Regarding this picture of the Hawk's Specs, I'm not seeing where the main storage compartment is located... This is supposed to be a freighter, right?

Maybe, but it still seems a bit small for a light freighter.

It's a courier, not a freighter.

Nice job on that. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're into a game like this, but its good to know you are. I spend a lot of time looking at those cut-away books from DK.

I also wonder if it can take a pod under the hull. It seems to arch up in such a way that it would protect one from oncoming debris.

But yeah it looks like a courier, rather than a freighter which would explain all the superior sensor suite. It's designed to spot trouble and avoid it more than take huge loads.

I feel like I should clarify: that cutaway painting is not official and shouldn't be used to argue whether or not the HWK-290 is 16 or 30 meters long. I'm the one who painted it and came up with the fluff, so it's all fan conjecture based on my own interpretation of the evidence. However, in my mind the evidence, such as it is, is pretty compelling toward a lower end spec for the length of the ship.

And the cargo space in my cutaway is both in the front of the cockpit next to the pilot and under the floor. It's accessible through a hatch in the floor and serves as a small "luggage bin" for the ship. I called it a "heavy fighter" because it made no sense as a freighter, being as small as it is, and because at the time I figured a courier wouldn't need permanent armament. But looking back on it the term "courier" would work better because both would be armed, but a courier would be ideal for a dropship for one Rebel agent because of the speed and maneuverability.

The paragraph I wrote on the ship's maneuverability was based on the large engine/hull size ratio and the fact that the wings seem to be gimbaled, with struts that move in and out to angle the thrust slightly for snap-turns. Besides that, Jan survived in a fight against two TIE Fighters and an Interceptor with no support whatsoever. Nothing as sluggish as the XWM interpretation of the HWK-290 in the game can hope to do that, but I'm not complaining.

I don't know where the idea of it being a freighter came from. Based on the games I'd consider it more a personal transport, maybe with an enhanced electronics suite or such.

One modelers version

I take NO credit for the work! I just wish I could build a model 1/2 as good

Oh god not this again.

I'm just really glad I didn't have to repeat the same thing again. But it's the right size, believe me . Falsehood has already said every reason they got it right.

Shoot that was one of the things he and I started talking about... What, a year ago?

Regardless, FFG did an excellent job with the scale, and it's very much the right scale with the games. Also, I've never seen how the hell this thing's a freighter.

Like who thought of that.

Well, this just shows that not everything from the EU makes sense.

I played Dark Forces and all the Jedi Knight games (actually I played many of the SW games from the good old days) and always liked the HWK-290.

I would consider myself quite a Star Wars fan, but not an expert. I like the EU (ever since I read the Thrawn trilogy) and therefore enjoy surfing through Wookiepedia on occasion. But I do ignore certain things from the EU if I find them silly.

Before X-Wing came out I noticed the entry of the HWK-290 on Wookiepedia. The term light freighter and the 29 meters length seemed rather odd to me straight away. Also the fact that the HWK-290 could carry more cargo than a YT-1300.

Even if the HWK-290 would be 29 meter, a sleek ship like that would never be able to carry more cargo compared to the YT-1300.

I actually played the first level of Dark Forces after reading that and since then have decided to simply ignore the EU there as it's obvioulsy wrong..

In my eyes FFG has nailed the HWK-290 perfectly.

I don't know who came up with the term light freighter, if that was LucasArts themselves or someone else.

But I would at best call it a very small light freighter. ;o)

Wizards of the Coast came up with the length and function of the HWK for their Dark Forces level pack (don't bother Googling it; none of the "levels" are anything like their DF counterparts). They needed to put in stats for the Moldy Crow, but they also needed it to be a good PC ship, so they turned it basically into a YT-1300 clone and tweaked the stats a little to make it unique.

One modelers version

I take NO credit for the work! I just wish I could build a model 1/2 as good

Mine's better

I actually turned that computer model into a paper model, which someone then decided to build:

Hah! Awesomesauce! Don't suppose the templates for that paper model are still floating around somewhere?

Hmm I drew an interior design for this ship, based off the length of the minature I got, but I need to adjust it since the back area is skinnier than what I drew.

@Millennium Falsehood:

Thanks a million for the info!

Millennium Falsehood

Mine's better

I actually turned that computer model into a paper model, which someone then decided to build:

Hah! Awesomesauce! Don't suppose the templates for that paper model are still floating around somewhere?

Well, they're available at www.zealot.com/forum and www.papermodelers.com in the downloads section, but in both cases they require you to have a minimum number of posts before you can download them.

Also, watch out for the Chinese pirated model kit. It's mine, but they claim it's theirs and charge $10 or so for it when the original is completely free. On a related note of hilarity, they chose my cutaway painting for the "cover art". I suppose I should be flattered that they decided both my model and my painting are awesome enough to pirate.

According to LFL the HWK-290 is ~16.5 meters long, the size FFG made the model (at scale). That's good enough for me.

Lol! That's actually my cutaway painting:

Exceptional maneuverability....

What a hideous little ship...

What a hideous little ship...

I completely disagree i love the HWK with the Red Stripes and the overhands on each side, sure it's dial sucks and only has 1 attack dice but with the right upgrades it's well worth it!

In any case, it was originally supposed to be about ~20 meters long. It got shrunk slightly in Jedi Knight, but contrary to what Mazz0 said, its size remains very consistent in the game, with the cockpit matching almost perfectly to what the size of the ship is supposed to be from shot to shot. There are three instances where you can determine the scale of the ship in JK from its proximity to Jan and Kyle, and they all imply a ship which is about 16 meters long or so.

Alright this does not explain the size confusion at all. The cutaway says the HWK-290 is a heavy fighter and only has room for two people while even the back of the box the mini comes in says that it is a light freighter. So how can a heavy fighter be more able to hide in plain sight than a light freighter.

So, I’m confused. On that cutaway image, it says “HWK-270”, but all the other posts in this thread talk about the HWK-290. What am I missing here? Seems to me like there could be two different ships with very similar designs, but maybe one is larger than the other?

Sci-fi writers have no sense of scale?

God I love this ship so much. Dark forces 2 was my jam. Why ffg? Why couldn't you have given it 2 attack and a better dial?

So, I’m confused. On that cutaway image, it says “HWK-270”, but all the other posts in this thread talk about the HWK-290. What am I missing here? Seems to me like there could be two different ships with very similar designs, but maybe one is larger than the other?

Considering that is a fan image, I'm going to go with a mistake.

The model is the moldy crow, not a standard HWK. Much like how the yt-1300 and the firespray-31 are models of the Millennium Falcon and Slave I, respectively.

In Dark Forces 1, there's at least one level where you can run around (and jump on? I can't remember exactly) the Moldy Crow. The thing's nose comes up to just over head height.

I always loved the design, but the cockpit just makes no sense. How do you see out of the thing when you fly?

In Dark Forces 1, there's at least one level where you can run around (and jump on? I can't remember exactly) the Moldy Crow. The thing's nose comes up to just over head height.

I always loved the design, but the cockpit just makes no sense. How do you see out of the thing when you fly?

If you read the image posted, it says that they used a 3d holograpic imaging system that you had to wear goggles (ever notice that Jan never goes any where with out hers?) to pilot the ship. It doesn't explain Kyle trying to fly it in DFII when it crashes but maybe that's why he crashed cause he was trying to see it from the side view port.

I always loved the design, but the cockpit just makes no sense. How do you see out of the thing when you fly?

Oculus Rift and some cameras?