Sneak Peak of the latest concept!

YES, that's a scale-down model of a MIGHTY F-1 rocket engine on the back...

YES, that's a scale-down model of a MIGHTY F-1 rocket engine on the back...

Working away, many revisions, and it's certain to be different before it's done...

Standing on the shoulders of (software) giants

It takes tons of tools to make something like this project work. Four software tools we adore that have become mainstays on this project are...

It's wonderfully dense and hard to learn! Awesome!

It's wonderfully dense and hard to learn! Awesome!

Blender. It's a free 3D modeling software we're using to develop concepts for the design. While it's mostly going to be hand-made and hand-formed, being able to plan certain things in 3D is a huge help.

MCAD in the CLOUD!

MCAD in the CLOUD!

Next up, certain fabrication details and shop drawings are being done with Autodesk Fusion. A wonderful new MCAD tool that's free for projects like ours, it's been a boon for figuring out complex things like a scaled-down F1 Rocket Engine.

Old-school tools made with new-school tools

Old-school tools made with new-school tools

Of course, that mainstay swiss-army-knife of the CAD world, Rhino, is in the mix with it being used to design this amazing English Wheel we'll use to make the shaped steel panels for the ship.

Finally, we've been making heavy use of Evernote to tie it all together and coordinate a big team of creative cats to all try and roam in the same direction.

 

IT BEGINS

With the clean up done, the building begins. First a steel frame to support the more artistic things to come!

Steel is HEAVY

Steel is HEAVY

Generators, batteries, sound system, and more will ride alongside the frame while the body of the ship envelopes the rest. By the time we're done, you won't be able to even recognize the truck!

We Love Chris Foss

Chris Foss is an amazing sci-fi concept artist from the 'golden era'. His visions of space have become the subconscious imagery of an entire generation. And he's still doing great work, having done some of the amazing spaceship concepts for Guardians of the Galaxy!

MY GOD LOOK AT HOW AWESOME THIS THING IS

MY GOD LOOK AT HOW AWESOME THIS THING IS

His work is a huge inspiration to Project: EMPIRE, and the combination of animal-like forms and technology a a go-to for when we're crafting our our own ship.

We highly recommend checking it out and buying his art and books, too.

Truck acquired. We're bound for outer space!

We've found an amazing base vehicle, a 2004 Isuzu NPR-HD crew cab. A rare find to begin with, getting one in this shape is super-lucky! 

What a beauty! It was only driven on Sundays by a little old Garblat to go to Space Church...

What a beauty! It was only driven on Sundays by a little old Garblat to go to Space Church...

These diesel Isuzu trucks are the backbone of the commercial delivery business, so parts and repair know-how are common and easy. A critical need for a base vehicle! A crew cab is a rare find, an HD (able to carry and pull extra weight) is even rarer, and it not being totally driven into the ground even more refined yet. A box-free, chassis-only model is a sign from the Space-Gods that we are on the right track here. A huge shout-out to All American Truck for this great find!

Here we go again...

From some of the same people who brought you the Golden Mean and The Serpent Twins comes a new space-themed marvel to explore the streets and festivals.