Detailed Thunder Fighter Project

[Rhaven Blaack]

Originally Posted by CrimsonLine

Rhaven, a comment about the pilot, if I may? The Buck Rogers TV show had TWO elements that made it worth watching. One was the Starfighter, which whenever it was on the screen had me riveted with attention, and the other was Wilma Deering, who... yeah, the same. If you're going to make a pilot, shouldn't it be Wilma?

And then, shouldn't you slip me a copy of the build file?

Actually, I did make (more like repaint) BRTC25 figurines (both male and female)for the Thunder Fighter. You can find them here:
TCF Gaming :: Home
Here is a build thread showing how I went about making them:
Repainting Tiricks' figurines

If you do build one (or more) of these figurines, please post a build thread. I would really like to see how it turns out.

GOOD LUCK WITH IT!!!

[Revell-Fan]

Great render, CL!

As for Buck as a pilot: I was always wondering HOW he was able to fly a TF so shortly after he was revived! OK, he was a 20th Century Air Force captain, but that would surely not qualify him to operate a sophisticated 25th Century spacecraft!

[CrimsonLine]

Thanks for the pointer to the pilots, Rhaven! I can tell I need to spend more time browsing Tiricks' site! Looks like a great place! I have downloaded the pilot file, and will make one when I start my next Thunderfighter, with the cockpit.

Thanks, Revell! Buck was just a fighter pilot genius! Or something like that.

[luke strawwalker]

Originally Posted by CrimsonLine

Thanks for the pointer to the pilots, Rhaven! I can tell I need to spend more time browsing Tiricks' site! Looks like a great place! I have downloaded the pilot file, and will make one when I start my next Thunderfighter, with the cockpit.

Thanks, Revell! Buck was just a fighter pilot genius! Or something like that.

Well, considering how he outflew and shot down seven Draconian Marauders in his first space dogfight engagement, its apparent that folks in the 25th century really didn't have much knowledge or capability of "dogfighting"... the Draconians had "manual control" of their spacecraft and could outfly the computer-controlled Defense Directorate spacecraft at every turn-- apparently the EDD computers controlling the fighters were programmed in such a way as to be completely predictable. But even the "smarter and better trained" Draconian pilots weren't prepared for old-fashioned 20th century dogfighting techniques, since Buck flew circles around them.

Course, one has to wonder-- if they had computer controlled starfighters in the 25th century, WHY would you want a human aboard ANYWAY?? Granted, in 1979, the idea of modern-day UCAV computer controlled unmanned combat aircraft was too "Sci-fi" to even contemplate... (my how we've pushed back the frontiers of the possible in the past 35 years!) In fact the big advantages to UCAV's is in eliminating the human being from the aircraft entirely-- no heavy ejection seat or oxygen system, pressurization systems, no need for extensive armor, greater aerodynamics since a massive streamlined canopy is not needed to provide pilot visibility, and the additional room and mass freed up in the aircraft design by not having all these "human support" equipment aboard frees up that space and mass to be used for additional fuel or munitions or sensor systems and such... Plus, most aircraft are strong enough to survive flight forces far exceeding the human endurance capabilities of their pilots, so it would be pointless to strengthen them further... without a pilot aboard, however, it's possible to design the aircraft to perform maneuvers with g-forces far in excess of what a human could sustain and continue to operate, or even survive in some cases...

One would think 500 years hence (or thereabouts) they would have invented computers that could "out-think" humans... it's quite likely in the next 20-40 years we'll see computers that can FAR exceed human capabilities, and indeed will have true artificial intelligence. That being the case, one can only imagine what would occur 500 years hence, in a future that had discovered a practical technology for travelling between stars. The idea of a "manned" computer-controlled starfighter is then, a contradiction in terms... there would be no reason for it, and it would be "the worst of both worlds"... I SUPPOSE one could argue "well, they have some sort of "anti-inertia field" or "inertial damping field" like on "Star Trek" (so you don't get smashed into a puddle of goo on the bulkhead behind you when you go to "warp speed" or whatever), therefore making a manned computer-controlled starfighter not only possible, but practical. I suppose one could also argue that since in the BRIT25C timeline, Earth had barely survived an atomic holocaust that nearly destroyed the planet and rendered much of it returned to the stone age for centuries afterwards, from which the EDD and the "Inner Cities" had only slowly recovered from, that most human knowledge, including things like "dogfighting" in aircraft or spacecraft, had long since been forgotten, and thus Buck had skills and capabilities that simply had never been rediscovered in the 25th century... after all, Dr. Huer did remark that Buck's scans were producing the most "phenomenal data", which presumably derived from his pre-atomic holocaust genetic makeup and capabilities, physical capabilities, etc... stuff which might have been 'bred out' of subsequent generations of humans surviving to the 25th century, or been lost due to lack of or different conditions...

Interesting ideas to be sure...

Later! OL JR

PS... I vote for a Princess Ardala figurine... after all, "she did have the nicest set of 'horns' at the ball!" LOL

[Revell-Fan]

Yep, she was quite "horny"!

[Rhaven Blaack]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since this part of the cockpit interior project is done, I have decided to make a detailed version of this WONDERFUL fighter!

I have started with the tub itself.


I detailed the side controls by raising the buttons.


Here is the mount for the Joystick. As you can see, I recessed the artificial horizon and added the Joystick.


Here I have made the seats.


Here is the Pilot with full equipment.


Here the pilot has his helmet.


Here I added the seats to the cockpit interior.

I decided to only have the one pilot (as I have a tight deadline to get this model done).

[Rhaven Blaack]

Here are a couple more photos.

(Yes, I know that the joystick is a little short. I have already notified Revell-Fan about it and have requested him to lengthen it.)

Next comes the build of the actual plane.

Please stay tuned to your local Earth Directorate Broadcasting channels for further updates as they happen.
Thank you for watching.

[Getter 1]

Very nice :D

G1

[CrimsonLine]

Cool! So intricately detailed!

[Rhaven Blaack]

Here are more photos of the cockpit interior.

The Joystick is fixed and in place.


The rear console is in place.