I've built this design in LDD so that I can properly order the parts I need as opposed to experimenting, since things like these tend to require large quantities of parts I don't have on hand to play with. I have the basic box frame built, so I guess this is properly a Pre-SHIPtember build, though I'm not confident I can finish it in time even if funding holds out.

I was initially following the 'official' Neo-Classic Space building rules as detailed here: http://neoclassicspace.com/rules but I got bored and went with something a bit more colorful.

Wow this is pretty cool. Really like the colour scheme

awesome

Here's a much better render:

My original plan of using 1x2 grille bricks in blue to add more texture isn't going to work out, as not only is it difficult to get all 44 in the first place, it's ridiculously expensive (think $1.70/piece new, and ~$3.95 USED (???) from another seller)! Log bricks may be another option, but the issue still stands of getting them in the quantities needed - much more doable, but still requires me to order from five separate vendors.

I think my last solution is going to be replacing each blue grill brick with two blue headlight bricks and a blue tile - the goal was to break up the smooth side of the ship with some texture, but if someone else has any (cheap) ideas on how to do that, I'd like to see them.

I've got my final design nailed down, and boy, it looks... pretty much exactly the same.

There's two differences you probably can't see at this size: First, the blue grille bricks have been replaced by a set of two headlight bricks and a 1x2 tile each all in blue (much cheaper, and it inflates the part count as well). Second, the 4x4 round plates that were being used to connect the secondary engines onto the side of the vessel have been replaced by 4x4 round bricks in a fit of not wanting to pay an extra dollar for those parts - I had all four of the bricks but only one of the plates, y'see.

Now the real question, the one that you probably didn't ask: what about a fleet of these?

WELL.

The nice thing about digital models is that a new paint job is only a few painstaking minutes of clicking to avoid changing the angle of the camera away.

I may end up doing such a fleet over time if the design proves to be sturdy enough.

Wow! Awsome Ship. I like the blue one... :)

It's a beautiful ship. I can't wait to see it in real bricks.

I like the blue one too.

It's a beautiful ship. I can't wait to see it in real bricks.

I like the blue one too.

I'm just waiting on Bricklink orders to be able to do any more work on this.

I like the streamlined design. I'm biased to my favorite color, so green is the most pleasing to me.