What Would You Want in a Star Wars Mod?

[Starfox1701]

Calling on all people with military knowledge; please help me ID the origen of the these gun turrets. They where yoused on the studio model of the ISD for the 1st Star Wars movie

 

[K_merse]

They look like Abrams towers with a lot of stuff added to make them look different.
The rightmost is maybe which later was reused as the Rebel's Ion Cannon...

 

[Starfox1701]

Not sure what tank the tubolasers are from but its not an M1. I think the Ion Cannon started as a IS 2 turret. It would seam that no obvous US equipment models where used in the manufacture of Imperial models in the first movies. What stuff I have id seam to come off of German, French and Japanies warships from WW2.

 

[Starfox1701]

And the first of the ship nearing completion; A ship that need no interduction.

 

[StarBlade]

I cannot wait for this one.

 

[thunderfoot]

Niiice! All the other SW ISDs and VSDs we've seen over the years, the textures look a little...too "busy", if you know what I mean. I wonder how this one would look if the textures for the hull and superstructure sides had some of the details removed? Maybe about a 10% reduction in lightmaps, along with a similar reduction in the aztecing and detailing on the hull plates? I will probably try this for myself after you release her.

Not nitpicking here. Nor am I sniping. It just seems my eye gets drawn into the details and with the inevitable texture overlap and minor errors which occur no matter how we try. The previously released ISDs and VSDs seem to be "off" just enough to jar me out of the immersive experience I am always looking for in any game.

 

[Jetfreak]

Vader would be proud, a fine ship!

 

[Majestic]

And the first of the ship nearing completion; A ship that need no interduction.

What ship is that?

Great work on the model.

 

[Zelph]

Looks great! Although I'm curious, where did the three heavy guns come from? I don't remember them on any of the shots I've seen before? Unless this is meant to be a Victory or Imperator.

 

[K_merse]

There are heavy cannons on ISDs. Four on both sides. What surprised me that I remembered, that all four are identical, but now it looks like that it has one ion cannon and three turbolasers on one side.

 

[Zelph]

I was thinking of the three heavy guns forward.

I thought that the four heavys each side were identical too, but then again that comes more from playing Rogue Leader on the Gamecube than anything else. They were all ions cannons there.

 

[Starfox1701]

I cannot wait for this one.

Niiice!

Vader would be proud, a fine ship!

What ship is that?

Great work on the model.

Looks great!

Thank you all. Evil Jedi's model was a great place to start from.

All the other SW ISDs and VSDs we've seen over the years, the textures look a little...too "busy", if you know what I mean. I wonder how this one would look if the textures for the hull and superstructure sides had some of the details removed? Maybe about a 10% reduction in lightmaps, along with a similar reduction in the aztecing and detailing on the hull plates? I will probably try this for myself after you release her.

Yea striking the right balance is very hard especaly with the mk1 as any CGI model will get closer to the camera from angles that the studio model was never intended to be shot from or at that distance.

Not nitpicking here. Nor am I sniping. It just seems my eye gets drawn into the details and with the inevitable texture overlap and minor errors which occur no matter how we try. The previously released ISDs and VSDs seem to be "off" just enough to jar me out of the immersive experience I am always looking for in any game.

I think this is because the ISD model is nothing like Enterprise (who by the way was built by the same guys a year and a half later). Enterprise is composed of all custom parts that fit seamlessly and Devastator was a custom hull detailed with random model parts and painted on panaling. Really great ISD CGI models are built the same whay as the studio model; lots of random meaningless greebling.

where did the three heavy guns come from? I don't remember them on any of the shots I've seen before? Unless this is meant to be a Victory or Imperator.

There are heavy cannons on ISDs. Four on both sides. What surprised me that I remembered, that all four are identical, but now it looks like that it has one ion cannon and three turbolasers on one side.

I thought that the four heavys each side were identical too, but then again that comes more from playing Rogue Leader on the Gamecube than anything else. They were all ions cannons there.

This is the ISD mk 1 guys not the mk2. Most of us I think know about the 2 makes of ISD but how we wound up with it is a enteresting tale.

You see during the shooting of SW EIV ANH the effect budget was very limited and Lucus had no expectation that this film would suceed and he would get to mak more SW movies. So the ISD Devastator model was built with only the must have storyboarded shots in mind. She was only as detailed as she had to be and was ment to be seen from a distance from the left and behind and upclose only underneath and from the left.

When The movie took off and became the biggest hit of its day it caught everyone including Lucus flatfooted. Well as soon as the studio greenlighted the other 2 films but even before they had a budget or a script Lucus started poring his own money into new stuff for the movies effects. One of thoughs things was a new ISD model that could be shot closer and from any angel. This became the ISD Avenger.

At the time ILM didn't mean for the models to be 2 different classes of star destroyer but they turned out so radically different that the fans took it and ran with it. Lucus eventualy lent his blessing when Michael Stackpole started the X-wing novel series. Therefore we have the mk2 or Avenger type ISD enters service with the Empier shortly ahter the battle of Yavin. Pic are of THE Devastator and Avenger models.

 

[thunderfoot]

Calling on all people with military knowledge; please help me ID the origin of these gun turrets. They where used on the studio model of the ISD for the 1st Star Wars movie

The ones on the left may have started life as the AA batteries off the WWII German capital ships. I've no idea what the stuff added to the outsides is. Unsure about the one on the right.

 

[Starfox1701]

Did they make ship models that big in 77-78? I was only like 2

 

[StarBlade]

I think the right-hand one might be from a T-54 or higher-model Soviet tank, if not a JS-3. The ones on the left definitely are a multi-part affair, with extra parts added to the back and sides around a single-piece moulded turret. If I had to guess, from past modeling experience, if the right-hand turret is 1/72 or 1/76, the left-hand turrets are probably 1/350 WWII ship turrets. This seems like a sure thing because typically a WWII ship large enough to mount a dual-gun turret (notice how they've cut one barrel off of each so as not to make it obvious) usually carries two or more of them in a stacking arrangement, and a model maker with two identical turrets per side called for will want to use as few actual new-from-the-box models as possible. If I had to take a guess I'd say battleship or battlecruiser --Hood, Arizona, Bismarck, Yamato all come to mind. This is probably why the extra back and sides are added-- so as not to make it obvious that the Royal Navy and the Imperial Starfleet use the same arms manufacturers! (if it's the Kriegsmarine or IJN nobody's surprised)

EDIT TO ADD:

Did they make ship models that big in 77-78? I was only like 2

I wasn't born yet but I've built models of all kinds of things, and I've seen re-releases of ship models made as far back as the 1950s using injection-moulded plastic. Sometimes it was that the kit was measured and scaled to fit into the box they shipped it in; it wasn't until later that you got standard scales for certain models (1/350 and later 1/700 for ships; 1/48 or 1/72 for air models; 1/35 or 1/72 for land models, also 1/76 in the UK). I've seen a model of the USS Arizona, and if I remember, it was in 1/528 scale or some random number like that, and the reason why the kit was in that scale was because the box was a certain size. Grabbing a ship like that off a shelf and slapping its pieces into shape as a ship model has been the backbone of science fiction modelling since the end of WWII. So it's very possible that they did just that for the original ISD.

 

[Zelph]

So has a time era/period been decided on? I wonder because you can go with the Clone Wars (albeit late) or Galactic Civil War with the ISD Mk I.

 

[Starfox1701]

How about both

I have the model hardpointed and just about assembled for exportation and started working on the gun's odfs. I was looking for footage of Devastator in action over Tatooine and ran across this. I had a liaugh so enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk5_OSsawz4&feature=feedf

 

[Starfox1701]

Wow no on found that funny

Oh well update time Progress has been slow. I have the model hardpointed and have started the vast number of odfs required for a stock instalation. As she is a foundational ship she will tack longer the is the norm (at least I hope thats the case) but there is progress. Hopefully I will have some in game pics by early next week.

 

[Starfox1701]

As promised the forst in game pics

 

[Zelph]

That looks stinkin' amazing! Great job!

 

[K_merse]

Awesomely detailed. The best ISD model I've seen so far for any game. Well, maybe SW Galaxies is an exception. Isn't the bridge a bit too thick?

 

[Starfox1701]

Thanks Guys

Isn't the bridge a bit too thick?

Not really. If it is We are talking like less then 10m

 

[Starfox1701]

Didn't get alot done on her today but had time for on or 2 tests and a bit of humor I call the first one David eyeing Goliath and the second A Bad Negotiating Position

 

[thunderfoot]

Now that is a Star Destroyer! Looking at the pics, I heard John Williams' Imperial March in my mind almost immediately!

Outstanding work!

 

[Jetfreak]

Dang, that is one huge heavy hitter.

 

[K_merse]

Didn't get alot done on her today but had time for on or 2 tests and a bit of humor I call the first one David eyeing Goliath and the second A Bad Negotiating Position

And that's why we love Star Wars

 

[Starfox1701]

Thanks Guys Got som battle test shots now that I have the first pass at the full gun battery installed. Tommarow I start fiting the Hangers out. I appolgise in advance. It looked way more impressive as live action

 

[Starfox1701]

Sirry for the Double But I some more Eye Candy for thought

 

[Amateur]

I feel sorry for whoever had to paint that

Nice job , happy to see some more Star Wars stuff around.

 

[Majestic]

Some nice texture variants there, I would however at least for the old republic version recommend you go with a darker red, as the old republic used a more Maroon colour. Never the less nice to see some non-imperial versions of the class destroyer.