Troop transports aren't made for comfor like some SUV. They are packed like sardines. And there's plenty of room in between those engines in that pic, just look at all those people in the background, they could all fit!

It does bother me that the TIE's top hatch was split in that model, but hopefully that's just a mock up and the real deal is more like that standard bomber/gt hull.

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.

I would argue that the V-Wing and the V-19 Torrent were both original and awesome.

That is an interesting opinion that is not shared by everyone

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.

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.

Make sure a 2m Diameter tube can fit up to the cockpit.

That's what she said...

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.

It's lazy because of how the TIE ball was simply cut in half and they added a cylinder between the two parts, leaving the hatch with half part in each edge.

The Tie Defender is also lazy cuz its the 3 Interceptor panels flipped and connected the Tie ball from behind. If it weren't for the fact that it's the most OP ship you get to pilot in one of the best SW PC games in the 90s no one would remember it. Seriously, take off those rose-tinted glasses.

I'd hazard to even say that the design of the Tie Striker looks elegant in comparison.

I never said the Defender wasn't a lazy design. Never said I liked it either. Heck, not only do I not own one, but I've even had the desire to even fly it .. On the tabletop, in a PC game or otherwise.

However ridiculous it is though, it fits within the design space of a member of the Imperial TIE Fighter family. Apart from the hexagonal cockpit, the Striker does not adhere to the recognisable design elements. It's a poorly conceived sausage fighting it's way through a serviette. A 5 year old could have drawn it with crayon prior to eating the actual crayon.

And it is the better of the 2. The egregiously geometric, polygonal monstrosity with the impractical wing span and zero appreciation for aerodynamics would actually look better if it was modelled on said crayon after travelling through the digestive track. Was it a cut and paste from the original Star Wars arcade game? No! Even those ships had more shape and character. To think someone got paid to design it honestly baffles me.

Look, I will concede that we're talking about taste .. and taste is a very subjective topic. So I will prefix my above statement by stating "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."

The thing about this image

GET SOME!

GET SOME!

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

Oh please, this is not a "Disney" thing. This is a "Hollywood Exec with a shiny new movie" thing. Any studio with a major blockbuster these days - especially a sci-fi/comic book movie - does merchandising. Don't make this a rage against Disney thing.

The franchise looks to be in better hands with Disney at the helm than it did under Lucas himself.

Ugh why did someone have to point out that they cut the hatch in half on the Striker? Cannot unsee!

Definitely liking the u-wing interior shots though.

Now that I think about it, with that elongated hull, I can totally see the TIE-Striker dropping para-troopers.

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

Oh please, this is not a "Disney" thing. This is a "Hollywood Exec with a shiny new movie" thing. Any studio with a major blockbuster these days - especially a sci-fi/comic book movie - does merchandising. Don't make this a rage against Disney thing.

The franchise looks to be in better hands with Disney at the helm than it did under Lucas himself.

I wasn't being serious.

I suspect in the actual film the striker won't have the sliced in half hatch, I just guess they used a regular tie model to make those ones for the display.

Now that I think about it, with that elongated hull, I can totally see the TIE-Striker dropping para-troopers.

What if those Stormtroopers with the black armour deploy from the elongated hull via zip line?

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.

That shot really does make me wonder if the Striker couldn't be a troop carrier. Its body is almost as long as the u-wing's.

Also makes me like both ships even more than I already did.

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"

TIE Fighters have repeatedly been described as having poor atmospheric agility, and X-Wings have an even greater advantage over them there. (TFA was like a bunch of biplanes getting torn up). New stuff also gives the movie the feeling that we are seeing a wider universe. Whereas in TFA complaints about Death Star III cut and paste were justified by X-Wings and TIE Fighters (the Y-Wings were dropped at some stage because it would have been a total cut-paste).

God **** cut and paste nonsense. re-designed ships that use the original concept art to try and suggest advanced tech while still being familiar is not copy pasta, it's careful design to try and annoy the least amount of people.

That's all anyone can ever hope for these days. Annoy the fewest amount of people.

The funny thing is the literally have cut and paste the original tie ball for the striker, just added a sausage in the middle.

You seem annoyed by people's annoyances...

I am Mel, I am.

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.

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.

Hi Mel - have you got any feel for how much it might be on Shapeways ? Is it comparable in volume/dimensions to any of your others ?

Cheers

It's between the Kimogila and the Chiss Clawcraft.

It's between the Kimogila and the Chiss Clawcraft.

I wish they'd offer reduced international shipping more often...doubles the price

So x-wing's first medium base ships?