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aeralure

[K - C04] Flying Crane

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Location: C04, Aeristus

Tags: Kawashita, Spaceship, Airplane, Aeristus, C04

:: Start Transmission ::

Commander%20Turtle.jpgCommander Turtle: Aera? We're encountering tougher resistance than anticipated on Aeristus. Can the Murasame join us here? We could use the help!

aera-conversation.jpgAera Lure: I'll let Captain Voss know. Hopefully we can get there in time.

:: End Transmission ::

Murasame bridge

aera-conversation.jpgAera Lure: Captain. Commander Turtle has requested our assistance on Aeristus.

Voss.jpgCaptain Voss: Hmm. Well we're in range and our current mission is not critical. Is your team ready for combat?

aera-conversation.jpgAera Lure: They are, sir.

Voss.jpgCaptain Voss: Very well then. Aeristus it is! Get your pilots ready.

aera-conversation.jpgAera Lure: Yes sir!

Murasame briefing room

aera-conversation.jpgAera Lure: You have all exceeded expectations in the training runs at The Fascini Cluster and have scored the highest among the other officers. You'll now be a member of my flight.

Darek.jpgDarek Tallus: Yes sir!

Kari.jpgKari Sweet: Yes sir!

Rei.jpgRei Kazama: [ yes sir! ]

aera-conversation.jpgAera Lure: ...

aera-conversation.jpgAera Lure: Ensign, why are you wearing your helmet to the briefing?

Rei.jpgRei Kazama: [ The Shōkaku hit some pretty high Gs at Fascini so I thought I'd tighten my helmet strap, but now I can't get it off! Sir. ]

aera-conversation.jpgAera Lure: ...

aera-conversation.jpgAera Lure: What about your visor?

Rei.jpgRei Kazama: [ Well, about that... ]

aera-conversation.jpg Aera Lure: Ok, never mind, Ensign. Carry on!

Rei.jpgRei Kazama: [ Yes sir! ]

Kawashita KS-47 Shōkaku (翔鶴, “Flying Crane”)

flight.jpg

:: Aera's Diary ::

13 Julali 3815

1232 hours

Having just completed a training mission in The Fascini Cluster, we were called in at the last minute to Aeristus to support the fighting there. The Murasame came into low orbit and I took my newly formed team on a flight patrol in the Shōkaku we used among the asteroids. M.A.N.T.I.S. is a tough opponent, so I hope they're ready. The Shōkaku's superior maneuverability may give them the edge they need.

:: Technical Notes ::

The Kawashita KS-47 Shōkaku (翔鶴, “Flying Crane”) is a long serving fighter in the Kawashita fleet. Originally meant as a replacement to the Flying Crane, the Kawashita KS-78 Reppū (烈風, "Strong Gale") developed instead into a heavier armed strike fighter. While the Strong Gale boasts more firepower and tougher armor, the Flying Crane still has the edge in maneuverability and is favored by some veteran pilots for one-on-one combat. The Flying Crane can still be seen on the front lines in most Kawashita air superiority missions. There is a rumor that a true successor to the Flying Crane is in development, but most consider it unlikely.

Front

standard-version-front.jpg

Rear

standard-version-rear.jpg

Bottom

standard-version-bottom.jpg

Versions (Aera's custom, Murasame Standard)

top.jpg

Aera's custom (Landed)

aera-version-landed-04.jpg

Aera's custom (detail)

cockpit-detail.jpg

Size comparison (Reppū, Shōkaku, Hiryu)

size.jpg

Hope you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun with this one. I knew roughly what I wanted right at the start, and the final build is similar to what I imagined. I had some trouble figuring out the area behind the rear of that canopy, but it worked out nicely. Instead of using plate wedges to do wings that were multi-angled, I chose SNOT wings, because I had the idea that there are many wing designs possible. I only show two here. I'm pretty happy with the landing gear cut-outs in the back section of the wings. I was trying to work out how both to fit them and hide/integrate them - the double-wide slopes worked well for that.

Edited by aeralure

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Fantastic work! :wub: The overall shaping is superb and I really like how you did the backrest in the cockpit :thumbup:

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I really like a lot of the spoiler shots. My favorite shot was the one showing the retracting landing gear.

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Nice fighters and a great story with them. Hopefully he figures out the helmet. Make sure a memo is released concerning the helmets so my redshirts don't mess with them.

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Great ships, they look like they're lifted straight from an anime. Neat greebling and nice cockpit.

Thanks for responding quickly to new orders!

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Nice squadron! I like the shape of the Shokaku! :thumbup:

Thanks Mike! It's fun having a squadron now, as I have an excuse to make variants. I like that a lot, especially as I segue occasionally into capital and carrier ship work, hangars and the like. Glad you like the shape! Was hoping it would work out and I liked the result, but it's always better to hear feedback from someone else. :thumbup:

Fantastic work! :wub: The overall shaping is superb and I really like how you did the backrest in the cockpit :thumbup:

Thanks a lot! It's always fun having a shape or idea in your head but then seeing if it works out in a build. I always have some very simple starting point with a fighter/bomber build, be it working around a certain piece (like the Hiryu with the big arch part) or a particular shape. This time it was split wings in an arrowhead shape and pretty much got it. The cockpit was the big challenge for a while, given the shape of the canopy - how to make that back section. That pretty much led to a new backrest solution given that the space in there is tighter than on some of my other builds. Glad you liked it! :thumbup:

Yeah, great shaping and colours! :thumbup:

Thanks! The wings were originally designed mostly with bricks, but I swapped them out for some plates and slopes and also used the headlights to get the studs going in another direction (as opposed to another way to do it) because I liked the pattern. Had envisioned multiple designs and color schemes for numerous pilots, but so far I only have two worked out. Have ideas for more. Might see future cameos. :classic:

I really like a lot of the spoiler shots. My favorite shot was the one showing the retracting landing gear.

Thanks! I really liked that one too. At the time I was working back there I was trying to come up with a way to make the landing gear look seamless and integrated with the rear end. The 2-wide slope idea for the back wing section came to me and I really like the carved out look it made on the underside. One of my favorite parts too that may not immediately stand out from the rest of the design.

Nice fighters and a great story with them. Hopefully he figures out the helmet. Make sure a memo is released concerning the helmets so my redshirts don't mess with them.

Thanks! Definitely going to have to send out a memo! Ensigns these days! :thumbup:

Great ships, they look like they're lifted straight from an anime. Neat greebling and nice cockpit.

Thanks Commander Turtle! Being an anime fan myself, that's music to my ears! :blush:

Thanks for responding quickly to new orders!

Absolutely! Happy as always to accommodate. When trying to figure out a little story to go with the build, I figured bringing that up made perfect sense.

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Another great batch of ships. I really wish you'd do instructions for these, Aera. I bet I could brick this one for sure and it would look lovely!

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Another great batch of ships. I really wish you'd do instructions for these, Aera. I bet I could brick this one for sure and it would look lovely!

Thanks mccoyed! I might do that, if people would want them (?). My plan was (still is, basically) to source the parts myself and build them to see if I wish any design changes to the LDD file. I build them with care in LDD for real world structural integrity, so they all will hold up - but I imagine there would be further things I'd do in real bricks and I was then going to update the LDDs to make them finalized. The added bonus would then be I'd slowly work up an inventory of bricks to use to eventually build things like these in actual bricks.

So happens I believe I have all the parts now for the custom version (the red one) of the Reppū (Strong Gale), as I have been working on getting them. I should take a day and build it and see how it turns out. This one has less bricks than the Hiryu (Flying Dragon - that thing is huge!) so maybe I'll set about getting the parts for this one next and testing it. This one definitely uses pretty much all commonly found parts. The most uncommon thing is usually a color choice for something specific, so I don't think anyone with a reasonable amount of parts would have too much trouble building it - it's certainly flexible enough too to change some colors. I'll keep you posted!

Edited by aeralure

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I always love seeing your ship designs Aera! I love how you always make them so detailed, feeling like real ships! :wub: Great work on the details, greebling, SNOT, etc. My only suggestion for improvement would be (once again) to use the screenshot function in LDD for your first shot so you don't get the interface! :wink: (It works in viewing mode as well.)

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Very nice build. I get a starwars vibe from these

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I always love seeing your ship designs Aera! I love how you always make them so detailed, feeling like real ships! :wub: Great work on the details, greebling, SNOT, etc.

High praise! Thanks so much NuckElBerg! :blush:

My only suggestion for improvement would be (once again) to use the screenshot function in LDD for your first shot so you don't get the interface! :wink: (It works in viewing mode as well.)

Yeah I really appreciated that tip. Been using it. For the first shot though it also took away the background, so I decided to just do an external screenshot, as this background comes from View Mode. However, as I type this, I realize I could simply have used the squadron sans background and place my own in for a single shot. It would improve the presentation to get rid of the controls. So thanks once again. :thumbup:

Niiiiice! Love those ships! Well done!

Thanks! It could be arranged that Blackhawk gets one sent to him. :wink:

Very nice build. I get a starwars vibe from these

Thanks robuko! :thumbup: Yeah, they have a little Star Wars flavor to them.

Edited by aeralure

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High praise! Thanks so much NuckElBerg! :blush:

Yeah I really appreciated that tip. Been using it. For the first shot though it also took away the background, so I decided to just do an external screenshot, as this background comes from View Mode. However, as I type this, I realize I could simply have used the squadron sans background and place my own in for a single shot. It would improve the presentation to get rid of the controls. So thanks once again. :thumbup:

Well, you've earned it! :wink:

Does it really remove the background? I took this screenshot (http://i.imgur.com/DJtAr2C.png) using the built in tool for my first LDD build, and it seems to still have it... :look:

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Does it really remove the background? I took this screenshot (http://i.imgur.com/DJtAr2C.png) using the built in tool for my first LDD build, and it seems to still have it... :look:

Weird. Just tested it again (command-K) and it takes a screenshot and removes the background - even on View Mode - however, it's important to note I'm using a Mac. I wouldn't think there'd be any real difference between the PC and Mac versions, especially for a simple function like this, but I can't get it to keep the background intact on the built-in screenshot. I checked Preferences and there's really not much there. Not too big a deal I suppose as I could work up a custom background and place it in there, but I do find this a little surprising. Glad you reminded me again as I should have done that this time even though it did remove the background for me. :wink:

Cool fighters. It is neat to see them in a larger scale this week.

Thanks! I couldn't wait to have a crack at them. :thumbup: I think my future builds will include a micro if I have the time - or - they will show up in other builds, so I have a couple previous ones to make in micro.

Edited by aeralure

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I'd love to build one for a MOC sometime, so I say yes to LDD and I hope other KG members will agree!

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I'd love to build one for a MOC sometime, so I say yes to LDD and I hope other KG members will agree!

Would be fun to see. I think I have all the parts for the Reppū. I'll doublecheck and also try to get the remaining parts in for the Shōkaku and then get both up soon along maybe with instructions made from Blueprint.

After reading descriptions on the KG your Shokaku is exactly the type of aesthetic I imagined for them. Amazing work!

Oh really? That's awesome! Thanks for sharing that. I have fun writing the descriptions and planning out the models of ships I build and their various capabilities. Cool to know it lined up with what you imagined. Glad you enjoyed it. :thumbup:

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