First things first: This is Cybot078's model, and you can find his other designs here: http://www.wcnews.com/chatzone/threads/k-rathi-fictions.23927/ I said myself texturing them might ruin the simple beauty they have, but here i am doing one anyway. I'm not very good at UV mapping *or* texturing, i hope i do them justice.
A good texture is never a bad idea. Details are what makes a ship' size look right. Also you are clearly a far better texturer than I am, so please go on. Maybe I'll even start to like WC2 designs when textured right so I'm looking forward to seeing it finished
Well, the original Origin model in the 3D archive is damaged at the back, but it doesn't have any visible hangar at the front. Most fan-depictions saw the rear black hole as the flightdeck.
The fighter bay is underneath, facing forward - you can see it on the Wing Commander II FM Towns box.
Any idea what the black hole in the back is then? Also: Is there the possibility that the forward facing thingie is just the launch tubes and the landing bay is in the rear or something? It sure looks a bit impractical. Reminds me of the "vertical bay" of a Imperial Star Destroyer. I'm not even sure if that is a Fralthra... But then it may be the best guess. Here is the picture for reference: http://www.wcnews.com/newestshots/full/fmtowns-wc2-detail1.jpg
Oh Lord...my mind went to a very dirty place just now...... That's definitely a Fralthra. KIS Hhai'fra has little green bits in front of the nacelles; Ralathas have five nacelles, Fralthras six.
Normally i'm one of the first to enter the fray when it comes to nitpicking the hell out of something, but isn't this simply a case of different artists' depictions of something?
I regretted it the moment i started, but i scaled the Fralthra and the Origin Jalkehi to their known sizes to see how the hangar would work out. Surprisingly well it seems, although the "light complement of fighters" can't be much more than a squadron. Is that fighter on the FM towns cover a Jalkehi too?
Drakhri. Tilt your head to the right a little and you'll see it...three cannons, rounded wings tilted downward, and an over-the-cockpit missile launcher.
Hehe sorry, should have been more specific. I meant the fighter just beneath the supposed hangar bay. If it is, then that cruiser should be a little larger than a Fralthra.
Yes, what you're looking at is a painting by someone who was provided the Wing Commander II printed materials as reference... so it has a detailed Drakhri (from the cover) and then a Fralthra and Jalkehi based on the silhouettes seen in the Joan's 2664 Update. (This is also why the Wing Commander I FM Towns and SFC covers, done by the same artist, are incredibly detailed Wing Commander I fighters but in unusual colors... they're based on Claw Marks' black and white line drawings.) Ah - the Kilrathi Saga manual actually gives specific complements. The Fralthra carries 40 fighters.
Hmm 40 fighters might fit to what you're facing in WC2 (and the Fralthra is the largest Kilrathi capship there), but this would mean the 612m Fralthra is basically hollow. EDIT: It isn't even that farfetched. You could even put 40 of the larger Jalkehi in a Fralthi if you stack them, although you have to sacrifice quite some space.
They wouldn't store them in the bay, at least not all of them. There must be small hangars in the ship, with doors from the fighter bay leading to them. Maybe the also have folding wings or something, and some of them might be out in space most of the time. Or the 40 fighters doesn't mean they are all battle-ready, maybe some of them are disassembled and stored somewhere else in the ship.
I think, as far as fighter storage issues on WC ships are concerned, the Fralthra actually works out remarkably well .
