MIL Dropship (and others)
Jabba
Posts: 1,460
For people that do sci-fi art, it's always great to see a new dropship appear in the store, and MIL Dropship is no exception...
https://www.daz3d.com/mil-dropship
I really like the modular idea, as this could open an opportunity to rectify the most annoying feature of DAZ-universe dropships...
...namely that the dropships on offer are invariably just space taxis/mini-buses with a set formula of pilot, co-pilot and room for half a dozen grunts in the back... and even worse if fuselage is a solid mesh, so setting up a camera is not fun, hehehe.
What we really need is some dropships that are big enough to take a vehicle or two as well as the personnel... and that's where the MIL Dropship's modular approach might make this a possibility.
While it's clear the "transit van in space" is the default starting proportions, it might be possible to expand with a vehicle transport module or similar concept.
Here's Thunderbird 2 showing one of the possibilities, although aesthetically I'd much prefer a drop-ramp at the rear rather than going too mad with huge stilts...
OK, with that all having been said, I'm certainly NOT complaining about existing products, but now that I have the products purchased from the store, I'm simply putting forward what I would be willing to spend money on in the future...
...Basically, I'm looking for a sci-fi version of a Hercules (C-130) from which a commando QRF could hit the floor running with an APC, a couple of scout bikes and a squad on foot.
Alrighty, I just thought I'd put that out there - after all, you don't get if you don't ask etc etc.
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Comments
Looks nice but I need to know what kind of control maps I get, since I have to convert the mats. I won't buy anything that says
Textures Include
As it stands so far, it's really just an exterior at the moment... I'm taking it on trust that the "many upcoming addons" expand it into a useful vehicle.
Mother-in-Law Dropship? Doesn't look big enough.
I would never use it since it is from a British TV show.
Flyer Eagle is one where I could see a box for small scout craft hooked up to the tail end. (Or just hanging there like Pelican drop ships and Warthogs in Halo.)
https://www.daz3d.com/flyer-eagle
There are other chonky ships, like Aircraft Condor or Sky Hammer, I can't think of many BIG transports for a light armored vehicle.
I loved how the cargobay of Thunderbird 2 was detachable. I liked the concept even better in Space: Above and Beyond, which basically didn't include the stilts, and where some containers could even be deployed in flight, and do the last bit of the landing autonomously (more like, it made the containers crash in a controlled manner at a non-lethal velocity instead of being entirely uncontrolled, the difference between jumping out of an airplane with or without a parachute).
And yes, I could totally imagine modular cargobays being easily replacable by things like sensors, laboratories, snub-fighters, more luxurious passenger compartments (for the brass) or alternative model cargobays (sideloading vs rearloading, personel vs hardware, etc.)
This one is one I personally like, though I have yet to be able to pick it up - https://www.daz3d.com/dropship-griffin has quite a bit of cargo hold, and a cockpit for atleast two :)
/edited to make the link open in a new window :)
The Space:1999 Eagles also had swappable mid-sections.
"The Space:1999 Eagles also had swappable mid-sections."
guessing it was inspiration for War Eagle https://www.daz3d.com/war-hawk-mki-drop-ship
The different hull pod versions were very popular (pretty massive for toy companies in UK when the show was running) - I never had them myself but it seemed like all my schoolfriends did (my mother would not waste money on such things, hehe)
Dropship Griffin looks powerful and has a substantial presence like it can carry a heavy load, has space to also accomodate life support, fuel, ammo etc - I also really like that it includes two versions so you don't need to load all the interior detail if being rendered in background.
I'm aware most dropships are basically "helicopters without rotors" - even the dropship in Aliens didn't have too much space (the marines got into the APC, which was then driven onto the dropship ramp - I don't think there would be space for people to walk around the APC once the ramp was up), so maybe Griffin is as close as I can hope for - just change the scale of it to enlarge the cargo bay... but like i say, I'll happily throw my money at anyone making a high quality dropship capable of handling a larger load than the DAZ-universe has become accustomed to.
FireAngel has some you might be interested in over at Renderosity (heavy dropship (FA Thunderlifter) or Squad dropship (FA Stormbringer) as well as other cool vehicles.
They're designed for Poser but work well in DS.
Shawnaloroc on Rendo has a Heavy Lander, a Colony Lander, and a Gunship Transport that might be worth a look. The last one evokes the Aliens feeling, but I think it needs some fresh textures.
...there is this though not sold here.
^that's the FireAngel one I mentioned (at Renderosity) - it's made for Poser but like most of his stuff, converts well to DS.
That Thunderlifter certainly has a cargo hold in the ballpark of what I'd like to see - such a shame it's not packaged in a more cutting-edge style of vessel that could suggest the ability to make return trips to vessels in orbit,
Or to put it another way, these are sci-fi aeroplanes not dropships, irrespective of what the vendor may have labelled them.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the heads-up and they're perhaps worth remembering for scenarios yet undreamed-of in the future.
Yay, I think I've finally realised what I'm asking for - we have a varied selection of "standard" dropships (the helicopter / mini-bus variety)...
...what I'm wanting are some HEAVY DROPSHIPS
Uh oh, now I've done it - I just googled heavy dropship and this artstation page is giving me some perfect eye candy, LOL
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/KyggX
There's this behemoth as well. Not the most detailed ship in the world, but epic nonetheless. Comes with a rover, interior, and an environment as well.
https://www.daz3d.com/the-hammerhead-x7a-explorer-starship
One of the best 20 bucks or so I've spent here.
..yeah, I've used it before.
LOL, I still haven't tried that one - it's sitting in my runtime but always seems to be tucked away when I'm looking for ships.
Maybe a custom texture would boost the detail a bit... I can't model to save myself, but give me an unwrapped mesh and I'm a demon in Substance Painter, LOL
And hated from the bottom of their heart by every rover driver and anyone else required to use that ramp in a vehicle.
Yes, and they are available as some very nice plastic kit models for the really nerdy here..... like me.
Ansel Hsiao at Art Station makes some stunning models, many Star Wars items, but he does not sell them, unfortunately.
It is a bit close to the bow of that ship... but as a person who has had to use heavy equipment and trailers, not too far of a stretch from some real-world situations I've been put into. Would have made more sense for the ramp to come out the back side of the bay.
...particularly useful when both ends open up
Alrighty - it's still the weekend - so I'm having a bash at a heavy dropship kit-bash, hehehe
Ah, but were the real-world situations designed to be that tight on purpose? From the look of the promo renders of the ship (as I don't actually have it myself) the designer thought "Oh, nobody would ever need more than half the length of their own vehicle to turn on and off the ramp."
Sadly no longer in store, or avalable anywhere I know of, but in it's day this was the workhorse of my Runtime :)
Actually if anyone was wanting to do something like this, other than just dropping troops, you need to look at shipping containers, and see what you can build into those. Think about how you could deploy a colony with prefab containers. What about a Q-Ship? Tubo Hotel?
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/59550/Future-Armada-MisFortune?cPath=1607_9905
If you look through here, you can see an arrangement for various containers. (There's also a small shuttle with a door that can connect to the container.)
http://0-hr.com/Future_Armada/13.MisFortune_demo.pdf
What about using double bays for small hangers or mobile command posts? That kind of design becomes infinitely reusable. Large ships are just big arrangements of containers, but small ships have a lot of flexibility in choice of containers.
This ship is a millenium Falcon knock off with two two container bays at the back, and a detachable cockpit\shuttle.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/18912/Future-Armada-Venture?manufacturers_id=606
http://0-hr.com/Future_Armada/02.Venture_demo.pdf
I think that one of my concerns with a lot of the ships\models out there is that they seem vary narrow in focus, and often lack crucial details, like.. working doors or interior sections. This really limits what you can use the models for.
https://www.daz3d.com/sci-fi-rover-titan
https://www.daz3d.com/sci-fi-rover-trailer
Imagine tying a pile of different things with some degree of modularity? The ship carries modules.. those modules could also be active ship components, or even actively used on ground vehicles.
Doors and interiors increase the work required to complete the asset. Some vendors are very good about interiors, and there are plenty of interior compartments and construction kits in the store.
Kit-bash progress is good...
...I've got some custom textures that will bring it all together, then add some small greeble etc.
The good old Basilisk Lander from the now defunct Team Dystopia (Moebius) is still my favorite heavy dropship! It converts to Iray quite nicely I think.
Here is a recent image where I played with it.
Ciao
TD
Oh, and cool kitbash!
Oh yeah, that Basilisk would have been ideal - such a pity it's no longer for sale, but that's life.