A joke from years ago that I remember summarizing the plot of Independence Day was “Aliens show up above Earth in sixteen-mile-wide spaceships and blow up the White House… but later prove to be hostile.”
That would make them RUS, yes? Rodents of Unusual Size? Too bad they don’t live in a fire swamp.
April 23, 2023 at 12:52 am
Tom Paul
A dream, perhaps. But no less real for being a dream. I suspect those space fighters get lousy fuel ratings deep in a gravity well and while swimming against an atmosphere.
I’m guessing Mr. Muir was using some artistic license, as I imagine a TIE fighter is somewhat easier to draw than an X-wing, plus the TIE has a very distinctive sound effect.
My two cents worth… and we all know what two cents is worth nowadays.
As somebody pointed out over at Atomic Rockets (project rho), a “real” space fighter is going to be either a wedge or a sphere. Maneuver in vacuum and microgravity pretty much requires one or the other.
There will be as few external “moving parts” as possible because Machinery = Mass.
And the “solar cells” on the TIE aren’t “solar cells” at all. They’re heat radiators, which anything with its kind of powerplant, propulsion and weapons is going to need to avoid frying its components (and pilot) with waste heat.
The X-Wing’s “wings” would have to serve the same purpose, especially with 2X as much of everything (four engines, four laser cannon, etc.)
So yes, a “real” space fighter is going to look more like a TIE than an X-Wing.
cheers
eon
April 23, 2023 at 8:36 am
MasterDiver
Yes, the “distinctive sound” of the TIE fighter is actually a VERY slowed down recording of a cat’s “MEOW”.
Zar Belk!
April 23, 2023 at 1:24 pm
Oldarmourer
If a ‘space fighter’ isn’t going to operate in an atmosphere, a wedge, sphere or any other shape should be largely meaningless and the Eagles from Space 1999 or Star Furies from B5 seem much more ‘realistic’ to me. A solid envelope is only needed for containing pressure or perhaps as armour and any strength coming from the skin could easily be substituted for by more or heavier struts, etc. with minimal armour over vulnerable areas like engines and cockpit. Anything outside of the cockpit doesn’t need pressurization anyway and there’s virtually no need for aerodynamics in a vacuum so I do believe the propmakers and writers got it right for those series, particularly the portrayal of Newton’s 1st and 2nd Laws of Motion.
X-Wings and Colonial Vipers are built differently since they’re intended to operate in atmosphere as well as space. 😉
April 23, 2023 at 2:40 pm
Browncoat57
Master Diver
I read it was a combination of a car driving on wet pavement and an elephant.
Doesn’t matter. It is ‘distinctive’.
April 23, 2023 at 7:27 pm
ULTRA-MAGA TOP DAWG JTC
I’m waiting to see how the Artiste writes the sound of those magnetic Jetson cars I’ve been patiently waiting on for 60 years…and which btw would obviate all discussion of gas/elec/solar/fission propulsion, not to mention that cool-ass hovering function. I’m sure Javelon are working on it and on the verge.
April 23, 2023 at 10:31 pm
Bren
External radiators with no vector for disbursing heat? Can’t be using convection like terrestrial radiators as there’s nothing out there. Realistically, I’d expect jettisonable heat sumps to be more effective.
April 23, 2023 at 7:31 am
Longslide
In the first war Israel flew ME-109’s [along with anything else they could lay hands on], Egypt flew Spitfires.
When your very existance is at stake you’ll use rocks and pointy sticks.
Up here that’s all we might be left with of sockboy has his way.
As is it, harsh language and dirty looks will earn you an ‘unnecessary use of force’ charge if you use them against someone trying to kill you.
April 23, 2023 at 1:19 am
President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neanderthal B Woodman Domestic Violent Extremist SuperStraight
Poe Dameron said it best “I always wanted to fly one of these things!” Now if only we could locate the appropriate heating vent with a proton torpedo, then the X-Wing WOULD be the correct option 😉
I don’t know why I do this; readers seem to have all the best ideas.
🙂
April 23, 2023 at 8:32 pm
NotYetInACamp
Because you are our talented artist here, and the person who brought this inspiring vehicle to us here where the ideas you partook in inspiring can return and grow to further inspire you and all of us, both commenters and the ones who receive from what you began and continue.
You are no goldbricker. Oh! Wait!
Maybe one inspiring gold stacking and courage wherever we may be and whatever the particular situation we are presented with that requires our decisions or actions.
Didn’t the liebrals/dems outlaw nose art ? unless, of course, it was a pinup of an ugly man claiming to be a woman…who needs morale when you’ve got ‘moral outrage’
Our new woke army now stops tank crews from painting names of their tanks on the bore evacuator of the gun barrel unless and as long as the crew scores “distinguished” at gunnery… not quite nose art, but its the same identity and esprit-building for the crew of the tank…and no aircrew ever “earned” the privilege of nose art.
35 Comments
Time to TIE one on!
Reminds me of the scene from Independence Day when the aliens blow up the White House. A lot of movie audiences cheered.
Yeah, my wife did that. She’s an immigrant (I met her just before she got her college degree). Likes our country; Government not so much.
This was during the Clinton regime.
A joke from years ago that I remember summarizing the plot of Independence Day was “Aliens show up above Earth in sixteen-mile-wide spaceships and blow up the White House… but later prove to be hostile.”
Well, that was shooting rats.
I hear swamp rats are around 2 meters long.
That would make them RUS, yes? Rodents of Unusual Size? Too bad they don’t live in a fire swamp.
A dream, perhaps. But no less real for being a dream. I suspect those space fighters get lousy fuel ratings deep in a gravity well and while swimming against an atmosphere.
Shouldn’t he be dreaming about an X-Wing? I’d expect the swamp critters to be flying Empire snubs.
I’m guessing Mr. Muir was using some artistic license, as I imagine a TIE fighter is somewhat easier to draw than an X-wing, plus the TIE has a very distinctive sound effect.
My two cents worth… and we all know what two cents is worth nowadays.
Regards,
Tom Stockton
As somebody pointed out over at Atomic Rockets (project rho), a “real” space fighter is going to be either a wedge or a sphere. Maneuver in vacuum and microgravity pretty much requires one or the other.
There will be as few external “moving parts” as possible because Machinery = Mass.
And the “solar cells” on the TIE aren’t “solar cells” at all. They’re heat radiators, which anything with its kind of powerplant, propulsion and weapons is going to need to avoid frying its components (and pilot) with waste heat.
The X-Wing’s “wings” would have to serve the same purpose, especially with 2X as much of everything (four engines, four laser cannon, etc.)
So yes, a “real” space fighter is going to look more like a TIE than an X-Wing.
cheers
eon
Yes, the “distinctive sound” of the TIE fighter is actually a VERY slowed down recording of a cat’s “MEOW”.
Zar Belk!
If a ‘space fighter’ isn’t going to operate in an atmosphere, a wedge, sphere or any other shape should be largely meaningless and the Eagles from Space 1999 or Star Furies from B5 seem much more ‘realistic’ to me. A solid envelope is only needed for containing pressure or perhaps as armour and any strength coming from the skin could easily be substituted for by more or heavier struts, etc. with minimal armour over vulnerable areas like engines and cockpit. Anything outside of the cockpit doesn’t need pressurization anyway and there’s virtually no need for aerodynamics in a vacuum so I do believe the propmakers and writers got it right for those series, particularly the portrayal of Newton’s 1st and 2nd Laws of Motion.
X-Wings and Colonial Vipers are built differently since they’re intended to operate in atmosphere as well as space. 😉
Master Diver
I read it was a combination of a car driving on wet pavement and an elephant.
Doesn’t matter. It is ‘distinctive’.
I’m waiting to see how the Artiste writes the sound of those magnetic Jetson cars I’ve been patiently waiting on for 60 years…and which btw would obviate all discussion of gas/elec/solar/fission propulsion, not to mention that cool-ass hovering function. I’m sure Javelon are working on it and on the verge.
External radiators with no vector for disbursing heat? Can’t be using convection like terrestrial radiators as there’s nothing out there. Realistically, I’d expect jettisonable heat sumps to be more effective.
In the first war Israel flew ME-109’s [along with anything else they could lay hands on], Egypt flew Spitfires.
When your very existance is at stake you’ll use rocks and pointy sticks.
Up here that’s all we might be left with of sockboy has his way.
As is it, harsh language and dirty looks will earn you an ‘unnecessary use of force’ charge if you use them against someone trying to kill you.
Awesome dream!
535 hogs at the trough in one pass! A guy can dream…
Poe Dameron said it best “I always wanted to fly one of these things!” Now if only we could locate the appropriate heating vent with a proton torpedo, then the X-Wing WOULD be the correct option 😉
The swamp needs multiple neutron bombs!!!!
Hey … look at what I just saw coming out of storage!
https://flic.kr/p/2otHVKu
Wow. Must have been a nightmare to situate on that truck. A tension between damaging the low end on potholes or the high end on overpasses.
Yeah, you have to be careful with that sort of spaceframe 😉
https://www.navyhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/itUSUKX.jpg
Much like shooting pigs from a copter on the ranch, doing the DC hunt piecemeal from a solo space plane is just for sport and fun.
Unlike the ranch, a pocket nuke or three would be much more efficient and collateral damage would not be problematic, and would in fact be a plus.
Sweet dreams are made of these
Who am I to disagree……
Rhett. what nose or tail art would you put on your ride…
and music… you need to have tunes
A pinup of Gina Carano/Cara Dune
I don’t know why I do this; readers seem to have all the best ideas.
🙂
Because you are our talented artist here, and the person who brought this inspiring vehicle to us here where the ideas you partook in inspiring can return and grow to further inspire you and all of us, both commenters and the ones who receive from what you began and continue.
You are no goldbricker. Oh! Wait!
Maybe one inspiring gold stacking and courage wherever we may be and whatever the particular situation we are presented with that requires our decisions or actions.
Because I cannot really draw
Didn’t the liebrals/dems outlaw nose art ? unless, of course, it was a pinup of an ugly man claiming to be a woman…who needs morale when you’ve got ‘moral outrage’
Our new woke army now stops tank crews from painting names of their tanks on the bore evacuator of the gun barrel unless and as long as the crew scores “distinguished” at gunnery… not quite nose art, but its the same identity and esprit-building for the crew of the tank…and no aircrew ever “earned” the privilege of nose art.