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Fan Project Voting Continues Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

The CIC's annual community vote is now in full swing! If you didn't get a chance to vote last week, the poll is still open and you can input your selection below. The nominees are listed after that, and it's still super inspiring to me to see them all listed out! Half of these projects didn't exist or weren't in the running in 2018, so it's especially cool how much new blood there is this time around.
  • Adm_Maverick Tabletop Adventures began as papercraft models. After Maverick got some practice making miniature WC ships, he branched out into a full fledged game. He's since produced a wide range of supporting items and has been actively playtesting to work out the kinks.
  • AircPirateNinsei's radio controlled flying Hornet model has to be seen to be believed! He's combined his aerodynamic skills with Wing Commander fandom to produce an incredible tribute to the WC series that actually goes airborne!
  • DefianceIndustries has his own personal Wing Commander projects, but he also contributes a great many technical assets to other endeavors. At the core of it are the beautiful designs that he creates at seemingly industrial scale!
  • The Freelancer Mod that replaces most all of the native ships to the game with Wing Commander alternatives was just begun in the later part of the year, but it's already certified as campaign-compatible and working on revamping the entire game economy. This will significantly enhance the level balancing to keep all the factions competitive into the endgame, which is something the original didn't implement great.
  • The Gemini Sector RPG has roots that extend back more than a decade. They've evolved multiple times through MUD/MUSHes to forums and now play on a modern Discord server. They've hosted beginner's sessions to help add new players, and they have a great time doing it!
  • The venerable Homeworld Remastered Mod, also known as Flag Commander, released another major update this year with beautiful starscape skyboxes. They also released an updated play guide and even a WC3 prologue campaign.
  • The Prophecy & Secret Ops Model Upgrade Pack had another big year. On top of a fantastic beta release at the CIC Birthday, they're already hard at work on the next release which will incorporate more beautiful ships and huge capship explosions.
  • UnnamedCharacter's WC Toolbox has helped uncover the mysteries of the original games and spur a renaissance of early-WC modding, but it's just the beginning. A variety of useful tools and digital insights are helping curious Wingnuts dig deeper than ever into the code to find new discoveries and push the boundaries of fan projects.
  • The WC4 Fan Remake started out the year with an impressive new cockpit and then teased some of its first enhanced gameplay footage. The team is now testing higher resolutions and other technical challenges.
  • Wing Leader was one of the most eye-catching projects of the summer. Howard Day added a number of classic WC designs to his own custom Unity WC engine to great effect and gave people an impressive glimpse at what a modern take on the original Wing Commander could be.

Annual Community Vote Begins! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

The new year's train keeps rolling, and now it's time for our annual fan project contest. Based on Wingnut nominations and our review of the news from the past twelve months, we've narrowed down the long list of amazing fan projects from 2019 into ten nominees. We know it's super hard to pick just one, but try your best! Good luck to all!
  • Adm_Maverick Tabletop Adventures began as papercraft models. After Maverick got some practice making miniature WC ships, he branched out into a full fledged game. He's since produced a wide range of supporting items and has been actively playtesting to work out the kinks.
  • AircPirateNinsei's radio controlled flying Hornet model has to be seen to be believed! He's combined his aerodynamic skills with Wing Commander fandom to produce an incredible tribute to the WC series that actually goes airborne!
  • DefianceIndustries has his own personal Wing Commander projects, but he also contributes a great many technical assets to other endeavors. At the core of it are the beautiful designs that he creates at seemingly industrial scale!
  • The Freelancer Mod that replaces most all of the native ships to the game with Wing Commander alternatives was just begun in the later part of the year, but it's already certified as campaign-compatible and working on revamping the entire game economy. This will significantly enhance the level balancing to keep all the factions competitive into the endgame, which is something the original didn't implement great.
  • The Gemini Sector RPG has roots that extend back more than a decade. They've evolved multiple times through MUD/MUSHes to forums and now play on a modern Discord server. They've hosted beginner's sessions to help add new players, and they have a great time doing it!
  • The venerable Homeworld Remastered Mod, also known as Flag Commander, released another major update this year with beautiful starscape skyboxes. They also released an updated play guide and even a WC3 prologue campaign.
  • The Prophecy & Secret Ops Model Upgrade Pack had another big year. On top of a fantastic beta release at the CIC Birthday, they're already hard at work on the next release which will incorporate more beautiful ships and huge capship explosions.
  • UnnamedCharacter's WC Toolbox has helped uncover the mysteries of the original games and spur a renaissance of early-WC modding, but it's just the beginning. A variety of useful tools and digital insights are helping curious Wingnuts dig deeper than ever into the code to find new discoveries and push the boundaries of fan projects.
  • The WC4 Fan Remake started out the year with an impressive new cockpit and then teased some of its first enhanced gameplay footage. The team is now testing higher resolutions and other technical challenges.
  • Wing Leader was one of the most eye-catching projects of the summer. Howard Day added a number of classic WC designs to his own custom Unity WC engine to great effect and gave people an impressive glimpse at what a modern take on the original Wing Commander could be.

Happy New Year! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

Welcome to the Twenties! That feels so very weird to type. As we step into a whole new decade, we'll take one more look back today at all of the wonderful things that happened in the world of Wing Commander in 2019. It was another big year! First up, here's the recap of the news:

Right off the bat, it was a time of discovery as we learned new things. We finally figured out what the mystery fighter in Academy was intended to be and added a couple of the show's scripts to the archive. A tantalizing bit of phonetic script was discovered in the Secret Missions and a fun easter egg in SNES SM1. And shockingly, a new Wing Commander game was released in Japan! Wing Commander Arena finally debuted on the Xbox 360 in January after almost 12 years in limbo. In February, LOAF and Dundradal kicked off the first season of All Wings Considered, the CIC's weekly streaming variety show. The team produced over a hundred hours of content across 34 episodes and will be back soon for the second season! They also penned a new WC vs History on the subject of Broadswords, which was a welcome return of the feature.
In physical product news, Origin artist Denis Loubet 3D printed the Pewter Planet and we added some exotic Japanese SWC 3DO stickers to the collection. On the musical front, George Oldziey's WC Jazz Album shipped and WC music was once again performed by a Swedish orchestra. Wing Commander footage was also included in a new music video by GUNSHIP and even appeared in an advertisement for Progressive insurance. The Wing Commander Movie also started to make its way back into digital distribution on Redbox, Google Play, Fandango Now and VUDU after the rights transfer from FOX to Chris Roberts.
We heard from a lot of major industry professionals who reminisced about Wing Commander. The founder of Raylight Games, Massi Di Monda, wrote an article about how integral Prophecy was to the growth of their company. MMO luminary Starr Long mentioned that they haven't forgotten about the series and keep pinging EA now and then about access to the Wing Commander license. Ginger Lynn Allen dug up her Prophecy uniform and posted it for auction, and the founders of Moby Games talked about WC was the third game added to the site. The second Moongate Origin history book also successfully crowdfunded with a variety of WC perks.
It was a big year for anniversaries. The WC Movie turned 20, Armada turned 25 as did WC3. The CIC's own 21st Birthday was fully livestreamed for the first time with much of the CIC Staff in the same place. The Sony Playstation also turned 25.
This was a good time for tying up loose ends. LOAF finally found the source for all the German Wing Commander novel cover arts, and we found out about a new canceled WC3 port for the Jaguar. Similarly, we got word on what's up with the Wing Commander CCG boxed set that was never released. Multiple CCG artists also posted samples of their original card artwork. The CIC Head Museum got a huge facelift too! Sadly, we lost a few people who were influential to Wing Commander, including Owen Garriott and Sid Mead just this week.
Fan Projects were huge once again. This is just an extremely cursory review, since you could easily write a whole article on a dozen different projects in active operation right now. We'll cover them in slightly more depth soon when we kick off our annual contest. AircPirateNinsei's actual flying Hornet was an incredible example of physical WC arts, and RetroRat's awesome diorama was super cool too. These were followed by Maverick's nifty papercraft cruiser. Mav also put together a playable tabletop game, and the folks over at Gemini Sector had a lot of fun playing their RPG too.
Digital artists were working overtime with Defiance Industries pumping out no less than a dozen stellar models. Klavs was back with a Waterloo and Hornet, plus Dark Sentinel branched out into Kilrathi. So many of these awesome Wingnut creators help each other and work interdependently. Arne's Android Arts created a wide range of creative sketches that eventually inspired Howard Day's tremendous Wing Leader up-rez take on the WC1 engine. We're not sure how he found the time to work on that while pushing Rebel Galaxy Outlaw out the door at the same time! Many of Defiance's ships made it into a big Prophecy & Secret Ops Model Upgrade Pack release, which was itself bolstered by gr1mre4per's Prophecy Unlimited technical coding upgrades.

UnnamedCharacter made lots of technical discoveries in the WC1 engine, which supported improvements to Goliath's WC1 Sprite Refresh. Somehow L.I.F. manages to juggle multiple major project releases. He put out a big update to the Homeworld mod while creating and releasing an entire Freelancer mod on the side. The WC4 Fan Remake made great strides this year, and Centaurianmudpig got his shooter further off the ground. KrisV and the gang FINALLY fixed Prophecy multiplayer too. The series of original WC visual novels by SonataFanatica was also a favorite of mine.


Thank you all for another fantastic year. We can't wait to see what 2020 has in store!
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Flying Hornet Jazzed Up With Squaron Colors Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

AircPirateNinsei's impressive Hornet model flies great, and now it looks even better. He's designed a handful of slick decals based on the original WC1 cutscenes to give the fighter even more flair. A local print shop was able to turn these into adhesive foil labels for about $20. There's even a nifty QR code that can be applied so other people can easily scan the craft and find directions on how to build their own. You can find the instructions online here and follow the ongoing development at the Flite Test Forums.
I've reworked the decals again and especially included the KILLER BEES Logo, which can be seen in the game, when the canopy closes. The decal sheet has a size of 800 x 550 mm (31.5 x 21.65 in). I have also added Airc Pirates logos if anyone wants to use them. And I created a QR code with the URL to the download page. I will stick it on my new Hornet and interested people on the flying field can start their QR scanners in the smartphones and visit the download page.

Have fun!:)

Flying Hornet Improves Performance Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

AircPirateNinsei's flying flying Hornet model continues to impress. The recent laser cannon additions are complete, and plans for people to build their own have been posted alongside the rest of the design instructions. Even with the cannons in place, the fighter can maintain amazingly stable flight, pull off acrobatic maneuvers and even land smoothly! It also gets some serious altitude. You can continue to follow development over at the Flite Test Forums.
The build plan for the laser cannons is finished and ready for download! It contains two templates to prepare the wing so that the laser cannons can be retrofitted. The laser cannons are also very stable. Unfortunately I didn't have a carbon fiber tube anymore, that would have been even better. The Hornet also flies with laser cannons, rolls, loops and lands without damage!

The Hornet is our contribution to the 2019 Flite Test Forum & Flite Fest Community Fantasy Aircraft Design & Build Challenge.

Flying Hornet Gets Its Stinger Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

AircPiratesNinsei's flying Hornet model is ready for combat! He's mocked up some prototype laser cannons, and the results are pretty sweet. They're a real cherry on top of the overall design. The results are visible below, and soon they'll be available to download for prospective builders out there!
The laser cannons are installed! The AUW is 593 g (20.92 oz). Here are some pictures of the parts. The finished laser cannons resemble the tournament lance of a medieval knight! The plan for the laser cannons follows!

Flying Hornet Plans Released, Prototype Gets Confed Colors Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

AircPiratesNinsei has made excellent progress on his flying Hornet model. For starters, he's released baseline plans on his website for other aspiring builders to put their own version together. There's a couple sizes available, and plans for his improved double-layer stabilizer are also already online. Now that the structural design seems pretty solid, he's also started to color the design with adhesive foil. This has resulted in some excellent accent pieces that make the fighter really pop. And that's not all - the Hornet's iconic laser cannons are in work for a future update!
Many thanks to all of you! I was positively surprised by the flight characteristics. It's a wing aircraft with a background - did Chris Roberts think it would really fly? The game segments just had to become part of the video. Fortunately DosBox has a recording function. :)

I have now also created the build plan. It is now available for download at airc-pirates.com! The Hornet is made from 3 pieces of foam board. To build the Hornet, follow the order of the part numbers and the instructions in the plan!

Also the trading card is finished and available for download!

Hornet Model Gets Some Serious Air Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

AircPirateNinsei's second flying Hornet model has taken off. This one's a lot more stable in flight and manages to cruise for about two minutes. It almost made a smooth landing, but I can imagine it's pretty hard to glide those in remotely. Plans are already in the work for a third version with structural reinforcements and familiar decals to spice things up a bit. We can't wait to see! You can follow the development at the Flite Test Forums.
The Hornet is our contribution to the 2019 Flite Test Forum & Flite Fest Community Fantasy Aircraft Design & Build Challenge! For more information about this model please visit our website: http://airc-pirates.com

The maiden flight of V0.2 was successful. The Hornet flies fantastic and I think it is perfect for a FT Power Pack B setup. Unfortunately there was a small pilot error which led to a crash.

Bigger and Better Hornet on the Flightline Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

AircPirateNinsei has completed his enlarged flying Hornet fighter. This update has a larger wingspan to fit more effective control surfaces and a larger powerplant. He'll be getting it airborne soon, and we can't wait to see! There's a lot of talent and skill that's obviously going into this. Follow the development at the Flite Test Forums.
The Hornet with a wingspan of 1000 mm (39.37 in) is ready2fly! :) The AUW is 513 g (18.10 oz). The Dry Weight (without battery) is 370 g (13.05 oz). The battery is a Turnigy nano-tech 4s with 1300 mAh.

Model Hornet Takes to the Air Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

AircPirateNinsei has flown his Hornet model for the first time. Total duration aloft was just under ten seconds, but it really zooms. And even this brief flight provides valuable information. He's now in the process of remaking the craft about 25% larger in order to give it a bigger battery and more effective control surfaces. It's all very cool, and he's a very talented model maker!
Here a short video of the maiden crash.

The Hornet flies, but it needs more thrust and larger surfaces for the elevons. To fit a bigger battery (4s) in the small nose I will increase the wingspan from 800mm (31.5 in) to 1000mm (39.37 in).

The Hornet with 1000mm wingspan is almost finished. The lower part of the fuselage is still missing. A maximum of one 8" propeller fits. As motor I will try a RCTimer/DYS BC2830/8 1300KV (Max Power: 275W) with a 4s battery. Because of the larger area of the elevons I use two 9g servos.

I'm so sorry there won't be an F-Pack setup, but maybe a B- or C-Pack setup? I'll test the 52g 2830 motor first, before mounting the 70g 2836 motor.

Hornet Model Ready to Take Flight Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

AircPirateNinsei is building a real life flying Hornet model! He scaled and hand built the fighter with lightweight foamboard, and the design is pretty spot on. There's a six inch propeller in the rear and all of the associated battery and electronics are contained in the cockpit area. At this point, the version you see here is pretty much ready for its first test flight. After the basic aerodynamics are validated, AircPirateNinsei is planning to add the ship's iconic laser cannons. You can follow along for updates at the Flite Test Forum. Thanks to st3lt3k for the tip!
The Hornet is a light fighter for the Terran Confederation during the Terran-Kilrathi War in the game "Wing Commander". Maybe some of you played this game in the nineties. Wing Commander is the eponymous first game in Chris Roberts' science fiction space flight simulation. The game was first released for MS-DOS in the year 1990. Thanks to DosBox this game still works for me. Here are a few screenshots. I think the Hornet is a good choice for this challenge. Maybe someone will build a Kilrathi Dralthi for a dogfight.

Instead of the originally planned F-Pack electronics I installed A-Pack compatible electronics and a 6" propeller. As battery I use a Turnigy nano-tech 3s with 850 mAh. The AUW is 258 g (9.1 oz) and the Dry Weight 187g (6.6 oz).

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