The Prometheus II Is here!

I know some of you have been waiting for this release quite a while - too long actually. But real-life had quite a word in that matter and while I'd have loved to see it released at a much earlier date, that was just not possible.

But the long waiting is now over and I can honestly say that the Prometheus-Class II is by far the best ship I ever built. While it shares the same basic layout the old Prometheus-Class has (including 3 decks, elevator and a segmented bridge section), the new ship makes much more use of its space and looks also much more streamlined - and yes: a little bit more aggressive too^^

I also gave it two optional engine variants. Steam engines and dieselpunk-inspired radial engines in the style of the 1930s - and I think they both look very good in it!

Oh and the best thing of all: there is a flyable version too!

Here some specifications:

Dimensions:

• Length with landing strip retracted: 44.60 m
• Length with landing strip extended: 68 m
• Width: 30.10 m
• Height: 16.50 m

Enough blablah - lets have some pictures. They say more than a thousand words anyway:

The Prometheus-Class II is now available on the Marketplace! I decided to put it on a promotional price for the first week - so better get it as long its cheap!^^

The Aeronaut Express - August 2015 Edition

Never Drift, the city of the floating isles, is not only the home of the Cog and Kraken Pub and a pretty mad Professor, it is also the home of the Aeronaut Express, a monthly magazine for steampunks, airship-pilots and dashing explorers.

Jack Tracker 99, from Sprokit & Kogg Publishers is the editor and writer of the Aeronaut Express - and he does a fantastic job. Each magazine contains a colourful mixture: News, coverage of past and upcoming Aeronautical events (ever heard the name Lawnchair Larry? if not, you missed something!), for example the famous Airship Regattas, infos about aviation/steampunk sims, recent air-kraken activity and much more. SL and RL builders will also apprechiate the freebie textures and the occasional DIY guide.

Subscribing to the Aeronaut Express is free. You can find the subscribers at various places on the grid. For example at the Cog and Kraken Pub in Never Drift.

New Steampunk Vehicle and More of SL12B!

As I hinted one or two posts ago, I was in the middle of working on a new creation when SLB came in between. Well sort of. The design was basically finished in my head, I just had to get it out (which is sometimes actually the harder part). So the change to building The Dream of Steampunk was a pretty welcome one. After that was finished, I had a fresh approach for:

Tada! My new Steampunk Gyrocogster!

I dare to say this cute little thing is one of my finest builds yet. It is quintessential steampunk with its da-vinci-style wings, the steam-engine and its irresistable cute look.

Big WW1-Anniversary-Airplane Overhaul!

When you step into a modern passenger plane today or see a jet fighter above your head and hear the boom when it breaks the sound barrier, its easy to forget that exactly 100 years ago, during World War 1, aviation was still in its infancy. The air planes were flimsy constructions made of wood, wire and fabric and their air-bases were usually not more than an abandoned field and some tents and shacks.

Immortal legend: Manfred von Richthofen's red Fokker Triplane.

Despite their simplicity air planes were something exotic and spectacular though. Wherever an airplane was spotted, people couldn't help but gaze at them and cheer to their pilots, who were idolized like superstars.

Albatros D.Va - the backbone of the German air force in 1917 and 1918.

These people were daredevils in the best sense of the word. Flying these fragile, but deadly armed machines to fight each other, thousands of feet above the ground. Without parachute. Day after day, sometimes from morning till sunset.

Sopwith Camel - the most successful fighter of the war.

No era in aviation fascinates me more than World War 1. Build just a few years after the first motorized flight, these machines are the definite flying machines for me. They didn't had much engine power, or sophisticated weapons or highly developed flight-control systems. Some 100 hp, a machine-gun or two and wire-controlled rudders had to do. But this primitiveness, this basic and natural flying with the pilots exposed to the elements and listening to their guts rather than looking at their instruments is the stuff legends are made of.

Fokker D.VII - the best German fighter plane.

Nieuport 17 - one of WW1's most classy (and good looking) designs.

Fast and powerful and aggressive: the S.E.5a.

To celebrate this legendary era, I did update all of my World-War-1 air planes. With improved textures and new mesh parts and a general design overhaul, these machines look better than ever before. I also have released a new creation: a 1915 Fokker E.III 'Eindecker' (monoplane). The game-changer of aerial warfare! The Eindecker was the first fighter plane with an interrupter-geared machine gun to fire through the propeller arc, which allowed the pilots a much higher firing accuracy than in any other plane. It took the Allies until well into 1916 till they had a match for the Fokker Eindecker. Until then, the E.III remained the definite fighter plane.

How it all started: The Fokker Eindecker.

All creations are available now! Check them out!

New Release: Steampunk Mesh Biplane!

I think everyone, who knows me, knows how much I love biplanes. So it was just a matter of time really until I made an all new and shiny mesh Steampunk Biplane!

Designed in the spirit of classical World-War-One fighter planes, like the Sopwith Camel and the Nieuport 17, the biplane (officially designated D.I, for Doppeldecker 1, hinting there might be more to come) embodies everything I like on these machines. It is elegant, lightweight, nimble and doesn't bothers the pilot with too many instruments. It's flying in the purest sense: requiring skill as a pilot, not knowledge.

As it is standard for my new airplanes and -ships, the Steampunk Biplane has a camera HUD, which also informs you about the current speed, altitude and position. It also is equipped with the low-lag TCS combat system.

I also paid a lot of attention to optimize the airplane to make it as ressource-friendly as possible. Which results again in a surprisingly low land impact (16!), without doing compromises on its great look. You hardly find a better plane for sim-crossing!

Oh and I'm also having a blast with hunting air kraken with it. Works very well with the freebie-guns available at the landing-area at New Shoregate!

Curious? Check it out at the Drow Science Mainstore and at the Marketplace!

New Shoregate just became a tad more - unsafe

As if zombies aren't enough, now the notorious air kraken have chosen New Shoregate as their residence too!

Of course I started my faithful Steampunk Monoplane at once to fight the threat:

Aaargh! Air-kraken at my six!

After intense fighting I was able to defeat these critters though - the sky over New Shoregate were safe again. Well, temporary at least - they have a terribly high reproduction rate!

A successful air-kraken hunter returns.

According to my experience, air kraken are extremely dangerous opponents. They are fast and quite persistant. They more than once tried to drag my aeroplane to the ground, so beware and watch the sky! Luckily they are vulnerable to physical bullets. If you can kill a zombie with your gun, then you have a chance against an air kraken too.

Happy hunting!


Here is your ticket to New Shoregate. Expect zombies, air-kraken and crazy flying drows.

New Airship: Air Pirate Zeppelin!

While the scripting of the Prometheus was affected by RL schedules, I finished in the meanwhile the Air Pirate Zeppelin, the big brother of the miniature version I made for the Sinister Steampunk Hunt.

Steampunk Air Pirate Zeppelin!

It doesn't only looks stunning (thanks to materials effects), it is also very easy to fly, has a very reasonable prim-count and offers plenty of positions for Avatars. Take a look at the samples - the model is my lovely Emma Sunshine:

You can find the Air Pirate Zeppelin at the Marketplace or in my in-world store. I also have it on life-size-display at Mieville Twain.

And since Halloween is coming very soon, I also made a "Flying Dutchman" Mini:

Boo! Scary! A flying Dutchman Airship!

Cute, isn' it? Here is the Marketplace-link: Halloween Mini Zeppelin.

Happy Halloween! And I hope to have soon good news about the release of a certain other pretty large project. Fingers crossed that RL cooperates!

Edit:

I like Halloween Mini Zeppelin so much that I made a full-size version of it too - scary thing!

Ghost Pirate Zeppelin!

And here is the link to it!

New Product Releases: Mini Kestrel & Orrery Lamp!

After something to sit in and fly and look cool its something to put in your place and make it look (more) awesome!

First item is the miniature-version of the Kestrel. A only 3-prim slim little deco airplane and high priority target of excessive zooming actions - yes it's a 100% correct model of the big one!

Honey, I shrunk the... plane!

Oh and before I forget: the Mini is currently the Drow-Science-group gift (available in the notices) - but don't tell anyone ;-)

The next item is a decorative and animated Orrery Ceiling Lamp. Watching it is at least as addictive as watching a Lava Lamp - I can tell you!

The Orrery Ceiling Lamp - a lovely change from the usual chandeliers you find in the average steampunkish-place!

You can find these (and many more) items at your usual dealer of Drow coolness:

On the Marketplace

Inworld!

Happy Halloween & Hello, Kestrel!

Yes! Its released! My - so far - most complex mesh creation has finally hit the market.

A classical beauty - the Kestrel Biplane

The Kestrel is a lovely hommage on the biplanes of the roaring 1920s and 1930s with lots of custom made elements like a hyper-realistic 9 cylinder radial engine, authentic propeller, highly sophisticated cockpit, bracing, realistical profiled wings, etc etc.

With a slim land impact of only 22 and low lag scripts its of course a great plane for travelling long distances like over blake sea.

You can find the Kestrel on my in-world stores

at:
Lionheart
Poppyport
Stalingrad


and at the Marketplace.

Fetish Art, Product Updates And A Short Resumé On The Femdom Hunt

Longer phases of blogging inactivity usually mean: your favorite Drow designer was busy again! And thats again quite true.

I'm currently working on releasing the artwork of my friend and RL fetish artist Veronica Vinyl in SL:

Dark Masque by Veronica Vinyl in my living room.

Her paintings can be found in the best professional BDSM dungeons in the world. Now you can have a piece of the glamour (and pain ;-)) for yourself! To emphasise her strong and vivid yet classy visual style her artwork will be featured in custom-made high quality mesh frames exclusively.

Also my first mesh biplane, the Kestrel (see here and here) is in its final stage of preparations and will be availalbe till the end of the week :-)

And because it looks so good, here some more preview pics!

Last but not least, the Femdom Hunt organized by Z&A turned out to be a bigger success than ever before. The response was enormorous and everything went very, very smooth. I'm not good in searching, so Emma and Taffy (after some "motivation") had the honour to be my bloodhounds ;-) Thanks you two!

For every time the hunt item was further away then 30 meters of the TP point, Z&A provided the "lying Antony" for the hunt path - best look for yourself how this turned out ;-)

Oh and the Sunshine Technology hunt-gift we made seems quite popular. A deluxe version is in the making. If you wonder what it is, take a look at the pictures of the femdom hunt opening dance or at Antony's blog. The yoke's on you :p

Fun Things You Can Do With My Airplanes Other Than Flying

My friend Randy "No Panties" of the Meyonian Air Force was obviously very happy to test the Kestrel Prototype. At least she looks like she had a good time with it - enjoy this little series :-)

Currently your favorite airplane constructers are preparing the Kestrel for mass production. It should be available for purchase very soon!

Pimp My... Airplane!

One of the planes I really like a lot is my Vintage 2-Seater Biplane. It is really a fun to fly, it is not too big, so you can still do silly things with it like fly between houses or land on their roofs, yet it has enough space for a passenger!

A Classic!

By design its a classical airplane of the 1920s and early 1930s. Ideal for lovers of open cockpits radial engines!

Now, one of my customers - Jean Severine - surprised me with some really cool modifications. I have to say he changed its character quite drastically, but I like it!

The Wild Orchid!

He made it definitely more sporty and modern looking than its original design. Its a different airplane now and yes, it did inspire me to make a mesh version in its spirit - more info coming soon! ;-)

For now enjoy some more pictures of it. Its a pixie, isn't it?

A first look at it: nicely done!

En route to the Second Norway Airport.

Safe landing of course - and it looks so good!