THROMGORD - A lovely little attack VTOL!

[BagelRabbit]

Presenting the newest in Viking Technology... The THROMGORD Mk2!

Thromgord, the Viking Warlord, was an invincible and terrifying figure. He also drank a lot of mead. To honor Thromgord's memory, I have created a series of VTOLs capable of attacking the Holy Roman Empire, or really anything that they want to attack. They're small, they're lethal, and they're really pretty cool.

Here are some pictures of the THROMGORD Mk2:

The craft VTOLs on a single Basic Jet Engine, which makes for nice slow takeoffs, as well as extended flight times.

Here's a picture of some missiles that the THROMGORD is firing. It has a total of 12 missiles, in two sets of six.

Vertical takeoffs, vertical landings. The THROMGORD has conquered and pillaged the Vehicle Assembly Building.

In the video, I hit a bunch of targets, fly about, and land on the VAB. I do not, however, drink mead.

Features!

>It's very light and small - it's 'fun-sized!' With only 76 parts, it won't cause too much lag either.

>Multiple takeoff options! It can VTOL. It can take off with its Turbojet Engine only. It can do a combination of the two.

>12 missiles in two sets of six! The missiles actually account for more than half the parts on the THROMGORD, and they're very accurate.

>Convenient targeting system! Just go into 'cockpit view' and point the VTOL at the target, then fire your missiles and watch them hit! (See video for this.)

>Plenty of fuel! You can go around the world with fuel to spare. You don't have to worry about fuel in VTOL mode... the THROMGORD can stay up for hours.

>Multiple landing options! You can glide in, land with a combination of the Turbojet and the VTOL engine, do a vertical landing, or even pop some parachutes!

>Aesthetically pleasing! It's cute, but you can tell it means business. Also, I personally love the missiles on there. They look nice.

.craft file is right here! (You know you want it.)

Please let me know what you think of the THROMGORD! Have a nice day, and don't pillage too much.

Edited August 24, 2014 by UpsilonAerospace

[Roflcopterkklol]

Neato, ill have to try it out seen as i just finished a heavy and light fighter jet, should make a good addition

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/91410-Roflcopterkklol-Industries-Stock-Fighter-jets

if you want to try mine out, one has 12 missiles one has 30.

By the way, how do the missiles work when you are on the move? i could not get a design like that to work lol

Edited August 22, 2014 by Roflcopterkklol

[BagelRabbit]

First of all, the video is out. I've linked it in the OP, and I'm linking it here. 11 of the twelve missiles hit their intended target in the single take that I did, which is pretty good. Also, you can get a good idea of how the THROMGORD flies.

Neato, ill have to try it out seen as i just finished a heavy and light fighter jet, should make a good addition

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/91410-Roflcopterkklol-Industries-Stock-Fighter-jets

if you want to try mine out, one has 12 missiles one has 30.

By the way, how do the missiles work when you are on the move? i could not get a design like that to work lol

Nice fighter jets, although the size seems like overkill to me (though I may just be used to smaller craft.)

I'm not sure why you wouldn't be able to fire stacked missiles on the move. It may just be a problem with the staging arrangement, which was a bit finicky on the THROMGORD. Also, I'm generally firing my missiles at low speeds (sub-30 m/s) so that may have something to do with it. I'm not sure.

Other military-VTOL-craft builders (hi Cupcake!) often have a larger stack of decoupler missiles than this, but I had to limit myself so that the craft had proper control.

I'm probably going to put out the .craft file tomorrow, sorry for the wait

[Roflcopterkklol]

Nice fighter jets, although the size seems like overkill to me (though I may just be used to smaller craft.)

I'm not sure why you wouldn't be able to fire stacked missiles on the move. It may just be a problem with the staging arrangement, which was a bit finicky on the THROMGORD. Also, I'm generally firing my missiles at low speeds (sub-30 m/s) so that may have something to do with it. I'm not sure.

Other military-VTOL-craft builders (hi Cupcake!) often have a larger stack of decoupler missiles than this, but I had to limit myself so that the craft had proper control.

I'm probably going to put out the .craft file tomorrow, sorry for the wait

Yeah they fired fine on the run way but as soon as you got on the move they would spin out of control and kill the plane rather than the ground, admitted i did want to be able to fire them at 150+m/s, as far as how big the jets are, performance mainly lol, put a lot of missiles on a smaller jet and it goes around like a turtle plus without the payload they earned their names lol

And no worries i can wait.

I do like the idea of putting the sepatrons in the middle by the way, gives me an idea to make my missiles go 4km from launch instead of 2

Edited August 22, 2014 by Roflcopterkklol

[BagelRabbit]

Yeah they fired fine on the run way but as soon as you got on the move they would spin out of control and kill the plane rather than the ground, admitted i did want to be able to fire them at 150+m/s, as far as how big the jets are, performance mainly lol, put a lot of missiles on a smaller jet and it goes around like a turtle plus without the payload they earned their names lol

I've actually tried firing the missiles off in the upper atmosphere. They're not quite as happy at an altitude of 15km and a velocity of 800 m/s... they jitter about a bit as they get further away. It's very strange, but it doesn't obliterate any part of the plane. The mystery deepens.

It's very true that a heavily loaded small plane can fly like a turtle if too much mass is added... but that's where VTOLs come in. As a matter of fact, the THROMGORD has about the gliding capability of a iPhone when fully loaded and fueled. It's just enough to not crash when in Turbojet-only mode. But factor in the VTOL engine, and magic happens. You can fly around as much as you want, without having to worry about wing loading.

I do like the idea of putting the sepatrons in the middle by the way, gives me an idea to make my missiles go 4km from launch instead of 2

It's funny that you say that. Because the job of the THROMGORD is to hit relatively small craft like aircraft and rockets, I reduced the amount of fuel in the motors. This allows for lower-mass missiles, quick acceleration off of the THROMGORD, and less of an initial "drop" as the missiles come up to speed. Unfortunately, it also means that the range of the THROMGORD is limited to only about 500m. However, this is, perhaps, for the best, as aiming for small targets beyond 500 m or so is difficult on the best of days.

.craft file coming later today. I just need to add a bona fide abort action group and a description.

Other thoughts on the THROMGORD?

[EDIT: You may be wondering what Thromgord the Viking Warlord looks like. Well... here he is.]

Edited August 23, 2014 by UpsilonAerospace

[BagelRabbit]

.craft file is out. Here it is.

(I'm also going to link this on the OP.)

This is not the last of the THROMGORDs... expect more soon. In the meantime, have fun playing with this one, and please leave a comment. (I'm getting a little lonely. )

[Cupcake...]

.craft file is out. Here it is.

(I'm also going to link this on the OP.)

This is not the last of the THROMGORDs... expect more soon. In the meantime, have fun playing with this one, and please leave a comment. (I'm getting a little lonely. )

May it be the first of many! BTW I've just started playing around with Navhud. Makes the business of hitting things a lot less fiddly.

Not only does it tell you where the missiles are pointing (blue icon) it'll also let you know your predicted course as well (green circle).

Line both of those up and fun things happen.

I'm still getting used to it but there's definitely some promise there, I reckon it'll work well for the THROMGORD too.

http://kerbal.curseforge.com/ksp-mods/220889-navhud

Really enjoyed the video, looking forward to seeing more of this ship in action.

Cupcake...

Edited August 24, 2014 by Cupcake...

[Roflcopterkklol]

Well i just had a go of the thromgrad, fun little thing, well made man good job.

[BagelRabbit]

May it be the first of many! BTW I've just started playing around with Navhud. Makes the business of hitting things a lot less fiddly.

Not only does it tell you where the missiles are pointing (blue icon) it'll also let you know your predicted course as well (green circle).

http://i.imgur.com/m62IPRt.jpg

Line both of those up and fun things happen.

http://i.imgur.com/awWPfl5.jpg

I'm still getting used to it but there's definitely some promise there, I reckon it'll work well for the THROMGORD too.

http://kerbal.curseforge.com/ksp-mods/220889-navhud

Really enjoyed the video, looking forward to seeing more of this ship in action.

Cupcake...

Thanks for the compliments. Coming from a Grand Builder of VTOLs like you, they mean a lot ... and don't worry, more THROMGORDs a-comin'!

I would try out the Navhud, except:

1: I prefer playing without any mods, and

2: It probably wouldn't work for the THROMGORD.

The decouplers' force on the missiles, combined with their light weight, means that the missiles go considerably higher than you would expect (hence the in-cockpit targeting.) They would end up so far north of the Navhud's blue icon that it would be difficult to determine exactly where they would hit. So, I think that the Navhud may be a good thing to use with future missile-carrying craft, but for the time being, it's not going to help much. Thanks for the suggestion though!

Well i just had a go of the thromgrad, fun little thing, well made man good job.

Thanks! I love making fun-to-fly little craft, and I think that the THROMGORD (note spelling) fits the bill well. I'm glad you enjoyed the craft, and I'll be sure to check out your aircraft soon!

[Cupcake...]

Thanks for the compliments. Coming from a Grand Builder of VTOLs like you, they mean a lot ... and don't worry, more THROMGORDs a-comin'!

I would try out the Navhud, except:

1: I prefer playing without any mods, and

2: It probably wouldn't work for the THROMGORD.

The decouplers' force on the missiles, combined with their light weight, means that the missiles go considerably higher than you would expect (hence the in-cockpit targeting.) They would end up so far north of the Navhud's blue icon that it would be difficult to determine exactly where they would hit. So, I think that the Navhud may be a good thing to use with future missile-carrying craft, but for the time being, it's not going to help much. Thanks for the suggestion though!

Thanks! I love making fun-to-fly little craft, and I think that the THROMGORD (note spelling) fits the bill well. I'm glad you enjoyed the craft, and I'll be sure to check out your aircraft soon!

Ah yes, I should have mentioned this earlier. Grab a docking port and angle it 10* downwards.

If you select control from here using the angled (trageting) port the Navhud retical will be in the right place for your missiles to hit true at a range of around 100-150m. Alternatively you can use the docking cam mod. I know you're not really into mods but it does make shooting stuff a lot easier, plus the craft itself will still be stock. Oh, and if you make a 0g/Munar combat version you can fire straight on, you don't have to worry about angling the targeting port as long as you're using the right sort of ammo. Speaking of which if you need any help with munitions just drop me a line.

Cupcake...

Edited August 25, 2014 by Cupcake...

[Roflcopterkklol]

So when are we going to see some more attack VTOLs sir?

i mean i would make some myself but VTOLs are not my thing at all lol, love flying them cant seem to make one as good as other people can though, planes seem to be my thing.

(just a thought, you make these to fly perfectly with a full load not the other way around yeah?)

Edited August 25, 2014 by Roflcopterkklol

[BagelRabbit]

Ah yes, I should have mentioned this earlier. Grab a docking port and angle it 10* downwards.

http://i.imgur.com/JivY7Ce.jpg

If you select control from here using the angled (trageting) port the Navhud retical will be in the right place for your missiles to hit true at a range of around 100-150m. Alternatively you can use the docking cam mod. I know you're not really into mods but it does make shooting stuff a lot easier, plus the craft itself will still be stock. Oh, and if you make a 0g/Munar combat version you can fire straight on, you don't have to worry about angling the targeting port as long as you're using the right sort of ammo. Speaking of which if you need any help with munitions just drop me a line.

Cupcake...

Clever, clever. I still think that I'll go entirely stock for this THOMGORD, but maybe in the future I'll start using some of these mods. They certainly look like they would help.

So when are we going to see some more attack VTOLs sir?

i mean i would make some myself but VTOLs are not my thing at all lol, love flying them cant seem to make one as good as other people can though, planes seem to be my thing.

(just a thought, you make these to fly perfectly with a full load not the other way around yeah?)

I'm currently in the brainstorming phase of the THROMGORD mk3. It'll be a little while before it comes out.

I made the THROMGORD so that the craft VTOLs quite nicely with (a) all missiles on there or ( no missiles on there. If there's some missiles left but not all, the craft gets a little wonky, but it stabilizes out again as all of the missiles are fired. This was really the best I could do with such a light VTOL.

[Roflcopterkklol]

Clever, clever. I still think that I'll go entirely stock for this THOMGORD, but maybe in the future I'll start using some of these mods. They certainly look like they would help.

I'm currently in the brainstorming phase of the THROMGORD mk3. It'll be a little while before it comes out.

I made the THROMGORD so that the craft VTOLs quite nicely with (a) all missiles on there or ( no missiles on there. If there's some missiles left but not all, the craft gets a little wonky, but it stabilizes out again as all of the missiles are fired. This was really the best I could do with such a light VTOL.

Ye

ah i was pretty damn impressed, i simply can not get something to fly as well as that thing loaded and unloaded, it is always either or.

Admitted due to its size after you fire the missiles you have to go to half throttle haha

[BagelRabbit]

Work has started on the THROMGORD mk3. It flies nicely, it's even smaller (mass-wise) than its predecessor, and it looks pretty good. Now, where to mount the missiles? ...Any suggestions?

[LvL]

try mounting the sideways, like this = but rotated 90 degrees onto the side on the THROMGORD. (that's just a really good name)

[BagelRabbit]

try mounting the sideways, like this = but rotated 90 degrees onto the side on the THROMGORD. (that's just a really good name)

THROMGORD!! (sorry, I just had to do that)

Unfortunately, I can't get the THROMGORD mk3 to carry any missiles, really. It's simply too small, and it doesn't have as much surface area free... and I want to try for at least twelve missiles on each plane I make, because I'm terrible at aiming. Which means I'm probably going to have to create yet another THROMGORD. (sigh)

On a related note, these missiles aren't all that good. I've been trying to use them to hit rockets and aircraft at KSC, and they don't seem to do much. After a repeated barrage, the best I could do was knock off a wing... which, all in all, isn't that great. Especially because I'm making a YouTube series in which I attempt to destroy the craft of "the enemy," a guy named LegitCocount. (Here's the first episode. I may need some pretty good missiles to fully destroy his craft.)

I have two theories for the "meh" quality of the missiles. The first is that the they don't have enough inertia, on account of their light weight. The second is that they are too weak, on account of their low impact tolerance. I'm currently in the midst of attaching some Linear RCS Ports on the front of the missiles (massless; 50 m/s impact tolerance) and seeing whether they improve their performance. Honestly, though, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Is there any good thread on the basics of making missiles, or could you share some nuggets of wisdom with me? I would like to use missiles with a low mass and a good amount of destruction possible.

Thanks!

[BagelRabbit]

Just wanted to let y'all know that this week, I'm going to try to make a THROMGORD mk4. (Thinking that it will VTOL, be 0.25 compatible, have a minimum of fifteen missiles, be capable of destroying at least the KSC water towers, and look really nice.)

The legacy of THROMGORD is still very much alive.

...still requesting assistance for the missiles though