Awesome Starfighters you haven't heard of (unless you're a nerd)
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- On today's Star Wars lore video, we take a look at five awesome Star starfighters from Star Wars Legends you've probably never heard of unless you're a massive nerd like I am.
Star Wars, star wars lore, star wars legends lore, star wars fighters, star wars ships, star wars ships lore, star wars lore explained
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Always loved the clone Z95, yeah it's more mainstream but its not too mainstream. More sleek and agile than an ARC170, we see them do some cool stuff during the clone wars. And what sold me was how swooshable the old lego model is
I think the z95 is called the Headhunter
If we're gonna talk about the Z-95, we should someday get to see the Corporate Sector IRD.
The clone Z-95 Headhunter is easily my favorite starfighter.
It seems the most grounded in reality, and looks like what I imagined if we were ever to create a starfighter in real life. It definitely took inspiration from real life aircraft with its sleekness.
@@tylerwilliams3368 It sounds really cool in the show too.
I also like the Clone Variant because they have the Swing wings that were only supposed to be on Mark 1 versions. It makes it seem like this version was put together really quickly for War use with just enough customization to bring them up to military specification.
Love that you covered the my'tll. Love that fighter! But my favorite forgotten EU ship is the Skipray Blastboat. I always thought that would be my hero ship/character ship, not big enough to be a capital ship, but still with enough room to have a crew. Plus It had a whole bunch of different modular setups involving sensor arrays, missiles, tractor beams, and more.
Great ship! Mine was the XG-1 funnily enough. Basically a smaller Skipray.
Me too! I loved its entry in the old Guides.
I'm surprised you didn't bring up the Twilek Deathseed. Those and Warlord Zsinj's tie raptors kind of compliment the Chiss Claw as very different factions going down a similar design path for the same reasons. Really makes the universe feel more realistic and grounded.
I'm so glad someone else noticed the Chir'daki!!! A mass produced Ugly that featured the cockpit and ion engines of a TIE Fighter with the four S-Foils, laser cannons, and power plants of the X Wing fighter on a revolving collar, the Deathseed is one of my personal faves as well. The fighter's only drawback, in my opinion, was its lack of projectile launchers. The Twileks only left those out because they were too expensive.
Are those the Chir'daki fighters you're talking about? Yeah, I remember seeing a video about them. Basically it's an uglies fighter, but this one combines the best of two worlds, one from the X-wing and Tie Fighter. But unlike other uglies starfighters, the Twi'lek managed to standardize their designs to be mass-produced.
@@KuDastardly yep. Most Uglies were the just really bad attempts to make a working fighter out of spare parts. The Chir'daki was the exception to that rule. The Twi'leks actually designed it as an almost perfect mash up of everything that was unique about the TIE Fighter, X Wing, and B Wing Fighters. It was faster than an X Wing, more maneuverable than the TIE, and had the variable geometry of the B Wing with its gyroscopic collar around the cockpit. It's a pretty good interceptor but lacks the versatility of the X Wing because it has no missile launching capability. Otherwise it is a very good design.
Now that I think about it. I think maybe the reason Ecks didn't bring it up was probably because he already did in a video specifically dedicated to uglies starfighters, and so didn't need to reiterate it in this video. That's my guess.
@@KuDastardly maybe but I'm pretty sure all of us commenting are definitely SW ship nerds and ships only nerds know IS the topic.
But I guess a vid on non-empire tie variants that entered regular production would be in order. Everyone knows the empire made 700 one offs but they're so cheap and plentiful in universe that totally different factions made improved versions and they do tend to follow similar lines.
The H-wing looks like the love child of the Y-wing and a cloud car
It looks like a double popsicle.
They are...
@@michaelandreipalon359 A weird design, but pretty sturdy, yes.
Plus we have the poor Pinook fighter...
Along with FASA's Keith-class starship, for Star Trek, possibly two of the most 'joke' like designs, you can't help but feel a little sorry for.
Although the latter is just so, so ugly.
My fave has been Thrawn's original idea of the missile boat. Based off the assault gunboat which in itself was interesting design, missile boat had massive missiles or torpedoes payload, and the SLAM boosters gave it speed to outrun most opposition...
Literally just clicked onto the video hoping to see this.
Very pleased to see so many fighters I recognise! X-Wing Alliance was such a good game.
Too bad they put Thrawn with the T/D in canon now.
@@jdotoz most people aren't aware of Grand Admiral Zaarin, sadly. He could do both! Man had more than one good idea!
@@TheKalZul I just liked the idea of the Missile Boat being Thrawn's answer to the traitor's pet fighter.
The Assault Gunboat! That was such a versatile craft with its shields, hyperdrive, missiles, and ion cannons. There's a reason so many of the missions in the Tie Fighter and X-Wing series involved that craft. Plus I loved that it's engine sound was more mellow and not so grating on the ears like a Tie fighter whine.
I think my favorite of the niche or legends starfighters were the skipray blastboats... which kind of straddle an odd place in starship classification
The various games had them as startfighter, but they packed capital ion cannons, twin laser cannon and both a missile and torpedo launcher in most configurations. They were actually classified as capital in power/defense ratings too...
Though they like the ARC170 were crew heavy...
I used them to bird dog PCs in the WEG Star Wars RPG, at long range sensors would detect a capital ship energy signature, unless PCs got good enough difficulty rating to spot the small ship size at range.
This was the ship of all legends design that I want to see more than any other in live action star wars canon. I must be a big nerd because I have heard of all of these ships and they seemed like obvious choices to me. I could of course do the same for various other sci-fi side canon's. I'm not exclusively a star wars guy by any means.
I always had a softspot for the T-Wing; especially if you look at higher-res models for it, like in X-Wing Alliance Upgrade or the one in Awakening of the Rebellion, you basically have the SW version of the Viper from Battlestar Galactica and you can't go wrong with that.
T Wings were great fun in MP!
But there's that whole 'death trap' thing one might wish to avoid.
@@catdaddy7982 so mod it make the t-wing mark II and lore like an HC henry video. ( i just like the T-wing back when i play tie fighter it looked good)
Actually got to meet the artist who designed the Clawcraft at a convention a few years ago. He said it was a fun and interesting design to tackle. LFL didn't give him much to go on - apparently they would give artists like him instructions like "make a TIE-style fighter that looks more alien" and that's all he'd hear from them, so he would then draw up a few concept ideas, the bigwigs would pick the one they like best and then he'd refine that one. I think it was great that they gave their artists that kind of freedom back then.
Anyone else notice the ship from the Resistance clip (at 2:10) bears a REALLY STRONG resemblance to the Gulf Porsche 917? Seriously, it looks like they actually converted one into a spacecraft.
Yeah, in fact I even noticed it on the show. Unfortunately it wasn't half as engaging as Rebels but that ship was cool. I think we all had that matchbox 😂
@@johnassal5838 its more than just a toy to me - I got to in a real one at a vintage race several years ago.
That's what it was designed as. I believe they mention it in a BTS resistance video
That's more than a resemblance IMO. You could literally just remove the wings, lasers, and engines and you'd have a recognizable Gulf Porsche 917.
@@drosera88 It's the Gulf Porsche 917 body on top of a Starchaser, with A-Wing engines.
Definitely do a Clawcraft video. Such a unique design, and I'm curious how they stack against an X-Wing, since they seem the closest analouge
I was so sad when the clawcraft and E-wing never made the sequel trilogy. But then again, there were a few reasons why I never finished through it.
@@Joannes808 What is this "sequel trilogy" of which you speak? There's the prequels, the originals and ep 7. I can't recall anything after. *Nothing.* 💀
@@johnassal5838 Sorry, I have a bad tendency to get mixed on Space Balls as a "Meanwhile elsewhere" sort of film. Still waiting for the second installment though: The Search For More Money. 😅
I felt very sad after this video, because I knew every ship and I'm now officially a nerd
I love these videos. The obscure and lesser known ships add spice and variety to Star Wars. Glad to see some old favorites get a little of the spotlight!
The TIE Punisher, TIE Defender, Fang (Mandalmotors), and Star Viper (Black Sun) all appeal to me for different reasons. Of those, the StarViper and Punisher are probably the only ones that really qualify as obscure, since the Defender and Fang both featured prominently in Rebels, among other properties.
XG-1 Starwing, Novawing, and Cloakshape. Mmmmm.
What about the TIE Aggressor? Basically a TIE equivalent of a Y-Wing.
@@VestedUTuber yeah, but why use that, if the TIE-Punisher can put out around quadruple the damage of the TIE-Bomber?
ahhh the star viper... DEPLOY BUZZ DROIDS
Gotta love the Starviper! What a cool design.
I guess I've probably heard of these then
Lol
I'm personally quite a fan of the I-7 Howlrunner; it somehow manages to look both sleek and boxy at the same time, and I think its lore is interesting. Also, although it's a bit beyond a regular starfighter in size and role, I've always liked the GAT-12 Skipray Blastboat too; I must have a thing for underused backwater Imperial ships, or something.
I-7 Howlrunners are great! I think these were among the best matches to the Star Wars design language from the comics.
The R-41 Starchaser and the Cloakshape are honestly two of my favorite starfighters. The Planetary Defender fighter is also really cool. Glad to see them get some love.
I am indeed a nerd! The Cloakshape is absolutely my jam, I've wanted a character with that ship for decades at this point.
Honestly, X-Wing Alliance opened my eyes up to a whole world of new fighters that I admittedly in 98 or 99 thought was only made specifically for X-Wing Alliance. The R-41 was honestly a really fun ship to fly, I liked the combination of Ion and laser cannons that I'd link to cut through shields and the ions would disable enemies for later destruction or capture if I had a lot of other fighters to deal with.
Agreed, ion cannons to take down shields really helped make up for the craft's lack of shields, hull, and speed. Not a true contender with top of the line ships, but a solid entry for less financed operations such as pirates, defense forces, and rebel cells. Loved seeing it used in the Force Unleashed cutscenes, and any time someone uses screenshots from Mysteries of the Sith they get my upvote.
The R-41 Starchaser, aka that 4-in-a-line engine fighter that we keep seeing on footage you and other star wars channels play from certain sources when you just need filler battle footage, and yet WHICH NO ONE EVER MENTIONS DESPITE SO MANY VIDEOS USING FOOTAGE WITH IT! Thank you, Ecks, for finally letting us know what the heck that thing is!
Does anyone remember the Dianoga and Morningstar C starfighters from SW: Jedi Starfighter? Those things were brutal
I remember them from Star Wars: Starfighter too
@@26th_Primarch ah that's what I meant, accidentally put the sequel lol
I like the Scurrg H-6 prototype bomber from that game.
Last time I was this early, my Y-Wing still had its engine panels.
Awesome video, I’d love to see a full breakdown on the Claw Craft
I always liked the Xg-1 Starwing or Assault Gunboat. I first remember them from the original LucasArts game X-Wing, but also enjoyed it's versatility in the TIE-Fighter game.
The Assault Gunboat! There's a reason why it ends up being a mainstay in pretty much all of the missions in X-Wing and Tie Fighter by the end of the first campaign. Good Imperial Design in that they took the look of a Lambda shuttle but made it a starfighter, plus shields, ion cannons, and missiles. Honestly, the missions that use Lambda shuttles as combat craft are pretty tough as well; if the rear turret was operational they'd be much harder to attack.
Yeah, I know all of these thanks to growing up in the 90's as a rabid Star Wars fan. I'll wear that nerd badge with pride!
It's funny you mention the Pinook, because it was actually the original design for the Planetary Fighter in early XWA concept art. It was originally supposed to sport a huge booster engine, but game engine constraints caused the devs to remove it, rename the ship as the Pinook and come up with a different design for the Planetary Fighter.
That was the best time to be alive as a SW fan. Tales of the Jedi. Shadows of the Empire. The X-Wing/TIE Fighter sims. Thrawn. The Tipani! Hell do you remember Waru? Haha oh man, I wish we could go back to when Waru was the worst thing out there. Back to before the dark times, before The Mouse.
I'm a fan of the Scyk, I just like underdog ships and its also a little funky and differently shaped from many scifi ships without being silly or over designed. its a logical shape without just being a plane in space.
I'm a fan of the Novasword Space Superiority fighter. It looks like a sleeker version of the X-Wing, and has the fire power and defenses to match
One I like is more of a freighter, the YG-4210. A predecessor to the YT model ships, it dates to around 200 years BBY or so. Interesting design imo
As a kid when I heard about Mara Jade having a Z-95 Headhunter I fell in love with it as I read those novels.
R-22 Spearhead was always my favorite, because it "ISN'T" an A-Wing in the lore, because it looked too different in the droids show, but the toy they released for it was called an A-wing.
Good ship.
I like the RZ-1T trainer. It's a two-seater.
It was in Star Wars Rebels.
It did always look pretty much like an A-Wing to me, in Droids.
Even if a two-seater.
In Rebels yes, it looked different - but not in Droids.
The B wing was always a favorite of mine for the rebels while the drone tie fighter for the empire was always a unique design if a bit like Sputnik.
Claw looks like a lovechild between Droid trifighter and a TIE. Also you note why the Cloakshape has the spoiler: it started as atmospheric fighter.
It might be Nostalgia, but my introduction to the Preybird Starfighter in Spectres of the Past made it one of my favorites. It just sticks with me
I recognized all of these haha. A fave of mine that's obscure is the pirate faction ship from Empire at War the Rihkxyrk assault fighter. Its such a odd design and surprisingly large for a starfighter.
you should do a similar vid with all the cool light freighters out there. love the ship breakdowns
The R-41 is pretty fragile compared to an X-Wing, but it is a pretty capable fighter as long as you don't get hit. The Planetary Fighter is actually legitimately good; it's like an A-Wing, but faster, a bit more durable, but way bigger (an easier target). Not many fighters outside the Rebellion and Empire are that good. As for the H-Wing... I am hoping to slightly redesign and model it in high detail one day. I have some good ideas for it.
Oh, one I actually really enjoyed doing custom matches in the simulator with in X-Wing Alliance was the Preybird- class starfighter. I loved how much the laser cannons on each of the wings could tilt to aim at your current target. Something just really satisfying about having the bolts converge on the target.
Very cool breaking out the Starships of the Galaxy book from Saga rpg.
Was hoping to see the Toscan 8-Q. But you had a good list. Love your videos!
Me too, I love most of those ships from the X-Wing and TIE Fighter series of games.
I love the Toscan! It is my favorite!
Miytil and the skipray blastboat are my favorites...glad you got one of those on your list.
My favorite obscure ship is the TIE Avenger. It was really overshadowed by the TIE Defender, but I still loved it.
I love that the recent X-Wing fan film gave some love to the TIE Avenger, serving as sort of a boss battle in it.
These are a few of my favorite Star Wars spaceships:
-X-83 TwinTail
-TIE/rb Brute
-Havoc Marauder
-Hyena Bomber
-CloakShape
-Xg-1 Star Wing
-R-41 Starchaser
I’m somewhat of an aviation geek, so I love interesting and unconventional aircraft as well.
For instance:
-Bartini Beriev VVA-14
-AirFish 8
-Martin PM6 SeaMaster
-North American XB-70 Valkyrie
-Rockwell B-1 Lancer
-De Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen
-Grumman X-29
Not quite sure if this would even count as a minor ship but I've always loved the Tie Hunter, deserves more praise.
Great video, you should also do one talking about the Rebellion's various war vehicles, in Legends they were very well equiped for the type of faction they were and some of their Tanks were more than capable of taking down AT-ATs and other Imperial vehicles (T3-B and AAC-1 for example) shame they do not have any of those in Canon
Love me the R41. Reminds me of an old-skool late 60s/early 70s American Musclecar, but as a starfighter.
I like that this basically showcases every kind of cool fighter from the Thrawn's Revenge mod. I fully understand Eck's love for it
One of my favourite semi-unknown craft is the T-16 Skyhopper, just because it looks cool and is one of the few vehicles in all of Star Wars that have a ballistic weapon, the pneumatic cannon. They're also one of the few kinds of actual airplanes in Star Wars that isn't just a pure repulsorlift speeder. It has functional wings and airfoils!
Love the PD-F, reminds me of 60's soviet designs.
Possibles for future video about obscure ships: Razor Fighter, Toscan Fighter, Modified Strike Cruiser, Escort Shuttle, and/or Naboo Bomber. Any of those catch your eye?
my favorite has always been the the tie punisher/tie interdictor (depending on which name source you go with). Somebody looked at a tie bomber and asked "but what if more bombs?" its a ridiculous chunky tonka toy of a tie fighter and I love it. and because it has so much inertia due to its increased size, it has boosters on the back of each bomb pod, so playing the xwing table top game and boosting all over the place in these things was my absolute go to.
Man the cloakshape is such a perfect craft for a rebel RPG game, good all around, starts relativly low end, and by the end with kits can match almost any 'modern' star wars fighter/bomber. Its also cool to see that because it has such a huge after market that parts are pretty much ubiquatus and so common that if yours was ever damaged finding spare parts would be super easy. Hell in the lore it implies the cloakshape usually has parts from other brands shoved in thanks to its cavernous maintinance bays.
All around my favorite pick from this list.
I for one appreciate the love for the R-41 Starchaser. I got a lot of mileage out of it in X-Wing Alliance's skirmish modes and found it incredibly agreeable to fly, even if it wasn't as formidable as later TIE models like the Avenger or Defender, or lacked compared to Rebel fighters like the B-Wing or A-Wing. Its versatility with its armament really went a long way for punching above its weight class, but you also never felt safe in it because of its middling shields and hull.
I really like the design of the I-7 Howlrunner and the A-9 Interceptor, and think that as Imperial ships, they're a breath of fresh air from your TIE... everything.
The Starchaser really should have been something used by CIS organic aces because it's from the same time as the later model Headhunters and made by HKD who make the Lucrehulks.
I do think they're a little underrated cause they aren't very good or deployed for their strengths in X-wing Alliance . But they could be useful indeed with 'friends.' :)
@@OllamhDrab True but they're over two decades old by TIE Fighter. During the Clone Wars? They'd be truly amazing.
@@DIEGhostfish Well, depends how they'e used, I'd say, they got good speed and they're a lot tougher and better armed than Ties, just need to be sure they don't get swarmed in close, I figure. A few A-wings or something to keep their tails clear, they'd hit hard. :)
I've literally seen and learned about all these ships before... its been years, i guess all this did was refresh my memory.
So happy you mentioned my favourite Legends Fighter. The Claw Craft.
The Skipray Gunboat and Star Viper are two of my favorite forgotten ships, but the V-Wing never gets enough love either
I'm glad you included the Cloakshape- wish we'd seen them so far in the on-screen lore. Other favorites I'd love to see you talk about would be another favorite from XW:A would be the Preybird and the Toscan.
I can’t remember where I first saw it as a kid but I always liked the Cloakshape fighter. It’s one of my favorite starfighters visually and I always pictured kid me in Star Wars flying one around the galaxy.
Absolutely love the planterary fighter. And if you played the Tie fighter Total Conversion mod for XWA there is one particular mission that really does it justice.
A little detail I love about the claw craft is that it had no navicomputer, and had to rely on either a mothership to feed it calculations or store some for preset jumps at specific times and locations.
Fitting considering the Skywalker Program that’s been introduced to Canon.
The Sun Crusher comes to mind. Eventhough the idea of a ship that can basically ram through gas giants is little out of the park even for Star Wars, the idea and way the ship was used was so cool
As a nerd and an old WEG Star Wars player, I have indeed encountered these ships before. As someone who loves playing freighter pilots, I've played everything from smuggler to privateer to a short-run salvage crew. Usually, I wind up working for the Rebels or whatever the good guy faction of the time period is, but I still tend to spend a lot of time at shadow ports/etc. I've fought off things like Zebra fighters, uglies of all types, etc. Sadly, most GMs I've had don't share my love of the nuts-and-bolts, gritty side, and it's a struggle to find a game where I can actually be the crazy tech/pilot who does things like salvaging and rebuilding old ships into mad but functional fighters :) Just my 2 cents, and thanks for the video!
The Starchaser feels like a precursor to the Howlrunner, even though they’re made by different companies. Howlrunner has a similar profile albeit slimmed down and less surface area to hit.
How about the K Wing Bomber? There’s a craft that needs a bit of lore diving.
What about the Umbaran starfighters? Probabably the most distinctive and legitimately cool design after the claw imo. Also, very interested in a 3-d claw render, will absolutely tune in for that!
But those are starfighters from The Clone Wars TV show, which is more mainstream than the X-Wing games.
The Z-95 Headhunter goes WAY back in SW lore. I remember it first being mentioned int he Han Solo Trilogy by Brian Daily.
As far as favorite obscure ships, some of the Imperial designs were pretty awesome too. The TIE Phantom, TIE Escort, and the Gunboat are some of my favorite designs. Also some Rebel fighters such as the E-Wing, T-Wing, and M-wing.
Always loved the R-41 in X-Wing Alliance and was disproportionally excited when I found that one in Mysteries of the Sith.
great video! is there one coming up about light freighters like the VCX, YT1300, YT2600, and others less known? Love the content!
Yes, clawcraft breakdown sounds fun. Considering I know nothing about Chiss ships any more videos on them would be great.
I always thought the Planetary Defender Fighter looked like a Veritech from Macross/Robotech. I used to joke it would have been funny if there was some joke in game about how they tried to make it so it could transform into a battle droid but could never get it to work.
Fwiw, the Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels (the old orange covered one) states the maneuvering fin on the rear of the Cloakshape was an aftermarket add-on for aiding planetary maneuverability. It was such a common add-on that many pilots thought it part of the original design. Great vid! EDIT: You mention it in the video *after* I unpaused it. That's on me. Still, great vid!
“It leans a little more into Star Trek but that’s okay”
Star Trek: a mention, a surprise to be sure but a welcome one
Good group of gallant gunships!
Something I just love about the cloakshape is that in most eras of StarWars it is for all practical purposes open source.
Cheers!
Yep lol. I love these Fighters. You'd think that the Rebel Alliance would have like a thousand different Fighter types as they need everything they can get.
I just ran across an obscure fighter I love - the TIE Experimental M1, or TIE Bizarro. It has a central TIE wing flanked by two cockpit-like modules - one of which is the cockpit and the other is a big turbolaser. It's just so goofy and "sideways" compared to the normal Star Wars thing. But it also has a Star Wars kit-bash feel.
I love all the corellian scout ships from SWTOR’s galactic Starfighter gamemode. They look like basically the same base model, but with different engine and wing configurations and that modularity is kind of cool, and from a lore perspective would be useful.
Yep. I know The Z-95s, Planetary Fighters, R-41 Fighters the Pinnooks and cloakshaped one. I had my encounters with them. And I love them too. The Toscan Fighter is another of my Favorite.
I've always been a fan of both the M3-A Scyk Interceptor and the Kihraxz Light Starfighter. The Starviper is also really cool-looking.
I honestly always liked the liberator class starfighter from the old republic era.
I just love the wing can switch between that open and closed mode, one loking a bit more agressive and the other more like ment for speed.
There is one obvious advantage the clow raft has. That advantage is the field of view for the pilot. The wings of the craft are edge on from any point that the pilot can look. This minimizes the obstruction of view.
My favorite starfighter ever since I first heard of it is the Z-95 Headhunter. There are so many ways to modify it it and improve it. I am sure that it is possible to upgrade it to the point it could out perform an X Wing if you wanted to. You can even just change it cosmetically so much that it is barely recognizable. That is just so freaking cool. Literally the only thing I don't like is that I have never heard of one being upgraded to have an astromech socket. That would make FTL much easier since the standard NavComputer only has the ability to hold 10 jump coordinates in it at any time and it has to be updated manually.
The Cloakshape has always been a favorite of mine. When you are looking at having to operate as a mercenary or a rogue in the fringes in the old WEG RPG, a couple credits go a lot further in handling upgrades, refits, and modifications on a Cloakshape over a performance fighter like the X-Wing or A-Wing... and thus you could get a pretty amazing strike craft that could keep up with the big boys on a low budget and get it fixed for far less. Plus, you get to have a spoiler for the hyperdrive sled. Why isn't to like? I would gladly take one of these over some of the more famous and insanely expensive mainline fighters as a merc with a budget.
Having just finished another playthrough of the original TIE Fighter game, I must say nothing beats the TIE Defender and the Missile Boat in coolness. These craft are just so incredibly powerful.
the Alliance and civilian version of the Z 95 has always been a personal favorite.
Another favorite is the R 41 Starchaser.
When you just want speed and lasers on par with a z 95 nothing beats the flying coughin known as the T Wing.
There is no nook or cranny of wookipedia that I have not delved into.
Mando his hot rod n1 fighter still stays in my top 3 off all ships lol
That ep where they where putting it together was probably the best sw media in years
Love the ship breakdowns eck! If you haven’t already though could we do a rundown of the e wing? Love that thing
The Z-95 Headhunter is my personal favorite. It may not look like much but there are multiple ways to upgrade the craft, depending on your line of work.
The E wing will always be my favorite. I love ships with guns so powerful they could potentially tear the ship apart.
Two of my favorite Legends starfighters both come from the "Star Wars: Starfighter" game;
The Scarab; a Trade Federation/Techno Union droid fighter that predated the Vulture Droid. It wasn't as maneuverable and didn't have as much firepower as its successor, but it did have shields. The craft was excellent for ambush tactics, as by powering down and folding in its S-Foils it could appear to both scanners and the naked eye as a mid-sized asteroid or chunk of debris before unfolding and catching its target(s) unaware.
And Reti's ship, the "Zoomer" (poorly aged name I guess, but hey). Probably a little too big to count as a starfighter in the same way; its large enough that it probably has the same amount of interior space as Slave I or Razor Crest and it had an absolutely massive wingspan. A slower ship, but quite heavily armed, bearing four laser cannons, a chaingun, cruise missiles, cluster missiles and proximity mines, the craft may have been vulnerable and fragile, but could cut through fighter squadrons like a knife through butter.
"Awesome Starfighters you haven't heard of (unless you're a nerd)"
Well... its official. I'm a nerd.
My favorite starfighter is Porax P 38 (MagnaGuard Fighter), and from less known starfighters - TransGalMeg fighters. Especially Vaksai.
Pirates " our prey is only escorted by starchasers,they're banthafodder "
Star chasers pilot " y'all are fracked we installed deflector shields, Sleemo "
The R-41 is common among pirates, since it's got enough guns to threaten, but really isn't ideal unless you're threatening a lightly armed civilian target.
The Miy'til on the other hand is, frankly, *amazingly* murderous for its size and maneuverability.
Cloakshapes get a lot of their appearance from their atmospheric use, they're very good for ground assault because of that form factor.
And of course the Nsiss-class Clawcraft is just a direct upgrade on the TIE Interceptor. Chiss engineers just crammed *everything* into it.
Loved the Vwing as a kid, I would take my LEGO snowspeeders and make the wings point down and move the guns back into place. Almost a perfect substitute for it
A good number of ships from this list I heard of from that Essential Guidebook on Ships (namely the My'Til,Cloakshape & Z-95) while a few others I heard of from other places like Wookiepedia
I'm familiar with most of these, but then, I already know that I'm a nerd.
Planetary Defender fighter was mentioned on one of pictures in Rebellion Era Campaign Guide from 2009 if i recall date correctly.
Please do a breakdown of the Chiss clawcraft. I've always loved it's design, and I always enjoy hearing about Thrawn.
1000% Up for a Clawcraft breakdown. Empire of the Hand really grabbed me after playing Thrawn's Revenge. Their ships are some of the most unique looking.
Also, my favorite lesser known starfighter has to be the i-7 Howlrunner. The thing just looks like a flatnose arrowhead. Is feels fast amd agile just by looks alone.
My favorite lesser known Star Fighter is the Imperial Alpha-class Xg-1 Star Wing. Its made by the same company who made the Lambda Shuttle and its basically a Lambda in the form of a Starfighter. It really fits into the Imperial Aesthetic because of it and is more heavily armored, armed, and of course has Hyperdrive.
Totally want a Chiss Claw Craft to 3D print. Loved the idea of them since I read the Thrawn series way back in middle school!
A ship I would add to this list is the TIE Oppressor. First saw it in Star Wars Galaxies way back when. Turned into my imp char's favorite starship for doing high tier stuff with friends. Solo the TIE Defender was still the best, but it never looked as cool as the Oppressor to me.