]

Thanks chaps.

Well here's a design I drew up a while ago...

Though the last day or so I've been tempted by other ideas 

[Ragnar]

Oo nice.

[Wirelizard]

That's a neat little design.

One of the issues with shuttles, dropships, and the like is that they can very quickly get Very Big and dominate the table. I'm considering a dropship/light cargo shuttle for my build this year and keep slamming into "too big for our usual 3x3 or 4x4 tables", which is also "too big to store/transport sanely"...

[snitcythedog]

which is also "too big to store/transport sanely...

Says the man who has a three meter long air ship!!   

[Lost Egg]

That's a neat little design.

One of the issues with shuttles, dropships, and the like is that they can very quickly get Very Big and dominate the table. I'm considering a dropship/light cargo shuttle for my build this year and keep slamming into "too big for our usual 3x3 or 4x4 tables", which is also "too big to store/transport sanely"...

It is a difficult sweetspot to find, a practical gaming size but also seemingly realistic enough to put minis in. The shuttle above fits on an A4 piece of paper and seems to work well...at least putting minis on it. I actually had to make it a bit bigger than it should be to accommodate the mini's bases.

Will have to snap a pic of some minis on it to give a sense of scale.

[anevilgiraffe]

Looks good. I feel I should recognise the Protectorate? What’s it from? Orville?

[Michi]

Great idea to make an airborne M113 APC! 

[Lost Egg]

Apologies, I've been trying to do a proper post all week but time has been short.

Looks good. I feel I should recognise the Protectorate? What’s it from? Orville?

Nope sorry, the short answer is they are a homebrew force from my own game-world (see my Classic Wargame thread, see sig, for more or read on for a slightly longer explanation).

Great idea to make an airborne M113 APC! 

Hopefully it'll look a little more sleek in the flesh... 

So in the Build Something Small Competition I built this...

Now, in my fluff for this project the building is actually built around a spaceship that's been buried, hence the vanes sticking out of the top of the roof, which acts as a safe house for food stores. These food stores are essentially tax / protection payment to The Seven; basically they are a technologically advanced civilisation that harbours / sets up low tech worlds to provide goods yet keep them in their place. So my plan for this comp was to build this...

But as I've never built a spaceship before I thought it best to go with something smaller. Now, the defenders / enforcers of The Seven are The Protectorate...

An elite force of brutally efficient killers soldiers and though they usually deploy via combat drop they do occasionally actually land their shuttles on the surface, mostly when acting as bodyguards to VIPs and tax collectors.

SO yeah, now we are back to the shuttle as shown above. Aside from the design I don't really have anything planned...just a hope that I can fudge my way through 

[Lost Egg]

Sadly, not much progress to report at the moment as Real Life is kinda kicking my arse at the moment. Hopefully tomorrow I can do a proper update / make some progress.

I will say that I've been rethinking things a bit, my plan was to make the shuttle with a removable roof and the rear ramp folds down so minis could actually go onboard. But, I'm now thinking that realistically I'm not going to actually do that as I normally glue down any doors etc on vehicles like the Mantic Hornet I built.

In my games it'll really just be used as a piece of terrain, something for my Protectorate Troops to deploy around or fight their way too. So I'm now thinking it'll be once piece and I'll likely even black out the windows to help give them a menacing look.

I have started a mock up in card to check sizing and try to work out the best order for construction. Hopefully I'll get some more done tomorrow.

[Wirelizard]

Moving parts and removable roofs make for a way more complicated build, can confirm!

Looking forward to having some competition in the shuttle/dropship/aerospace sub-category of BSC2025, best of luck. I've dropped out of or skipped far more BSCs than I've ever finished an entry for in my years on LAF, so totally get the real world interrupt problem!

[Lost Egg]

Thanks sir.

Right, some progress...sort of...



So I started a card mock up to check the sizing which I think works pretty well and to have something physical so I can try and formulate a plan on the best way to attack the project.

I've also been rummaging around looking for bits and bobs, tubes and whatnot. I also picked up a 1/72 kit of a rebel Star Wars skimmer from Empire Strikes Back (can't remember what they are called). Hopefully this weekend I can make a proper start...just need to find a piece of acrylic the right size.

We have a laser cutter at work that would be handy but I'm so snowed under with jobs I've yet to find the time to learn how to use it 

[Lost Egg]

Progress is a bit slow this week but it is chugging along...

The vanes that form the central horizontal of the shuttle are from 3mm acrylic (off cuts from work) and just need a bit more filing and scraping along the edges. I'll also need to etch on the layout for the walls to make sure they go in the right place.

I've also made a start on the top half of the structure which is now sanded to even. Next I think I'll probably continue with the structure of the top half then I can skin it up. I expect I'll get the whole structure done and skinned then I can panel and whatnot.

..........................................

I thought I'd just give a bit of a low down on the shuttle. I've got my own ruleset I've been working on and my loose setting is called...

The Worlds
Across countless dimensions of time and space there exist, The Worlds. These cradles of life are separated by distances beyond the ken of mortals and yet share many peoples in common. Some wield technologies of great power and can touch the stars, while others are driven by superstition and primitive stone tools.

Here's a bit about the method of space travel...

The Space Lanes
While some technologically advanced worlds live an isolated existence, most are linked by a naturally occurring network of worm holes referred to as the space lanes. The reach of the space lanes is immeasurably vast, connecting not only nearby stars but even different galaxies. While many routes are stable, some shift location at one or both ends, and others even vanish or appear without warning.

The limited breadth of most worm holes restricts ship size, with even the largest no bigger than a small sports field. Traversing the Space Lanes is no mean feat and even the most stable become unnavigable once used…some require a few hours to settle while others can be unusable for generations.

Though most people dwell within large settlements there are many who live a low-profile and nomadic life, exploiting an easily accessible resource before trading and moving onto the next location.

Here's a bit on the different classes of ships...

Spaceships
Before I look at the size and type of ships used across The Worlds it might be worth considering how they are used. With the entrances to the Space Lanes being in space, ships must be able to fly in both atmosphere and the void as well as through the Space Lanes themselves. Though some journeys will be short others may take days or even weeks and so requirements and loadouts vary.

I like the idea of 4 basic classes or sizes of ship though in reality there would be almost infinite variation. As with all things in the Space Lanes, versatility is key so many ships are designed as a basic shell that can then be completed as required for its final role. Indeed for each class of ship there would be multi-use as well as role specific ships.

•   Class 0: Atmospheric only craft, of any size

•   Class 1: 1 or 2 crew with up to 6 passengers or light cargo
      o   Light Space Craft The most common ship size, able to access all stable Space Lanes
      o   Shuttle Used for general transportation of goods & people
      o   Dropship Military Shuttle
      o   Interceptor 2 crew & operates at short range

•   Class 2: 4 crew with up to 40 passengers or medium cargo [Runabout]
      o   Medium Space Craft Able to access roughly 80% of the stable Space Lanes
      o   Transporter Passengers & / or cargo
      o   Patrol Ship
      o   Scout Ship Recon & Survey missions

•   Class 3: 6 crew with up to 120 passengers or heavy cargo
      o   Heavy Space Craft Can access roughly 20% of the stable Space Lanes
      o   Heavy Transporter Passengers & / or cargo
      o   Heavy Patrol Ship, inc. 1-2 Shuttles

The first and second classes of ships are the most common and especially favoured by raiders. An analogy I like for the Space Lanes is a metro system with planets being the stops but rather than each stop being a mile or less apart, the planets across the Space Lanes are separated by unfathomable distances. Who knows what terrors lurk in the void between these pockets of civilisation…or perhaps it’s just an endless, featureless desert, waiting to crush the soul of any who cannot face the existential dread of its existence.

With regards to the size of the shuttle I wanted it to be fairly 'realistic' so it's actually big enough to hold 2 crew and 6 Protectorate Troopers. Of course one day it'd be cool to build a class 2 ships as well...though I might have to stick with floor plans for that one.