Munro Imaginary Motors is pleased to announce our first airship, the Expedition.
Photos can be found at http://s285.photobucket.com/albums/ll59/IlsaMunro/Munro%20Imaginary%20Motors%20Ltd/Expedition/
The Expedition is a Victorian Touring Airship inspired strangely enough by the boat "The African Queen" from the film of the same name. The design attempts to recapture the spirit of gentile exploration (leaving off the colonial expansion, manifest destiny, and suppression of indigenous populations of course). Lift is provided by twin lift bags which also provide greater stability. Forward and reverse motion as well as steering are controlled by two rear mounted propellers. There are ten forward and ten reverse throttle positions ranging from about one meter / second to over 20. The propellers rotate in the appropriate direction - forward or reverse, and at the appropriate speed.
The Expedition is outfitted for three passengers and a pilot. Comfort in the passenger cabin is of course of utmost concern - as we are gentile explorers, and is ensured with comfortable leather wing back chairs. The pilot controls the Expedition from the main console which automates nearly every aspect of modern airship operations. A light tarp draped between the lift bags provides shade and protection from the sudden storms so common in tropical climes. Despite all this the Expedition is a true physical vehicle coming in at a trim 27 prims.
Other features of the Expedition include:
Ten forward and reverse throttle settings allowing for speeds between approximately 1 meter/second up to over 20.
Animated propellers which are controlled by the throttle so they spin in the proper direction - forward and reverse, and in proportional speed to the throttle setting.
When ascending the Expedition releases ballast - water, from a release valve just aft of the engines.
Since the Expedition is based upon a boat it was only natural that she be able to serve double duty. Piloting her into the water will produce a large splash, then she can be driven across the waters surface with ease.
In addition to the custom sculpties which form the lifting bags, propellers, seats and control console, the Expedition also has several custom textures, sounds and a pilot pose.
Like all MIM fliers, the Expedition has my "almost a recognized hallmark" feature - the MIM Chase Camera Mode. Pressing the Shift and Right Cursor keys will release the camera from it's default position behind and slightly above the Expedition, and allow it to move freely in a predefined area, reacting to the Expedition's movements as if it were in another aircraft following closely behind. There are three Chase Camera positions, the first is just between the aft bulkhead and the propellers, the second about 20 feet back from the first, and the third offers a panoramic view from about 60 feet back. A not especially well executed film clip of the Chase Camera in action on one of my other vehicles can be seen at http://www.wegame.com/watch/Moewe_v_3_for_LS_T/.
All MIM vehicles are copy, partial mod, and no trans. In addition they come equipped with my Emergency Locater Beacon script which will send you an instant message with the vehicles exact location and SLURL should you become unseated for some reason. the Locater Beacon script is full perm and you're welcome to use it in your own vehicles.
Lastly the Expedition was built and tested extensively under Havok 4, and is the first Munro Imaginary Motors' vehicle to be released using the new Mono scripting system. It's been tested using both the Mono enabled RC and the standard viewers, and on sims running both the new 1.24 code, and the older, pre-Mono code with no difficulties whatsoever.
The Expedition, like most MIM vehicles, is priced at L$300. A display and free timed demo can be found at my main shop in Port Caledon: slurl.com/secondlife/Port%20Caledon/115/60/23. The Expedition and all of my vehicles and randomly assorted products can also be found on SLX at http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=88170