Those designs just look really really lazy.

I love how people are calling the TIE Striker lazy and yet would be crying tears of joy if the TIE Defender was put on-screen.

It's an Imperial fighter, it's going to look like a TIE. It's actually one of the more unique-looking TIE variants from the movies too.

Except they only had four TIE Designs from the movies, six if you count the two re-hashes from TFA. I've seen better WIPs from the XvW/XWA modding designers than this. It's beyond lazy, it's hilariously fitting for that b-rated plot they chose to replace the Dark forces campaign.

When we're talking about the actual movies and not fan-mods for a nearly 20 year old game, these look perfectly fine and in-style with the Empire. Hell, when talking about the old EU, most Imperial fighters with only a few exceptions are similar "beyond lazy" TIE variants.

Explain to me why the Defender or Avenger are more original-looking ships than the Striker. Because they came from a game you enjoyed instead of a movie you haven't seen?

Clearly better because it came from a game we all enjoyed.

Not.

So x-wing's first medium base ships?

I highly doubt that will happen. Especially this late in the game. Expect overlap, or the U-wing will be a large ship.

So x-wing's first medium base ships?

I highly doubt that will happen. Especially this late in the game. Expect overlap, or the U-wing will be a large ship.

'Medium' based ships are all of the $20 expansions plus IG2000 and HWK.

I find it slightly funny, and oddly pleasing, that the door gun is clearly an M240 with some tubing over the fore of the barrel. Especially considering they'd be technically before the MG42 models in the timeline.

Regarding being a troop carrier, I think you could consider this something akin to an IFV; fits about 8 with full gear, door/top guns for general fighting and egress cover, some form of main gun with more punch. What size is a Bradley, and it's rolling around with 6 in the back, plus a 30mm Bushmaster up top. I don't see any reason this can't do the same.

It's also amusing that they're clearly going for an homage to the "Get some!" guy from Full Metal Jacket with that shot.

As I've said earlier, I think the U-Wing is best compared to a UH-1 'Huey'. It's designed to get troops to a combat zone; lay down some covering fire for them, and get out. It's not meant to be in the fight. It's as utilitarian as it gets.

That's a much better comparison, actually. A Huey or even a Blackhawk; door guns, troop capacity. That looks to be exactly what they're going for.

Clearly a close homage, as that's an M60 as the door gun in both pictures...

In my opinion .. these 2 ships are of thoughtless design and not burdened with an overabundance of creativity, inspiration or desire to see any more screen/game time than the bare minimum necessary to progress the plot

Well in your opinion they look rubbish.

But it's very unfair of you to say they were lazy and thoughtless just because you don't like them really. Lazy would have been to just use regular tie fighters and I think a lot of people would have preferred it.

Where did I say they look rubbish? I never said that at all. I said that the design was lazy and uninspired. I also provided the rationale behind this statement.

You could argue that I think they're rubbish because I feel that the design lacks any creativity or imagination. but not the other way round. Please don't call me unfair based on your altering of my rambling's architecture.

Yes, I agree. Many people would have preferred to see regular TIEs. Not because of the design or a fear of change/unknown ... but because we see nothing of these new TIEs in the OT. Whilst not impossible, it seems improbable that the Empire disposed of these ships and replaced their fleet with regular TIEs in the time between R1 and ANH, It challenges our notion of continuity.

I will admit however, that this concern is based on assumptions and conjecture. R1 may explain their disappearance.

In my opinion .. these 2 ships are of thoughtless design and not burdened with an overabundance of creativity, inspiration or desire to see any more screen/game time than the bare minimum necessary to progress the plot

Well in your opinion they look rubbish.

But it's very unfair of you to say they were lazy and thoughtless just because you don't like them really. Lazy would have been to just use regular tie fighters and I think a lot of people would have preferred it.

Where did I say they look rubbish? I never said that at all. I said that the design was lazy and uninspired. I also provided the rationale behind this statement.

You could argue that I think they're rubbish because I feel that the design lacks any creativity or imagination. but not the other way round. Please don't call me unfair based on your altering of my rambling's architecture.

Yes, I agree. Many people would have preferred to see regular TIEs. Not because of the design or a fear of change/unknown ... but because we see nothing of these new TIEs in the OT. Whilst not impossible, it seems improbable that the Empire disposed of these ships and replaced their fleet with regular TIEs in the time between R1 and ANH, It challenges our notion of continuity.

I will admit however, that this concern is based on assumptions and conjecture. R1 may explain their disappearance.

When they filmed World Wars: The Japanese Empire Strikes Back, fans were annoyed that the Hellcats and Helldivers they saw in the Pacific battle scenes were never shown in any of the battle scenes over Germany in the previous movies.

In my opinion .. these 2 ships are of thoughtless design and not burdened with an overabundance of creativity, inspiration or desire to see any more screen/game time than the bare minimum necessary to progress the plot

Well in your opinion they look rubbish.

But it's very unfair of you to say they were lazy and thoughtless just because you don't like them really. Lazy would have been to just use regular tie fighters and I think a lot of people would have preferred it.

Where did I say they look rubbish? I never said that at all. I said that the design was lazy and uninspired. I also provided the rationale behind this statement.

You could argue that I think they're rubbish because I feel that the design lacks any creativity or imagination. but not the other way round. Please don't call me unfair based on your altering of my rambling's architecture.

Yes, I agree. Many people would have preferred to see regular TIEs. Not because of the design or a fear of change/unknown ... but because we see nothing of these new TIEs in the OT. Whilst not impossible, it seems improbable that the Empire disposed of these ships and replaced their fleet with regular TIEs in the time between R1 and ANH, It challenges our notion of continuity.

I will admit however, that this concern is based on assumptions and conjecture. R1 may explain their disappearance.

I just sort of assume that the empire is staggeringly vast and not nearly as uniform as we generally assume.

We only see Vader's fleet in the original trilogy. We see almost nothing of any part of the empire itself, the action all takes place around the rebels' hideout worlds or the Empire's secret trap base.

Could be that strikers are everywhere in the wider empire and Vader just doesn't like them. COuld be that they're primarily atmospheric and therefore not in the OT which is primarily in space.

Could just be that Krennic likes them, or commissioned them specially.

Whether or not you like the design, it's trivial to find a fluff justification for them if you take 30 seconds to think about it instead of just damning them.

This shot isn't in a U-wing is it?

No, doesn't look like it. Something bigger and open at the back. Not sure there are anycurrent ships I'm aware of that fit.

No, doesn't look like it. Something bigger and open at the back. Not sure there are anycurrent ships I'm aware of that fit.

Maybe it's the imperial shuttle.

This shot isn't in a U-wing is it?

Is that a CH-47 Chinook? Maybe a deal with Incom fell through and the rebels had to contract with Boeing? Nobody could have seen that plot twist coming!

So x-wing's first medium base ships?

Comes with bonus Punisher and K wing errata.

Pretty sure a chinook is narrower than that.

It would be amusing if it was just a shot of the cast getting bussed around in a helicopter t the next shoot rather than a shot of an in-story ship.

The Striker has a really interesting role as a primarily atmosphere fighter that was entirely dedicated to the active area around the Death Star and it's place of Developement. With that in mind, I am honestly not surprised we never saw it in action in ANH due to the Ship probably never went into production for the Death Star's fleet requirements and instead was just on security detail for it's place of origin. Further more, if the available Strikes were dealing with a Rebel assault to steal the Death Star plans, it means not soon after the Death Star itself jumps out of the system to where ever they pick up Leia post capture, which means it probably left while the security detail was occupied or had to still be on alert.

The Uwing is a troop carrier it seems and anti-ground assault vehicle. There was no need for either of those in ANH, it was too cold for it in Empire, and ROTJ could have used it but instead they hid in an Imperial Shuttle.

So they all really fit into the world, The Striker is as creative as these



But actually more so for most because it made a new Cockpit area instead of just taking the Eyeball and sticking an array of new wings or more eyeballs to it.
Thing is, I love all those ships, and I love the Striker. Why? Because they're Star Wars. Imperials in Star Wars are uniform, they are recognizable, they have a feel and look that you know the second you see one of their weapons. So yes, they will look the same...

That's the point.

What in the galaxy is that monstrosity on the far right of the bottom row? O_o

Pretty sure a chinook is narrower than that.

It would be amusing if it was just a shot of the cast getting bussed around in a helicopter t the next shoot rather than a shot of an in-story ship.

Yeah, I just wish we could take a break from the boring, old, formulaic stories about secret plans and rebel espionage. I mean, the prequels made a valiant effort with their extended discussions of trade negotiations, but it's high time for a movie that focuses on military acquisition and regular oversight to ensure that defense contractors are adhering to the clauses and standards specified in their contracts! Will Incom's new armor treatment process be found to be in noncompliance, or will they successfully file a request for variance? The tension is unbearable!

This shot isn't in a U-wing is it?

No, it's some chick taking the subway from the Bronx into Manhattan.

So x-wing's first medium base ships?

I wish!

(but they lost that opportunity a while ago...)

In my opinion .. these 2 ships are of thoughtless design and not burdened with an overabundance of creativity, inspiration or desire to see any more screen/game time than the bare minimum necessary to progress the plot

Well in your opinion they look rubbish.

But it's very unfair of you to say they were lazy and thoughtless just because you don't like them really. Lazy would have been to just use regular tie fighters and I think a lot of people would have preferred it.

I suppose new ships and therefore new merchandise are mandated by "THE MOUSE"

I'm always amused that people want to attribute merchandising desires to be the result of Disney acquiring Lucasfilm, when merchandising of Star Wars began in 1977. Spaceballs made fun of all the merchandising in 1987. There was a toy made of a guy running around in the background on Cloud City with an ice cream maker in his hands, and that was made prior to Disney acquiring Lucasfilm. Yet I frequently see any decisions made by Lucasfilm that might point towards a desire for more merchandising opportunities credited to "the mouse" around here. I highly doubt Disney has asked Lucasfilm to change anything they are doing with regards to merchandising. If anything, they've been asking for advice!

The thing about this image

Is that this little creature (lets say he is 1.50m) is taller than the window. And by the shape of the ceiling you can tell that compartment is not the belly of the U-Wing, is the entire interior of the U-Wing. So probably behind the camera there is a seat for a pilot and that's it. So it's a tight space unlike the Concept Art.

Maybe mine is a bit small, but it is close to what it should be.

IDK who made that model (was it you?) but that is not even close to the right size.

Don't worry, there is enough space.

Point and case.

I dunno why so many are talkin about the U-Wing like it's tiny. It's got a big cockpit. Got an even bigger belly.

I dont know what you are talking about, my 3D model fits that interior quite OK. Its more similar to the size of the ship than the Concept art version. In that version you could see humans inside the ship through the window. In both my model and the interior shots you can see that the window is much smaller.

With absolutely all due respect, Mel I think you're in the wrong here.

The U-Wing is a two seater vehicle in the cockpit. Yours is scale off of the assumption that its cockpit, like-and-scaled-like-a Y-Wing, is for one. But this is now demonstrably wrong. No, you couldn't have known that before. But look at the headrests on those seats, yeah? Identical bits.

For consistency you ought to consider buffing up the U-Wing about 50-65%.

Make sure a 2m Diameter tube can fit up to the cockpit. That's how it should be scaled.

I re-scaled it considering the crash shot and indeed, I resized it 50% to fit. Doing that now it could fit two pilots in the cockpit and the interior of the ship looks more like the ones in the pictures (I have now made the ship with the doors open, so you are able to see the interior).

Luckily I brought the raw files to Ireland so I could easily fix it. So I retouched some details to fit the larger size and this is the final result:

It is still a small stand ship, but a very long one.

Mm, big and beefy! Nice job Mel.

Pardon if I was coarse at all.

In my opinion .. these 2 ships are of thoughtless design and not burdened with an overabundance of creativity, inspiration or desire to see any more screen/game time than the bare minimum necessary to progress the plot

Well in your opinion they look rubbish.

But it's very unfair of you to say they were lazy and thoughtless just because you don't like them really. Lazy would have been to just use regular tie fighters and I think a lot of people would have preferred it.

I suppose new ships and therefore new merchandise are mandated by "THE MOUSE"

I'm always amused that people want to attribute merchandising desires to be the result of Disney acquiring Lucasfilm, when merchandising of Star Wars began in 1977. Spaceballs made fun of all the merchandising in 1987. There was a toy made of a guy running around in the background on Cloud City with an ice cream maker in his hands, and that was made prior to Disney acquiring Lucasfilm. Yet I frequently see any decisions made by Lucasfilm that might point towards a desire for more merchandising opportunities credited to "the mouse" around here. I highly doubt Disney has asked Lucasfilm to change anything they are doing with regards to merchandising. If anything, they've been asking for advice!

I doubt Disney needs any advice on merchandising (they've been practicing since "Snow White" after all!), but I agree with your larger point. From changing outfits slightly to justify a new action figure to adding gratuitous action sequences just so they can be included in the "based-on-the-movie" video game, every major IP is doing some amount of merchandising! (I'm still waiting on Spaceballs: The Flamethrower, though...)

Mm, big and beefy! Nice job Mel.

Pardon if I was coarse at all.

Not at all. You were right and actually re-reading myself I feel like I was the one being too defensive

It is still a small stand ship, but a very long one.

I'd say long ships, more than wide ships, are the ones likely to make the jump to Large. The K-Wing and ARC are not longer than the longest other fighter ships - but they're very wide - so they're small. The Aggressor is not particularly wide - but it's just a little too long to be on a small base. The U-wing I'd say fits the Aggressor more than it would the K-Wing.

Mm, big and beefy! Nice job Mel.

Pardon if I was coarse at all.

Not at all. You were right and actually re-reading myself I feel like I was the one being too defensive

I always do my absolute best to ensure I know the right size of things. It's a force of habit as a fan of the HWK-290, and the egregious, long running mistake Wook still makes to this day despite numerous counter-sources to their now no-longer-canon sources.