WIP: Spaceship I'm working on, need ideas for bridge.

[Cakeman]

Since reading about the engagement in the caid sector my minifigs have desperately tried to aquire warp capability and now they are close to succeding.

It started out good, length 54 studs (17 inches). However, the bridge looks like a big box and theres still not any real space for a commanddeck. And it doesn't have a real engine yet, so length may increase if it means more hull. Anyway, some pics:















Right now it only has a WS2 ram and a twin WS4 cannon. This together is 10 inches worth of weapons and my foredack is already crammed - I'm going to have a hard time fitting all 34 inches allowed! So I'm thinking I'll have to mount some guns on the side of the bridge or something... maybe that'll help with the boxy look too.

I'm almost out of bricks in the correct colors, but I'm kinda satisfied with the colorscheme. Could use more orange details, will be added if parts permit in the future. Anyway, just wanted to share what it looks like right now. What are the forum standards? 54 studs would make her a corvette?

[muffinman42]

Use curved bricks to create a curved bridge, Look around the Interweb for pictures of MOCs.

Unless this is gonna enter atmosphere then shape doesn't really matter.

[james+burgundy]

The bridge is way to big for the ship, if you want to keep the bridge then you need to double the rest of the ship. Looks like you might be going after AF's basic ship deign thin and long, only problem is yours is not long enough and so the bridge looks awkward.

[MasterEcabob]

First off, awesome job! The colors are great and the scale is nice and very feasible. While I agree with J+B that the bridge is too big, I don't think you should scrap it.

This picture, for example, shows how awesome the bridge is. I really like the high front end of the bridge, I think all you need to do is use slopes to have the back arch down to meet the main ship. I can see you tried to do this, but it still needs more, even if it means you have to sacrifice parts of the interior.

Overall awesome ship with a lot of potential, I can't wait to see the final version with figs and interior systems!

[OneEye589]

Yea, I agree with MasterEcabob. Use slopes all the way down the back of the bridge and make it meet up with the very end of the ship. Also, with the ship being so skinny and tall, maybe try making something come off of the sides a bit so it's wider.

[Cakeman]

Thanks all. I agree the bridge is esentially too large for the ships size, so I'm planning on adding another section to the aft end. Maybe it'll look weird, we'll see.

I did go for the long and thin look, I like the shape But in this case I find that space is very cramped inside (like in early uboats and destroyers). I'll see what happens to her over the next few days. Right now, added dorsal torpedotubes and twin WS2 guns on both sides.

[muffinman42]

If you want everything too scale, then you need some large propellent tanks, some smaller fuel tanks and you need to remember that with space craft gravity (when in space) is the direction that the trust is.
Also remove the giant windows at the front, theirs very little light in space and those are major weak points.

sources (i suggest reading though some of this, unless you have already learnt all you need to know about physics from Tahthing.)
http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3at.html
http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3ap.html

[Strana]

another thing to do if you don't want to make it to much larger is to deepen the main run (hall of the ship, currently your ship is about 5 briks from base to tope and your bridge takes up a space of 8+, if you deepen the ship raise nominal height to around 8-10 briks it will balance out the ship, and youll have plenty of room to fool around with installing stuff.

[briknerd7]

Its a nice little corvette class ship

[warman45]

you could try and do what they did with the battlefleet gothic imperial cruiser and the stargate prometheous. (make the bridge section wider by adding a wing segment of some sort)

another idea is to simply not have a full bridge. instead have a raised "command" area. it would extend above the top of the ship yet still be proportional to the rest.

[RoC77]

I like the the look of the lower half of your ship, but...... that bridge is pretty distracting. I'm with Strana though that, you do need to increase the height of the main hull of your ship. Also, you don't need to have windows to make it a ship's bridge, you can place it within the main hull as long as you have monitors. My escort ship's, light destroyer & Natalya's Rhet Butlers Revenge, don't have one. But if you need one, you could make it off the side of the ship, like the ships in Homeworld 2 or the Millennium Falcon.

[Cakeman]

remember that with space craft gravity (when in space) is the direction that the trust is.
Also remove the giant windows at the front, theirs very little light in space and those are major weak points.

I'll skip the physics, there will be artificial gravity in the ship and the windows on the bridge is there for feeling, like the exposed bridge of all the Star Destroyers with a window conveniently placed to allow for any kamikazestyle attack if the bridge deflectorshields were ever to come down...

you could make it off the side of the ship, like the ships in Homeworld 2 or the Millennium Falcon.

True... I'll think about it. I'd like to have twin engines on the sides aft, but have to wait for arrival of more bricks.

Anyway, I've scraped the bottom of my grey bin and widened the hull two studs and made it one brick higher, also added a midsection. It's now 22 inches long.





I wont build a bridge right now since the ship will feature in a battle between me and my brother this saturday, it'll have to do for now. I'll just add small shots of the old bridge loosely on top of the new hull just to see how different shapes look. I'm leaning towards something like pic nr 2, so I'll have to wait till I can get my hands on new windowpieces.



I'm going away for a month so I can't place a bricklink order for more parts, even though I really really want to. It'd just collect dust at the post office untill they returned it... I'll have to wait. But it's painful.

[OneEye589]

First pic of the four, and take that thingy off the front of the ship. I don't like it.

Or do what you want.

[RoC77]

Thinking about it, if you are putting a ram in front of it, you might want to have a internal bridge. Since you will always be running up to the enemy ship, it would be safer to not to have a big window for those guns to aim at....



On the upper left of this photo is a battle bus I built but never profiled, it had a reinforced front and a docking collar to charge upto ships & board them. The bridge was inside toward the back of the ship.

[warman45]

my boarding craft had a bridge but it was a very tiny slit. the model should be inhere somewhere. possibly armoury.