tholians

[oleg]

I changed carriers. Is it better now?

1026893605.zip

[Pax]

Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
The main sequence of ships is very nice. They 'sort of' resemble the only example given in the series, but not too closely. Some of the 'supporting' series like carriers are a little odd, but I guess it's hard to be creative with a single starting idea.

Giving them Crystalline Technology was a natural choice, of course. If only there was a way to simulate the Tholian Web... we can only make them research and use tractor/repulsor beams for now.

Further information on Tholian and Neotholian vessels (and their general configurations, shapes, etc) can be had in SFB products (SFB = Star Fleet Battles; several artists renderings should stil be available, scattered about the website for that game, at the Star Fleet Battles Official Site ).

Several 3D models of Tholian vessels can be found here: SFB Miniatures

Specifically, the Tholian PC ("Patrol Corvette", analogous to an SE4 Escort), CA (Cruiser), DN (Dreadnaught), NCA (NeoTholean Cruiser), and NDA (NeoTholian Dreadnaught).

Oh, for the non-SFBers out tehre: the Tholians aren't native to our galaxy, they're refugees from anotehr one ... they WERE backwater polliticians there. The Neotholians are a remnant of a full Naval squadron that managed to also make the crossing, some years later.

Though the link is unavailable, I do see a listing for a color-paint guide, which would give a good image of colors involved on some of the hulls folks might be unfamiliar with. The individual hull links -do-lead to color-scheme listings.

SFB hulls are based on allof the TV shows, the first filmor two, and the cartoon series (hence being able, legally, to use Niven's Kzin -- he HIMSELF wrote them into a couple episodes of the cartoon, heh).

If folks want, I can dig out my old SFB stuff, then see about borrowing use of a friend's scanner, and thus send a representative sample of the ship types used in "canon" SFB 9where the Tholians have had the best, most thorough treatment).

All the above said ... I've not yet looked at the shipset myself (about to remedy that). Ergo, the above is not meant to be taken as a criticism of Oleg's work ... just a pointer at additional resources for visual data WRT naval vessels of the Tholian Holdfast.

[Pax]

Having viewed teh shipset now: Oleg, nice ships, but ... they're -not- Tholian, at least not as a dedicated Tholian/SFB purist such as myself would accept them. Sorry.

The ships are nice in their own right ... but ... *shrug* ... they just don't say "Tholian Holdfast" to me.

Images of miniatures (sculpted, physical 3D models), though small and a -bit- hard to see properly, can be found here: SFB Catalog Tholian Miniatures .

Note how the CA (second listing form the top, the left-hand ship) is -basically- two smaller ships, welded mostly side-by-side. The right hand ship in that same image is the NCA, a Cruiser of the NeoTholian squadron.

The Tholian PC is the basic ship of the entire line -- the one based directly on the TV episode the Tholians were first featured/mentioned in (there have been others, though usually they're only vague/roundabout references ).

Just to clarify, SFB classes proceed (from smallest to largest):

PC ... Patrol Corvette / Police Cruiser
FF ... Frigate
DD ... Destroyer
DW ... War Destroyer
CL ... Light Cruiser
CW ... War Cruiser
CA ... Cruiser
BC ... Battlecruiser
DN ... Dreadnaught
BB ... Battleship

If you examine the image for the CW + PC set, you will see the War Cruiser is essentially two PC's, one stuck op the other's backside, then welded in place.

So if you're interested in building a "Purist's Tholian Shipset" ...

[PaladinOfEarth]

PAX,
Thanks! for the links. I have about 20 un painted miniatures.
Hm, Play SE or paint ships.
Any suggestions?

[Baron Munchausen]

Originally posted by oleg:
I changed carriers. Is it better now?

1026893605.zip

Uh, no... that's the same. The carriers still look like fighters. The SMALL FIGHTER still looks like a good basis for a carrier design. Big 'segments' of triangular crystal with the open edges being natural locations for fighter bays.

[geoschmo]

I would ahve to agree that I like this set, it just doesn't look very "Tholian". But it would be a nice set as a unique race.

The race pic though is very good. It does appear that it could be what the distorted images available from TOS represent.

Geo

[oleg]

After reading the stormy discussion about Gorn ship set, I believe my Tholians insulted quite a few trekkies. Therefore I am inclined to make them some other race and never ever again touch anything ST related. Please vote what should I do: keep them or change ?