Better Than Ever Before

The USS Orca model and even the picture of it for its appearance in the "Agents" comic book series is looking better than I first anticipated.

I guess I have Tom Clancy to thank for that. On October 1st, 1984, he published his book "The Hunt For Red October." Then on October 1st, 2013, Tom Clancy died of heart failure.

In honor of the book and its author, I modeled the submarine itself, the Red October.

You can view the model on Sketchfab here: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/red-october-0bdbd4ce120c4440ba2a343572b7bf7a

After making a model of the UH-1 Iroquois and giving it an interior, I made a brand new model of the F-14 Tomcat. This one has its integrated boarding ladder, an interior, and of course, an open canopy.

And since this F-14 is an Agents plane, hence the Agents logo on the tail and the navy blue and silver color scheme, there are some custom-designed features on it. One of them is the E.A.R.L., which stands for Explosive Acquisitioning Rocket Launcher. Essentially, this is an extra weapons bay that has a targeting camera attached to it.

This was inspired by the Low Altitude Navigation Targeting Infrared for Night, or LANTIRN; a targeting pod found on F-14 Tomcats when carrying laser-guided bombs like the GBU-12 Paveway II. An example is shown on this F-14 Tomcat from the US Navy squadron VF-213, now called VFA-213, the Blacklions. The LANTIRN is seen on its wing pylon, while a GBU-12 Paveway II bomb is seen under the fuselage. On the Agents' F-14, the E.A.R.L. has the targeting camera used for dropping an All-Purpose Bomb; a custom explosive munition that can be built to match various configurations in order to fit on different aircraft and has an adjustable power level. In case of the F-14 Tomcat, the Agents have the All-Purpose Bombs used on those resemble the GBU-12.

Agents' fighter jets are also typically loaded with Laser Rockets; a missile that can be used to hit enemy aircraft, enemy ships, enemy radar, or enemies on the ground. In other words, it's an air-to-air missile, air-to-ground missile, anti-ship missile, and anti-radiation missile all in one.

The Laser Rockets in the E.A.R.L. have an exclusive design since they are only found on the Agents' F-14's.

The E.A.R.L.'s Laser Rockets are made to resemble the AIM-54 Phoenix; a long-range air-to-air missile exclusive to the F-14 Tomcat.

The Biski model has also been finished and so has its sidecar.

In terms of art, all I have to show for that for now is this picture of the Hawksbill; an Agents' car that can be launched from the USS Orca. Like the other vehicles such as Leatherback or the Loggerhead, it is named after a type of sea turtle.

Modeling the Hawksbill is in progress.

Another picture I've recently drawn is of the Zander, the battleship I created that is based off the US Navy's Iowa-class battleship. In this picture, the Zander is shooting its guns at a target off to the side.

Picture of the USS Iowa (BB-61), lead ship of the Iowa class, doing the same for clarity.

Fun Fact: Although it looks like the recoil of the 16-inch 50-caliber Mark 7 guns is making the ship move sideways through the water, that is actually not the case. It's just that whenever the guns were firing at a target off to the side, it caused the water underneath the guns and the ship itself to roil; creating the illusion of sideways movement in still photos.

Another picture I managed to finish drawing is this one of me, Agent Hotman, next to my jet the Cloud Vanisher. Alongside me is my sister Agent Sapphire and in the background is the USS Orca. This picture essentially shows the archaeologist, secret agent, and naval aviator aspects of my character all at once. This appearance of mine is planned to be seen in one of my comic books in the "Agents" series titled...

"Agents: Project Maelstrom."

And that's all I got for these past few weeks!