[Challenge 2] [Cat B] Starjacker Corvette

[mccoyed]

EDIT: Full Pics and Write-up now included.

Most Kawashita fleets are furnished with a complement of Starjackers, a specialized light corvette that masquerades as a two-seat cargo barge and acts as a skirmisher unit in sustained engagements. In the ancient days of Earth's naval engagement, this type of ship was known as a Q-ship. The Starjacker's role, as its name may imply, is to use subterfuge to close in with enemy vessels, using the element of surprise to quickly overwhelm ship defenses and deploy small, heavily armed squads of marines for boarding actions.

Though seeming like your average pair of rocket jockeys to any scans or ID requests, the Starjackers are actually piloted by veteran bomber aces, used to flying close to large enemy vessels with sophisticated point-defense systems. The second seat belongs to the gunner officer, whose job it is to oversee and deploy the weapons and specialized systems on the ship. The canopy is fighter-style, allowing the flight crew to quickly emerge from the ship if necessary:

Here, on the portside of the Starjacker, the mock cargo pods, in this case rigged to resemble fuel canisters, are clearly visible:

And here, starboard side, the smooth flank of the ship. Though visible to the eye as standard ant-meteorite armor for a ship this size, the starboard armor is reinforced beneath the visible layer:

The visible armor is openly painted in Kawashita Group colors and, typical of our illustrious corporation, hides a handy secret:

The "broadside" cannons allow the Starjacker to sidle up to enemy craft on the starboard side, rapidly deploying the cannons and opening fire to disable defenses and punch a hole in targeted ships for the second phase of the strike. Beneath the cannon mounts are layers of additional armor to protect the normally vulnerable section of the ship. The expected compartments of the starboard side will show up on holoscans, but aren't actually present in the ship. It's all armor with very limited additional space, even for a corvette.

The rear of this Starjacker features a faux-refueler. The large and complex engine of the Starjacker includes articulated fins that allow rotational, omnidirectional thrust to provide the quick turning necessary for the ship to complete it's strike package without being caught in a slow turn. The engine's housing is also heavily armored, a feature that has been unconvincingly disguised as oversized heatsink coils:

Here we see the mounts for the "fuel canisters", which are meant to be hot-swapped between runs just as expected. This feature is modular, allowing a Starjacker to be disguised as other types of corvette or light frigate as needed:

In a galaxy far, far away, these canisters resemble escape pods. This is not too far from the mark, as the interior of the canisters are cramped, filled with limited air supplies, and probably incredibly uncomfortable. Kawashita marines don't complain, however. That sour look on Sgt. Galbraith is just his war face.

The full complement of Starjacker marines is usually a fireteam of four. These units are specially trained to quickly breach and clear a ship's vulnerable decks. Their hardsuits are equipped with limited EVA capability, allowing them to fight in Zero G if their ship is able to disable artificial gravity in enemy craft:

Additional detail shots of the Starjacker's underbelly with retracted landing gear and the sensor-package at the ship's front:

Thanks for looking! C&C Welcome!

Edited August 25, 2015 by mccoyed

[Bob De Quatre]

It would look better in white, maybe with some touches of red and green...

[Graham Gidman]

So awesome!

[Dannylonglegs]

This is gorgeous! love the shaping! (also, it's a Cat B, I think!)

It would look better in white, maybe with some touches of red and green...

Yeah I fully agree with that. I'd say keep the light grey there, but make the dark grey white, and the dark red parts you can do in bright red and green. Hope that helps.

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[TenorPenny]

The colours look swish to me. Nice shape all over.

[Dardanel]

Looks amazing :D What is it floating on?

[mccoyed]

Aww thanks guys. Those are it's landing gears, Dardanel! There are picks on flickr showing the mechanism.

I'll post the story and more pics after this weekend!

RE: Category!

Oooooops. I messed that up. Can an admin change this to Cat B for me please? Thanks!

Edited August 21, 2015 by mccoyed

[Dardanel]

I meant that you can only see the front one, so I'm having a hard time figuring it out :D

[MysticModulus]

Looks great, how are people seated in there?

[mccoyed]

I meant that you can only see the front one, so I'm having a hard time figuring it out :D

Looks great, how are people seated in there?

Please see the updated OP. I'm posting the storyline and additional photos today!

[Aliencat]

Awesome ship, that's really well made and stylish!

[Umbra-Manis]

It would look better in white, maybe with some touches of red and green...

Nah. It needs Black and Lime.

[narbilu]

Very, very cool!

[SpacerSteve]

Cool ship. I really like the details on the engine. The concealed weapons are a neat Idea.

[LittleJohn]

Fantastic ship, mccoyed! The cockpits are really cool and I like all the functions

[Blackhawk STX]

Sweet!! No kidding. Awesome job!

[Jody Meyer]

Really like the look of this bad boy. I really like the escape hatches and hidden weapons. Great job.

[shmails]

Oh, that engine area is wonderful! Great ship!

[goatman461]

excellent shape, color scheme, and extra play features

[Blufiji]

I like the landing gear and the asymmetrical shape.

[mccoyed]

Awesome ship, that's really well made and stylish!

Thanks Aliencat. Great to hear a builder like you say the word "stylish" about something I made.

Nah. It needs Black and Lime.

Haha. Noooooo!

Very, very cool!

Thanks, boss.

Cool ship. I really like the details on the engine. The concealed weapons are a neat Idea.

Thanks Steve. I had to restrain myself from making them huge and overdeveloped by looking at some of the best fighter/big ship stuff out there for ideas. Every time I strayed into "MORE GUNNNN" territory, I dialed it back by soaking my brain in the work of better AFOLs for a few minutes.

Fantastic ship, mccoyed! The cockpits are really cool and I like all the functions

Thanks LJ. It was hard to do the cockpit justice, actually. Those little hinge mechanisms on the front end of the sliding parts? Those "lock" the cockpit in the closed position by fitting snugly into the vent pieces.

Sweet!! No kidding. Awesome job!

Thanks Blackhawk!

Really like the look of this bad boy. I really like the escape hatches and hidden weapons. Great job.

Thanks Jody!

Oh, that engine area is wonderful! Great ship!

Thanks Shmails. One of the hardest parts for me, conceptually. I see so many awesome engine designs and a have a hard time with them. I may be more proud of this one than the ones I did for the Tsurugi-G. And I think that was one of the best parts of that build!

excellent shape, color scheme, and extra play features

Thanks goat!

I like the landing gear and the asymmetrical shape.

Thanks Blufiji. The landing gear is one of my favorite parts too. Gives it a kind of bird-like posture when they're extended.

[Lord Tyrus]

Love the hidden weaponry!

[Andromedas Gates]

The judges awarded you 8 points.