[x]

Browse More Like This

More from *MikeDoscher

View Gallery

Featured in Groups:

Not currently featured in any groups.

Details

Submitted: December 30, 2012
Image Size: 582 KB
Resolution: 2160×1080

Link

Thumb

Statistics

Comments: 13
Favourites: 88 [who?]
Views: 2,146 (0 today)
Downloads: 81 (0 today)

[x]

Hexjack, Talos Stationby *MikeDoscher

Digital Art / Drawings & Paintings / Sci-Fi

The Acadian Queen mining complex and other large installations that dominate the trans solar economy were only made possible by advances in basic materials and construction techniques. This was true not only of the orbital assembly complexes around mars, but also the asteroid shepherding operations further out. Emblematic of these new construction methods is a class of vehicle known as the 'Jack'. This name is a truncation of 'Jack of All Trades' and describes a vast and ubiquitous class of multiarm construction suits designed for general purpose microgravity work.

Here we see an early 22nd century example participating in the construction of Talos Station above Neptune. The type identification is difficult, as field modifications and extensive retrofitting of new equipment was the rule rather than the exception over their long service life. The basic body does seem to be a license-built Chinese copy of the Volund Z-X, but such a machine being in service on Talos would make it quite old, even by the standards of the type.

love 3 3

~~joy 0 0~~

~~wow 0 0~~

~~mad 0 0~~

~~sad 0 0~~

~~fear 0 0~~

~~neutral 0 0~~

~Sagittarius-A-star Dec 31, 2012 Student

Cool design!!

This reminds me of those weird "space pods" and "bottle suits" that were designed early on in the space age, crossed with modern robotics and industrial vehicles. What are they after out there orbiting Neptune? Hydrogen fuel from the atmosphere, or something else?

*MikeDoscher Dec 31, 2012 Professional General Artist

Mostly, Talos I is a speculative venture funded in response to the de facto monopoly that the Acadian Queen represents on He-3 production. It's not just economic influence that's at stake, there's also questions of security. Memories of the Minute War are still quite vivid in some quarters, and the idea of 85% of the clean helium in the solar system being produced by a single facility seems ill-advised to some investors. Talos II is another, more ambitious matter that hasn't broken ground yet, though it shares some of the same facilities. It's exact nature exact is somewhat nebulous, though they seem to be building a mass driver. This is something of a sore subject for all involved due to the way such devices were used and/or targeted during the Minute War.

~Psyker-LaZ Dec 30, 2012

Great

~MetalSnail Dec 30, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Very nice!!!

*fabianfucci Dec 30, 2012 Professional Filmographer

Now we need a map / timeline to place all this stuff right!

*MikeDoscher Dec 30, 2012 Professional General Artist

That's a great idea! Thank you for suggesting it.

~ndgmtlcd Dec 30, 2012

I love it. It reminds me of the other type of "Jack" I used when I was working in a big warehouse. My Jack was also part of "a vast and ubiquitous class". Unfortunately, it did not fly very high!

[link]

The huge container ships which make possible our current world economy exist because of ubiquitous standard containers, which in turn could not be used efficiently if it weren't so easy to fill or empty them with ubiquitous standard pallets and ubiquitous standard Jacks.

I hope we'll be seeing more of the 22nd century hexjacks. I am also hoping for parts of the Acadian Queen mining complex. Last time it popped up it was only a W.I.P., back in October, I think.

I should note that I love the entire drawing, from the big hexjack to the left to the tiny one at the right, and the tiny suited figures next to it, and the full context of Talos station and Neptune.

*MikeDoscher Dec 30, 2012 Professional General Artist

I was thinking of those to a degree when I first came up with the design, with a lot of earthmoving equipment in the mix too. It's funny, a lot of this whole project came from reading about containerization after seeing that one season of The Wire. The Acadian Queen is coming, I've just found my skills evolving and I may treat the material slightly differently than I first planned. The cutaway is going to be something of a centerpiece to what I project that the work is going to be, so I want to make sure that I get it right.

I'm glad you like what I'm doing. I hope to post more soon.

~ndgmtlcd Dec 31, 2012

By coincidence this is turning out to be a container holidays for me. This is in part thanks to you and thanks to a friend who made me discover a French TV series on boats. This in turn led to a National Geographic special on a container ship and German amateur videos (long) on the same topic.

[link]

[link]

[link]

Fun stuff!

*MikeDoscher Dec 31, 2012 Professional General Artist

Thank you for those links. The configuration of the second ship was particularly interesting, with the onboard cranes. The question of how to deal with containers of this sort in ports with minimal facilities has some cool solutions.

More from *MikeDoscher

Featured in Groups:

Details

Statistics

Hexjack, Talos Stationby *MikeDoscher

The Journal Portal

Polls

What is your preferred drawing software?

deviantART [dee·vee·un'nt·ART]

Keep in Touch!

Deviousness

Add Media

Style