This one is somewhat of a long explanation of this project beyond the norm. Usually my posts are "I used Warb's stuff and made a new derivative opt, shower me with mostly undeserved praise and boost my ego." blah blah at best, perhaps with "I had to significantly remodel portions of the original model, in the case of the Pelta because the guy who modified the original literally ruined Warb's model". But this one is a bit different.The Fang fighter—also known as the Protectorate starfighter—was a fast and incredibly agile Mandalorian starfighter that was custom-built for fighter combat by the MandalMotors company. Favored by the elite pilots of the Concord Dawn Protectorate, who leveraged the vessel's narrow attack profile and pivot wing technology to achieve unmatched agility. Fang fighters were well suited to executing deadly head-on charges such as the Concordia Face Off maneuver. Fang fighters were armed with a hidden torpedo launcher, that allowed a pilot to surprise their quarry with a deadly salvo, and a pair of forward-mounted laser cannons.
A fast[2] and highly maneuverable starfighter,[7] the Fang fighter was designed and manufactured by MandalMotors,[1] a prominent Mandalorian starship company[8]headquartered in Mandalore's capital city of Keldabe.[9] Possessed of a frame that was considered elegant yet aggressive in design, the Fang fighter had a thin, angular silhouette and a cranked-delta platform that gave the vessel an unmistakable profile. The fighter's fuselage took the form of a small, elongated hexagon with a low-profile canopy that covered the vessel's midship-mounted cockpit; the starfighter's aft section was dominated by a single, large, high-output ion engine. Two articulated S-foil wings were mounted to the fighter's fuselage, each capable of rotating and able to be raised or lowered, and possessed of a large, additional ion engine. The Fang fighter featured a sophisticated vectored thrust system, advanced flight controls, and automated vernier thrusters.[1]
Fang fighters could accommodate a single pilot,[5] with no room for other passengers, and enough consumables for a standard day. They possessed an array of close range sensors, a Class Two hyperdrive, and an onboard navigation computer. The Fang fighter's S-foil wings house the majority of the starfighter's weapon systems, comprised of a pair of forward-mounted laser cannons. Just forward of the cockpit, mounted in the fighter's underside, was a retractable torpedo launcher that carried a single proton torpedo, offering the vessel a degree of tactical flexibility.[1] The hidden launcher allowed a pilot to launch a devastating salvo before their quarry realized the vessel was carrying ordnance.[3]Fang fighters typically cost 120,000.[1]
The Fang fighter was custom-built for starfighter combat.[2] The vessel's narrow attack profile[6] and pivot wing technology could be used to achieve unmatched agility,[7] making the Fang fighter well suited to executing deadly head-on charges such as the Concordia Face Off maneuver.[6]
Fang fighters were first introduced to Star Wars canon in "The Protector of Concord Dawn," the thirteenth episode of the Star Wars Rebels animated television series' second season, premiering January 27, 2016.[13] Later that same year, Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game released the Protectorate Starfighter Expansion Pack, introducing the fighter to the original Star Wars Legends continuity.[2] The Star Wars: Edge of the Empire roleplaying game supplement, No Disintegrations, provided further information on the Fang fighter when it was released on February 2, 2017.[1]
I sat on this project since probably October of last year after a fair few failed attempts and several iterations and overhauls of the original models and textures. I scratch built a model, it was pretty low detail. I was sent a model to base my works on but it was too low detailed across the board to use as is and I wasn't able to adapt it to a point I'd be comfortable releasing it as a derivative work, but it did provide a sorely needed 360 degree reference piece. So I quit modding forever. (Okay fine I worked on other stuff instead.)
Time passed.
Then I realized that this fighter is too iconic to leave out for potential use with any Rebels themed ship packs, so I asked DTM for help since I figured if anybody would be interested in taking over a half baked Rebels themed ship he would be. And he was. (Yay!) So DTM picked up where I left off with my hot mess of deranged references and base model and rebuilt everything from the ground up.
At this point I pretty much went into balancing the stats and trying to make it function and stay true to the on screen depictions in rebels, as well as the stats and role as defined by FFG's Tabletop X-Wing game, using the basis of those stats as the basis for mine. As a result, the Fang is both a challenging, yet enjoyable fighter to fly as it is as maneuverable as an A-Wing, can run lasers at max charge without losing a significant amount of speed due to the overcharged generator. Lasers for days?! Doesn't that make the ship overpowered? Well, no actually it isn't as you have no shields. Canon wise the Fang Fighter has no shield generator, and all that is standing between you and certain destruction is crafty flying and a 40 +/- RU hull. Given the design philosophy of the fighter the Fang is a jouster. Low profile cross section and high speed it's intended for head to head dogfights that only aces like Fenn Rau survive.
DTM finished up his side of things and I discovered a couple unexpected last minute issues related to mesh order and classification we both initially missed (twice at this point) and I had to completely change the pilot model to what you are presented with here today as I realized the pilot model didn't fit the aesthetic anymore, which actually turns out to be a significant upgrade and a blessing in disguise since it looks much better! But DTM and I had to opt the entire thing again as of last night because of the last minute changes.
Long story short, much thanks goes to DTM and his patience as if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have this model today.