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John Nelson is back to building out the Confed fleet with his latest WC3 Lego creation, the Thunderbolt heavy fighter. It has some particularly distinctive angles that were hard to duplicate, but he's done a great job given the limitation of parts to work with. And check out that heck of a turret gun on the aft!

Finally got it done. After a few months of gathering pieces and accounting for slopes, angles and colors and proportions, Confed's "lead sled" is done. I didn’t use purple for its TCS Victory or Hurricane Squadron markings since purple parts are more rare, and I like the yellow and blue of its post war design more. I also changed the front where the gun batteries are to give the look a bit more pizazz.

Pliers (would) say, "The Thunderbolt is Confed's big ugly battering ram to knock down whatever is in its way, and with that blaster load out and a torpedo it can."

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Allied and independent leaders have called upon the Empire and the Federation to discourage faction hostilities following conflict in Tavgi.
Political journalist Conrad Sterling summarised the latest developments for Vox Galactica:
"Minor skirmishes between superpower-aligned factions are not uncommon. But the Caine-Massey and Torval Mining Ltd corporations have significant political ties, so their clash has led to bullish rhetoric from members of both Congress and the Senate."
"Many systems where Federal and Imperial populations coexist are experiencing civil tension and spates of public disturbance. There is a sense that the historic rivalry between two militaristic superpowers is being rekindled, and that similar sparks elsewhere may fan the flames at the worst possible time."
In the Alliance Assembly, Councillor Nakato Kaine highlighted the potential repercussions:
"Military distractions

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Privateer mattes the screens showing the Steltek artifact... but I’ve discovered there are open versions in the game's files with a little more picture!

An Alien Artifact or Ancient Artifact is a Steltek relic discovered on Mars in 2668.

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LOAF realized that today is Tim Curry's birthday, which is not a milestone that I've ever registered before. Mr. Curry masterfully voiced Melek in Wing Commander 3 in one of his most underappreciated roles, so it's nice to get a chance to call this out. Happy Birthday Tim Curry!

Tim Curry has been trending all day (birthday, not dead!) and it’s great that everyone has a completely different favorite role they’re remembering. Happy birthday Melek in Wing Commander III but not IV!

But ever the humble Wing Commander servant, LOAF did not point out that he also shares this special day with his distant twin. Today is also LOAF's birthday! We're so lucky to have his insight to add add to our foundation of Wing Commander knowledge every day. Here he is in a recent visit to Gaea to do some Retro research. Happy Birthday!

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*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Factions aligned to the Empire and Federation have declared war in Pichch, which lies in the path of Thargoid expansion.
Relations between the two superpowers have been strained in recent weeks, following the corporate skirmish in Tavgi. This has exacerbated hostilities between two long-standing rivals in the Pichch system, causing diplomatic negotiations to collapse.
The ruling council of Gauluujja Exchange claimed: "Imperial saboteurs have been undermining our operations for years, and a military solution is now the only option." A similar statement was made by the Gliese 44 Citizens' Forum's leadership: "The typical Federal response to their problems is to blame the Empire, so we are forced to resolve this on the battlefield."
The situation has also impacted the ongoing war against the Thargoids, as outlined in a report by freelance correspondent Karleen Troy:

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As a special birthday treat, LOAF's wife Alexis made these custom ink prints based on WC2 Thrakhath. One is a framed portrait and the other is a nifty canvas tote. Very very cool!

Look what Ali made for me!

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Cybot is back with more wacky and creative Wing Commander designs. These were inspired by the Steltek craft that we see in Privateer. Cybot has taken those design elements and extrapolated them into a whole fleet of ships. If you're working on a project that needs a super powerful alien kick, check them out at the CIC Forums. His threads include download links for copies of your own!

STELTEK fleet ships: have fun with all models in Obj format.

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Today we have a gorgeous Wing Commander 3 spread posted by the Spanish magazine PCMania in 1994. It features a lot of familiar prerelease art, plus gorgeous renders of the Thunderbolt, Longbow and Arrow. Gunnery and flight control are looking good too. The game flow backdrops in WC3 are some of my favorite in the series. At the conclusion of the six page article, the reviewer gives the game a 92% score. Thanks to Maxi de Sokar for the find!

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Prototypes have been created of a new module designed to counteract the massive energy surge encountered by ships within Thargoid Maelstroms.
Professor Alba Tesreau made a public statement:
"Intense research into the Maelstroms by Allied, Federal and Imperial specialists has yielded practical results. We have designed a device to briefly insulate a ship against the overpowering effects of a Maelstrom's energy wave. Typically, the wave physically repels all human ships and disrupts onboard electrical systems."
"Combined with our caustic sink launcher, the Thargoid pulse neutraliser will enable access to the innermost regions of the alien clouds. My hope is that this breakthrough will reveal knowledge about the Thargoid invasion fleets that we desperately need."
Further details were provided by Ivano Colombera, the Empire's scientific liaison to Aegis:
"The Thargoid pulse neutraliser expands

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We're going to start this week off with a new Kilrathi Lego creation by John Nelson. You can see from the sweep of the wings that this is clearly the Dralthi IV variant, which puts it right in line with the Darket and Strakha he put together earlier. He's started to incorporate a larger mix of brown panels in an attempt to better mimic the WC3 color scheme. It makes me want a Lego Excalibur to start tearing them up!

This was a fun one to build years ago in a simpler state, but with the new colors and brick types this guy is far more accurate - albeit with my little tweaks and touches. This is the second model that I needed technic parts to complete.

Pliers (would) say, "Dralthis are pretty pathetic, but don’t turn your back on them. Their particle cannons can fire continuously and will bring down anything from a carrier to an interceptor."

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The suspected 'Imperial assassin' who shot Caine-Massey CEO Johann Fleischer has been cleared of any connection to the Empire.
Executive Agent Viola Trask of the Federal Intelligence Agency gave a statement to the media:
"Our investigation has verified that the man we have in custody is a professional mercenary named Kieran Rayne , a native of the Alpha Caeli system. For over a decade, he has operated as a freelance contract killer using multiple false identities. The motive for the killing is not yet clear."
"Despite early indications, there is no evidence that Rayne was hired by Torval Mining Ltd to eliminate Mr Fleischer. The mission was arranged anonymously via an unregistered comms network that we are unable to access. The Imperial-issue weapon and security equipment that he used were provided to him specifically for this task. This seems to be a deliberate choice to foster the impression

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VGDensetsu was posting about various Origin covers made for the Japanese FM Towns, and that led us to a bit of new info! We know a fair amount about most of the artists who did various WC works over the years, but their Japanese counterparts can be harder to pin down. VGDensetsu clarified who made the covers for the FM Towns and Super Famicon games:

Takashi Asada did the cover art for the FM Towns version of WCII. Yuji Kaida is credited for the cover of the SFC version.

And that gives us an excellent excuse for a Japanese art appreciation post! Here's WC1&2 for the FM Towns and the SFC version of WC1.

And here's some bonus advertisements from Japan where we also see some of this glorious art!

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Crazy discovery! Ever wonder what the scene on the cover of the Privateer manual is? It's not one of the regular landing pads. But look closely at the 'buildings' in the background... they're being reused from the asteroid base mesh to make it look like a cityscape!

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Today we've got a peek at the August 1999 advertisement for Wing Commander on Pay Per View. We shared this clip many years ago, but it was on an account that was taken down at some point. So now we've rehosted our own permanent copy. Why is it important? In today's modern streaming landscape where digital copies are easily accessible at your fingertips, it can be hard to imagine a world where you couldn't just call up any movie on demand. The DVD had just come out in July and wasn't necessarily readily available everywhere. The VHS cassette was still only sold to rental stores. Many people weren't yet accustomed to buying things online, so ordering a PPV showing was the prime way for some people to watch. It's a very '90s product of its time!

At the edge of the universe, all hell is about to break loose! The final battle for Earth begins on Pay Per View. Take a high flying thrill ride through

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Aegis's prototype Thargoid pulse neutralisers have succeeded in allowing transit through the energy surge at the centre of a Maelstrom.
Professor Alba Tesreau made the official statement:
"Several remote-controlled probes outfitted with Thargoid pulse neutralisers were launched into the Taranis Maelstrom. The colossal electromagnetic pulse generated within the clouds should have repulsed them, but feedback confirms the probes were insulated from its effects."
"The method used to protect the probes was discovered through research on unclassified relics recovered from Thargoid surface sites. These alien artefacts were vital to the devices' development. Initial research conducted by Ram Tah and Professor Palin proved that when receiving a modulated electrical charge, the unclassified relics emitted an energy field on similar frequencies to the Maelstrom's pulse."
"Unfortunately, broadcasts from

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*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
The Empire and the Federation have resolved the conflict in Pichch after the accidental loss of anti-xeno supply ships.
Freelance correspondent Karleen Troy reported on events for Vox Galactica:
"Pichch is a key location to redirect front-line resources to systems facing invasion around Maelstrom Leigong. In recent days, these vital deliveries have been severely delayed by the internecine conflict. But disaster struck when an entire convoy carrying anti-xeno weaponry was destroyed by Imperial-aligned ships, which mistakenly identified them as local Federal resupply vessels."
"Once news of the incident spread, leaders of Gauluujja Exchange and the Gliese 44 Citizens' Forum stated that they had received orders to broker an immediate ceasefire. The conflict was heading towards a Gliese 44 Citizens' Forum victory, so the sudden peace is likely a relief to Gauluujja

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Back in February, we reported on a teaser post from Supercade announcing an upcoming crowd funding campaign to release an LP (vinyl record) of George Oldziey's Wing Commander Orchestral Recording Project. The good news today is that the campaign is still happening and it sounds like it's launching soon. Supercade founder Van Burnahm tweeted in response to a question that it was launching in just four days, on May 1st!

It’s launching May 1st!!!

— Van Burnham (@supercade71) April 27, 2023

Obviously these sorts of things are never fully set in stone... and who knows more about slipping release dates than Wing Commander fans... but we're crossing our fingers and hoping to bring you more on Monday!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Jade Sanderlyn's latest report on the Thargoid invasion of the core systems has been published on Vox Galactica.
"Taking the broad view of the conflict does little to lift the spirits. Thargoid fleets now occupy well over a thousand systems, nearly 200 of which were once populated. Several million people have been killed or wounded by bombardments and caustic attacks. Colossal numbers have fled their homes as refugees. Some sources estimate that well over ten billion people have been directly affected by the war, but the misery and hardship it has caused is immeasurable."
"As sobering as that sounds, the situation would be much worse were it not for enormous efforts by anti-xeno squadrons and independent ships, which continue to push back against the Thargoid fleets. Every day, thousands of pilots risk their lives in battle, rescuing civilians or delivering supplies. Dozens of systems have

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This is part of a series analyzing newly discovered Wing Commander IV continuity photographs. You can find the previous posts collected here.

Last Thanksgiving, we wrote about a Polaroid of Moose and how the character represented three different people at once: the actor who played him in a cutscene, the member of the development team whose name and photograph were used for his wingman selection screen and finally the member of the Playstation team whose name replaced them in that port. Now, we've found a polaroid that represents FOUR different people! Meet Miner.

Unraveling the Polaroid meant once again dealing with a small problem: Miner is in full Confederation fighter pilot costume (next to the nose of the famous Confederation shuttle set!) and so his face isn't very visible. Luckily, the "Mike" and "Confed Pilot" scribbled at the bottom were enough to move the needle: the game's printed credits do

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Wing Commander Armada comes with one of the greatest game manuals in history, an all-the-more impressive achievement given Origin prided themselves on producing wonderful lore material. That manual is Voices of War, a fascinating and evocative look at both sides of the Terran-Kilrathi conflict. For a game with very little internal narrative it's impressive that Armada's lore manual has been so massively influential on the rest of the Wing Commander universe. But Armada had TWO similarly sized manuals! Voices of War is dedicated only to world building while a second Play Guide offered all the details on how to actually interface with the game. It was only ever available digitally in an ancient 'VEBE' format which does not open with any kind of modern viewer. For whatever reason, GOG did not bother to include a copy with their release. Not having access to a copy hasn't been a huge problem for Wing