[Challenge 2][Cat A] - Hornet Class Gunship

[woofmcmoose]

Henry Moose Personal Log:

Today I got my first flight in one of the newest MANTIS toys; the Hornet Class Gunship. If I'm honest my first impressions were that it looks to be more gun than ship....

The two giant particle cannons aren't exactly subtle, I doubt that if I come across any Octan or Kawashita vessels I could convince them my intentions were peaceful. Though maybe when your staring down both barrels you can be convinced of anything...

The cockpit is hardly spacious, and the field of view isn't great, but at least the radiators on the particle cannon shield my eyes from the glare when firing. And despite the lack of subtlety she looks very sleek.

The technicians assure me that whilst the drive looks like a re-purposed trash can, it is in fact a precision engineered pulse-fusion thrust chamber... and it just so happens that the most efficient geometry is identical to that of a universal standard waste disposal cylinder.

She flies reasonably well, though is far better suited to space than atmo...

And I'm all for efficiency and smart design, but really, using the nose landing gear as the targeting array....?

Still, this is much cooler than the survey ships I would have been flying for Octan and it's only two days until my first larvae Friday. I can't help but be a little worried about what they are expecting me to have to go out and fight with this thing though....

EDIT: resized pics and added an extra shot.

Hi folks, apologies this is my first AG build. I feel somehow cheaty that my first entry is in a contest (even though it's not against the rules). I've been out of the country and away from bricks until now though, so expect more regular output soon.

As for the ship, I hope you like. I wanted to put something together using some of the many rotor blade pieces I have lying around and think it turned out reasonably well. I was quite pleased with the trashcan drive and getting the 'radiators' around the guns to match the profile of the cockpit. I was hoping to make the belly of the ship a bit smoother and more interesting but couldn't do so whilst keeping it structurally sound; I also couldn't locate the inverted wedge in anything but sand green.

The rear landing gear is a bit of a cheat as to retract it you have to unclip it from one plate with bar and attach it to one hidden further Inside, there just wasn't room for any kind of mechanism.

Edited July 22, 2015 by woofmcmoose

[SpacerSteve]

Neat ship. I'm a big fan of the retractable landing gear! Clever use of the garbage can for an engine.

[Graham Gidman]

Whoa, this is ace!

[David FNJ]

Such a cool design! The angles on this are great, and it looks fast.

Welcome to M.A.N.T.I.S.

Edited July 22, 2015 by David FNJ

[rodiziorobs]

Sweet little ship that packs a lot into a small space, and a very fun read.

Welcome to M.A.N.T.I.S.

[Kodan Black]

Very nice build and good story, which seems to be a hallmark of Mantis builders. Welcome to AG!

[LittleJohn]

Great work! Looks really sleek

[shmails]

Really nice shape to this ship! The garbage can engine is a cool idea. Not sure why he has his hands in the air, maybe he just doesn't care!

[Umbra-Manis]

Great little ship!

[mccoyed]

That landing gear is the highlight, I think, in terms of surprise design elements. But this ship has tons going on for being so compact. Great work.

[Big Sal]

Awesome ship! Great shaping, nice colours, and good job on the landing gear

[Andromedas Gates]

The judges awarded you 6 points.