------------------ Lyta Vorlon: "Our great mistake. Our failing. And now your failing. The error is compounded." Delenn: "What mistake?" Lyta Vorlon: "The first one, the one from which all mistakes proceed: The error of Pride..."
posted
I'd have to agree with TSN. No offense to LUG, but that is one of the worst starship designs I've ever seen. Many a cut and paste job is better than that one.
------------------ Risk is our business! That's what this starship is all about....that's why we're aboard her!"
posted
No! No! Kill the Fact Files! Die! Make them suffer!
I don't accept the triple-nacelled thing as a Niagara. Hell, I don't even believe the one-nacelle theory on the Freedom. If it ain't loud and proud on the screen, I question it.
------------------ "To appear in an Ernie Wise play...is the final accolade" "Look at me and say that" "Accolade." "AH-hahaha!"
posted
Unlike Frank I think I have to accept the design, unless it can be proven the ship actually doesn't look like this or doesn't exist at all. My opinion is based on the undeniable fact that the Fact Files have shown only reliable starship schematics so far, including some starships that have never been identified before, but turned out to look like they are depicted, such as the Freedom class. There is no nonsense in the fact Files except for some wrong starship specs. The DS9TM has more flaws, including schematics that are totally messed up. Finally, why should someone draw such an intentionally ugly ship, while the kitbasher does not have that many choices to build a model and might feel as if he has to build a bizarre ship?
No need to mention I *hate* the Niagara design.
I agree that the ship seems to be unusually inaccurate, compared to other ships in the FF. Some thoughts about how the ship could have been assembled, assuming that a USS Princeton kitbash was used for Wolf 359:
1) The saucer seems to be the same as of the Freedom class (which is authentic), except that it is not so wide. If the saucer actually looks like this, it has to be the same width. The question is how the saucer was made (or more precisely: two of them). However, it could be a completely different saucer (Galaxy, preliminary Ambassador?) as well, the illustrator was not informed about it, and just copied and pasted an existing design, but changed the proportions accidentally or for some reason I can't reproduce.
2) The neck, if it is that short, could be made of any piece of plastic.
3) The engineering hull strongly resembles the Ambassador class, but seems to have fewer decks. Here the image is consistent with the saucer size. The shuttlebay tail is shortened compared to the Ambassador. Since there was no Ambassador kit at that time, I have no idea what they actually used. Maybe the engineering hull was custom-made but not detailed, anyway, in this case the smaller hull would not have been supposed to resemble the Ambassador version. So this could be another flaw of the depicted image. The Ambassador hull would have been taken as the basis for the image just for convenience.
4) It is obvious the nacelles are taken from the Galaxy, or the illustrator believed that. Note that there are the same attachments to the nacelles the Freedom is supposed to have. These parts are not visible on the Wolf 359 Freedom class, however, there is no reason to believe the draftsman "invented" them for his schematic. The question is if the Niagara has them too or if he was just too lazy to remove them. Assuming the saucer is authentic, the huge nacelles are even a bit too *small* compared to the Freedom saucer-nacelle sizes. If the Freedom is a kitbash using the nacelles of the 18" Galaxy, could it be the Niagara actually has the small nacelles of the 10" version? The ship wouldn't necessarily look better with them, but much more plausible. I fear the ship has actually three nacelles, for this is an informtaion that can hardly get lost.
5) The nacelle pylons being a bit strange, this could be a sign they might actually look this way.
If I had been to design the ship, I would have taken the saucer and engineering hull as depicted, and I would have added two text marker custom-made nacelles in a position a bit lower than the depicted upper nacelle pair. It could have been a nice design.
The First One
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed
Member # 35
posted
I think I'm going to go with it. Yes, it's ugly, but it's as close to canonical as the Niagara will ever be. Just as there are the four "FC ships," we now have the four "Wolf 359 Kitbashes" - the Rigel-, Challenger-, Freedom- and Niagara-classes.
*Zathras speak* At least there is symmetry. . . 8)
------------------ Space Corps Directive #723: Terraformers are expressly forbidden from recreating Swindon.
This diagram is correct, as far as we know. Thus, it has been established in your mind that I post accurate diagrams.
Now here's a picture of the USS Typo, which some of you might recognize:
I say that this is the Niagara-class. Do any of you believe me?
True, this isn't the same situation as with the Fact Files, but we have absolutely no evidence that the FF diagram is correct. It very well could have been made up, regardless of the validity of past diagrams.
------------------ http://frankg.dgne.com/ Motormaster: "Megatron's in trouble!" Dead End: "Who cares?" Wildrider: "It looks like Starscream's defeated him!" Dead End: "So?"
posted
Frank: You seem to assume the Niagara schematic is wrong unless someone proves it is correct. We have no evidence for many of the classes and registries in the Encyclopedia, and nevertheless we believe it. There is no reason to regard the Fact Files as "less canon".
They could make things up, but honestly, would they draw such an ugly and illogical ship if it didn't exist?
posted
The encyclopedia is semi-canon, so we believe it unless we have reason not to.
As for that last statement, ask FASA or LUG.
------------------ http://frankg.dgne.com/ Motormaster: "Megatron's in trouble!" Dead End: "Who cares?" Wildrider: "It looks like Starscream's defeated him!" Dead End: "So?"
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