Battlestar Galactica Vipers

[Major Diarrhia]

Originally Posted by Talos

Don't forget though, Vipers need to be able to operate in Earth-like atmospheres, as well as the outer atmosphere of gas-giants and such. I'm going to redo the Stealth Viper Mk I, it already has a hexagonal forward fuselage but I'm going to replace the panels with planks running the length of the forward fuselage.

Here's an updated pic of the Mk V's side view.

The Vipers aren't exactly aerodynamic wonders either, they almost have flat, partially hollowed out, noses and their wings can't generate lift. They use anti-gravity to lift off from planets, like the Raptor, if anything. A diamond would be an aerodynamic improvement.

The Viper looks really good but the side view of the nose doesn't fit the dynamic profile of the top view, nor the jaunty angle of the engine intakes. The belly also looks weak, or at least not spacious enough.

[Talos]

Yeah, I'm still fiddling with the side view. The whole ship is inspired by the video game Viper and I was trying to achieve that blocky design. Anyway, I'll see you guys later, gotta go on vacation. I'll be back Sunday evening.

[Major Diarrhia]

It looks like it's going well and have fun on your vacation.

[Talos]

Thanks, I did. I spent two nights on the USS Yorktown (CV-10) in Charleston, SC. It was sweet, especially since I got to explore the ship and get up-close and personal with my favorite airplane of all time (and a piece of art), the F-14A Tomcat.

I'll fiddle with the side view of the Mk V tomorrow. The foreward fuselage is meant to be almost a trapezoid when view from the front. The line just above the bottom of the fuselage is where it kicks in again, forming a distorted hexagon instead. The funny thing about the intakes are that they are actually the center, top-mounted intake from the Mk II, just resized and moderately modified.

This pic, the Raptor is one of the earliest drawing I did, many months ago. It remains the oldest, non-updated pic I have and it shows. I'm going to redraw it, probably from scratch eventually. The reason the engines aren't finished is that it was intended to be reduced in size to fit in a 1" by 1" box to serve as a counter.

[Talos]

Here's something I was working on today, it's a Viper Mk I modified in the field for ground attack. The armor panel on the wing is done, the fuselage one is still being worked on. The tail is cut down and a third cannon is mounted on it for increased fire-power. The little pod under the cockpit is a designator pod for laser-guided weapons. The weapons underneath are for all of the Cylon War-era Vipers and is just a sampling of them. They are:

5" High Velocity Aerial Rocket (HVAR) mod 1. -HVAR rock with larger warhead and engine for greater range and damage, can't be carried in pod.

5" Folding Fin (FF) HVAR Rocket pod. 12 rocket capacity, aerodynamic cover on both ends disintergrates when the first rocket is fired

5" FF HVAR. self explanatory, small rocket with folding rear fins

HD-60/B Modified Infra-red Air-to-air Missile (IR AAM) with larger body for bigger warhead and engine

HD-60/A "Long Spear" IR AAM body from 5" FF HVAR with IR seeker

KE-33 "Ballista" Air-to-ground Missile (AGM). Flechette warhead for ground attack


The Mk V side view is still being worked on, so far I've bulged the body a bit right in front of the wing while keeping the nose slim.

[Talos]

This is a side view showing the major production blocks of the Mk I/IV as well as the factory modifications.

The Block 10/20/30 have the original cockpit while the 12/22/32 have the Mk II style one. The Block 42/52 were renamed Viper Mk IV after the war. The 42 is the same as the 52 except the cannons are in the standard pylon mounts near the cockpit. It was renamed the Mk IVA.

[Talos]

The first pic here is the Mk VII, based on orthos provided by VA. The top view is about 90% done, the side needs a lot of work. The other is the Mk V with a modified nose and bulged belly for the Major. Remember, the fuselage slopes outward until is reaches the line right below wing level and slopes inward.

EDIT: Mk VII pic removed and replace by pic in post #120.

[Safe@2nd]

Great work on the VII!!

Is it just me, or does the second one look a lot like the PS2 game version? I'd be curious to see how you would work the three vipers from the game into your history/timeline.

I really liked your "evolution" of the viper pic.

[Viper Aviator]

Talos,

Excellent work on the Mk VII, I'll be able to zap out the accurate engine exhaust ports (side view) to you on Friday at the latest complete with the intercoolers. Keep up the great work my friend.

[Talos]

Originally Posted by Safe@2nd

Great work on the VII!!

Is it just me, or does the second one look a lot like the PS2 game version? I'd be curious to see how you would work the three vipers from the game into your history/timeline.

I really liked your "evolution" of the viper pic.

That's probably 'cause I based the Mk V on the videogame Viper. I had a few perspective shots of it that were in BJ's thread. I changed it a bit, stretching it behind the cockpit and making it a bit less clunky. I don't have any data on the other game Vipers, besides the game of course.

Thanks a bunch, VA. Those orthos are awesome and very good. I'll finish the top view tonight and work on the side view more tomorrow.


EDIT: Finished top view of Viper Mk VII