It will be mostly likely another week or so. Maybe more. Klingons are the hardest thing I do.

As an example, I spent the entirety of last night's session rebuilding the curves and foundational modeling for the "bulb" at the end of the command boom, to make it more adjustable.

By wayne douglas power (Wayne) on Friday, February 21, 2020 - 07:58 pm: Edit

Great work Will, the Klingons look good.

By Jay Gustafson (Jay13) on Monday, February 24, 2020 - 02:12 pm: Edit

in theory is a dx bigger then a D7

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, February 24, 2020 - 02:31 pm: Edit

No, a DX is about the same physical size as a D7.

By Jay Gustafson (Jay13) on Monday, February 24, 2020 - 03:03 pm: Edit

Can’t wait for the DX to come out.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, February 24, 2020 - 08:54 pm: Edit

Going to be April for that.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, March 23, 2020 - 06:44 pm: Edit

Final vision of the DX

By wayne douglas power (Wayne) on Monday, March 23, 2020 - 07:02 pm: Edit

I like it

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Monday, March 23, 2020 - 07:59 pm: Edit

Hmmm, looking good though the boom connection (to the main hull) seems smaller …

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Monday, March 23, 2020 - 09:19 pm: Edit

Looks like you are taking some things from C-7... Boom as mentioned....

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Monday, March 23, 2020 - 10:01 pm: Edit

Stylistically, yes. The C-7 was the empire's "ultimate cruiser", until this one came along and made it obsolete - I felt some features would be brought forward; like the more tough-guy thick neck, versus the D7's more elegant but spindly version.

However, the boom on the DX is nowhere as wide as the C7's. The C7's was intended to evoke the very wide boom of the C8 dreadnought. The DX's is just intended to be a bit thicker and boxier than the D7's.

The "cowl" around the connection point of the boom is indeed smaller, by-intent. The real reason is "look different than the D7". The technobabble is reason is that the DX doesn't need all the cooling vanes the cowl of the D7 had and used the mass elsewhere (that thick neck). The size is also smaller than the C7's as the underslung center engine-let is a newer tech and smaller.

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Monday, March 23, 2020 - 10:51 pm: Edit

I like it, but I don't think it's perfect yet. I'd make a couple minor changes to the boom, too.

First, I'd make the base (connector to the aft hull) a little wider / beefier. Not much, just a tad. Yes, I know you said it's already wider than the D7B, but it just doesn't look it, at least not from these images.

Second, I'd get rid of the twin ridges running up the back of the boom. Instead, I'd take the little vertical bump at the aft end of the boom and stretch is much longer up the length of the boom. At least halfway, or maybe even run it clear up to the command bubble.

Oh, and I do like the side profile of the strakes.


Garth L. Getgen

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 02:38 am: Edit

Will all is good for me on this except the front dish tube. I like the size of it from the front as the distinguishing factor but having it stick out ruins the sleek lines of the best style of ship in the universe.

Other likes are the warp engines and the flux capacitor thingy on the top being totally different and to me a stylish improvements than normal ships

Nice work!

By Douglas Saldana (Dsal) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 03:02 am: Edit

Didn't some of the old AMT models have a protruding front dish tube? I took it as a knod to that (which I kind of like).

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 05:50 am: Edit

Lar: Flux capacitor? Please don't tell me this thing can time travel.


Garth L. Getgen

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 10:04 am: Edit

Garth, all powerful alien plots aside, all warp capable ships can.

All you need is Legendary crew, the ship, and a Star to steer her by (well slingshot around but you get the point).

By Chris Nasipak (Ecs05norway) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 10:57 am: Edit

I like the way the wings are raked back more and stepped slightly. Works well with the longer nacelles, gives it some speed.

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 11:15 am: Edit

Also for time travel you need to roll eight sixes on eight d6.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 12:00 pm: Edit

Looks good so far.

I'd be curious to see what kid of panel lines the "DXK" might have. Might that version also include a Klingon trefoil somewhere, perhaps where a Romulan might place a bird on a Kestrel - or would that risk being too Franchise-ey?

Also, I agree with the viewpoint that the deflector dish on the prow seems a tad too forward-oriented. Could it be possible to recess it in somewhat?

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 12:49 pm: Edit

Adding a tri-foil to the bottom would be taken straight from the franchise K'Tinga and would be highly unwise in my opinion.

The sensor dish needed to be as big as it is to include the kind of detail the Fed CX's had. It is already slightly recessed. Making it more recessed made it look like the ship has a terrible overbite, like a character from the Simpsons. Having it forward like it is was a nod to the fully externally-mounted dish on the B-10 (another late/post-war shipyard launching).

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 01:08 pm: Edit

Understood.

Actually, one other thing that occurred to me is that this might open up the possibility of further distinguishing the X-Kestrels from the Klingons' own X-ships, beyond the kind of "cosmetic" changes shown on Shapeways thus far.

For ships like the DX, the Klingon Empire has the relative luxury of being able to build them from scratch, though the potential exists for them to upgrade older "peacetime construction" hulls if required to do so. On the other hand, the Romulans were obliged to convert all of their X-Kestrels from non-X base hulls - and did so while being cut off from the Klingons themselves.

Although, there is at least one case where the Romulans were able to work with an F5WX base hull (or, possibly, an F5W hull built to "peacetime" standards which they could themselves upgrade to X-technology), courtesy of a joint Fed-Klingon project launched in Y192 to send new ships to the Romulans in order to keep them in the fight against the Andromedans.

In short, as all (or possibly all but one) of the X-Kestrels are conversions of non-X ships rather than new X-builds, they might perhaps look quite different from the purpose-built X-ships being fielded over in Klingon space.

By Mark Hutton (Trynda1701) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 02:08 pm: Edit

Looking good, Will.

Like Garths' thoughts on the boom top, one long greeble instead of two. Myself, I like the different style to the deckhouse, perhaps have it overhang the rear hull a tad more, perhaps by lengthening the deckhouse?

Only other thought, just checking (because I know Will is thorough on these things), the under hull phasers do clear the under hull strakes, yes? Those crazy Klingon phaser arcs, eh?

By Joe Carlson (Jrc) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 02:14 pm: Edit

I think the current rendering of the DXB captures the Klingon X-ship well. The various changes as a whole look good.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 09:34 am: Edit

Forward Dish: I believe what I was saying was not to draw the sensor inward all the way but rather to fill forward the bulb a little and maybe shave the tube back a touch? Is it possible to maintain the size of the new dish but lift the center point creating the slight margin that appears in the front view of the regular D7 dish?

It’s funny you brought up the dental situation because from (only) the side view I had the initial reaction of (rather than the underbite you eliminated) this view looked a little “bucked tooth” or over bite-y.

I know it’s an odd and tough set of angles and curves to deal with and I really do appreciate the effort and patience you and all of the sculptors have shown with our myriad of constructive suggestions.

Thank you Will.

By AW Cookson (Awcookson) on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 07:54 pm: Edit

I understand the desire to show an evolutionary line with the projecting sensor on the pod but it looks out of place, imo. At most I'd suggest making the sensor more flush, just a dent with the existing detail, and save the projecting sensor for the C hulls.