The MISC Reliant - Ship Talk Commentary #3

Did you get a Reliant? If so how many?

  • 1

    Votes: 26 40.6%
  • 2

    Votes: 13 20.3%
  • 3

    Votes: 7 10.9%
  • 4 - I need all of them

    Votes: 4 6.3%
  • DId not get one but maybe later when the Variants come

    Votes: 3 4.7%
  • Don't plan to get one now but I will in the PU

    Votes: 7 10.9%
  • I don't want one

    Votes: 4 6.3%

  • Total voters
    64
  • Poll closed .

Black Sunder

Rock Raiders
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Jun 19, 2014
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The MISC Reliant - Ship Talk Commentary #3


Welcome back to Ship Talk Commentary. This is where I take a newly released concept ship and focus on it. There will not be any direct stat for stat comparisons to other ships in these STCs. They need to fly or crash on their own with what they are given. Now I was asked to do a Ship Talk on the Starter Ships themselves and that is coming in the days after this is posted and before the sale ends.

Even from the preview on Around the Verse I didn't know what to expect for the Reliant but I like this ship.....a lot. I mean I REALLY like it. The main page for the Reliant can be found here and I suggest you read it if you have not because it contains some good background information on the ship's design and some cool bits at the bottom which I'll get to that I'm even MORE excited about.

Ship Background and Other Info


From the Reliant Page:

"New for model year 2946, it’s the MISC Reliant! Following on the success of the Freelancer “Built for Life” campaign, MISC has begun development of a smaller, introductory-class spacecraft that can be operated by a single pilot. Although roughly designed to compete with the RSI Aurora and the Consolidated Outland Mustang, the Reliant is a very different animal. From the broad, sleek wings to the multiple flight modes and the second, fully-articulated crew seat, the Reliant is a small ship with a great deal of potential!

The MISC Reliant makes copious use of Xi’An technology, the most ever applied to a human ship design. From a moving cockpit that slots into place depending on the flight mode to omni-directional thrusters licensed under trade agreement with Aopoa, the Reliant is one of the most ‘high tech’ ships on the market today! Advanced Xi’An metal composites make up the armored wingspan, and every control surface has been meticulously updated from those developed for the Freelancer by MISC’s internal xenotech team.

A flying wing… or is it? The Reliant changes from horizontal to vertical flight modes at the touch of a button! With a larger cargo hold than the Aurora ES or the Mustang Alpha, the Reliant is a natural choice for anyone engaging in short-haul shipping. And that cargo space also means there’s plenty of internal room to expand, allowing the placement of medical systems, weapons racks and more. Ultimately, though, the Reliant is no transport: it’s a sleek and maneuverable utility ship more than capable of holding its own during combat!"


Let us start with this. First of all when we are voting for the 3rd starter ship there wasn't a role assigned to it. The others clearly spelled out what they could do but not the Reliant so it was a chance vote. However the promise of a 2nd seat + Xi'an tech was enough to win and we got the Reliant. So the Reliant was in limbo for a while until someone was hired to do the concept for it. The only hint we had had was that it was someone who had done previous concepts for CIG. Turns out that David Hobbins is now doing contract work again for CIG in his spare time and he was handed the Reliant.

Now from the background information above you will see that while the Reliant is made to compete with the Aurora and Mustang it is very different and a step above them in many ways which we'll get to. The Xi'an technology used is mostly under-the-hood but it comes through in some ways. The vertical flight mode, the thrusters, and the general look of the ship etc. You see the technology if you look hard enough. The flight modes(horizontal and vertical) each have different pros and cons but one thing you can't do is access the cargo hold while flying vertical. You also need to be Horizontal in order to land and fold the wings up for hangar storage.

The Reliant is being referred to as a 'Tier 2' starter ship. What does this mean? We don't know. Maybe the 300i is a Tier 2 starter or maybe this is a completely new start for CIG when it comes to ship classification and we may see others included in the 'Tier 2' area such as the Dragonfly or Terrapin. It's role is that of a transport but there is copious room for upgrades if you take the cargo out. It mentions medical and combat systems for possible upgrades. This paints a good picture and I think it is why a lot of people jumped on to get this ship......in addition to the LTI.

The Look


Here is an album of all the Reliant pics for convenience. Thank you Reddit.

Like I said before I didn't know what to expect even with the early concepts they threw out on AtV or the sneak peek at the end which has the silhouette from a top down view with a manta ray next to it(I think that's what it is). But then the sale went up(and it went up EARLY which is very unusual). I think the ship looks beautiful and even before reading about it I knew I was going to get one. The transformation from Horizontal to Vertical was done well. The cockpit looks beautiful, lots of room to look around up and down and side to side. I like the antenna sticking out from above the cockpit in vertical mode.

Now I know what you're thinking those of you who have seen and follow Star Wars it looks like cross between a B-Wing and a T-6 shuttle but more angled. That's fine and I've seen those comparisons a lot on the RSI forum and it doesn't bother me. It looks fairly unique in its own way even if David has been chest deep in Star Wars these past few months working on Ep 7. The B-Wing is the first thing that came to my mind with the bottom gimbal as it is. As soon as I saw the design though I knew I was getting at least one, maybe 2 but I ended up with 3 :).

It is noteworthy that the ship is a good bit wider(longer depending on mode) than any other starter ship. It is roughly 2 landed Mustangs wide when landed and the wings out. Folded up, I'm not sure how wide it is but in one of the pics you'll see the wings folded up for hangar storage. I even like the color because you just don't see blue too often even if white(gray?) is the primary color on this. The blue still takes up a lot of surface area.

General Thoughts on Stats

First let me acknowledge again that these stats and listed equipment are all subject to change. However, unless something drastic occurs in testing I would expect these stats to still give a good overall direction and capability for each ship. Below is a link to a composite picture I made with all the stats listed from the RSI site:

All Reliant Stats

Description and Role


So without realizing it I pretty much did the description already above. Not my fault, they usually put a different description on the spec page for these. Let's talk about the Role of this ship. It is classified as a 'Mini-Hauler'. While I don't dislike this, and indeed I think there needs to be a low end hauler of some kind so people can get into that profession.......there was the Aurora CL already that did that just fine so this irks me a bit. You could say that the CL is a 'Tier 1' hauler while the 'Tier 2' would be the Reliant and this makes some sense but the fact remains.

Structural, Propulsion, Weapons and Equipment


So back to comparing the Reliant and the Aurora CL on cargo capacity. the CL has 23 and the Reliant at this time has 30 which is a clear difference. Maybe the Reliant is 2x as expensive as the CL in the universe, who knows. You gain about 30% more capacity with the Reliant among other things. The Reliant crew is made up of 2 people. I think this is one of the best parts of the ship because it allows for the learning of multi-crew on a relatively cheap platform as opposed to a Super Hornet or Gladiator.

A max power plant size is not listed however the Reliant concept page lists a size 2 with the max to be determined. Take this one with even more a grain of salt than the other stats. I hope the max will be a Size 3. For the engines we have 2 TR1 engines. This seems slow but the speed they are shooting for is between an Aurora and a Mustang so make of that what you will. Engines made by aliens may be much better than human engines so we shouldn't judge this one too early because the current null mass above this is huge. I am personally hoping for a fairly speedy ship.

For thrusters you get 12 TR1s which should allow for some very crazy maneuvers. The maximum shield is also not listed but on the concept page it lists a Size 3 shield which would give it a great deal of staying power compared to other similar ships.

Continued Below.....
 
Last edited:

Black Sunder

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For weapons you have a fairly standard setup but with a small twist. For fixed weapons you get a couple Size 1s which I believe are beside the cockpit when flying horizontal and on the pylon you get some missiles at the top of the craft. The gimbal mounts a tractor beam which is at the bottom of the ship but that looks more like a pair of weapons to me regardless of what the art says. I don't think this is a bad setup for its intended role as a hauler and I hope you can upgrade them somewhat such as taking the tractor beams off for more weaponry.



For equipment there is not any listed. Ben said they were debating on whether or not to have it come with a Jump Drive and I hope it does for its role. If not you'll have to get one before you leave the system you purchase it in. I am expecting the variants to have some cool stuff.

Speaking of Variants.....!!!!!!

Not a variant, just another picture of the ship

Yes! The Reliant will have Variants and they are being done by David Hobbins. I read that on the forum somewhere by Ben. So what are the Variants? Look below:
  • “Researcher” – A science-oriented model that carries internal signal dampeners and an advanced scanner suite for discovery missions.
  • “News Van” – Designed for deep space broadcasting, the ‘News Van’ Reliant adds an Image Enhancement Suite that helps capture every moment of life in the stars.
  • “Skirmisher” – The frontier combat version of the Reliant trades cargo for a high-yield power plant, stronger shields and additional weapons mounts.
First of all I like all of these which is why I got 3 Reliants with the 'News Van' being the only one I don't plan to upgrade to because I don't see myself doing any broadcasting of any kind. I'll leave that in the hands of our most drunk professionals. For the 'Researcher" variant I can easy see it being VERY VERY useful to my own chosen profession of everything mining related. We have to chart those fields somehow without risking our larger ships. In addition to that I can see it being even more useful on the Exploration front as an introduction ship to that along with it being expendable to chart a new jump point. All in all a great idea and I want to see it NOW. Could also be used for search and rescue if you're into that.

The 'News Van' as I said I don't plan to get myself but I still love the idea of it. I can easily see our streamers using it to report on our GLORIOUS BATTLES along with any other drunk escapades we may engage in. It is practically a flying propaganda machine. Thanks CIG! The last Variant is the more normal fighting ship. You trade your cargo for more power in every way. I can see these kinds of ships being the 2nd most used in combat for TEST. Maybe for the paint job CIG will strip the Blue off and put Yellow. Oh I like that idea!

Quick! I need someone to recolor one of the pics to be Yellow instead of blue! We must then post that pic on the RSI forum to further our influence. Turn the White to Black and we have our ship!

Worth it? And The Next


If you couldn't tell by my constant telling you, I LIKE THIS SHIP! I say that a lot but this is the first one in a long time where it just felt like a great ship on all fronts. The announced Variants don't hurt its case either so I do believe this ship is worth the 50 dollars. I got my 3 by melting a Mustang Delta and I had some melt money left over from before on something else. This is a ship I can see people using all the time, not just as a starter but one that people fly around for fun like the Mustang Beta. I see it being a reliable ship, lol.

GET THIS SHIP if you haven't already and get several of them! If I may indulge in some heresy here, I think this ship will be more valuable to us than the Aurora once the variants are laid out. This ship does some good stuff even in its stock state. Although the stats are likely to change much over the next months I can't see them changing so drastically that it would dissuade me from ever using it over something else.

Unlike the Hull Series STC I had fun writing this. It just felt right to write this and I think that came through when you read. For the next Ship Talk I'll be doing all 3 Starter Ships together because it was requested and I had not thought of it and it needs to be done before the sale ends. I'm looking forward to the Q&A on the Reliant this coming week because it should fill in some blanks and in general I like these new Q&A articles they do on the new ships.

Hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. Until next time this is Black Sunder, you stay classy TEST.

Extra heresy!

Montoya: "What Do you mean all of our Auroras are GONE! Where did they go!?!?!?! How will we fight now?!!!!"

Richard: "Well RussianJ was carrying our entire Org stock to Odin when his convoy was ambushed by a group of asteroids and planet debris."

Montoya: "..."

Richard: "He was quite drunk and streaming it before passing out on Comms. I heard a loud crash but I'm sure he's ok."

Montoya: "Activate the reserve ships. All personnel to their fighters."

Richard: "Will you be taking your Aurora to lead us into battle?"

Montoya: "My Aurora was on RJ's ship. No, I'm taking a Reliant"
 
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Achlys

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May 6, 2015
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Achlys47
Nice article! I wasn't entirely sure if I should buy one or not but your article convinced me. Especially the bit about it likely being our second most used ship which will make the lifetime insurance on it quite nice.
 
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CitizenDad

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For weapons you have a fairly standard setup but with a small twist. For fixed weapons you get a couple Size 1s which I believe are beside the cockpit when flying horizontal and on the pylon you get some missiles at the top of the craft. The gimbal mounts a tractor beam which is at the bottom of the ship but that looks more like a pair of weapons to me regardless of what the art says. I don't think this is a bad setup for its intended role as a hauler and I hope you can upgrade them somewhat such as taking the tractor beams off for more weaponry.



For equipment there is not any listed. Ben said they were debating on whether or not to have it come with a Jump Drive and I hope it does for its role. If not you'll have to get one before you leave the system you purchase it in. I am expecting the variants to have some cool stuff.

Speaking of Variants.....!!!!!!

Not a variant, just another picture of the ship

Yes! The Reliant will have Variants and they are being done by David Hobbins. I read that on the forum somewhere by Ben. So what are the Variants? Look below:
  • “Researcher” – A science-oriented model that carries internal signal dampeners and an advanced scanner suite for discovery missions.
  • “News Van” – Designed for deep space broadcasting, the ‘News Van’ Reliant adds an Image Enhancement Suite that helps capture every moment of life in the stars.
  • “Skirmisher” – The frontier combat version of the Reliant trades cargo for a high-yield power plant, stronger shields and additional weapons mounts.
First of all I like all of these which is why I got 3 Reliants with the 'News Van' being the only one I don't plan to upgrade to because I don't see myself doing any broadcasting of any kind. I'll leave that in the hands of our most drunk professionals. For the 'Researcher" variant I can easy see it being VERY VERY useful to my own chosen profession of everything mining related. We have to chart those fields somehow without risking our larger ships. In addition to that I can see it being even more useful on the Exploration front as an introduction ship to that along with it being expendable to chart a new jump point. All in all a great idea and I want to see it NOW. Could also be used for search and rescue if you're into that.

The 'News Van' as I said I don't plan to get myself but I still love the idea of it. I can easily see our streamers using it to report on our GLORIOUS BATTLES along with any other drunk escapades we may engage in. It is practically a flying propaganda machine. Thanks CIG! The last Variant is the more normal fighting ship. You trade your cargo for more power in every way. I can see these kinds of ships being the 2nd most used in combat for TEST. Maybe for the paint job CIG will strip the Blue off and put Yellow. Oh I like that idea!

Quick! I need someone to recolor one of the pics to be Yellow instead of blue! We must then post that pic on the RSI forum to further our influence. Turn the White to Black and we have our ship!

Worth it? And The Next


If you couldn't tell by my constant telling you, I LIKE THIS SHIP! I say that a lot but this is the first one in a long time where it just felt like a great ship on all fronts. The announced Variants don't hurt its case either so I do believe this ship is worth the 50 dollars. I got my 3 by melting a Mustang Delta and I had some melt money left over from before on something else. This is a ship I can see people using all the time, not just as a starter but one that people fly around for fun like the Mustang Beta. I see it being a reliable ship, lol.

GET THIS SHIP if you haven't already and get several of them! If I may indulge in some heresy here, I think this ship will be more valuable to us than the Aurora once the variants are laid out. This ship does some good stuff even in its stock state. Although the stats are likely to change much over the next months I can't see them changing so drastically that it would dissuade me from ever using it over something else.

Unlike the Hull Series STC I had fun writing this. It just felt right to write this and I think that came through when you read. For the next Ship Talk I'll be doing all 3 Starter Ships together because it was requested and I had not thought of it and it needs to be done before the sale ends. I'm looking forward to the Q&A on the Reliant this coming week because it should fill in some blanks and in general I like these new Q&A articles they do on the new ships.

Hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. Until next time this is Black Sunder, you stay classy TEST.

Extra heresy!

Montoya: "What Do you mean all of our Auroras are GONE! Where did they go!?!?!?! How will we fight now?!!!!"

Richard: "Well RussianJ was carrying our entire Org stock to Odin when his convoy was ambushed by a group of asteroids and planet debris."

Montoya: "..."

Richard: "He was quite drunk and streaming it before passing out on Comms. I heard a loud crash but I'm sure he's ok."

Montoya: "Activate the reserve ships. All personnel to their fighters."

Richard: "Will you be taking your Aurora to lead us into battle?"

Montoya: "My Aurora was on RJ's ship. No, I'm taking a Reliant"
I love you man. Well, I love these articles and in turn I love you I guess lol. And just FYI they are part of the TEST NW Indoctrination Program.

Yup, that's a real thing. Got a couple more testbro's signed up today.
 
Last edited:

Black Sunder

Rock Raiders
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Jun 19, 2014
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I love you man. Well, I love these articles and in turn I love you I guess lol. And just FYI they are part of the TEST NW Indoctrination Program.

Yup, that's a real thing. Got a couple more testbro's signed up today.
Flattered. I started these to fill time since I quit World of Tanks after it reached a level of frustration that an Angry Marine feels anger and I said to hell with it after 3 years. So I wrote the first one and said if the first one does well and the 2nd one does too I'd continue on and I have. The Commentaries came about with the Vanguard and I needed something similar but different.

This is the first Commentary I've done that is more like a normal Ship Talk than the others have been because I really can't find anything too standout about it that I don't like or irks me. It just looks and feels like it will be a really good ship.

If you guys like these please hit the 'like' button on one or both of the posts. It helps me gauge interest and if I need to change anything and if you have suggestions or want me to Talk about something specific please post and I'll see what I can do. The Ship Talk coming up was requested by @thanatos73 and it will be the 3 Starter Ships.
 

NKato

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Apr 25, 2014
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The Reliant appears to be the best ship for low-cost multicrew-station training. Considering that the SuperHornet and Gladiator are both fighter-styled platforms, I don't expect them to have customizable crew stations.

On that point, the Reliant is likely to have customizable and override-capable crew stations, which enables an instructor to override his trainee at any time if needed. It's a good starting point for bringing a newbie through the multicrew system on the way to a larger multi-crew vessel.

As an aside, the Reliant is probably not a good choice for use aboard a training carrier, considering that it takes up a lot of three-dimensional space compared to the Super Hornet, Avenger, and Gladiator.
 

thanatos73

Space Marshal
Nov 21, 2014
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See, I get good ideas every once in a while.....

Seriously though, the most recent RTV talked a lot about the Reliant. Matt Sherman answered quite a few questions, and threw out some info that wasn't in the release page. For instance, the gimbal mount on the wing tip houses 2 size 1 weapons AND the tractor beam on the stock version. The combat version "should" remove the tractor beam and increase the weapon size. There are also 2 size 1 weapon mounts on the underside of the wings, 1 each, which "should" stay the same on the combat version. He did not mention missiles though. My one issue is its a flying coffin, there is "currently" no ejection system, though one could easily be put in. Add a blast door between the cockpit and cargo area, on the cockpit side, and a couple of single use thrusters, and some explosive bolts, and viola, the cockpit is an escape pod.
 
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Kahoshi

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May 8, 2015
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I got one because I'm a sucket for "cheap" ships. GF really likes it so I'll probably end up upgrading her Mustang to one.
 

OldSchoolC

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I forgot about the Star Wars T-6, to me it was just a B-Wing meets a manta ray. Still, I thought it was super cool so I bought one too!
 

Halvix

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Montoya: "What Do you mean all of our Auroras are GONE! Where did they go!?!?!?! How will we fight now?!!!!"

Richard: "Well RussianJ was carrying our entire Org stock to Odin when his convoy was ambushed by a group of asteroids and planet debris."

Montoya: "..."

Richard: "He was quite drunk and streaming it before passing out on Comms. I heard a loud crash but I'm sure he's ok."

Montoya: "Activate the reserve ships. All personnel to their fighters."

Richard: "Will you be taking your Aurora to lead us into battle?"

Montoya: "My Aurora was on RJ's ship. No, I'm taking a Reliant"
Sounds like RussianJ ate too many demon fish again...
 

JBWill

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Nov 11, 2014
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It's not my favorite looking ship ever, but it was unique and pretty enough to win me over. I don't know for sure if it will survive until the PU un-upgraded, but if it does I'll likely use it for small quick missions when I'm low on time and/or as a cheap ship to dick around in with a friend.
 

Lienna

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Feb 27, 2014
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It's unique in design, interesting in mechanics (I heard talk of it being yaw heavy in one mode and roll/pitch heavy in the other) and... I have no interest in it.

I like it, look forward to seeing them in the verse, but it's not for me. The only possible exception is the news van varient, having that with LTI might be nice, but I figure if that ends up being that unique a role in the PU that I need one then I can afford the insurance.
 

Liquor_and_ores

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Jun 22, 2014
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As always man, I love your write ups !

I cashed out all the Hull A's I had except for two ( just in case) for this ship

I reminds me of a B-Wing..... and a futuristic submarine
 

WarrenPeace

Space Marshal
Jul 17, 2014
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I tried (not really) :3
This looks like a cheaply spray-painted hack job done by someone who just wanted to knock it out and go back to drinking. I don't think you could have a more TEST paintjob if you tried. Great work!

BlackSunder, fantastic work as always!
 
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Adiran

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Mar 28, 2015
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See, I get good ideas every once in a while.....

Seriously though, the most recent RTV talked a lot about the Reliant. Matt Sherman answered quite a few questions, and threw out some info that wasn't in the release page. For instance, the gimbal mount on the wing tip houses 2 size 1 weapons AND the tractor beam on the stock version. The combat version "should" remove the tractor beam and increase the weapon size. There are also 2 size 1 weapon mounts on the underside of the wings, 1 each, which "should" stay the same on the combat version. He did not mention missiles though. My one issue is its a flying coffin, there is "currently" no ejection system, though one could easily be put in. Add a blast door between the cockpit and cargo area, on the cockpit side, and a couple of single use thrusters, and some explosive bolts, and viola, the cockpit is an escape pod.
I think you understood him wrong. The stock ship has the tractor bean instead of the turret. You can threw the upgrade system swich out the tractor beam for the turret that holds 2 size 1 weapon . But it does not have both at same time.
the 2 size 1 guns it comes stock with are not pictured in the concept art and are located on each wing (near the cockpit i belive is his intent tho he does not explicitly say it) then the tractor beam is on the wing tip (where the turret is pictured)
 

Adiran

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Mar 28, 2015
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Adiran
I personally traded in my mustang for this. Just wish i could fly it. I love the design and cant wait to fly it. Hopefully the versatility and sheer number of upgrades allows it to be versatile as they say starter ships should be. Plus tier 2 sounds so nice. Hopefully its worth it (tho with LTI it is worth it as a almost free fighting ship in fleet fights of cheap ships, since its 1 upgrade away from doubling its guns and having a 2nd player as a gunner)
 
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