16/1/16 Spacecraft Friday - The Latest Awesome Stuff Edition

[YargJay9991]

Standard disclaimer: said:

Who are you to decide this, I hear you asking, and here's the answer: No one. I am not official in any way, shape, or form. If you're unhappy with my decision, we can work something out. This is just my opinion, since there's no objective way to judge "Quality" of crafts.

If anyone feels that their craft is missed because of any kind of time-zone difference, or any kind of difference in when spacecraft fridays is put up, tell me.

If your craft is really good and was made before, and someone posts in it within that week, then it will be considered. Just to clarify, I am not encouraging necros for the sake of bumping your craft.

 

Hello and welcome to the next edition of Spacecraft Friday! I absolutely love seeing amazing stock craft that both look good and do good. This week features some stunning looking craft as well as some WIP designs, just to be a bit different!

So without further ado, please sit back and enjoy the feature craft of the week.
NOTE: Don't sit back to far or you won't be able to reach the mouse.

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| KDS Junco Bush Plane |

by @RixKillian

First up, a very clean and rather beautifully designed bush plane by RixKillian. The parts all line up beautifully and it's flight characteristics are very much like what I would imagine the real life plane to have.

RixKillian also included a design that has skis. Perfect for the lands of Antractica!

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| Stock Tank Track WIP  |

by @Majorjim

Now this is definitely an unusual feature in that it is a work in progress design. This is certainly a KSP first, using ONLY stock parts to make a working tank tread. Using his own Thermometer bearing, Majorjim made individual tread "links" and put them into one big chain! He is currently working on making them move reliably. Nice one MJ!

 

(See thread for a video)

 

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|Functional LCVP (Landing Craft) Replica|

By @RixKillian

This one caught my attention because of the great looks and clever functions. The craft has a working stock landing ramp, using MajorJim's thermometer bearing, that allows you load and offload vehicles like his own jeep.

This is an excellent piece of KSP engineering and the second featured craft from RixKillian this week! You're on a roll Rix!

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| Heinkel 219 Uhu |

By @Azimech

This is an amazing craft from Azimech. It is very well built and designed and packs loads of features including detailed engines (with cowlings) and a beautifully modeled cockpit. Kudos Azimech!

 

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| US Army Jeep |

by @selfish_meme

Now, I don't normally go for rovers or cars. But this US Army Jeep by selfish_meme really gets me. The aesthetics are absolutely bang on and it is a really great example of how beautiful KSP can be.

The latest version includes a gun to blow everything up. (NOTE: Working gun not included) Well done selfish_meme!  

 

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| Axial/Swashplate Piston Engines |

By @Azimech (again )

Although still a WIP, Azimech's piston engines just couldn't be left out of this SCF. This thing is an absolute marvel of engineering and must have taken ages to build! Well done Azi for your second feature this week!

 

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| USS Monitor and CSS Virginia  |

By @pTrevTrevs

And now onto the final craft. Well, it's actually two but hey... pTrevTrevs has done an exceptional job re-creating these vintage ironclad ships, and I bet his computer loves him now too.   Very nice work pTrevTrevs!

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So there we have it. Another excellent week in the Spacecraft Exchange. Thankyou all for taking the time to read this, and I hope you have enjoyed looking at all the amazing craft showcased here today.

Please let me know what you think of this edition, and if there is anything that you think could be improved, please kindly let me know. Thanks to all of the builders who's craft made it here, and to those who may not have made it in. These choices were my personal opinion and the ones that I thought deserved to be showcased. 

Thanks again and HAPPY FLYING!

YargJay9991

Edited January 18, 2016 by YargJay9991

[selfish_meme]

Yay! a feature, good job YargJay9991and well done to all the other spacecraft friday builders

[Yukon0009]

Well done to those who made it, I might be able to do the next one. Haven't done one in a while.

[Rune]

I know I usually just say 'congrats to the featured', but since I wasn't in the running this week or the last, I feel like I can raise a bit of criticism without being a douche, so here goes:

There is not a single thing that gets to space in that list. In a space game. In fact, none of those ships would ever see my career save under any circumstance, and only some of them would I use more than once. Yes, they are impressive. Yes, they must have taken a lot of hours to build. But they are most emphatically not KSP crafts! They are experiments at turning KSP into something it isn't. Two of them don't do anything, in fact, other than just sitting there and eating computer cycles.

I feel like the SCF is turning a bit into "show the most difficult thing to build you can find". Not "show a selection of varied KSP ships from the week", and sometimes, simplicity really is more impressive than part number. And certainly people would like to grab stuff from here to use it in their own games, so it'd better be something to actually play with, not marvel at from a distance.

There, I hope nobody took this as a personal attack (it most certainly isn't meant to!), and this comment actually serves a bit of a purpose and helps us make the next SCF more for the average kerbal, which is in this game to launch rockets and go to space, after all.

 

Rune. They are amazing contraptions, don't get me wrong.

[selfish_meme]

34 minutes ago, Rune said:

I know I usually just say 'congrats to the featured', but since I wasn't in the running this week or the last, I feel like I can raise a bit of criticism without being a douche, so here goes:

There is not a single thing that gets to space in that list. In a space game. In fact, none of those ships would ever see my career save under any circumstance, and only some of them would I use more than once. Yes, they are impressive. Yes, they must have taken a lot of hours to build. But they are most emphatically not KSP crafts! They are experiments at turning KSP into something it isn't. Two of them don't do anything, in fact, other than just sitting there and eating computer cycles.

I feel like the SCF is turning a bit into "show the most difficult thing to build you can find". Not "show a selection of varied KSP ships from the week", and sometimes, simplicity really is more impressive than part number. And certainly people would like to grab stuff from here to use it in their own games, so it'd better be something to actually play with, not marvel at from a distance.

There, I hope nobody took this as a personal attack (it most certainly isn't meant to!), and this comment actually serves a bit of a purpose and helps us make the next SCF more for the average kerbal, which is in this game to launch rockets and go to space, after all.

 

Rune. They are amazing contraptions, don't get me wrong.

So there are 5 craft that move, all of which are provided for in the stock game. We have aerodynamics and wings, so aircraft are definitely part of KSP, theres 2, we have land wheels, so rovers and other dry land vehicles are definitely KSP, which accounts for another 1, and we have buoyancy (which is of little concern to rockets) which being in KSP accounts for the other watercraft.

What is KSP? it is what is in KSP, yes it is circular but the direction and content is determined by the developers and not us. So anything you can do in KSP belongs in KSP. The name does not constrain the content, more the interests of the developers, which I think has expanded upon simple rockets.

Of the two non moving things, both are stepping stones to make moving things in new ways, and therefore if they can be done in KSP they belong in KSP.

We are not the developers and we don't all see the game the same way, but that's really the beauty of KSP that it can encompass all our ideas of what the game is.

Edited a word to make it say what I wanted

Edited January 16, 2016 by selfish_meme

[Azimech]

 Wow, thanks Yarg!

May I suggest the animation of the third axial engine? I'm not too proud of the first incarnation, the third is a smooth runner.

[Majorjim!]

Great choices mate, well done to all picked! Esp Rix and Azi, double header!

Originality for the win!

Edited January 16, 2016 by Majorjim

[SpaceplaneAddict]

@Rune, you forgot the things in addicted to!

[Castille7]

Both have a good point. I think as long as SCF's is presenting game play possibilities and space travel all is good but in this post there could have been more space travel to keep the focus on promoting what the game will be released for (Space).

[selfish_meme]

I think if they were making the game today, they would call it Kerbal Propulsion Laboratory and Advanced Research Agency, it's so much more than a space sim already.

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Thanks for doing SCF this week!  I'll update everything.

14 hours ago, Rune said:

I know I usually just say 'congrats to the featured', but since I wasn't in the running this week or the last, I feel like I can raise a bit of criticism without being a douche, so here goes:

[...]

Maybe on my turn I'll do a all spacecraft version.

[YargJay9991]

Hey everyone!

I'm glad you all like it.  

@Rune, the truth is I don't really build rockets or even go to space much anymore, so spacecraft actually don't appeal to me anymore. They don't give me as much of a buzz as nice looking planes do, so that's why there wasn't any spacecraft featured this week, because of my preferences.  I understand how you feel, and I probably should include more spacecraft in the future.  Hope this clears that up.

 

@Azimech I've updated the OP with your third album now

Happy Flying everyone!

YargJay9991