by Eric Tetangco
Scale: Not stated
The Reaver is a reconnaissance and electronic warfare fighter bomber.
Reavers nominally carry a crew of two or four, depending on the length
of the patrol, with either a pilot and an equipment operator, or a
pair of this combination. Two crew members sit side-by-side in the
fore section of a spacious compartment designed for extended missions.
Scouting around a Battlestar's operational area with FTL jump
capability, the Reaver greatly extends the sensor range of a
Battlestar. The dual tympanic housings above the cockpit carry most
of the Reaver's sensors, which are sensitive enough to be damaged by
the incidental EMF-discharge of the wing-tip mounted kinetic energy
canons at full-power. The wings position the cannons away from the
sensors to mitigate this effect and carry missiles and auxillary
equipment pods. On the battlefield, Reavers employ EW weapons, and
provide remote command and communications links between the Battlestar
and Vipers.
About the Model
The more I saw the new Battlestar Galactica's multi-purpose Colonial
Raptor, the I more I thought, "Someone as hot as Boomer (Grace Park)
should be flying a sexier ship." The Reaver is my attempt at a
sleeker EW and recon ship than the frumpy Raptor. I thought I could
incorporate Viper details I remembered from the original show, the
over-sized ribbed engines in triplicate, the wing-mounted blasters,
with a simple fuselage to invoke real-world B2-bomber stealthiness in
the reel-world of Battlestar Galactica.
I first painted the Reaver in a low-vis grey scheme, but it was pretty
boring.
![[Starship Modeler's 17th on-line modeling contest: Battlestar Galactica]](bsgbanner.jpg)
