Federation Commander

Sllarr · Lieutenant SG Joined: 01 Apr 2008 Posts: 148

So, with ADB taking the lead on the development now, is there a schedule for the 2500 battlestation and Lyran minis ? And would the Lyrans look like the digital renders presented at the SFB BBS or would be redone from scratch ?

Steve Cole · Site Admin Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3821

We're trying to establish the present condition of the "missing book one ships" which include the battle station. (We need an answer from somebody who is out of town and expected back in a few days.)

I can say that there might or might not be certain issues and it's entirely possible that we won't do the 2500 BATS but will just use the 2400 BATS for that role. Or maybe not.

Lyrans: I don't know for sure yet but I want to have them by March or April.
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mdauben · Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 1:25 am Post subject:

djdood · Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 2:17 am Post subject:

Having a 3D printed prototype (which is what some of those painted ones on Mongoose's webstore were) is only 1/3 of the way there. It would still have to be investment cast into a metal master, molded and spun up for more masters, and then molded again and spun up for production copies. There is much more investment existent in "ready to produce" molds than there is in prototypes.
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Scoutdad · Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 5:18 am Post subject:

Steve Cole · Site Admin Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3821

I'm not sure it would be a shame not to use something if it's just like something we already have. (That's the case with the small 2500 freighter, which is 98% identical to the 2400, and the 2400 doesn't have the problem of engines breaking off like the 2500 does.)

In theory, there is something, either a plastic prototype or a metal master, of the BATS at the AOG factory. The problem is that the guy who runs the factory had to drive to the tin mine in South Suchotash to get a new stock of metal, and wont' be back until Thursday. We won't know until then if he has a master/prototype or what it looks like.

I do know that the 2500 BATS was designed to use some pewter and some resin, and that since we're eliminating resin we may have to do some tricks to get the parts designed for resin to work in metal. Film at 11, on Thursday.

I think the 2500 BATS may have Augment Modules in which case it's probably worth doing. But the 2500 large freighter has issues that require it to be done over again from the CGI, and nobody knows what other "ships" have that issue. We might even want to do the 2500 BATS over again to make it identical in size to the 2400 BATS so you can use one of them for the basic station and the other for the augmented station.
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mdauben · Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 10:28 pm Post subject:

Steve Cole · Site Admin Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3821

Freighters just don't have details.

The small 2500 will probably just be forgotten. The only way to tell it from a small 2400 is that the 2500's engines break off very easily.

The 2500 large freighter is not really more detailed but is "different" in some regards, enough to make it (barely) worth doing, BUT, because the engines break, it has to go back to the CGI and be done over, which means re-spending money already spent for CGI, prototypes, master molding, and masters. For a target. Will probably get done but not in any hurry.
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trynda1701 · Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 4:24 pm Post subject:

I know the economics of small production runs of minis like the BATS can work against you, but I liked the new design of the BATS. A lot of people may only buy one mini, its a pity you couldn't redesignate it as something else, to supplement the old 2400 BS and BATS minis.

You could always call it a Starbase! Except it wouldn't match the SSD's!

Mark
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Steve Cole · Site Admin Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3821

I think the 2500 BATS is likely to get done because it includes the augment modules that the 2400 BATS does not. However, I'd want the two to end up being the same "size" (not scale). That might mean doing the BATS over and respending money already spent on CGI, prototypes, master molds, and masters. We'll see what I think when I actually hold a 2500 BATS in my hand.

A PERSONAL REQUEST

There is another general 2500 topic and I'd ask if you guys would STOP posting in this "bats and lyrans" topic and focus your conversations in the "future of the 2500s" topic.
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The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander