Now that I've finally seen the Imperial Raider next to the Blockade Runner, I don't know if the Raider fits in.

I do like the model and I'm stoked it's here, but does it seem like it's part of the original Trilogy era?

It's almost too sleek. Too polished. Maybe something from the new trilogy sequels?

Thoughts?

Of course it's new the empire provides it's navy only the very finest the tax payers demand no less, unlike the terrorist elements in our society who make do with relics of the past our brave men and women use only the finest warships!

Newquel? You mean sequel? And no, the Corvette is just older while the glorious defenders of order have been provided with spanking new shinies.

To the OP: I don't really like it either, no. Which is funny, as all the other stuff folks complain about as "looking not-Star-Wars" (like the Starviper) I've so far liked. But, yeah, this looks "not Star Wars" to me. It's too...flat. Doesn't have that 'practical' design aesthetic that most Star Wars goes with, where things look like they have a sensible layout.

Keeping the packaging for this one, a I rather suspect it's going to be going back in the box when the Gozanti comes out, to make room for a pair of those on the shelf.

(FWIW, the Decimator has the same problem, to me. So much on it that exists for no more obvious reason than 'because it looks cool that way'. It just doesn't make sense from a utility perspective.)

Looking at the model up close, I feel like it captures the old aesthetics perfectly well. Especially the underside: the main engine looks as though it was lifted right off of a scrapped ISD. The greebles are perfectly Imperial. And the launcher hard points almost look like WED-15's head. Too, the giant solar panels evoke a Tie INT vibe.

I might like a little bit more of a pylon on my Imperial capital ship's bridge, a few more bulbous protrusions, but I think it looks of a piece with the OT ships of the line.

Whole lotta talk here about the Empire spending money provided by overtaxed citizens to buy new ships to replace ones that more than met the required specs. Waste at it's finest. I think we see who the real traitors are.

not to sound overly against the OP, but

there is literally no such thing as "newquel"

we're out of OT material, everything's a "newquel" relative to that

(though the raider itself is billed anti-squadron capital ship that was developed post-Endor, when they finally realized "oh wait, FIGHTERS did that to us!?" even though they should've known from Yavin)

not to sound overly against the OP, but

there is literally no such thing as "newquel"

we're out of OT material, everything's a "newquel" relative to that

(though the raider itself is billed anti-squadron capital ship that was developed post-Endor, when they finally realized "oh wait, FIGHTERS did that to us!?" even though they should've known from Yavin)

Yavin was just a lucky shot.

It's kind of like how the US is still struggling with, "oh, wait, UNREGULATED CORPORATIONS did that to us?!" even though we should have known before 2008.

Actually is say something from before. The quality of the bulk of imperial ships went down with time, not up.

It fits the Imperial aesthetic quite well I think. Fitting for an Imperial ship.

Would I rather have a Custom Corvette?

YES

Didn't I say I hated the Raider?

YES

Then came some art for it and it didn't look quite so flat and I thought ok, it isn't as bad as I thought.

Did I want to buy one?

NO

But I was hoping to see images of it in the flesh, just to be sure.

But after Crabbok showed a video of it I have to say it looks great and looks Imperial. I'd still prefer for FFG to create an actual "existing in canon" huge ship to fulfill the Corvette role, like the Custom Corvette, but for now this will do.

It's kind of like how the US is still struggling with, "oh, wait, UNREGULATED CORPORATIONS did that to us?!" even though we should have known before 2008.

remove all the rules and the companies will make everything all right!

Empire always provides new ships because there is never anything left of them after Rebels destroy them.

Empire always provides new ships because there is never anything left of them after Rebels destroy them.

Or, you know, technological advances coupled with overall strategy reorganization.

not to sound overly against the OP, but

there is literally no such thing as "newquel"

we're out of OT material, everything's a "newquel" relative to that

(though the raider itself is billed anti-squadron capital ship that was developed post-Endor, when they finally realized "oh wait, FIGHTERS did that to us!?" even though they should've known from Yavin)

Yavin was just a lucky shot.

Veteran pilots before the mission were quoted about how impossible the shot was.

not to sound overly against the OP, but

there is literally no such thing as "newquel"

we're out of OT material, everything's a "newquel" relative to that

(though the raider itself is billed anti-squadron capital ship that was developed post-Endor, when they finally realized "oh wait, FIGHTERS did that to us!?" even though they should've known from Yavin)

Yavin was just a lucky shot.

An inside job. YouTube Lukes Change.

Veteran pilots before the mission were quoted about how impossible the shot was.

Proton Torpedoes can't navigate Exhaust Shafts

(FWIW, the Decimator has the same problem, to me. So much on it that exists for no more obvious reason than 'because it looks cool that way'. It just doesn't make sense from a utility perspective.)

The empire doesn't seem to care for practical. Their fighters have the most limited LOS of anything ever. Literally every other fighter craft in the movies have way more practical canopies than the TIEs.

(FWIW, the Decimator has the same problem, to me. So much on it that exists for no more obvious reason than 'because it looks cool that way'. It just doesn't make sense from a utility perspective.)

The empire doesn't seem to care for practical. Their fighters have the most limited LOS of anything ever. Literally every other fighter craft in the movies have way more practical canopies than the TIEs.

Why do you need to see to the sides? The enemy is right in front of you! No, you don't need to check to see if the rest of us are coming with you, just...fly right at the enemy and shoot them. Don't worry, we're right here. Behind you. Or beside your. Or whatever - enemy is that way, go shoot them and quit asking questions.

(FWIW, the Decimator has the same problem, to me. So much on it that exists for no more obvious reason than 'because it looks cool that way'. It just doesn't make sense from a utility perspective.)

The empire doesn't seem to care for practical. Their fighters have the most limited LOS of anything ever. Literally every other fighter craft in the movies have way more practical canopies than the TIEs.

HaHa,

Canopies on ships that fly well faster than escape velocity of Earth and cover 10s of not 100s of thousands of miles all to visually see and shoot something 12 & 1/2 meters? Canopies are cool looking and gives us something to relate to. Maybe it's just for docking, landing and pin point shooting if you're targeting computer is mysteriously turned off.

Otherwise 'practical canopies for space fighter combat' seems more like an oxymoron.

Empire always provides new ships because there is never anything left of them after Rebels destroy them.

Or, you know, technological advances coupled with overall strategy reorganization.

If all my ships kept getting destroyed I'd overall reorganize my strategy too.

Now that I've finally seen the Imperial Raider next to the Blockade Runner, I don't know if the Raider fits in.

I do like the model and I'm stoked it's here, but does it seem like it's part of the original Trilogy era?

It's almost too sleek. Too polished. Maybe something from the new trilogy sequels?

Thoughts?

After seeing the model I am convinced that this ship was in the original trilogy, it was merely off camera.

I don't have a copy of the Raider in my hands yet, so I can't comment directly until Monday. But!

The pictures of it seem just about right for something on that scale. I have a general sense that the bits and the bops are either smoothed away, because there's zero room for inefficiency. Even the engines are oversized, as they provide a margin of error.

A Star Destroyer? It is _all_ margin for error. It's very size and inefficiency is a statement that the Empire doesn't _have_ to care. It will crush you with overwhelming overwhemingness just to get the job done.

Tangentilly related: I very much hope that the Raider is added to the Star Wars mod for Sins of a Solar Empire. I think it would fit as one of the small corvettes.

OLD AND BUSTED v NEW HOTNESS.