Sci-Fi Channel on Mk VII retrofitting and handling The Sci-Fi Channel link's dead, I think it's been dead for a while. Looks like Sci-Fi Channel has decided it doesn't need its own commentary page about the technical aspects of the BSG universe anymore. So what now? Would that bit about the Mk VII being harder to fly because of a lobotomy finally be removed off BSGWiki, or would we simply put up a "dead link" road sign? Personally, I've been arguing about the unlikelihood/uncanonacy/illogic-ness of Sci-Fi Channel's statement since day one, so I'm definately in favour of striking it completely. I know the page going down doesn't automatically equal retraction of the statement, but I'd think the series itself has provided amble evidence to the contrary of Mk VIIs being difficult to handle and only flown by the most experienced pilots. --David Templar 11:40, 10 April 2007 (CDT)
Maelstrom Variant[edit]
I don't believe that this mk 7 variant is actually intentional at all. Throughout the production of BSG the vfx crew have relied on several outside contractors for animation assets. As is normal in the vfx industry, the contractors are often left to duplicate assets by themselves, sometimes with limited resource material, so it looks as though these changes went by unnoticed. Further evidence of this is the Colonial raptor used in the season 3 episode "The Passage", which shows entirely different engines, engine mounts, front landing gear housing, and hull paneling than the raptor more commonly seen in the majority of other episodes. --SFM Hobbes 20:06, 19 September 2007 (CDT)Rick Snider
I agree with SFM Hobbes assesment, especially in light of Razor, where the Maelstrom Mk VII was used quite prominently. We should try to avoid speculation until someone in the show actually specifies that the Mk VII from Maelstrom is a new type of Mk VII. --Kregano 19:03, 4 December 2007 (CST)
The Maelstorm varient has been seen onscreen at the same time as the Viper 7 twice in razor and He that believeth in me, so id assume that it is a different varient. Logically id think that itd a older varient of viper than the 7, as in the Miniseries Boomer tells Apollo that "the only ships having any effect are either old or in need of a retrofit". Now by old i doubt shes refering to the 40 year old mark twos.--VARGR 23:59, 4 February 2009 (UTC)
New Sizing Information[edit]
I just saw this post on Facebook from Galactiguise about the relative sizes of the different Vipers.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=468449396542337
The upshot is that he rescaled orthographics of the Vipers based on the cockpits, rather than matching the sizes of the mock-ups (which are the source for the known dimensions, including the ones on this page). According to him, the Mark VII prop has a smaller engine section compared to the CG version, so the specs on this page are inaccurate for the "real" CG version, which is about 12.49 meters long (and almost certainly has a different proportion comparing length to wingspan and height).
Personally, I always thought the Mark VII cockpit looked remarkably cramped at the 9.8 m length, so I think this size should be regarded as the "real" one and put in the info box (perhaps with a note about the difference between the CG and physical Viper VIIs, if only because the 9.8 m figure is so widespread). On the other hand, it almost looks too big in that picture, so maybe the real size is somewhere in-between? -- David cgc 19:31, 13 February 2013 (EST)