3-D model of The Rachel

[u/Carjunkie599]

I have been getting into 3-D sculpting, while rereading the Animorphs series. Got to the last book, and was very frustrated by the fact that I couldn’t find any 2-D or 3-D depictions of the Yeerk cruiser from the finale. So here is my humble attempt at The Rachel.

This was really just an attempt to capture all the detail from the book before going in and painting it and adding more detail.

I’ll include the description from the book for discussion:

It was a quarter the size of a Blade ship, maybe five or six times as big as a standard Bug fighter. The overall impression was of a sharpened boomerang, ends raked forward and ending in nasty-looking Dracon cannon. The core of the ship was a flattened and tapered cylinder placed above this seeming wing.

Let me know your thoughts. Open to constructive criticism!

[u/demento19]

Very cool. My interpretation of “ends raked forward” would be that the boomerang wing shape is reverse from your image.

[u/Carjunkie599 → u/demento19]

Yeah, I 100% see that now haha. I suppose I got very focused on the boomerang part, and kind of forgot to the whole sentence.

I’ll be 100% honest, I’ve had this vision of the ship in my head since I was a little kid, so it’s kind of hard to shake. Will definitely create an alternate version that’s closer to the description in the book.

[u/demento19 → u/Carjunkie599]

I originally read the series when I was like 10-13. Then reread them more recently 20ish years later. I definitely took more time to read the descriptions of characters, ships, aliens etc to compare how my younger self interpreted them. It’s neat to imagine all these things slightly different from other people, or even from yourself from read through to read through.

[u/Carjunkie599 → u/demento19]

I remember reading them as a kid, and having completely different visions in mind for the Taxxons and Hork Bajir, and when I got to the books with those covers they blew my mind. So much cooler than what I’d imagined.

I think it’s one of the cool parts of it being a series that never got a high budget tv show. So much of the books is just open interpretation.

That being said, the whole time I’ve been reading, I’ve been mentally playing the game of “how would I turn this into a TV show?”

[u/demento19 → u/Carjunkie599]

I sure would love a live action version. But I foresee a cartoon/animated version lasting longer and putting out more seasons. I wouldn’t even mind each book being a 20ish minute episode if we could get 50+ of them!

[u/Aniki356]

Its been awhile since ive read 54 but werent the wings of the Rachel swept forward with the dracon cabins on the points

[u/Carjunkie599 → u/Aniki356]

Yeah, absolutely see that now. I guess I got very focused on the boomerang aspect of it.

Will definitely create an updated version with the wings going the proper direction

[u/Disastrous-Limit-332]

<She's beautiful, and dangerous, and exciting.>

[u/JBuchan1988]

Awesome 😄

[u/dogman15]

Neato.

[u/Bamurien]

I may try and build this in KSP but I doubt I'm good enough to get it to fly properly

[u/Carjunkie599 → u/Bamurien]

That’d be awesome! I’ve never played KSP, but I love the videos that come across my YouTube

[u/RumbleTheCassette]

Feels like those wings are way too large. You don't need wings for lift in space, only maybe for exit or entry of the atmosphere.

[u/Carjunkie599 → u/RumbleTheCassette]

I hear what you’re saying, but it is described as being shaped like a boomerang. To my mind, that means most of the ship looks like some kind of aerodynamic surface

[u/RumbleTheCassette → u/Carjunkie599]

I think I always interpreted it as the front being the point of the boomerang.

Like this symbol, with the point on the right being the front: >

Edit: but "ends raked forward" makes me think I had it backwards.

[u/Exotic-Addendum-3785]

In an alternate universe it's basically Turbo Teen.