Jump to content

[Showcase] Showoff Your Rep-Worthy Crafts


Recommended Posts

Indeed!! So many old timey aircraft round these here parts recently. Ive had so much fun testing some of them I will make one or two after the thing I'm working on. Do wings have fuel now?

Only the XL ones meant for use with MK3 parts, the others still are static parts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My newest design -

The Minerva HST (Hypersonic Transport)

Body sections and wings are mostly OPT Spaceplane mod parts. But I've got some other stuff in there - B9 Struts and lights, Adjustable Landing Gear, APU from KW Foundries, etc.

Z9aQuUU.png

t2ae4Q4.png

A large cargo bay in the back with a ramp that rovers can use, as well as an overhead loading door (not shown). Can carry large rovers with wide wheel axels. Or just lots of fuel and supplies. (Tested with Orange Tank and with a rover)

mErePsG.png

58ISQmA.png

(The clouds above are not the jets. They are the exhaust from the Auxilliary Power Units - they use fuel and intake air, and they are positioned in the cargo hold and vent the exhaust out the back when running.)

For such a large craft, it's surprisingly maneuverable. Partly it's good placement of the control surfaces, but it also has something to do with the NINE(9) reaction wheels spaced around the craft. I don't believe in doing things by halves. When designing something this big, I want to be CERTAIN of the control authority!

0XI0tLX.png

SS0xTWk.png

QTu0FJg.png

"Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full!"

SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOM!!!!

"Damnit, Jeb!!"

fQ5v9tO.png

2dUI849.png

But where the Minerva REALLY shines is her long range, high altitude, endurance and hypersonic speed.

GsEbvJZ.png

jKBVpDo.png

oH8Q3GQ.png

She can even maneuver at hypersonic speeds - not quickly - but you can get enough of an angle forced through the sky to build up some significant G-Forces. (Those reaction wheels really come in handy)

NeUyj8Y.png

But the point where the "Rep-worthy" comes in on this design is the EXTREMES I've managed to get out of this design.

I want you to look at the following screenshot carefully.

7Jovlc3.png

Yes - you're seeing those readings correctly. That's Mach 6.32 and 38-39,000 meters altitude. And the fuel is at about 80%.

Now - let me hit you with the following bit of gobsmack.

That was the Prototype of the Minerva's maiden flight.

AND SHE KEPT DOING THE ABOVE FOR THREE CIRCUITS OF CIRCUMNAVIGATION AROUND KERBIN WITH THE FUEL BARELY BUDGING FROM THE ABOVE LEVELS!!!!!!

In fact I set her on auto-pilot with Mech-Jeb handling things while I went to do something else (like rest my back and read a book.)

I ONLY brought her in for a landing at the KSC because the RTG power units exploded from the eventual heat build-up and the APU unit was having trouble keeping up the regeneration on the battery power. When the wheels touched the runway the fuel gauges were about 65% and the majority of fuel usage came between the altitude ceiling and touchdown.

Minerva LOVES high speed and high altitude. It's INSANE how fuel efficient she is in that flight envelope.

If it was only down to the fuel supply? She could've gone another 4-5 circuits around the planet EASILY.

Needless to say with the production version I've addressed and fixed the above issues. (The RTGs are in a better spot thermally and there are 2 APUs instead of just the one on the Prototype.

I've stumbled into true "supercruise" territory with this design. And with that kind of endurance and power, I think an SSTO Spaceplane version of the Minerva would be trivial to achieve.

Want to try her out? Download at Kerbal X and let me know what you think. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's my high detail Voyager 1/2 and Titan IIIE replica, which is the fruit of my labor the past ~10 days. I used Procedural Parts, Tweakscale, Kerbpaint, Procedural Fairings, Infernal Robotics, Dmagic Orbital Science, and Hullcam VDS as mods. WIRFzgR.pngIoSgnBP.png

Also, here's the recreation of the launch, with juicy bits of info about the probe, and some images about the mission for the first half.

Javascript is disabled. View full album
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well these are some beautiful pieces of machinery!

I'm nowhere near as good at KSP as you guys are, but I made an asymmetric bomber.

Ze front:

62168Asym-front.png

Ze rear:

6703Asym-rear.png

Ze proof of flight:

51879Asym-flight.png

Ze box of numbers that I have no idea what they mean, but are green, which I have been led to believe is a good thing:

88026Asym-stab.png

Flies better than most anything else I have ever designed, actually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everybody has their dang drones that can carry 10 tons of cargo , massive 20 man SSTOs that can travel to Eeloo in one transfer thingy go whatever, and WWII biplane recreations down to the nearest detail, and I'm proud of this.

W457awY.png

9eWx8SN.png

Handles like Jeb on a potent acid trip, but I'm proud of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been experimenting with SSTO crafts that function as rockets on ascent, and as planes to land. It's trickier than I predicted but here are some attempts. Basically, I love the re-usability concept of SSTO's, hate the half-hour ascent and weak payload capacity. If you stay under 300 parts, your plane will probably not lift much, if you try to lift heavy with jets, I hope you can pilot a slideshow. So I thought, what about roakcet style ascents on raw power but with enough plane features to land?

Here's my first attempt, which is technically successful, but nearly impossible to survive re-entry and landing.

JJrQ2hY.png

gmwPLAQ.png

Rq39Cwq.jpg

MblXBQt.jpg

baLAHOS.jpg

And here's the beginning of my 2nd-gen attempt. Probably wont finish it, since I decided to change direction again. This is why my Kerbin looks like Saturn at times.

KIMGkHm.png

YbdKdd6.jpg

nUeQwPO.jpg

My newest idea involves just padding the landing with chutes and airbrakes, because plane landings are REALLY Time consuming. Re-entry heating is a jerk to this guy - it takes some finesse to get this anywhere near the ground in one piece. Also, true rockets lift WAY more, WAY more easily. This one, for example, 240 Tons to orbit on a "recoverable" rocket with just over 200 parts (will probably have around 250 when finished.) This one doesn't succeed just yet. What can I say, other than "WIP"

Javascript is disabled. View full album
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Needed something faster than a rover, but could fit in a fairing for a mission to Duna. So, I built this! Has a average speed of 134 m/s (300 miles per hour), and I was able to, with 3x time acceleration and a few charging breaks, to cross the northern ice cap of Duna in 20 minutes!

zQFZ6Io.jpg

jqZvWP4.jpg

3BauZNj.jpg

rYfvcCH.jpg

9S0230y.jpg

BCz4mEs.jpg

Edited by MatttheCzar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...