creating a thread here, since it seems like it would fit better here than in the armada forums

From the re cent poe Dameron comic, Poe Dameron 23: Legend Found, Part IV. the scene is on Cato Nemodia in 34 ABY. (so about one year before the events of TFA/TLJ)

check out the lower right corner.

I know every ship has fans, but even an E-wing fan has to admit the gun over the cockpit is one of the worst design features on any Star Wars ship, canon or not.

1 hour ago, jmswood said:

I know every ship has fans, but even an E-wing fan has to admit the gun over the cockpit is one of the worst design features on any Star Wars ship, canon or not.

The cannon can work if it's implemented properly. Most takes on it don't. The BEST way would be to forgo the hinge altogether, and have the canopy open by sliding forward. And before anyone says anything about visibility, the E-wing is HARDLY unusual in that regard. The X-wing and Y-wing have HORRIBLE views out of the cockpit; If you set the pilot's POV correctly, the X-wing would be very hard to see over the nose, while the Y-wing just has horrendous views in general. ****, TIE-series craft would have almost no visibility that wasn't straight ahead.

My E-wing has a much heavier cannon than the EGVV design, and this is what its forward view looks like:

So while there is obstruction, it's not nearly as bad as it may look (and this is with a relatively small FOV set). Factoring in advanced display systems (imagine a helmet-mounted HUD that can superimpose the target craft from sensor data over obstructions) and many of those visibility issues become much less significant, anyway.

Also, ugh, it looks like they're using the EGVV design.

@Ambaryerno I wasn’t talking about visibility for the pilot. It doesn’t matter if the gun hinges, or the canopy slides forward. It’s space phantasy. It doesn’t have to make sense from an engineering perspective, but it should be aesthetically pleasing. It looks stupid, plain and simple.

Once again, I think it depends on the design. The EGVV? Not in the least. In fact the cannon all around are too small. They should have started with something heavier, like the X-wing's guns. I think making the cannon more substantial (as in my design) goes a long way towards improving the aesthetics.

What I like about it is that it looks like they had a design, realized it was undergunned, and tried to find anywhere they could to fit another weapon, kind of like the heavily-modified bombers in WWII where extra machine guns or even cannon were strapped on anywhere they could find room. (the B-25G with its pumpkin chucker is a great example. That airframe wasn't DESIGNED to mount a 75mm howitzer, but they sure as **** put one on there anyway). An underslung cannon would in many ways cause MORE problems (and wouldn't look any better) and IMO overloading guns on the wings throws off the aesthetics even worse.

I simply love E Wings. One of the few examples in SWs ship design that show us new logical developments.

X Wing's firepower plus A Wing's speed. Advanced starfighters won the New Republic, so in dangerous times a new design to outmaneuver the enemy. Too expensive in X Wing TMG but simply add some bonus free upgrades and ... Welcome F 22

R7 interface, per example. Or E Wing mk2.

12 hours ago, jmswood said:

I know every ship has fans, but even an E-wing fan has to admit the gun over the cockpit is one of the worst design features on any Star Wars ship, canon or not.

No, I actually like the third cannon where it's at. I would have preferred it a tad bit shorter than usually portrayed, but I don't really see it as a problem. No worse of an issue than many other SW starfighters in terms of obstructing sight, and it fits right in with the sleek appearance of the fighter.

5 hours ago, Hexdot said:

Welcome F 22

The F22 is a good real life comparison for the E-wing in X-wing miniatures. Too expensive to practical. Plagued with flaws. Missing key features that would make it survivable, reliable and iconic. Pilots refuse to fly it. The only thing that doesn’t match between the F22 and E-wing is aesthetics.

1 hour ago, Alpha17 said:

No, I actually like the third cannon where it's at. I would have preferred it a tad bit shorter than usually portrayed, but I don't really see it as a problem. No worse of an issue than many other SW starfighters in terms of obstructing sight, and it fits right in with the sleek appearance of the fighter.

You and I have very different ideas of what this word means.

Sleek: (of an object) having an elegant, streamlined shape or design.

10 hours ago, Ambaryerno said:

What I like about it is that it looks like they had a design, realized it was undergunned, and tried to find anywhere they could to fit another weapon... An underslung cannon would in many ways cause MORE problems (and wouldn't look any better) and IMO overloading guns on the wings throws off the aesthetics even worse.

But they could have mounted more guns on either side of the fuselage without any of the problems you suggest, and without making the ship look like a mechanical unicorn.

I really do like the E-wing. The A+X=E design philosophy is an excellent starting point thematically. In X-wing Miniatures, some of my best games were with and against Corran. I wish the ship didn’t have a phallic protrusion that totally spoils the appearance. Putting the E-wing in a comic without doing something about the elongated brain tumor was a missed opportunity.

1 hour ago, jmswood said:

The F22 is a good real life comparison for the E-wing in X-wing miniatures. Too expensive to practical. Plagued with flaws. Missing key features that would make it survivable, reliable and iconic. Pilots refuse to fly it. The only thing that doesn’t match between the F22 and E-wing is aesthetics.

You and I have very different ideas of what this word means.

Sleek: (of an object) having an elegant, streamlined shape or design.

But they could have mounted more guns on either side of the fuselage without any of the problems you suggest, and without making the ship look like a mechanical unicorn.

I really do like the E-wing. The A+X=E design philosophy is an excellent starting point thematically. In X-wing Miniatures, some of my best games were with and against Corran. I wish the ship didn’t have a phallic protrusion that totally spoils the appearance. Putting the E-wing in a comic without doing something about the elongated brain tumor was a missed opportunity.

Personally, I like the third cannon, and the E-wing design in general. But that’s just me.

11 hours ago, jmswood said:

You and I have very different ideas of what this word means.

Sleek: (of an object) having an elegant, streamlined shape or design.

Nope, that's a good definition, I think the E-Wing is elegant and very streamlined. Cannons will almost always be protrusions, but the E-Wing design does a good job of making them fit without breaking the overall aesthetic. But that's just my opinion.

I guess what I'm hearing is that the E-Wing was recanonized when it should have been... re-cannon-ized...

On 1/27/2018 at 8:12 AM, jmswood said:

The F22 is a good real life comparison for the E-wing in X-wing miniatures. 1.) Too expensive to practical. 2.) Plagued with flaws. 3.) Missing key features that would make it survivable, reliable and iconic. 4.) Pilots refuse to fly it. The only thing that doesn’t match between the F22 and E-wing is aesthetics.

You and I have very different ideas of what this word means.

Sleek: (of an object) having an elegant, streamlined shape or design.

But they could have mounted more guns on either side of the fuselage without any of the problems you suggest, and without making the ship look like a mechanical unicorn.

I really do like the E-wing. The A+X=E design philosophy is an excellent starting point thematically. In X-wing Miniatures, some of my best games were with and against Corran. I wish the ship didn’t have a phallic protrusion that totally spoils the appearance. Putting the E-wing in a comic without doing something about the elongated brain tumor was a missed opportunity.

Concerning the F-22, not the E-wing

1. Designed with a Cold War mission in mind, I'd argue even if it was cheaper, it wouldn't be all that practical in today's world.
2. That sounds more like the F-35. The oxygen system of the F-22 comes to mind, but the F-35 is the one that can't seem to catch a break.
3. What key features do you mean? It sure seems reliable and iconic from my perspective. Though I may be biased: I am an Air Force Veteran.
4. For a little while, the oxygen system was a big concern. I don't have reason to believe that is still the case.

As for the E-wing

1. Agreed. Needs a fix similar to the pair of titles that the Defender got: 1 offensive boost, and another defensive. (In-universe, each E-wing costs 160,000 credits. Compare to the A-wing at 175K and T-65B X-Wing at 150K.)
2. The E-Wing doesn't seem plagued with flaws. It has most of the advantages of the X-wing and the A-wing in one package; it's just too expensive. (In-universe it was designed to maximize the advantages of both parent ships, and minimize those flaws)
3. No argument for gameplay (I'll argue the opposite from an in-universe perspective.)
4. Poor comparison to the F-22: The E-Wing doesn't see the table only due to cost. (And in-universe, plenty of Pilots liked and flew E-wings.)

On 1/26/2018 at 7:37 PM, mithril2098 said:

check out the lower right corner.

Fitting as the E Wing got their start in comic books as well.

On ‎30‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 2:03 AM, Kieransi said:

I guess what I'm hearing is that the E-Wing was recanonized when it should have been... re-cannon-ized...

Good job LEGO Star Wars isn't canon. It would have thrown the entire tech timeline into disarray.

5 hours ago, FTS Gecko said:

Good job LEGO Star Wars isn't canon. It would have thrown the entire tech timeline into disarray.

But game-balance-wise, would it fix the E-Wing to gain a turret slot?

14 hours ago, Kieransi said:

But game-balance-wise, would it fix the E-Wing to gain a turret slot?

Maybe title, add a free ion cannon (nothing else needs a turret) and do a tie d type double tap (ps7 and under though) could be free/cheap cheap

Time to homebrew something

On 27/01/2018 at 1:05 PM, jmswood said:

... canon or not.

I see what you did there! Nice one!

On 2/11/2018 at 5:24 AM, FTS Gecko said:

Good job LEGO Star Wars isn't canon. It would have thrown the entire tech timeline into disarray.

I'm sad I missed out on this set.

Considering THIS is also an E Wing:

then I'm completely baffled as to why X Wing chose the Mk I for their game, and why if they were looking for a ship to recanonise in the comics, they ignored the Mk II.

I mean, the Mk II gets everything right that the Mk I gets wrong. It's actually sleek, cool looking, a more modern interpretation of the X Wing. And while they could have taken that goofy head cannon and made it an underslung nose cannon, at least in the Mk II it's not so glaringly awkward!

7 hours ago, Chucknuckle said:

Considering THIS is also an E Wing:

then I'm completely baffled as to why X Wing chose the Mk I for their game, and why if they were looking for a ship to recanonise in the comics, they ignored the Mk II.

I mean, the Mk II gets everything right that the Mk I gets wrong. It's actually sleek, cool looking, a more modern interpretation of the X Wing. And while they could have taken that goofy head cannon and made it an underslung nose cannon, at least in the Mk II it's not so glaringly awkward!

Probably because there is no "canon" precedent for that model.

That version isn't bad, but something is definitely "off" on it for me. The lack of a nose cone looks bad (to me), but that's not the only thing that makes it look off. Don't know why.

Looks like it's a build of the Fate of the Galaxy 3D model. I really like the design; very sleek and aggressive, and I used it as part one of my influences on the T-95.

I could actually see giving the E-wing a cannon slot. White Leader ordered his pilots to "arm turbos and ion cannons" in Dark Empire, suggesting it WAS supposed to be equipped with an ion cannon.

12 hours ago, Ambaryerno said:

I could actually see giving the E-wing a cannon slot. White Leader ordered his pilots to "arm turbos and ion cannons" in Dark Empire, suggesting it WAS supposed to be equipped with an ion cannon.

Have we ever seen a starfighter with a turbolasers though? Aren't those primarily capital ship weapons? Ion cannons are far, far more plausible, but I'd still chalk that line up to the oddity that is Dark Empire.

The TIE Bizzarro, I believe.