By Bruce Rollins

In the early era of mankind's interstellar exploration and expansion, Earth vessels sported rather advanced propulsion and environmental control, but weapons and shielding technologies lagged since there wasn't really anyone else to shoot at. Smaller corvettes and fighters had been developed to handle near-Earth conflicts between nations, but there had been no need for a space-going battlewagon until we bumped in to other races... which we did... hard!

The necessities of war dictated that big guns be brought to the front lines quickly. The most practical design called for heavy particle beam and missile systems housed in a heavily armored hull. Few defensive systems were installed since this point-and-shoot behemoth would always be accompanied by a task force of several dozens of Earth's existing small warships. The heavy armoring gave these vessels their nickname of "hard noses". They were also known as "iron coffins" due to their vulnerability to attack. For better survivability, all volatile fluids and ordinance were stored in large canisters that could be separated from the main hull if the ship was expected to receive heavy damage. Although the vessel would not be of much use once the canisters were ejected, it was preferable to losing several million tons of armor that the Earth could not easily replace at that time. Due to their great size and expense, only two of these vessels were commissioned: the Xerxes and the Atreas. Once things cooled-down and more advanced warships took their place, the Xerxes was turned into a museum/war memorial.

About the model:

The ship is modeled in 1/2000 scale and is built primarily from cardboard and bashed kit parts. I also used some computer keys, disposable razors and, of course, two Legg's pantyhose eggs. It is an original design, err... at least as original as I could get with a couple of pantyhose eggs.

Image: Bow

Image: Hangar detail

Image: Detail on the top of the bow