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F-71 Talon: A Sci-Fi Stealth Fighter (WIP)(Feedback Appreciated!)

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34 comments, last by 1024 5 years, 9 months ago
9 hours ago, Prinz Eugn said:

Just wanted to drop in and say I think it's looking great!

Thanks for your helpful feedback in improving the model!

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

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13 hours ago, Prinz Eugn said:

Just wanted to drop in and say I think it's looking great!

One thing I wanted to ask is if you think I should add any more details, or does the model look fine as is? I’m still very divided on this and unsure of what the best route would be.

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

2 hours ago, deltaKshatriya said:

One thing I wanted to ask is if you think I should add any more details, or does the model look fine as is? I’m still very divided on this and unsure of what the best route would be.

Well, that sort of depends on how detailed the other aircraft. It just needs to fit into the overall look. I think it's pretty good, it's simpler than the other jet you posted. I think having less "stuff" makes it fit the part of an advanced stealth fighter, but that being said it does seem a little plain to me. If you do want to add more detail, I would maybe add a dorsal spine, maybe add something under the exhaust, and maybe try some winglets.

I see you had some panels by the cockpit and got rid of them... I dunno, I kind of liked them (would be better if they weren't outlined so much as slightly darker gray)

 

EDIT: Added a quick mock-up of a dorsal spine and some more panel lines, and that thing near the cockpit.

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-Mark the Artist

Digital Art and Technical Design
Developer Journal

I integrated some of @Prinz Eugn's changes. I haven't tried the dorsal spine, not sure if it'll work or not, but here's what I have right now:

 

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No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Some parts have really strange shapes that look wrong, not futuristic, to me:

  • Bent and elliptical engines. Reaction engines and variants thereof are strictly cylindrical. EDIT: thinking of it, engine asymmetry is possible with obviously external components: fuel tubes, extra air intakes, pods...
  • Engines ending in the middle of the wing. Realistically, they would scorch the wing structure (possibly beyond the melting point) and disrupt airflow. Plausible similar structures could have one engine above the wing and one below, with sufficiently distant exhaust ports. But why bother, if you can simply mount the engine slightly further and avoid the wing completely?
  • No tail; the front winglets and the point in the back are both very small. Tailless aircraft usually have wider wings and/or a less flat body..

Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru

I feel like the wings are too large for a fighter. Usually fast fighter aircraft have shorter wings, and wider wings are used on slower aircraft (bombers and high altitude reconnaissance planes).

On the wing thing, I think that's still something that could be improved. I got bored after work and made a few mock-ups (top is the original):

 

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-Mark the Artist

Digital Art and Technical Design
Developer Journal

On 9/10/2018 at 12:12 AM, LorenzoGatti said:
  • Engines ending in the middle of the wing. Realistically, they would scorch the wing structure (possibly beyond the melting point) and disrupt airflow. Plausible similar structures could have one engine above the wing and one below, with sufficiently distant exhaust ports. But why bother, if you can simply mount the engine slightly further and avoid the wing completely?
  • No tail; the front winglets and the point in the back are both very small. Tailless aircraft usually have wider wings and/or a less flat body..

A lot of this comes directly from me following the source of the Ho-229 a bit closely :P. Hmm, I will look into this as well.

@1024 and @Prinz Eugn, I'm in two minds on the wings at the moment. While part of me thinks that I should try the wings as smaller/shorter, another part of me doesn't really want to change up the wings too much more. 

I'll post some quick tests with shorter wings here soon though and see what I think!

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Remember that the Ho-229 was designed to be a bomber in the first place :) 

The Horten 229 (presumably small, fast and stable enough to show promise as a fighter) appears to have reasonable engines (below the wings, with a large indentation to avoid the exhaust), a significant positive dihedral angle, and a thick and bulbous fuselage.

I think this design falls in the gap of relative ugliness between large and elegant flying wing designs with an iconic chevron shape (all bombers, of course) and extreme and futuristic stealth fighters with faceted shapes like the F-117.
At an intermediate size, it could be a boring ECM platform or small bomber, but it's too large to be a fighter; maybe you should design weapons too.

Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru

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