BWAHAHAHA! Those of you who have been watching me from WAAAAAAAY back may vaguely recognize this model. Yes, I went and rendered my biggest and best original Lego model. I had to make some slight changes, and some additions, and truth be told, it has a ways to go, but I still like it.
-------------------------------------
SS Hephaestus TCS-2495 Hephaestus Class Ultra Dreadnaut.
The Hephaestus was originally the SS Forge, a Coriolis-class starship. In recent years, the press of the Anlepp War has forced the Terran Confederation of Stars to re-think its policy of designing new ships from scratch. There has been a consistent problem with new ship designs becoming outdated before the first weld is ever made. To allow for quicker deployment of ships fit for the battlefield, the Ultra Dreadnaut program was begun. The UD program utilizes standardized parts and additions to refit existing spaceframes with hardened defenses and more capable weapons. In many cases, refitted ships are also given new craft bays as well to accomodate fighters and bombers. This was the case with the Hephaestus, which gained a dedicated bay slung in the 'belly' of the ship, below and between the FTL drive pods. Due to the massive additions to the bow of the ship, a second deflector dish was installed in the foremost section between the HYER lasers and the OtS missile tubes. The original dish was not removed, with the reasoning that it could be used on a limited, temporary basis if the new dish was damaged in combat. The most prominent weapon onboard the Hephaestus is the twin Spacefold Supercannons. These weapons use a modification of the principles and hardware behind Terran FTL drives to create massive distortions in space-time that can be directed at enemy targets. The distortions open partial rifts into subspace, ripping parts of unshielded targets away and out of normal space. This has become a very controversial, but very effective weapon against the Anlepps. The Hephaestus was designed to become the flagship of the Terran Space Force, and so in addition to extra guest quarters for flag officers, a two-level observation deck was incorporated into the upper section. This room was designed so in the event of a hit to its large panel windows, the room can be hard-sealed from the rest of the ship, with ablative armour plates sliding into place behind the bulkheads.
A notable aside not directly related to the ship is a mention of its pilot crew, who have developed a unique maneuver for clearing the fighter bay and engaging a target. The fighters arrange in a pentagonal formation to fly through the bay doors, then peel off in a five-pronged formation around the stern of the Hephaestus, opening fire as soon as they have a clear shot. This technique has been dubbed "The Hand of Hephaestus", and has become as much of a signature of this ship as its other features.
----------------------------------
Holy wall of text, Batman!
TCS, Hephaestus (c) Philippe Mandin 2008 Lego (c) Lego.
Devious Comments