[MOC] LL424 Aura - Battle Frigate

[ZCerberus]

Forge Class Battle Frigate

Name: LL424 Aura

Length: 212 meters

Armament: Falconer missile pod (1)

Centurion anti-cruiser main laser cannon (1)

Peacekeeper long range orbital bombardment cannon (1)

Ion burst cannons (1)

Heavy laser turrets (3)

Medium laser turret (1)

Dual-link anti-fighter laser turrets (5)

Quad link anti-fighter laser turrets (5)

Complement: Up to 8 Warden Class Interceptors

Crew: 180

Following the “Long War” era, the New Coalition settled into its new role as galactic peacekeepers.  While sweeping social legislation aimed to prevent the inequality that sparked the Long War was the primary thrust of the New Coalition’s work, the Coalition also devoted a large number of resources to develop a fleet of ships that would work directly for the Center Assembly to quell disputes between member worlds and their militias as well as protect against alien invasions.

The first ship to enter service in the new fleet was the LL424 “Aura”, a Forge Class (Class 9 battle-rating) Battle Frigate designed to overpower rogue hyper-planetary group cruisers and function as the primary weapons platform for the New Coalition.  Forge Battle Frigates proved to be well designed for the tasks assigned as its port side “Falconer” missile pod battery and weapons turrets could easily overpower smaller pirate and planetary militant cruisers and the large port side “Centurion” primary weapon which was capable of matching and surpassing the weaponry and armor on larger class 10 cruisers or even capital ships.   

Despite its reputation as a workhorse, the Forge Battle Frigate was known to have a few drawbacks.  The hangar bay was oft criticized as undersized, especially with the advent of the larger “Warden Class” Interceptors.  Despite the relatively small confines, the Forge Battle Frigate could carry up to eight Warden Class Interceptors, (though a squadron of six Interceptors and two transport shuttles was more common).  Most class 9 cruisers carried no fighter compliment at all.  The Forge Battle Frigate was also criticized for the flight control and main bridge placements which rendered the heavy laser turrets incapable of firing in a complete 360 degree range.  In addition, while anti-fighter gun emplacements on the cruiser meant the ship had above average protection from fighter attacks, its lack of speed meant it was not a capable “fighter hunter” and susceptible to swarming fighter attacks.  In order to address this shortcoming, the cruiser was usually paired with a gunship like a Kiltrip Defender.  Kiltrip Defenders, which are widely regarded as lethal fighter hunting ships, are equipped with their own faster-than-light capable engine drives, but to conserve fuel, the gunships typically docked to the docking port on the starboard side of the Forge Battle Frigate until needed.

The Forge Battle Frigate also carried a single undermount Planetary “Peacekeeper” orbital bombardment cannon designed to smash fortified installations.  The frigate, however, did not carry any ground assault troops, leaving such a task up to specialized assault craft.  The Forge Battle Frigate was instead considered a “space superiority” ship and not an all-purpose craft, though it excelled greatly in its role.

Though the frigates’s exterior was viewed as largely utilitarian, it was also built in anticipation that the crew would spend a lot of time patrolling and on peacekeeping “show of force” missions.  As such, the Aura’s interior was designed with creature comforts in mind, including a unique bridge configuration featuring oversized viewports on both the main and flight bridges.  These view ports, each pane of which were nearly four meters wide and nearly four meters tall, were built using Vortigan crystal, a rare and extremely strong transparent material that was stronger than the surrounding metal elements on the vessel.  The Vortigan crystal is so unique that Coalition fighters and vessels are frequently salvaged solely to recover the crystal windscreens.  The oversized viewports showed the beauty of space as well as offering an unprecedented view during battle.  The Forge Battle Frigate also had an observation post and science station mounted on the underbelly of the craft granting a unique view as well as a place to marvel at the wonders of space.

 

Related to Hammer Class Missile Corvette LL112 Harbinger

 

[Diablo667]

Amazing! And very unique too since you see most starships usually coloured in gray/black/white but definitely not orange!  I love this! Are you selling a MOC instruction for this or not? Just wondering. 

[Littleworlds]

This is really impressive. The ship is beautifully designed and the amount of detailing is staggering. Superb work!

[Leonardo da Bricki]

Absolutely stunning build! I love the colors and all the details, especially the fighters, and the lettering. And congrats on being featured on The Lego Car Blog!

[kr1minal]

Super, great ship

[HeraldicBanner]

The details on this spaceship are amazing.  I especially like the top and front sections; they look really cool, and definitely much better than anything I could do.

Edited February 15, 2018 by HeraldicBanner

[ZCerberus]

Thanks everyone.

This was my first attempt at something in the microscale realm and my first attempt to build a SHIP.

[Juxtapoisson]

This is excellent.  I have a soft spot for "realistic" space navy designs.