Now This Is Pod Racing!

[Darren9]

I made a few refinements, got a different engine and turned up the light show a bit. I think a skilled pilot could fly a track in this, I may well struggle though. Put it to 720p if you click the play button

[Plur303]

I made a few refinements, got a different engine and turned up the light show a bit. I think a skilled pilot could fly a track in this, I may well struggle though. Put it to 720p if you click the play button

Awesome! What intakes are those? Those look like something that would have been in the movie. I also love the liberal use of quantum struts.

[Darren9]

Awesome! What intakes are those? Those look like something that would have been in the movie. I also love the liberal use of quantum struts.

Thanks, they're a one piece sci-fi engine that generates it's own new fuel - too good to be true really. Hakari-s-Hyperdimension-Space-Junks

[pwnedbyscope]

So I made some changes to Plurs original pod to make it more movie accurate, seems like most were more like planes and not the ground hugging death machines from the movie. So I present you the Radon-Ulzer

Unfortunately the first things you may notice is the engines are mounted on wheels, not floating under magical trickery, this however was the only way i could get the thing to turn without flipping over. This is due to the weight of the pod itself pulling on one engine in a high-G turn would pull the engine up and cause the whole thing to roll and flip over.

however as you can see in the second photo despite having to use wheels it still acts quite like what we see in the movie, Using the airbrakes that are found in the B9 pack it is able to turn quite easily and looks amazing doing it if I do say so myself

From the Kerbals perspective, makes me wonder if Kerbals have the lightning fast reflexes it takes to pilot a podracer. If anyone has any advice on a way to get rid of the wheels I'd really like to hear it,

[Darren9]

There's a hover engine in the Firespitter Experiments that could maybe be adapted/rescaled, I remember it being hard to control though. I think there'll be a problem using thrust to "float", the CoM moves around wildly and there's only one throttle - No reason not to try though

The Lazor System also used to be able to levitate a craft, not sure if it still can or if you can move it.

[Darren9]

An equilateral triangle of air-brakes seems to help, I've set mine to 25 drag and the thrust vectoring to 10*. It's stable enough to get below the tree line.

[s20dan]

Pod Racers... ! Holy crap, what an awesome idea.

I've had a lot of fun designing one of these, here's mine:

Album : http://imgur.com/a/wXRQv

It's extremely stable with stock KSP aerodynamics, but with FAR + Deadly Re-entry loaded it just bounces about until the structure fails due to G-Force.

Has anyone flown one of these successfully with FAR installed?

An equilateral triangle of air-brakes seems to help, I've set mine to 25 drag and the thrust vectoring to 10*. It's stable enough to get below the tree line.

Wow thats a really nimble craft. I have to turn engine gimballing off on mine so its more of a lumbering beast hehe. (The gimbaling is back to front, I'm guessing its something to do with CoM and CoT.)

Edited June 7, 2013 by s20dan

[Pezzhippo]

I... am totally giving this a go, as we speak, in fact, but I have a question for those of you chaps who've gotten these running. In regards to KAS, how did you go about connecting the pod to the engines? I've tried doing it in one go, with lackluster results, so my current plan is to use a rover crane and kerbals to assemble the thing on a gantry placed on the runway. Any insight would be wonderful c:

[pwnedbyscope]

build it as one vehicle not three seperate parts

[Darren9]

I... am totally giving this a go, as we speak, in fact, but I have a question for those of you chaps who've gotten these running. In regards to KAS, how did you go about connecting the pod to the engines? I've tried doing it in one go, with lackluster results, so my current plan is to use a rover crane and kerbals to assemble the thing on a gantry placed on the runway. Any insight would be wonderful c:

I found it virtually impossible to connect separate ships accurately, my first attempt was one ship with girders with decouplers at each end that dropped off (on page 1) and that kinda worked - it does allow for the pod to be narrower than the engines. By far the easiest though (IMO) is build from the pod with symmetry. The image may explain better than I can with words, two outward facing parts, attach the connector and then the winch and build the engines off the winch and keep the mirror symmetry for both engines.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Darren9

[Pezzhippo]

Aha, I had just come to the same conclusion :3 Got an idea going, but thus far, it's proven to be extremely engine-heavy, and won't fly for too long before nosing down and crashing, but here's a hastily snapped pic I got seconds before hitting water:

Despite the aforementioned heaviness, the whole thing is otherwise surprisingly stable, and I feel like I'm getting somewhere with this ;D

As a side note, I happen to be doing this with FAR installed, so things ought to get more interesting yet~

[MR4Y]

I have zero idea about how to make KAS attach to things inside the VAB or SPH.

[s20dan]

As a side note, I happen to be doing this with FAR installed, so things ought to get more interesting yet~

You're brave. Haha

I've been trying to design a FAR capable pod racer too but haven't managed it yet.

They either shake themselves apart or they don't have the control authority to effectively pull up.

[MR4Y]

Was able to make a flying design, except for the cable things.

[Pezzhippo]

Mentlegen! Behold!

Finally got one of these working with FAR installed ;D

I figured pics from the desert would look more authentic (and I ought to add that it'll make it into the desert on its fuel tank, but to get to the location in subsequent pics, I had to hack fuel ) Thus!-

Circling the Temple

Then swooping in to buzz the pyramids :3

[Darren9]

That almost inspired me to install FAR again, it didn't get along very well with my designs the first time though I'm sure there's better things to do in KSP than design the perfect pod racer and I'll think of something else soon but in the meantime here's a wide one I made with girders and decouplers.

[Sapphire]

Seeing things like this makes me wish KSP had multiplayer. Massive pod race, anyone?

[Plur303]

I'm very impressed with all the recent creations. I was gone since Friday at a friend's wedding and am pleasantly surprised at all the new ships.

[WhiteWeasel]

This makes me wish I still had my N64, starwars episode one racer was so fun.

[pwnedbyscope]

PC my friend PC, you will haveto disable BIOS shaders though but its completely worth it

[MR4Y]

Here is my non-functional design. I can't seem to figure how you control it after the cable is deployed, as it wants to focus on the engines.

[leopardenthusiast]

Can anyone give me a link to Quantum Struts? I can't seem to find them, and my attempt doesn't work very well with KAS serving as the connection between the engines.

[s20dan]

Here, XenonBlade : http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/quantum-strut/

This crazy thing is FAR capable, at last and space capable

[Plur303]

Here, XenonBlade : http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/quantum-strut/

This crazy thing is FAR capable, at last and space capable

Mechjeb... Boo!

[duncan1297]

i made this thing.

it doesn't have anything special except an escape pod.