TenorPenny

The Ramos-class Cargo Hauler The Ramos-class Cargo Hauler is a Second Age era transport ship weighing in somewhere between a shuttle and a freighter. It was produced in large numbers to support rapid human expansion to the stars and became known for carrying a wide variety of cargo. The ship lacked bells and whistles when it was new; the large number that remain in service are spartan and dire affairs disliked by their crews. They are, however, cheap to buy and profitable to run. The Ramos is utilised by a variety of independent operators – from small-time merchants hauling their wares to pirates stowing their loot. The vessel itself is extremely outdated; the FTL drive is inefficient and the sensor suite clumsy. It also manoeuvres poorly and has minimal defensive capabilities. These failings are outweighed by how cheap it is to operate; low running costs mean larger profits. The fact that the ship was produced in such huge numbers during the Second Age means that models can be found – usually in a state of disrepair – on most human colony worlds. Even if no longer spaceworthy, such ships are readily stripped for spare parts and scrap. Travelling through the Rim is a risk-laden proposition at the best of times; doing so in a Ramos with no escort is deemed near-suicidal. The ships are known to pay for escort themselves or pay a percentage to join a separate convoy. Adventurous or illicit Ramos operators sometimes pilot the ship on low-power with the hope that they will slip under the notice of prying eyes. Above: A Ramos collects illegally mined minerals from outside of Sisca VII The Asian Coalition used the ship as a makeshift troop transport during the Pan-Eurasian War; it’s main advantage included the fact that the cargo ramp was covered by forward projected hull plating. Said plating was thick and simple; providing excellent protection against small arms.

Lots of imagination used here; nice work.

Great peril in this scene. Well done..!

Nice idea here! I like the different options for arms. Try reading one of the guides to getting the most out of your camera within the forums (I think there is one in the Andromeda's Gates forum) in order to illustrate your work in the best possible way.

Lovely mixture of tree and turrets..!

Nice colour scheme on the submersible.

Great scene, nice narrative and an interesting bit of intrigue.

Early Warning Observation Outposts were constructed in response to the ever-expanding reach of Wun’Tux raiding parties. The stations are constructed in a modular style; the hub of the outpost contains an advanced sensor suite and the command and control aspects. The three ‘spoke’ modules contain living quarters and cargo storage. These modular components can be switched out in times of need – EWO Outposts can support hospital modules, ship maintenance and extra defensive measures.

Ha! Choke point + flaming barrels = win. Solid work.

Great work; very much in the style of this new theme.

Delightful striping. Shame lots of these pieces don't exist in such colours.

The Kaiserin-class Light Cruiser The Kaiserin-class Light Cruiser is one of the modern European Union ships designed to update their ageing Navy. Design and production fell to the same shipbuilders responsible for the Bremen-class; the two ships are similar in quality but different in intent. Capital ships are useful and often fundamental tactical assets in modern stellar warfare. But even advanced, modern ships are held back by an old fashioned opponent – supply lines. The larger a capital ship is, the more logistical support it needs to operate. Within the human Core Systems this is an easy feat – the structures and support is already in place. The Rimward Territories contains none of this; most colonies are still developing and supplies are at a premium. Larger capital ships have no choice but to resupply at the Rim’s few industrialised and obvious ports. This creates a ‘trail’ in their wake (eliminating any sense of subtlety or surprise) and limits their range. Smaller capital ships have smaller requirements for supply – they are able to do so away from the main spaceports and the prying eyes often present. The Kaiserin was designed to strike a balance between low profile and high potency. The thin profile of the ship is intentional. In battle the ship can turn to face enemies and present a smaller target whilst being able to target a significant proportion of its weaponry. Furthermore, this thinness presents an odd sensor profile – older systems often misake the ship for something half the size if not looking closely. The latter quality is especially useful if the ship is operating alone in non-friendly territory. The Kaiserin is designed to operate in two main roles. Firstly, as a flag and command ship for groups of corvettes and destroyers in traditional stellar combat. The vessel is equipped with the communication equipment to coordinate a significant force and is fast enough to keep up with a cruising corvette. Its second function is that of a ‘lone wolf’; embarking on long-range patrols and engaging unfriendly contacts. These missions were traditionally assigned to smaller vessels but the introduction of the Wun’Tux changed everything. A patrol boat or corvette would be no match for a Wun’Tux Clanship; the Union needed something that could meet one and survive. The Cassard-class is of similar size and displacement. In theory, the older ship is more powerful – her large guns and missile systems can cause huge amounts of damage. However, as demonstrated at the end of the Pan-Eurasian War, the Cassard was outmoded and easily beaten by modern starfighters. Several Cassards were also present at Tordov V. Theoretically they were very suitable participants at this battle – Wun’Tux ships attacked head on and lacked manoeuvrability to evade fire. The groups of Cassards started well, deploying barrages of missiles and heavy fire at the ongoing forces. Once the missiles ran out, however, the Wun’Tux committed more and more of their forces. The guns alone were not accurate or powerful enough to half the Wun’Tux advance and the Cassard’s armour buckled under return fire; only 15% defending Tordov V escaped. The Kaiserin’s designers aimed to address these shortcomings. The armoured exterior and modular substructure have the ship greater resilience under fire. The Kaiserin’s weaponry is not ammunition dependent; unlike the Cassard’s missile launchers. Plasma weaponry and autocannons make for a potent medium to short range combatant. The first five, including EUS Kaiserin, were pressed into service towards the end of the disastrous Oroso conflict. They served alongside the strike fighters of Grendel Squadron to drive back an Oroso counter-offensive and put an end to the conflict; they were vastly superior to the few Cassards left serving on the front line and these old ships were soon sent to serve ignominiously with the Border Fleet. Ships of this class are predominantly assigned long range patrols along the Wun’Tux border. They are well equipped to engage lone Clanships; they can use their difficult to hit profile and turreted weapons to good effect. They are under orders to avoid larger forces, though, and exercise operational caution. A number have incidentally been involved with the USEF – either coming to the aid of an American warship or vice versa. This arrangement is a welcome example of thawing frostiness between human factions but remains strictly informal. Length: 90m Crew: 84 Role: Long range patrol, flotilla command Weaponry: 2 x Plasma Cannon Turrets (port and starboard) 1 x dual autocannon turret (keel mounted) 2 x heavy autocannons (deck mounted) 4 x ‘Starsnipe’ flak cannons Shields/Armour: Medium/Medium Special Features: Thin Profile. Modular Construction.

Wonderful work - great use of lime and dark tan and layering.

TB-55The TB-55 by TenorPenny, on Flickr The TB-55 by TenorPenny, on Flickr The TB-55 by TenorPenny, on Flickr Sometimes old ideas are the best. The Russian TB-55 is a low tech weapon of brute force; a slow moving and heavily armoured gunship capable of devastating damage from its twin warhead launchers. The ’55 has outlasted many technologically superior ships and remains a potent force in the European Union navy. The ship is a giant compared to most starfighters; it has the lumbering pace of a giant to match. Even when it reaches top speed the ship is difficult to manovere and an easy target for interceptors and flak fire. And yet between the thick armour and its sheer potential for damage the ship well liked and well used. The design has barely changed since the Pan-Eurasian War in which it was used to siege and destroy Coalition fortifications and armour – one of the many reasons the Coalition chose to oppose the Union with hit and run style tactics over a slugging match. The post-War threats to the Union came in the form of alien species. Although the Oroso were able to avoid and isolate squadrons of TB-55s before they could do damage, the ship was found to be extremely effective against the Wun’Tux. Their durillium armour was very resilient against energy weapons but weak against explosives – the TB-55 was able to field an inordinate amount of such weaponry per ship; just three of them were capable of destroying one Clanship in two bombing runs. The vessel is decidedly old fashioned in design. A lack of automation means the ship requires three crew just to get off the ground. Outmoded sensors and electronics means it can be ‘spoofed’ by cutting edge jamming or stealth techniques. On the other hand, the ship is rugged and easy to maintain- it has few specialist components and repairs can be affected with salvaged equipment. This allows the ship great durability in the field. The European Union lost precious ships, personell and resources at Tordov V. The late Admiral Golovko’s successor- Vice Admiral Reyneso – favoured a less gun-ho tactical approach. She deployed wings of TB-55s to repel subsequent Wun’Tux incursions, successively blunting further offensives and giving the Union time to reorganise. TB-55 losses are common; the ship is big enough to be hit by flak fire and slow enough to be vulnerable to enemy interceptors. It has seen most success when deployed only once enemy fighter forces are engaged. The Russian 4th Bomber Wing (nicknamed the ‘Red Foxes’) worked alongside Grendel Squadron in the months following Tordov V using this exact tactic; the fighters would engage Wun’Tux fighter cover and allow the TB-55s to operate more freely. The Red Foxes chalked up an average of 1.5 Clanships per sortie.

I think you've admirably replicated and improved upon aspects of the original. Nice work!

Nice work. Very MANTIS.

Love the stripes on those wings..!

I love those rafters..! The seagull on the window sill gives a real impression of the sea nearby.

The bright blue petal pieces look superb when bottomed out with green foliage. Well done!

Lovely technique combined to create a wonderful scene.

The posing and the little touches like the crab are great.

The Exo-Suit looks very MANTIS.

Wonderful craft involved in a very dynamic looking action scene!

Lots of character in such a small scene.

The stripes and general small detail are wonderfully integrated. Well done.