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Whatever that was it was black and it was fast!

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Cupcake...

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NEWS FLASH:

Good news everyone the Scythe Mk 3 has just been certified by the FAA and is just starting to roll off the production line.

CHANGE LIST:

I like to call them quirks rather the flaws, but one of the major quirks with the MK 2 was the undercarriage which was a little on the narrow side, just a little. :blush: I've heard rumours of the craft tipping over just from Kerbals jumping up and down on the nose, while I suspect these Kerbals may have been morbidly obese, the issue has been solved by the fitting of landing gear instead of the wheels. This has also meant quite a weight saving which translates into more delta veeeeeeeeeeeeees. Anyone that found the Mk2 a bit sluggish to handle will be pleased to hear the new landing gear has made the craft more manoeuvrable.

The Mk 3 has also had its intake system upgraded to take advantage of the new Airsync technology, just press 0 at launch and let Airsync worry about the rest, no more fumbling around looking for the intake button. The addition of a 2nd drag intake at the aft of the ship means improved high speed stability and a higher service cieling.

There were also a few cosmetic issues with the Mk 2 that were bugging me, namely the rear solar panel which sometimes dissaperaed into the aft intakes under thrust, and the edge of the reaction wheel sticking up through the nose, both issues have now been fixed and the craft rebalanced.

No self respecting Scythe owner should be seen without the new Scythe Tanker. Available in black, and coming loaded with enough fuel to compelety re-fill the tanks, its also the fastest tanker in the fleet (Cupcake Landers Does Not Endorse Tanker Racing).

Due to popular demand there's a new remote switch for the ladder, pressing 8 will lower the ladder and raise it again, all without having to leave the cockpit! Jeb was amazed, in fact I think he's still playing with it now.

Pick up your copy today; the archive also contains the tanker and the Mk 2 Version. :)

Enjoy!

http://goo.gl/slAeqS

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

N2IniLW.jpg

Like all of my "black series" craft the original Scythe pushed my design skills to the limit and set the template for a new generation of single engine, light VTOLs. Unfortunately like many cutting edge designs the original Scythe was not without it's flaws, the most serious one being a misalignment of the jet and rocket engines which caused the COM to shift under low fuel loads. This was particularly embarrassing for me as I pride myself on having ships where the COM doesn't move an inch :blush:. By the time I developed the Stratos all of the rough edges from the original Scythe had been smoothed out, but despite the Stratos proving itself extremely capable a part of me was still missing my little black barnstormer. In the end I decided to rebuild it from scratch to take advantage of the new .21 parts and sciences.

3rQvFdK.jpg

The new Mk2 SSTO Scythe is a bit of a Frankenstein's monster combining the intake stacks from the Corgi, the nose section from the Stratos and the undercarriage from a Robin Reliant. Almost everything has been sacrificed in the name of pure performance. You now get a single solar panel to supply all the ships power needs, although since I've been feeling a bit generous lately you do get a battery, just one mind. Four sets of landing gear was also considered bourgeois so now you're down to three. The fluffy dice, air freshener and 8 track have also had to go. Compared to the Stratos the Scythe is lighter, faster with a slightly smaller fuel and intake supply. The Stratos is a very agile ship but the Scythe's light weight and centralized mass make it almost too maneuverable (see video). Ultimately the Stratos is more versatile, more forgiving and easier to fly at the expense of outright performance. I'd recommend people getting to know it or the Corgi first before moving on to the Scythe. The small landing footprint also requires care, although on the plus side the Scythe can just about turn on a pin head once landed. Maximum range for the Mk2 version is Minmus and back (see video).

OWNERS MANUAL:

Have you bought that joystick yet? You have! Brilliant, you'll enjoy flying the Scythe a lot more. :)

The craft file can be found here, it needs to move into your space plane folder in the KSP directory.

http://goo.gl/slAeqS

Like all my craft the Scythe Mk2 features a horizontal axis cockpit for suborbital flying and a vertical axis docking port for orbital piloting and navigation. The top docking port operates in line with the engines and must be used when performing burns with the navball. You can also use the top docking port if you'd rather fly the Scythe like a regular rocket.

The easiest way to dock and re-fuel the Scythe is by using the front docking port, however if you need to preserve the balance of your target vessel the top docking port should be used as this runs along the COM.

CONTROLS:

1 - Toggle Jet

2 - Toggle Rockets

3 - Toggle Landing Mode (shuts down 2 of the 4 rocket engines for a broader throttle response)

8 - Toggle Rope Ladder

9 - Toggle ASAS Torque

0 - Toggle Airsync Intake Management

ABORT - Un-Dock/De-Couple

SPACE - Eject Drop Tanks/RCS Pods

SSTO MISSION PROFILE

Before you waltz out to the runway you'll have to choose between taking the drop tanks or the RCS pods, delete one of them otherwise the Scythe will barely make it off the tarmac let alone into space. Once on the tarmace press 0 to activate Airsync, that's the last time you'll have to worry about the intakes.

Activate the SAS (should be kept on at all times) press 1 to fire up the jet and fly vertically into the sky. This will be a good time to make a cup of tea as it'll take about five minutes for the Stratos to reach it's pitch over point at around 15,000m.

At first you'll want to ascend on a 40-45` angle. Once you get to 20,000m pitch down enough to slow your rate of ascent, from here on in you'll want to squeeze every bit of speed you can from the jet. When you hit 30,000 you'll want to be going at least 1800 m/s, now press 2 to light up the rockets and pitch up to 45`. When the jet chokes hit 1 to shut down the engine and 0 to close the intakes (keep an eye on the drop tank's fuel level as they'll be ready to ditch pretty shortly). Once you get to around 50,000m pitch over flat to the horizon and keep an eye on your apoapsis. You can now (if you haven't already) switch command over to the top docking port and circularize your orbit or set a course into the heavens. The Scythe comes with around 160 units of jet fuel so you'll want your liquid fuel gauge to read a minimum of 500 units before you fire the rockets.

Once out of the atmosphere I usually press 9 to de-activate the SAS torque as I find the craft can be a bit twitchy otherwise.

Once you're ready to land back on Kerbin swap command back over to the cockpit. Press 0 to re-open the intakes and 1 to fire up the jet. Upon landing press 2 or 3 to give yourself rocket assist, this will help get rid of the throttle lag from the jet and ensure a smooth touch down. When I land I usually like to press 9 and reduce the ship's torque but that's just personal preference.

Oh yes, and with the new Scythe just about everything has been squeezed into the central body which can make part selection tricky, in order to access the T400 tanks click in the following places:

yu9STOd.jpg

Good Luck. :) Oh and BTW those looking for the Stratos can find it here:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/45153-Perhaps-Sir-Would-Care-For-A-VTOL

I also highly recommend Sam Hall's IVA replacement for the Mk2 Cockpit, you can pick up a copy from here:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/44012-Mk2-Cockpit-Internals

Cupcake...

Edited by Cupcake...
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prysmatik

prysmatik

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Posted (edited)

*applause* ... *standing applause*

I am impressed beyond words at the tumbling twisting beyond sanity video. A marvelous work. And it looks a pleasure to pilot. Congratulations.

Edited by prysmatik
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lewille

lewille

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Grandiose design. I will test this as soon as I get back to my gaming pc :)

got two questions :

- can I dock this thing to my insanely big space station without risking everything exploding randomly?

- can I change the front docking port with a shielded one without having trouble with the design (attached struts, parts...)?

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Cupcake...

Cupcake...

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Grandiose design. I will test this as soon as I get back to my gaming pc :)

got two questions :

- can I dock this thing to my insanely big space station without risking everything exploding randomly?

- can I change the front docking port with a shielded one without having trouble with the design (attached struts, parts...)?

Hi there,

I haven't read into the docking bug too deeply but I believe it affects ships that use the small cubic struts, this is kind of bad news as all of my drop ships are covered in them! By all means give it a punt, but I recommend saving first. As to the shielded docking port the trouble with attaching it to the front of the craft is that it will throw out the balance of the ship, which is especially sensitive on single engine designs like the Scythe. If you did mount it there I suppose the SAS would be able to compensate to a certain extent but it wouldn't be very nice to fly. If you still want to mount it I recommend attaching it straight onto the top docking port which runs parallel with the COM, that way it shouldn't throw out the balance too much. Sorry I couldn't be more help... :(

Cupcake...

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Cupcake...

Cupcake...

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Once you go black, you never go back.
Was it Usain Bolt?

:) No comment...

can it go orbital?

It can do more then that, it'll get you to Minmus and back or out of Kerbin's SOI entirely...

What happened to the third ship ((

Terrible, terrible thing, tragic even, but quick, very quick. The funerals next Wednesday, Bill's final wish was that "I will survive" be played on a loop during the entire service. :(

How in the video did you take off all 3 at the same time?

It's just a matter of setting cruse control with 2 of the vessels and tailing it with the 3rd, I can also swap between the craft to tweak their direction/speed safe in the knowledge the SAS will keep them on course.

Very nice!
Looks great and performs great, downloading

Thanks guys that's really nice of you to say so, cheers!

Cupcake...

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Cupcake...

Cupcake...

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I always love seeing your VTOL's and the crazy things you do with them. Keep it up!

Thanks man! After this test I've decided to start work on a dedicated attack VTOL which will be able carry perhaps 4 times the ammo of the Scythe + bombs! I'm also working on a bonkers (even by my standards) air to air combat challenge which should be a blast! :) Watch this space...

Cupcake...

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Cupcake...

Cupcake...

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I wish I could pilot VTOLs as good as you.

Well you landed it, that's the main thing! :) To be fair though landing using jet engines alone is very, very hard, the throttle lags just horrendous!

Cupcake...

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  • 1 month later...
Cupcake...

Cupcake...

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

NEWS FLASH:

Good news everyone the Scythe Mk 3 has just been certified by the FAA and is just starting to roll off the production line. :D

CHANGE LIST:

I like to call them quirks rather the flaws, but one of the major quirks with the MK 2 was the undercarriage which was a little on the narrow side, just a little mind. :blush: I've heard rumours of the craft tipping over just from Kerbals jumping up and down on the nose, while I suspect these Kerbals may have been morbidly obese, the issue has been solved by the fitting of landing gear instead of the wheels. This has also meant quite a weight saving which translates into more delta veeeeeeeeeeeeees. Anyone that found the Mk2 a bit sluggish to handle will be pleased to hear the new landing gear has made the craft more manoeuvrable.

The Mk 3 has also had its intake system upgraded to take advantage of the new Airsync technology, just press 0 at launch and let Airsync worry about the rest, no more fumbling around looking for the intake button. The addition of a 2nd drag intake at the aft of the ship means improved high speed stability and a higher service cieling.

There were also a few cosmetic issues with the Mk 2 that were bugging me, namely the rear solar panel which sometimes dissaperaed into the aft intakes under thrust, and the edge of the reaction wheel sticking up through the nose, both issues have now been fixed and the craft rebalanced.

No self respecting Scythe owner should be seen without the new Scythe Tanker. Available in black, and coming loaded with enough fuel to compelety re-fill the tanks, its also the fastest tanker in the fleet (Cupcake Landers Does Not Endorse Tanker Racing).

Due to popular demand there's a new remote switch for the ladder, pressing 8 will lower the ladder and raise it again, all without having to leave the cockpit! Jeb was amazed, in fact I think he's still playing with it now.

Pick up your copy today; the archive also contains the tanker and the Mk 2 Version.

Enjoy!

http://goo.gl/slAeqS

Cupcake... :)

8RDn6XE.jpg

qZYUeYb.jpg

7HbV79u.jpg

Edited by Cupcake...
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