LucasLaughing

[Challenge 2] [Cat B] Octan Extender-class medium tanker

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As Octan expands its reach into new parts of the galaxy and prepares to face an unknown menace, supply lines become more important than ever. Although large capitol-class ships are usually powered by exotic drives, technological and budgetary limits mean that most small to medium ships still run on some sort of liquid fuel. The Extender Medium Tanker is capable of refueling ships in orbit, using its ventral boom for large ships, or its port and starboard fuel pods for smaller ships.

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Although most of the interior is filled with fuel tanks, there's still plenty of room for the five crew members required to run the ship. Let's take a look inside!

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The crew ladder leads down into the engine room.

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The "Flow master" is tasked with keeping the ship's systems operating smoothly.

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Moving forward, we find the boom operator.

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Transferring fuel between two moving ships required a keen eye and a steady hand.

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The Traffic Control and Communication tech (seen below through an open hatch during training) is responsible for coordinating the refueling operations.

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The navigator must plot a safe path through space, taking into account the flight characteristics of both the tanker, and the ships that it will be refueling. Lu Caslaug-Hing is the navigator in the training rig you see below; Her role on the tanker will be her first mission back after she was seriously injured during an exploration mission.

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Last, but certainly not least, the pilot is responsible for keeping the ship level and steady as it flies just a few meters away from the ships it's refueling.

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In this simulator aboard the Axle, pilot, navigator and traffic control practice working together - preparing for dangerous missions ahead.

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We hope you've enjoyed this exclusive look inside Octan's newest tanker. Octan - energy for tomorrow, today.

Front view, with refueling boom in the stowed position. There's a little lever that keeps it from swinging around during transit ... I'll try to photo it tomorrow.

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Engines and refueling pods:

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I'm hoping to get some better pics of this angle tomorrow. The engine lights up using regular power-functions LEDs.

Engine on/off switch:

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Even though she's not quite long enough to be a S.H.I.P. I'll still try to get a "swooshing" pic up tomorrow evening. Thanks for viewing!

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Very nice work, I especially like the underside cockpit, and the yellow goes along really well! The boom looks great too! :thumbup:

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Beautiful! Has a feeling of current aerial refueling planes and a bit of oil rig mixed in. All the piping really makes the ship look the part! I'm amazed at your vast supply of control screens.

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Wow, well done. If you could please, what camera are you using? I'm really thinking of upgrading my photo ability for MOC's. The old camera and my phone just don't cut it.

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Great first shot, the lighting makes it look like it's actually in space. the colors turned out fantastic, especially the yellow greebling (it's great to see that done well with different colors). it's cool that you got so much of an interior, too, and it looks like you planned it well to get shots right in the middle of it. I really like the pilot controls and screens in the front. Great shaping on the windshield, especially the curved slopes on the side.

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Really nice work! I love the concept of a refueling ship, and this really looks the part, well done!

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That use of yellow on top is inspired. I also love the underside cockpit. You managed to cram some really great tech and widgets into each of your stations with minimal room, too. I always struggle with that.

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Thank you for the comments everyone! Also, huge thanks to all the Octan folks who gave me WIP advice and encouragement! This was my first time attempting a build this large; next year, I'll be ready to try a S.H.I.P.

Wow, well done. If you could please, what camera are you using? I'm really thinking of upgrading my photo ability for MOC's. The old camera and my phone just don't cut it.

Thanks! I use a Nikon P510. I think that lighting and background also make a huge difference in photo quality. I don't have a fancy lightbox yet, just a very bright full-spectrum lamp. For background, I use some large sheets of paper that I got at the grocery store for less than $2. Example pic here. I just bought some sheets of black paper, which makes it much easier to cut-out the white ship using a photo editing program.

Great first shot, the lighting makes it look like it's actually in space. the colors turned out fantastic, especially the yellow greebling (it's great to see that done well with different colors). it's cool that you got so much of an interior, too, and it looks like you planned it well to get shots right in the middle of it. I really like the pilot controls and screens in the front. Great shaping on the windshield, especially the curved slopes on the side.

Thank you! I did plan it out to be modular and come apart (fairly) easily for interior photos. I'll get some pics posted showing the overall view and the separate sections.

That use of yellow on top is inspired. I also love the underside cockpit. You managed to cram some really great tech and widgets into each of your stations with minimal room, too. I always struggle with that.

Thanks! I also struggled with fitting some of the work stations into the interior. I ended up rebuilding one of the sections and taking out some interior supports that I'm hoping were superfluous...

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Awesome!!! :wub: The interior is great and there are lots of great details on the exterior. I personally think the boom looked better on the back, but oh well. :classic:

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As promised, here is a swooshing pic!

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And here's a pic showing how the ship can be separated into sections for easier photography:

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Lastly, this pic shows the hallway leading from the engine room, all the way up to the cockpit:

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A great entry for Octan! Love the amount of detail here (yellow piping is sweet!) and that striping is just awesome. The under-slung boom works better than the previous configuration reviewed in the Octan Corp. Shipyard and Design Bureau--good synergy with the cockpit glass layout. :thumbup:

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I love how the first picture makes it look like a whale. Very majestic.

Hmm ... I hadn't noticed the whale similarity until you mentioned it but ... I can dig it! :classic:

Awesome!!! :wub: The interior is great and there are lots of great details on the exterior. I personally think the boom looked better on the back, but oh well. :classic:

A great entry for Octan! Love the amount of detail here (yellow piping is sweet!) and that striping is just awesome. The under-slung boom works better than the previous configuration reviewed in the Octan Corp. Shipyard and Design Bureau--good synergy with the cockpit glass layout. :thumbup:

Thanks guys! I did like the look of the boom on the back (and it made the ship much easier to pose), but I realized that, due to the shape of the cockpit, it would make more sense for the tanker to be above the ship it was refueling.

Great stuff!

Cool design!

Thank you!

The judges awarded you 8 points.

Thanks, judges!

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