Teaser of the Constellation Variants

fucking sick

 

My thoughts

Taurus - Hauler variant, you can see the larger cargo hold in the rear.
Andromeda - Combat Variant, looks to have larger turrets and the deployed missiles give a combat vibe.
Aquila - explorer variant, loses top turret has senor package. I like the cockpit.
Phoenix - Luxury Class, you can see the skylight in the hold.

 

think you should flip aquila and andromeda imo, but mainly due to the meaning of the name aquila. either way, these look sick as hell. I can't wait till official word

 

The Aquila cockpit looks more armored to me and would make sense as the military variant. Plus:

 

It does look more armored, but also looks lighter armed. However I have seen a suggestion that it might be a C&C variant. Either way I tend to favor military models as I prefer to be able to defend myself then be so specialized as to be easy prey.

 

Either way I think the cockpit is a vast improvement and Whatever version it is, I will be getting it.

 

Ya I think you should switch a couple around here.

Taurus - cargo hauler
Andromeda - explorer
Aquila - combat
Phoenix - Luxury Class, you can see the skylight in the hold.

 

i see your skylight in the hold..........err, wait....nm

 

I think the Andromeda is just the current vanilla variant. It doesn't appear to have anything on it to make it different from what we have in the connie already. Clever on their part to name the Constellation variants after constellations lol

 

I could just stare at the "Aquila" and "Phoenix" variants all day; I wonder if the Aquila's cockpit design is available as a separate upgrade, for those who have the standard bridge. Also get a hold of this image of a variant on the Store - that skin on the ship sure looks familiar

As for the AI, maybe it will have a "Gardiner" hologram for true enthusiasts...

 

Super Hi res Version

 

So upon a much closer look. The Aquila Does indeed have something deployed in its upper turret, as the bulkhead is open to, Still looks like alot of sensors, but I had a thought it could be an EW bird.

 

I don't think the Constellation will ever entirely be without armanents, given how dangerous space is going to be.

While it is possible the Aquila could be used for electronic warfare, however, I suspect the purpose of the advanced array is more for research and exploration. If you zoom in close using the hi-res image, you can also see there is a small observation deck for the array.

 

Upon further reflection, here is what I see:

Taurus: Hauler
Andromeda: ???
Aquila: C&C (armored cockpit + sensor suite)
Phoenix: Luxury

I'm really torn about the Andromeda version. The fact that they are showing us the arm deployed makes me think it is being re-purposed, and it does not look like there are any missiles on the arm. Notice how there is also something pointing out at the end. Perhaps it is a tractor beam for salvaging/S&R? The cylindrical pod thing at the back of the ship is odd, too. It reminds me of the EVA tube on the Mustang. EVA pod would make sense for salvaging/S&R as well.

Original docs for further study:

 

It could be, but at the same time they didn't bother to draw up the lasers that sit on each Nacelles an any of the pictures, so they may not have bothered to draw up the missiles in the rack either.

Also not since you posted an older pic how much the extended the ship overall, they added a lot of space between the cockpit and those docking collars on the side, in addition to adding docking collars on the top and bottom and adding an engine room (I hear)

 

So the Aquila did turn out to be an explorer and the connie has no dedicated combat model (its still pretty beefy in default form)

The Phoenix seems interesting, but is an additional $125 on top of the base connie price, so I grabbed an Aquila.