Agreed, it gives it the proper geometry when it splits to the open S foil position. I'm curious of the small thrusters in the back of the ship, are they smaller boost thrusters? Because the forward Delta wing and boosters imply better atmospheric capability. Similar to a multirole fighter of our time. Also the laser firing apertures are much smaller requiring less cooling. Perhaps for stealth and low profile.
Agreed, though I disagree on which is 'right'. Sure, it may not match the show, but good design principles and just what we know about what people find attractive and not attractive pretty clearly put the show's solution in the wrong. Having continuous lines that flow through shapes is just better to people. It looks more plausible and robust. Not to mention, mechanically, the other design actually would not work. It would have very little strength behind that hinge to support the wings. Just think about what the fuselage could actually grab on the wing to hold it in place and you'll see there's very little there. Real aircraft do their best to continue a spar (even if sometimes the spar has a kink in the middle) from tip to tip for good reason. Airliners have to do a lot of work around this if the passenger compartment gets in the way, for example.
I agree, the one thing that bugged me from the animated T-85 was the wing alignment. Other than that though, it's a perfectly fine fighter and I can see it as a logical evolution of the X-Wing line
Foomandoonian We see them jog at sharp angles in AnH, I’m a little surprised we don’t see them being launched at right angles to the target, like straight down or out to the left or right.
@DrewLSsix They don't jog at sharp angles. They were fired on a ballistic trajectory (watch the briefing room scene) and it only looks like they took a sharp curve because of where the camera was positioned.
Did you even watch the movie? There's VERY much some sort of ballistics involved, that's why the timing was so precise in the first place. Red Leader launched his torpedoes a fraction of a second too late, and as a result they impacted outside the shaft. If there was some sort of guidance lock the torpedoes could have self-corrected (ESPECIALLY if they're capable of taking a complete right angle like you're ascribing). Furthermore, Luke COULDN'T have had a guidance lock BECAUSE HE TURNED OFF HIS TARGETING COMPUTER and dumb-fired the torpedoes. His torpedoes arced entirely on their own and with no feedback or direction from his targeting system.
I want to see the T-85 in Episode IX, plus a Starhawk and some other NR ships, plus a more diverse style of First Order ships instead of just Resurgence-class Battlecruisers.
Boisegang - agreed! though I generally like the ship designs in the sequels on their own merits, some of them do seem a little lazy, and I wish they would give us some variety. I’d like to see some of those new FO TIE Interceptors, just maybe not in red, and some new kinds of Resistance starfighter... not just redesigns of classic ships. I did like the Star Fortress, but it’s not a fighter.
I think the original version makes sense along with the rest of the details in the design. It looks like the ship has been refined over the original version to reduce mass and likely improve performance against the lighter Tie fighters. This is evident in the engine housings, the slimmer looking nose and in the wings themselves. Placing the pivot in the center of the fuselage right behind the cockpit means that anything back there must be attached to the wing/engine assemblies and that there's little usable space back there. In this version the two pivots make for more usable volume behind the cockpit and is likely where components that would normally live in the nose are placed.
Brilliant ship design! I absolutely love the tweaks you made, and I only just realized that the odd way the foils split was the reason the ship looked so odd. Amazing job!
I wasn't overly fond of the T-85 model in Resistance, but your design completely fixed all the issues I had. Now I hope we get to see this ship in Episode IX.
You NAILED the X shape, sir. The whole classic, definitive profile of the X-wing hinges (see what I did there?) on that central wing pivot point. You could change a lot of a ship and have it still be an X-wing as long as that is in place. Further, it would probably make a far stronger wing with a tip-to-tip wing spar as the T-65 and T-70 have, versus two hinges (more moving parts to break) and shorter wing spars that aren't counter-balanced on the other side of the ship. Because of this, I can look at the T-85 now and say, "Yeah, cool ship," where I could not previously. You're doing work that needs to be done! Keep it up!
Never saw Resistance, so I'm just seeing the T-85 now for the first time. I love the design!! Very vicious looking. Makes me want to watch a Rogue Squadron tv series....
The T85 in the show with the wings looks more like my Lego models with those funky wings. All in all, impressive modeling job, and its great to see the animated design translated into a more realistic render so well. Would love to see more animated ships done up like that.
I actually really like the T-85 design, but I was bothered by the wings and I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Then I realized it was about the way the wings fold out that you pointed out. Great model btw, the alternative you provided to make the S-foils look more like past models is much better than what we got in the show.
Very cool to see this done in a more film like style. I had a thought though, I had vaguely remembered reading Poe flew a T-85 but not that I think back on it I can't actually remember I had read that.
I really love your design more than Disneys for sure; In my preference for your design of the launchers just keep the far end ones over the internal, keep up the good work man 👍.
I definitely prefer yours, I was wondering what it was about the wings that looked weird when I saw the t-85 in the trailer and I nailed it in your redesign. Really sold me on the ship.
in 1979, I drew-up a 'beefed' X-wing, where the 'x' foils started at an-already-built-in 30* 'X'. This allowed the fitting of two more engines (for 6, total), and let the 'X' deploy as a 'closed-loop-at-the-tip' diamond wing, then Expand to offer better cross-fire of the beams. I added 7 feet of 'fuselage', one at the nose, ahead-of the cock-pit (which, itself, was moved ahead by 2 feet [think, F-4U vs. Hellcat],with the 'extra' length pushing the wings/motors back 3 feet, and added fuel/munitions/electronics put near the CG/Centerline of the critter. Extra Depth of the Center body may have allowed two-more Lasers, or Proton Launchers. 2 R2-D3 were on board, one 'up', one 'down' + to the Rear. It would've been Faster, better defended, and had 25%-33% More firepower, with potentially (cruising, not 'Combat') range. Downside, more bulk, more Maintanence and an easier Tie-Fighter 'Kill' in tight quarters. Oh well... Fan-space wasn't a 'thing' 43 years ago (we still used Typewriters, even!)..
I just got new appreciation for the X-wing. I didn't know it's wings articulate from a single joint. I had recently been sketching a remake of the tie fighter where it's got an F-15 bubble canopy cockpit and nose and the tie fighter's hexagon wing is meshed into the jet fighter body behind the cockpit so it still works as a solar panel but doesn't block the side views of a jammed Tie fighter. And we know Tie fighters drop like flies. I've not posted it on deviantart yet though, my username there is Justinnator4.
To start with: It's all CGI these days. There's something to be said about traditional model work that helps it feel more "real." IMO the Battle of Endor is STILL the best dogfight in the franchise, and the effects work holds up incredibly well today. Also, just to show how much thought they put into the OT, the original film had no less than EIGHT X-wing effects models, all with their own distinct markings: Red Leader - Distinguished by being a relatively clean hull, but having a very distinct blast pattern on the forward hull; almost as if the nose had been shot off at one point, and replace by a section salvaged from another X-wing. Red Two - This was the prototype "Blue Leader" model all of the other Hero and Pyro (the ones that got blow'ed up) models were molded from. It was repainted as Red Two. Red Three - Probably the most beat-up, with loads of different-colored hull panels Red Four - Lots of tan and brown trim. Red Five - Distinct broken stripes on the side Red Six - TONS of red panels, including the canopy frame, parts of the engines and wings, and one whole laser cannon. Unidentified - Another X-wing with lots of red panels, but a distinct pattern from Red Six. It MAY be Red Ten, but there's no known clean shot of its ID tabs to confirm. Red Twelve - Only known image is of the underside, but clearly establishes how the ID tabs beyond Six would be presented (While Reds One through Six had 1-6 full tabs on each wing, Seven through Twelve would use double and half tabs. Red Seven had three double and one half tab, Red Eight four double tabs, etc.) Additionally, there were also variations in the surface detailing of the wings and engines that helped sell the idea that these ships were old, banged up, and subjected to numerous repairs, salvage efforts, and modifications to keep them flying on a shoestring budget.
The torpedo launcher are great, I’m redesigning an old star fighter design and I’m struggling with the heavy weapons placement, but that might just work it looks great
the real shame is in them not hiring you as an art director for SW. They always do a bang up job on the technical side but your passion always comes through as well as your ability to think through functionality.
This is really great. I saw the first episode of Resistance the other day, and afterward when I read those were T-85s, I kept wondering what they would realistically look like, as I'd been keen to know more about the T-85 ever since I first heard of it. I really like how you've modeled it here. Compared to the other two X-wing designs, it trades some of the T-70's slender, refined appearance for some aggressive bulk that's reminiscent of the T-65 or a Legends E-wing. I like the flanges on the sides of the fuselage, and while I'm not completely in love with the jagged wings first seen on the T-70, I like how you've got them joining next to one another to form a single broad surface when closed. Your design seems to take from both the T-65 and the T-70, which I think is great, because the T-65 *is* the iconic X-wing, and I like how your design (and therefore the design in the show) calls back to that, rather than only building off the T-70 and deviating even more 'into the unknown' and away from the original. I also agree with your decision to rework the S-foils. I don't hate the design with the hinges at the sides of the fuselage, but your solution is truer to the previous models of X-wings that we've seen in the movies. At 2:09, that head-on view of your version reminds me of those great shots of X-wings rolling into battle over the Death Star in A New Hope or the Resistance T-70s coming to the rescue at Takodona in The Force Awakens.
T-70 is still my favourite iteration of the x wing, but you really turned me around on the t-85. I used to outright dislike it, but your version of the craft really fits well with its predecessors.
It's a tribute to the perfection of the original theatrical X-Wing design that every nouveau X-Wing design I've ever seen looks strictly worse. Even the T-70, which was taking a lot of cues from Ralph McQuarrie's original concept art. The final design they settled on for the original trilogy just can't be beat.
Are all of your original star wars 3d models available to download? £d printing a few could make some cool original additions to my Armada game pieces.
EC Henry, you are awesome, your model is so much better than what a multi-million dollar company like Disney can make, just shows how a bit of love and commitment can make a bunch of money seeking drones look bad. Congratulations on your awesome work and dedication.
The torp tubes are located behind a small hatch in the lower belly of the ship. Unlike the other X-wings. This was done as there are more tubes and they rotate into position as they fire.
I knew there was something wrong with that model to me. It just felt off and wrong and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it was. It was the S-foil orientation and how they are hinged at two points rather than each wing lining up with it's opposite. This looks SO much better with your redesign and it might actually be my favorite "light side" Starfighter now, certainly my favorite X-wing. The TIE-Interceptor will always be my favorite though.
Old video I know, but one issue I have with your redesign is the fact that, proton torpedos with where they're placed look they're going to hit those nose fins. Raising or lowering them on the nose would of quickly fixed the obstruction. Even if canonically the torpedos can move out of the way before that, it doesn't look quite right. Everything else though is spot on.
Thanks for covering the new design. Are all your patreon only models downloadable on sketchfab? I wasn't sure if backers could download or just view them. I'm a fan of what you did with the NX-07.
why are the front fins in line with the proton launcher? wouldn't your ordinance strike those upon firing ? or did I miss something in your presentation? Great model btw! and good job on the wings ! ( edit: sorry I did not see below that my question about the fins was asked. was not able to see the reply tho for some reason.)
This is great, thank you. I always imagined that later X wings would have had bubble cockpits, like how later iterations of world war 2 planes such as the Spitfire, Mustang and P-47 did. Maybe the T-90 does… 😁
Could the little rounded bulbs you removed from the torpedo tubes be set on a set of rails in the trench? You'd probably have to angle the rails inwards or the launch tubes outwards to not have the projectiles interface with the ship, though.
Oh hell yes! ... I was actually disappointed when I saw it in Resistance and thought it looked really stupid. Your interpretation is WAY better and I hope it at least looks similar if we ever get it in Canon with a more realistic feel.
Since the T-85 is the latest advanced X-Wing model, have you considered trying to 'smooth out' the T-85 in a Viper mkVII direction and see what it looks like? ;) Also just out of curiousity, what do you use to 3d model make with? And I like your version of the S-Foil split wing too, definitely much more canonical!
iv been watching your videos for awhile now. and i myself noddle space ships as well. im curious to know, what do you use to render your final 360 showroom's of your ships.?
Wow, I never noticed that the original x-wings hinge in the centre, but it does look better. I have to say I hated the T-85 design when I first saw it, but this adjusted version to fit the realistic render does look decent. Only things I really wish could be changed is the the length of the laser canons, the longer ones on the old fighter are just such an iconic aspect of the x-wing shape, and I'm also not big on the T-85 paint job.
