pretty decent vid that goes over the exterior and interior.
Full disclosure: I have had a Cutlass since Kickstarter. Digital Pirate Pack baby! I have also had an (unapplied) Black -> Blue upgrade sitting in my hangar since it was first offered in
2014.
As it stands now I will be melting that upgrade and never getting a Blue. Why? Because as it stands right now the Blue is a laughably bad investment.
Let's look at what the Blue adds, for a 50% (or more, who knows?) price increase
- A unique round cockpit
- lights that go blinky blink
- A blue paint job, which you should be able to change if you want
- 12 prisoner holding cells (that
on paper can still be fitted to any other Cutlass, assuming modularity comes in before the heat death of the universe.)
- A Quantum Dampener device (that may or may not be able to be outfitted on another Cutlass, sources vary)
3 cosmetic things and 2 things that on paper can be equipped on a Black or Red. To top it off the Blue
removes the jump seats so you can't even bring a boarding party to fill up the 12 cells!
That's it. Originally the Blue was advertised as the gold standard in militia patrol vessels, with most of the Blues being earmarked for that role, and only a limited number were for sale on the open market. It was a more aggressive, higher standard Cutlass.
The Blue had an increased Shield size (at the time S5, matching the Constellation, where the base Cutlass along with Freelancer and Hornet all had an S4), thicker armor, and a slew of better quality stock components (engines, power plant, weapons, etc). It came with 6 cryo-cells (which were HILARIOUSLY poorly scaled, seriously if you want a chuckle look around for the 2014 model interior.) in exchange for half the cargo hold. All of that was to justify the 50% price increase, as it was tougher and meaner than a Black.
I got a Blue because I wanted a Cutlass, but with a bit more oomph. I wanted Slave-I or the Razorback, not a paddy wagon. I cannot forsee myself with 11 bounties in the back, hemming and hawwing about whether I wanna go for number 12 or finally cash them all in. Especially since the Blue still has the singular shield of the Black (which itself is not great, Cutlass should have a combat advantage over the Freelancer due to its role, this is the hill I will die on).
If the Black can equip cells and the QD then all 50 bucks is getting you is a sense of pride and accomplishment. And some blinky lights.