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Taldrenites => Starfleet Command Models => Topic started by: Wicked Zombie on December 23, 2008, 05:04:32 pm

Title: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: Wicked Zombie on December 23, 2008, 05:04:32 pm
It's not a Klingon, but it is green:

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Even though war often distracts empires from the nuisance of piracy, some governments still manage to find time to devote to eradicating threats to their supply lines. By the mid-23rd century, many pirate cartels found themselves increasingly outgunned and outclassed by the warships of the Klingons, Romulans and Federation, with the other empires gaining steady advantages. Not ready to concede defeat or flee to less defended (and less profitable) parts of space, the Orions sought to develop new and improved starships to counter those being fielded by the empires. In typical Orion fashion, the main shipyards of the Orion systems began construction of a new class of what was officially named a “heavy cargo transport”. One look at the blueprints for this vessel, however, would clearly show that it had the capability to be far more than a mere freighter.

A refined evolution of the successful raiders used during the General War, the Vagabond class continued the tradition of versatile, rugged and heavily upgradable starships that the Orions were so well known for. Taking cues from the Lyrans and Romulans, the Vagabond incorporated modular construction to allow for more customizable options and hull configurations. “Extra” cargo space could easily be used to install additional weapons and systems, while stock propulsion units had plenty of leeway for enhancements or total replacement. Due to such customizability, it was rare to encounter two Vagabond class ships of the same configuration, and those that were similar were often from the same cartel. With such potential for change, many cartel leaders opted to simply upgrade their flagships despite having the option to purchase more modern alternatives or ships of heavier hull class. These ships would be modified over the years to the point that many could scarcely be identified as being a Vagabond, causing the databases of patrol ships to flag them as “unknowns”.

One of the more common variants fielded by the cartels typically came equipped with nine phaser banks, four dual disruptor turrets, ten missile tubes and quad-impulse drives. A popular alteration was to convert the forward cargo hold into a dedicated launch bay, adding fighters and attack craft to the Vagabond’s arsenal. Most versions tended to keep the internal bridge for added command safety as well as the externally mounted cooling vanes and aft shuttle bay. Many of these ships were equipped with advanced sensor dampening systems and highly accurate scanning hardware along with powerful tractor beams and long-range transporters for detecting and capturing defenseless merchants.

With such versatility and customization, the Vagabond was a common site in the hands of pirates, mercenaries, privateers, freelancers and even privately-owned corporations for decades after its introduction. The Orions fielded other ships based on the Vagabond design but none of them became quite as popular or successful, despite being just as capable as the ship that spawned them.

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(http://drs.battleclinic.com/images/gift1.gif)
 (http://drs.battleclinic.com/downloads/orion/vagabond_angle1.jpg)


(http://drs.battleclinic.com/images/gift2.gif)
 (http://drs.battleclinic.com/downloads/orion/vagabond_angle2.jpg)


(http://drs.battleclinic.com/images/gift3.gif)
 (http://drs.battleclinic.com/downloads/orion/vagabond_angle3.jpg)


(http://drs.battleclinic.com/images/gift4.gif)
 (http://drs.battleclinic.com/downloads/orion/vagabond_angle4.jpg)


(http://drs.battleclinic.com/images/gift5.gif)
 (http://drs.battleclinic.com/downloads/orion/vagabond_angle5.jpg)


(http://drs.battleclinic.com/images/gift6.gif)
 (http://drs.battleclinic.com/downloads/orion/vagabond_angle6.jpg)
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: dragoon on December 23, 2008, 06:26:57 pm
I think I just soiled myself........... Yep, that smell is me.

Stunning work!!
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: Adonis on December 23, 2008, 07:33:11 pm
"Slaughter is the best medicine." I like that  :flame:
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: Klingon Fanatic on December 23, 2008, 07:44:05 pm
 ;D

And Merry Christmas to the master undead ship builder! Nicely done!

KF
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: wrathofachilles on December 23, 2008, 08:54:37 pm
real nice work man, what's the poly count on it?
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: JohanobesusII on December 23, 2008, 10:24:19 pm
Is that a Stargate section coming in the future?
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: Major A Payne on December 24, 2008, 03:28:43 am
Hmmmmm. Interesting concept Wicked but I would say it looks far to much like a BSG design to be Trek even with the right colouring. Modelling and texturing is clean and neat as usual.
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: FoaS_XC on December 24, 2008, 08:26:49 am
NOOOIIIICCCEEE!!!
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: Wicked Zombie on December 24, 2008, 09:05:41 am
One could also argue that the Pegasus is just the Dreadnaught from Star Wars with flight pods attached. The head section is the only part of the ship that evokes any obvious sense of the Galactica, and the "lizard" head isn't a design element that is exclusive to BSG anymore than saucer hulls being exclusive to Starfleet. They just happen to be the most common points of reference for most people. That's not to say that it "can't" be a BSG ship, but it is far from the only option.

That part of the ship is actually a refinement of the old SFB Orion hulls, where Atolm rounded out the edges and sharp ends while still maintaining the wedge shape. As for the rest of the design (which FW already pointed out), I augmented Atolm's original concept with elements from the Blockade Runner, Astral Queen, Bebop, Daedalus/Prometheus, the TAS & ENT Orions and at least a dozen other ships from across the board. So, while it is "officially" an Orion vessel, I was aiming for a fairly non-specific look so it could be used for almost any race or sci-fi setting. In the end, it may look like a Colonial warship to some, an Orion raider to others, or a Rebel transport to someone else and we would all be right and all be wrong at the same time.

And yes...that is a Stargate section...
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: Dizzy on December 26, 2008, 01:06:18 am
I was aiming for a fairly non-specific look so it could be used for almost any race or sci-fi setting.
<snip>

Well, your aim is pretty damned perfect! Very cool ship WZ. I do like your Vagabond Orion Pirate write up. Nicely done.
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: markyd on December 26, 2008, 07:48:32 am
Classy, looks great  ;)
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: Kreeargh on December 27, 2008, 10:21:39 pm
Stuff like this just makes me want to quit. It looks to damn good  :notworthy: . WZ you have got trek, starwars and bsg down i wonder what magic you could pull off for the stargate universe. Any plans you can talk about or just sticking with trek?
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: GotAFarmYet? on December 29, 2008, 12:45:27 am
Thanks for the Ship!

Now get back to them Kligon ships, I need a few more for the fleet!
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: Tus-XC on December 29, 2008, 10:08:19 pm
Love the ship, especially the name WZ, your a real funny man aren't ya mate ;)
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: Shadowfleet on December 31, 2008, 11:03:19 am
Another EGGSELLENT WZ design. Thanks for the present! I'm gonna put her in both my BSG and pirate fleets!
Title: Re: A Piratey Xmas
Post by: FoaS_XC on December 31, 2008, 11:30:14 am
You know what just occurred to me? This ship could fly as andorian.