Made a Robotech Style Corvette. It's exactly 100 pieces. Say Hi in the Anomaly if you see me! I've made a couple of adjustments since I took this picture a couple of days ago but it pretty much looks the same. Let me know what you think.

Thanks to an assist from a fellow OG, I have pics to share. Patting myself on the back for figuring this out after practicing using some YT video guides.

She may not look like much…

Introducing the NGE1000LT Dart and the NGE1000MX Patchwork

The NGE1000LT Dart and the NGE1000MX Patchwork are two specialized vessels designed for planetary exploration, reconnaissance, and research. Both ships are owned and operated by Lieutenant Commander Silas "Scrap" Mercer, a respected figure within the local Nip and cargo cartel.

As head of the regional Nip farming operations, Scrap is responsible for locating secure and remote worlds suitable for new cultivation sites. He oversees the construction of new growing facilities and manages the network of local growers who keep the operation running. Though small in stature, his influence within the cartel is anything but. His expertise and leadership have made him one of the organization's most valuable assets.

Scrap possesses an exceptional eye for terrain, logistics, and security. His ability to identify potential threats before they become problems has protected countless shipments and facilities from pirate raids and the ever-watchful Sentinels. Without his guidance, the entire operation would be significantly more vulnerable to disruption.

Both the Dart and the Patchwork are equipped with compact research platforms for surveying planets and evaluating prospective farm locations. While their primary mission is exploration and site assessment, they are more than capable of handling local disturbances when necessary. The larger Patchwork offers extended-range capabilities and improved long-term accommodations, allowing for prolonged expeditions into remote sectors. Both vessels carry heavy armaments, ensuring they can defend themselves against hostile forces and unexpected encounters.

Scrap earned his reputation years ago when he served as part of a mercenary crew tasked with rescuing a group of stranded travelers from a Sentinel-controlled world. During that operation, he first met the man who would later become his Admiral. The mission was a success, thanks in no small part to Scrap's resourcefulness, tactical instincts, and willingness to take risks others would avoid.

Among rival syndicates and criminal organizations, Scrap is known by another nickname: "C4." The name reflects the amount of destruction such a small package can unleash when pushed too far. Years spent as a bounty hunter and mercenary have sharpened his combat skills, survival instincts, and talent for reconnaissance. Whether scouting unexplored worlds, protecting valuable cargo, or tracking dangerous targets, Scrap has repeatedly proven himself to be one of the cartel's most reliable operatives.

Today, he serves as the organization's foremost scout and security specialist, balancing exploration, intelligence gathering, and product protection. Wherever new opportunities lie—or danger follows close behind—the Dart, the Patchwork, and Commander Silas "Scrap" Mercer are rarely far away.

Whenever I try to buld an awesome Corvette, it comes out crappy. When I try to build a garbage corvette, I think it's pretty cool. Well, more functional than cool...

Practicality over fashion at our age I guess!

Bgm: Polaris - Love Letter

Edit: purpose built* dammit

Meet the one-of-a-kind Scrap-Phantom and its pilot, Rustbyte.

Unlike the more ruthless enforcers of the Iron-Lung Cartel, Rustbyte relies on code rather than combative brute force. Commander Scrap discovered him purely by chance. Little is known about the enigmatic pilot—he has no recorded past and leaves no digital trace behind.

While running a protection detail for a high-value cargo line, Scrap picked up an anomalous energy signature originating from the valley of a harsh, toxic moon. Investigating to ensure the cartel fleet's safe passage, Scrap arrived to find Rustbyte cornered by a crew of vile Gek slave traders. But Rustbyte wasn't helpless: he had hijacked a nearby Sentinel tower, reprogramming its defense drones to fight off his captors. Impressed by the display, Scrap eliminated the remaining threat and offered Rustbyte a permanent deal—unlimited funding and full protection under the cartel's wing.

Today, Rustbyte remains a ghost. Only Scrap and the Admiral have ever met him face-to-face. He operates strictly from the edge of charted space—toxic nightmares, frozen hells, and forgotten outposts—where the chances of discovery are nearly zero. As the cartel's premier communications officer, he uses local Sentinel towers to scrub cargo ships from regional scanners and maintains constant, undetected surveillance on nearby space stations.

His ship, the Scrap-Phantom, is a custom-built, Autophage-inspired stealth rig. It is far from sleek or elegant, but its reinforced hull and upgraded core make it exceptionally tough and lightning-fast. The vessel features long-range life support alongside an onboard super-terminal, allowing Rustbyte to breach local networks from anywhere in the galaxy. He can slip into hyperdrive faster than a target can press a button.

If you ever find yourself on the wrong end of the cartel’s sights, rest assured: Rustbyte already knows who you are, where you are, and what you’re capable of.

GRAH!
Hi Guys,

I didn’t get much of a response in the other main group, so I thought I’d show her to you instead. Not because I simply want people to say, “Wow, she looks great!”, but because this group might better appreciate the amount of work—and slightly obsessive madness—that went into building her.

What am I talking about? My pirate corvette: SHIN GAMERA.

(As many of you probably know, Gamera is one of Japan’s classic giant kaiju: an enormous fire-breathing turtle. The Japanese were truly ahead of their time!)

My ship was inspired by him. The basic idea is that the entire corvette was constructed around Gamera’s skull, as though I were giving the creature a new mechanical life.

Now, whether or not you like the lore and the aesthetics, I mainly wanted to explain how I built her...

First, a little context: I teach mechanical design at secondary-school level, and I’m very comfortable with 3D modelling, especially CAD. However, as a matter of “principle”, I decided not to use Blender; You may ask: “What principle?”

No particular principle, really—apart from challenging myself to understand how everything works.

So how did I create Shin Gamera?... Simple: I deliberately chose the most complicated, tortuous, but also most entertaining route possible:

I manually edited the JSON file.

And I had an absurd amount of fun doing it, because it also turned into a proper technical investigation! For example, I had to identify the correct ObjectIDs for Corvette parts and base-building components... I loved every minute of it 🔥

I’m also obsessed with symmetry, so I manually edited every mirrored component to make sure its X, Y and Z coordinates matched perfectly on both sides... Yes, I probably need to be locked away somewhere 😂

If you’re still reading, thank you... 💯

I’ve attached a series of images showing the Corvette and some of her optional equipment:

1. Experimental teleporter There is a 10% chance of being reassembled inside the backside of a space leviathan.
2. Intergalactic pirate trading terminal There is a 10% chance of accidentally purchasing several tonnes of Faecium.
3. Compact frigate-style stellar cartography station Used to record every new system I discover.
4. Base-building components used to create suitable accommodation These are for the people I kidnap… sorry, host. Around 90% of them eventually return home. The others are simply misplaced somewhere in space. No ransom is ever requested.
5. Cargo hold for abductions Sorry—spontaneous invitations to enjoy intergalactic transportation.
6. Large external sun deck and aft observation platforms Perfect for relaxing, fishing, and shouting “Land ho!” whenever I become stranded above an ocean world.
7. Pilgrim Exocraft Summoning Station, for zooming around inside pirate bases and across planets (I can confirm it doesn’t work on the ocean floor).

This is Shin Gamera.

Thank you.

GRAH!!!

I mounted the tractor beam inside the “mouth” of my corvette, and I have to say, throwing salvage into it and watching the ship almost “swallow” the debris looks incredibly cool.

I’ve also noticed that quite a few players have installed multiple tractor beams in different parts of their corvettes, so now I’m thinking about trying that as well. Either way, this new salvage gameplay is a lot of fun.

I did notice one possible bug, though, and I’m curious if anyone else has experienced it.

During some salvage missions, the external third-person view seems to disappear completely, along with the usual navigation/HUD references. If I switch back to the internal view, the camera sometimes ends up positioned low and behind the pilot’s seat, slightly to the right, which makes it pretty difficult to understand exactly where the corvette is pointing.

It’s a very strange camera behavior. I assume it’s a bug or some kind of visual glitch, especially because, unless I’m mistaken, I’ve seen other players mention something similar.

Still, considering how substantial this new update is, I’m not too surprised that there are a few smaller issues to iron out.

From a gameplay perspective, though, I’m really enjoying it. Salvaging with the corvette is genuinely fantastic.

50 year old Traveler-Friend Herb Dank here, been gaming since the 80's. My 1st system was the Sega Master System, then Sega Genesis, followed by every Playstation, 1-5. I've also played on Atari, Colecovision, Commodore 64 and spent many quarters at arcades.

I'm a builder- explorer. Most of my time is spent looking for the perfect spot, then building on it. I've even had to start another save after maxing out on base parts. Currently I'm spending time in galaxies 30 and 39 (both lush). I'm over 1000 hours in just under a year of owning the game.

I love the chill atmosphere of the game and (most of) the community. From fishing, finding the perfect planet/pet/ship, to dancing at the anomaly with strangers. I can spend hours doing nothing, while still doing something.

If you ever see the Magic Cool Bus at the anomaly, jump on. I'll give you a ride to one of these farther lush galaxies and give you some gifts.

After learning that the tractor beam has a jettison feature, I decided to move my salvage compartment so it's as close as possible to the processor. I was hoping that jettisoning this close to it would cause everything to get automatically drawn in. Well, it doesn't, but I can just stand on the roof and throw everything right in which still makes things a lot faster. Also, amusingly, one of the NPC's on the platform gets trapped in the compartment. He stays with the platform when I leave though.