It's a Paladin Poll Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Today we have a new poll. Sometimes people ask why Chris Roberts "changed" Paladin for the Wing Commander Movie, but Paladin has a storied history of being reimagined from one product to the next. Why isn't he Scottish in the film? Well, Claw Marks explains he's not even from Earth. James Taggart shows up throughout the series in a variety of forms, but he always serves as a reassuring mentor who's got our back through thick and thin. This can make it hard to pick just one iteration as your favorite, but now's your chance!
The old poll was our annual survey on how long you all have been with us. Amazingly, the majority of you have been frequenting the site for some 20-odd years. Almost as cool: about 10% are newcomers that continue to inject fresh blood into the community!

Rapier, G and F-103 Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Mac is flexing some of his new expertise with Rapier in this fun new wallpaper. It arranges Klavs' original Rapier, Rapier G and Excalibur in a fearsome trio. There's some moody clouds in the background with complementary lighting. As an extra bonus, there's also some fun behind-the-scenes shots that show off how Mac got the Rapier flying in the WC Saga/Freespace engine. You can also find his full video on the Rapier here.

I've been spending this Canadian Thanksgiving messing with Blender and Photoshop doing #wingcommander stuff before the feasting commences later.

Fantastic Sale Discounts Arrow Model Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Fantastic Plastic is holding a flash sale that discounts the slick 3D printed Arrow model digitized by Alfred Wong. The original $70 price was a bit on the high side, but the marked down $55 plus shipping is pretty competitive with highly detailed models like this. We've seen this one pop up here and there, and it's a nice design! There aren't all that many current options to choose from, so this is a great opportunity to get into a physical model kit. Send us a picture once you've assembled yours!
Thanks to elend for the tip!
About the Design

"Wing Commander" from Origin Systems was one of the most successful space combat videogame franchises of the late 20th century. Combining "Star Wars"-like action with sophisticated story lines, the game spawned five full videogame versions between 1990 and 1997, plus novels, an animated TV series, a collectible card game and a 1999 feature film starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Matthew Lillard.

The "Arrow" light fighter was one of dozens of Terran and alien spacecraft created for the "Wing Commander" franchise. It first appeared in 1994's "Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger" as a point-defense fighter with enough fuel for long-range strike missions. Is carries a pair of ion cannon as well as eight missiles. The "Arrow" would be stripped down in later incarnations, finally used as a stealth fighter in "Wing Commander IV."

About the Model

Scale: 1:72
Material: Resin
Number of pieces: 19
Length: 7 inches (17.78 cm)v Pilot Figure Included
Pattern by Alfred Wong
Casting: Creative Cast Parts
Decals by JBOT

Watch Shatner's Emotional Reaction to Visiting Space Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Blue Origin launched Star Trek actor William Shatner into space this morning. At 90 years old, he became the oldest person to cross the threshold into space. As science fiction turns further into reality each day, these types of events have become commonplace, but this clip will still be the best thing in space, sci-fi, Star Trek or Wing Commander news that you'll see all day. Just listen to the emotion and wonder that drips off every word he has to say. Like the other recent Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic launches, these are suborbital flights where the ship spends just a matter of minutes weightless and above the atmosphere. But to hear him tell it, even ten minutes in space sounds like a transformative life-changing event. I'm so glad he got the chance to experience it!

Turkish Movie Poster Nicely Photographed Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

A Twitter account dedicated to Turkish Movie Posters has found a copy of the glorious design for Wing Commander - or Cesaret Kanatlari! It's a nice high quality image here, so we're happy to share it in this format. We've seen this art in more squished forms a number of times over the years for items like the VHS or VCDs, but I don't think I've personally seen the full poster quite like this before. Tchéky Karyo, who played Paladin, was born in Istanbul.

Resilient Rapier Rundown Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Mac's Lore is back with a fantastic Wing Commander fighter profile. Everyone loves the Excalibur, but long before the F-103 came online, the Rapier represented the cutting edge of Confed fighter technology. Mac has really upped his game and has arranged all kinds of impressive custom visuals just for this video. There's some really cool schematic style spec sequences as well as lots of contextual history. There's even a shout out to the Arena variants! It's a nice thorough rundown of the fighter's known escapades, and he makes great use of Klavs' famous models. Check it out below:
Before there was the Excalibur, there was the Rapier. If the False Armistice never happened, we may very well have seen a Rapier drop the Temblor Bomb on Kilrah.

Happy Birthday Star Citizen! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

It's hard to believe, but today marks nine years since the official unveiling of Chris Roberts' Star Citizen to the world. Due to the pandemic, the festivities have been virtual, but that means everyone has easy access to all the content they've prepared. The party is primarily being hosted over on Twitch and RobertsSpaceIndustries. I've posted one developers panel below so you can get a taste. Lots of SC fans are going into further the detail of all that, so I'll just leave you with a cool behind-the-scene pic from Sandi Roberts. It shows Chris in his Tiger Claw hat and WC crew jacket while getting ready for the reveal in October 2012!
Here's a couple more throwback pics - we were young!

Appreciating Asymmetrical Aerospace Art Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Today we celebrate off-centered spaceship cockpits: the Tarsus and Galaxy from Privateer and the Kor-Larh from Wing Commander Armada! Now we'd be able to display these double cockpits head on with a fancy widescreen monitor.

There was a question on Twitter:
Marc Callan: Interesting that in the Privateer side-by-side cockpits, they put the pilot's seat on the right. Wonder what influenced that decision?

LOAF: Wow, interesting question! Odd choice as planes are typically flown from the left seat. And a US-based team so it’s not based on a car. I went back to the concept art to check and found it was originally a single-seater and that the double seat idea originated with the Galaxy!

author avatar
LOAF

Space Sim Options for Nintendo Switch Owners Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Nintendo shipped its new aptly named Switch (OLED Model) today, so we wanted to point out a few options for Wingnuts with the new console. These are all perfectly valid for existing owners of the prior revisions as well.

Space Commander: War and Trade is an interesting newcomer. It looks kind of like a modern combination of Wing Commander Arena and Privateer. The game employs a version of Arena's first person mode that sets up some fairly simplistic but engaging space combat. It's also a medium scale Privateer-style sandbox game, which is a novel pairing with this type of engine. The Nintendo World Reports review below describes how the economy isn't set up great, but it's hard to go wrong for just $10.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is a fan favorite among Wingnuts. We've talked about it extensively in the past, and if you haven't tried it out on PCs or consoles to date, it's an easy recommendation. Regardless of your platform, it's the closest thing to a full fledged WC game released in the last couple years. There's so many easter eggs and throwbacks that you can practically convince yourself that you're playing a modern Privateer.
Nintendo World Reports helps out here again with an entire recap of 10+ games for space sim fans on the Switch - with old school WC fans in mind. They did a lot of research to highlight all of these, so check this out for sure!

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