HMS Valiant
Ah something a little different, something I did based on the ships from MJ12s Iron Stars games. An old one done in DOGA. I think the hull rivets worked well.
Credit due to the creator of the Iron Stars vessels – Mike Dugan
Ship of the Week: Starbug
It’s small, green and is not armed and with laser cannons…
”The Jupiter Mining Corporation transport vehicle Starbug (full name Starbug I) is a relatively small shuttlecraft, green in colour. It has three bulbous sections, the cockpit, mid-section and engine rooms, somewhat resembling a bug from the exterior”
(image Red Dwarf Wikia)
Traveller 2300: Dingo Assault APC
I took the hull of the Ocelot and built this. I managed to work out a way of building hover skirts in SU, but it really slows SU up.
Not strictly for Traveller 2300, but it could fit in. This does not appear on any site or book and is original.
Spacewrecks: Desert Derelict
Another image inspired by the TTA Book Space Wrecks. Bryce Model and Render, just simple primitives and a transparency texture.
Kangaroo IV APC
Another from the Traveller 2300 vehicle guide and redone for the Etranger 2300 site. Some of the geometry is a bit clunky, needs fixing, I’ve learn’t alot since doing this one. (Model: Sketchup, Render: Vue) Original design: Traveller 2300 Vehicle Guide (Dietrich ?)
Work In Progress: Broadsword Mercenary Cruiser Part IIIa
A little splash of colour and a nice render.
HMS Black Swan WIP Part 3 – Make Room! Make Room!
Thought I make this part about making staterooms, that way I cover a few techniques I use when making my deckplans. The basic Traveller stateroom is a 2×3 rectangle, each stateroom is 4 tons or 8 squares, the missing 1 ton (2 squares) is used for things like common rooms etc. You could make the rooms any size or shape, even combining rooms to make larger staterooms, just for this I’ll stick to the usual 2×3 one.
As I’ve said the walls are 1.0m thick, I use the offset tool and tap in 1 into the box in the lower right to get the correct size, or you can add a new guideline with the tape measure tool. As you can see I’ve shown that I draw the walls over or within the grid. Bit tricky to explain, but I usually use the one on the far right and erase the parts of the wall that will over lap with ajoining rooms. Of course they maybe no room and just a corridor. Ultimately you have to look at where the rooms are in the ship, so you know which wall to make smaller ie make some wall 1.0m and some 0.05 (so when the ajoining room is next to it it makes a 1.0m wall) I hope that makes some sense… just do it and see what I mean!
This this part shows the first version of the stateroom, if you put the room next to another rooms is makes a 2.0 m thich wall, not saying you don’t have to do that. Where I have cut the door, is just my choice here, It can be any where, in fact if you angle one corner you can put a door too.
I usually use this style, I thin the walls where I think they need to be thin (avoiding the 2.0 thick wall) The Bunk and chair are objects I have drawn and grouped (right click > add group) so I can move them around or whatever. Don’t feel restricted by drawing straight lines, use the arc tool to create things like loungers, sofas or curved desks.(Making those chairs and bunks – components is a good idea)
Finally right click and create group. You can create a component out of this stateroom and name it as such, this means that if you copy that component, any change to it will effect all copies of it, very handy. I’ve usually gone for the group option. Just my preference… You can tell any copy to be unique though (this is the bit of Sketchup I should really use more often)
Heres the fun part, with the move tool (4 arrows in a cross) selected, clicked control so a + appears on the pointer/move tool then move the stateroom, you can snap it to an axis with the shift key or not. Usually I click the point where the grid lines intersect so the copy will be in the correct place. Copy to your delight, as you see above I have creates a second line of rooms (grab and select then move) you then flip them on the direction they have gone (ie green) to create a corridor ! (another feature you get if you right click the selection)
Hey presto! More rooms that you could possibly shake a stick at! I hope this makes sense…well I’m off for a nice bowl of soylent green….
War Dogs: Pashurr MLRS Tanks
Inspired by a certain MLRS tank in the British Army. The rear pack is a reload for the rocket system. Thinking about the exhaust from the launched rockets might cook off the reload pack…
Riot Tank
That’s a big cannon for a Riot Tank….Ended up in Wardogs but with legs as the Polizei walker. 
Work In Progress: Broadsword Mercenary Cruiser
I see a dark sail on the horizon
Set under a dark cloud that hides the sun
Ship of the Week: Blake’s 7 The Liberator
Quite possible one of the best designs ever, unique and very stylish. I was hooked on Blake’s 7 in the 80s, definitely an inspiration for me.
‘The Liberator was an abandoned spacecraft found drifting near Cygnus Alpha, it was equipped with powerful weapons, force field protection, and a system of battle computers.’
HMS Black Swan WIP Part 3 – Zen and the Art of Starship Construction
Thought I’d mention some things that I do with my plans, but these are just my choices and not necessarily what you should do. As far as I am concerned, do anything as long as it looks ok and fits..
Walls: Internal and external bulkheads, I draw the internal bulkheads at 0.1m and the external ones at 0.2m, though for some internals I build them thicker at 0.2m. Thick armour and armoured bulkheads you can build thicker too. Admittedly most plans don’t see to show armour, I do sometimes and it makes good filler. I’ve started making my outer sections thicker so I don’t spend ages trying to fit the inner bits to the shape of the hull.
Components not in the plans: I think it was the old High Guard book that had a great list of things a deck plan should have but not necessarily listed in the tonnage, its assumed that these things come from the tonnage taken by the staterooms. I’d add to this the bridge too makes up these extra rooms and things. For example: common rooms, pantry, storages, EVA rooms, brigs, med bays etc. If the plans do note these, then even better ! I’ve assume that a med bay taken from stateroom tonnage is basic, where as one that is listed in the plans is more superior… Of course you can build rooms from the engine tonnage too, like workshops. All looks good and adds a nice touch. I assume the avionic section and office/wardroom come from the bridge tonnage too. One ship I built had a seperate CIC (Command Information Centre) too.
What the Hell does it look like?: Easy enough to work out from the hull type. Look around for inspiration and don’t be afraid of borrowing, ultimately it may not even look like what you saw.. Heck the Swan might end up looking like an Imperial Star Destroyer. I was taught to sketch things out first, I usually don’t, I should really, it’ll saves time, I just tend to do a very rough thumbnail scribble, just to get an idea of the hull shape. (Usually I picture the ship in my head, and it works fine!!)
Bare in mind I’m thinking how it’ll look in 3D too. Not everyone will do this so, it’s worth a rough sketch of the hull, showing roughly where what goes.. I have used graph paper in the past too, especially if the ship is an awkward design.
The Swan, well as noted she’s a wedge with a bridge tower section. I think, I’ll fit the CIC, Bridge, Fire Con, Captain’s office in there and stick that single torpedo barbette there too – centre line mounted facing front. Engineering aft, under the bridge tower, living space forward of that and fill the rest with all the other gubbins. As for the rest of this ship’s firepower, 3 bay weapons top of the hull in a V shape, rest of the turrets scatter around the hull. This is where a little thumbnail sketch is in order.. (I’ve a scanner – just not oodles of time at the mo’)
Next up a word about rooms and groups and components…
HMS Black Swan WIP Part 2 – Setup
I usually start sketchup up and use any template thats in metres. Its personnal choice, just I find metres easy as the Traveller map scale is metres. In theory I could export the image as eps on a 1:1 Scale…. scary (eps export is in the pro version) I always use the ‘large tool set’ too.
Turn off perspective and set the camera view to ‘top’.
To start off I draw a 1.5 metre square grid:
The tape measure tool draws the ‘guide line’ grid. Drag the 1st line from the x or y axis, type 1.5 in the box, then drag from the line you just drew. SU will do something clever, the next guide you create will ‘snap’ to 1.5m (hard to explain I’m afraid – but it does mean you are not contantly type 1.5 in the box). You do not have to draw masses of lines. Draw some x-y to make the grid then select all and hit the move tool and press ctrl to copy.. makes more sense when you do it and you can moves this copy so it align perfectly. You may end up with a guide line over a guide line, this sort of looks less like a guideline, you can delete and redo it or leave it.
Then copy all, create group (right click) and lock the selection if you need too. (right click too)
I usually then add a layer, so the grid line is on a seperate layer to the drawing.
Minis: W40K The Valhallans.
I liked these Russians sorry Valhallans, even faked the snow on the bases. Nice figures and fun to paint.
Biomassart 
