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Today sees the release of Titan Book’s new novel, Alien: Covenant – Origins, from Alan Dean Foster. They’ve also got the anthology Predator: If It Bleeds due out next month and Alien: The Cold Forge next April.

If you thought Titan was done with Alien after that, we’re pleased to dispel you of that notion. Alien vs. Predator Galaxy is proud to help Titan Books announce another new book, Alien: The Blueprints!

“Titan Books are delighted to announce the publication of a brand new Alien art book in September 2018 as part of their on-going Alien franchise publishing programme, across fiction and non-fiction titles. Alien: The Blueprints by Graham Langridge is a collection of brand new blueprints of all the major vehicles, ships and weaponry of the Alien movie universe.

Artist Graham Langridge delves deep into the concept art, set designs and photography to recreate full and accurate blueprints of the drop ship, the Sulaco, the Nostromo and many more. Covering all the movies including Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

Presented in a beautiful, hardcover art book, Alien: The Blueprints includes feature gatefold pages to allow the reader to explore larger vessels such as the Sulaco and the Covenant in stunning detail. A must have for any Alien fan.”

Some of you may recognize the name Graham Langridge. He’s been involved in Alien fandom for sometime and is responsible for the renowned Nostromo blueprint that has circulated around the internet for a while now. It was even included as pullout in the previously released Alien: Vault.

Alien: The Blueprints is currently scheduled for release on the 5th of September 2018 in both the United Kingdom and North America.

Keep a close eye on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest Alien and Predator literature news! You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien and Predator fans on our forums!

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This sounds absolutely superb.

---

Would be amazing if Gateway, Hadley and The penal Colony are in there.

Sweet.

Oh, yeah.  This sounds terrific!  Looking forward to seeing this become available in 12 months time.

-Windebieste.

Superb! Definitely picking this up.

Instabuy lol

So what was infamous about the Nostromo blueprint that was around online before? (Not sure I actually saw it lol)

Yeah I thought the use of 'infamous' was a little odd.

*corrected.

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Sep 27, 2017, 08:59:44 PM
*corrected.

Perhaps you meant "renowned"?
;D
Others that are fitting:
estimable
excellent
highly regarded
marvelous
outstanding
praiseworthy

I'll steal renowned.  :D

Sounds great!

I'm still waiting for the Bob Penn book of ALIEN production stills to be published.

Oh, yeah.  That one, too.  Thanks for the reminder. 

There should be some neat never seen before content in that one. 

-Windebieste.

I've not heard anything about that for a while. I'll try and find out what's happening with it.

What is that all about then Winde, Hicks ?

Quote from: Russ840 on Sep 28, 2017, 02:14:08 PM
What is that all about then Winde, Hicks ?

http://www.avpgalaxy.net/2016/09/06/alien-diaries-bob-penn-announced/

I asked Charles and he said it was on track for release at the next SDCC.

Glad to see this is finally "officially" announced - I'd spoken to Graham late last year and he mentioned this was in the works, it was hard to keep my mouth shut about it until it became official. :P

(https://orig00.deviantart.net/881d/f/2013/001/a/8/uss_sulaco_by_hydride_ion-d5q1y6t.png)
(https://orig00.deviantart.net/6d2c/f/2013/001/f/d/fd877ad6f388ef9aeac837bd68482e62-d5q1xuo.png)

Here's Graham's other blueprints from his Deviantart.

Man I am so excited for this. Cant wait to see the prometheus and Covenant blueprints.

I love the level of detail. Even all the information looks very detailed as well

This sounds great! Definitely be picking up a copy of this.

Does anyone know if there'll be any interior schematics of those ships to go along with the excellent exterior blueprints?

Interiors and floor plans would be neat.  I'm guessing there would have to be something like those drawn up - how many exterior drawings would there be for the 2 dozen or so ships and vehicles appearing in all the movies? 

Multiple orthogonal representations for sure; but it's a safe bet we'll be seeing more than just ship exteriors.  Mind you, there's also tons of other hardware items as well - large and small - that would make for ideal subjects for schematic treatment.

Either way, what a great in universe resource this will be. 

-Windebieste.

Interiors? I wish this was coming out TOMORROW

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 29, 2017, 12:13:46 PM
This sounds great! Definitely be picking up a copy of this.

Does anyone know if there'll be any interior schematics of those ships to go along with the excellent exterior blueprints?

What you will see in the book will be similar to the past work you've seen from me. Ships, vehicles, colonies. There are some interiors included. Tend to be select areas you see in the related movie such as Ops and MedLab as an example rather than a full-on deck plan (apart from Nostromo, I go a little deeper). So a neat affordable book with some really cool artwork I hope you'll love. Another year to wait so I'll talk more about it nearer the time and when it's released. :-)

How many films are you covering?

Nice.  Thanks for the update.  Appreciated.

-Windebieste.

Quote from: SM on Sep 29, 2017, 10:27:38 PM
How many films are you covering?

Alien I-IV, Prometheus, Covenant.

Nice.

I need it now

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 29, 2017, 10:23:12 PM

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 29, 2017, 12:13:46 PM
This sounds great! Definitely be picking up a copy of this.

Does anyone know if there'll be any interior schematics of those ships to go along with the excellent exterior blueprints?

What you will see in the book will be similar to the past work you've seen from me. Ships, vehicles, colonies. There are some interiors included. Tend to be select areas you see in the related movie such as Ops and MedLab as an example rather than a full-on deck plan (apart from Nostromo, I go a little deeper). So a neat affordable book with some really cool artwork I hope you'll love. Another year to wait so I'll talk more about it nearer the time and when it's released. :-)

I'm really hoping Alien3 and Resurrection get some love.

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 29, 2017, 10:23:12 PMWhat you will see in the book will be similar to the past work you've seen from me. Ships, vehicles, colonies. There are some interiors included. Tend to be select areas you see in the related movie such as Ops and MedLab as an example rather than a full-on deck plan (apart from Nostromo, I go a little deeper).

Great, thanks for responding!

Can't lie, I would've loved to see full layouts of Hadley's Hope and the prison, but I guess we don't really get enough context on those in the films for that to be possible, so I can understand why that's not happening. Still really looking forward to this!

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 30, 2017, 08:33:09 AMI'm really hoping Alien3 and Resurrection get some love.

Yeah, likewise. I get why there's usually under-represented in things like this but I'd love to see them get a bit more inclusion. I loved that the W-Y Report had so much great Resurrection stuff, especially given Perry's confessed dislike of the film.

I did a lot of work on doing floorplans for the prison a few years back.

Murderous.

Quote from: SM on Oct 02, 2017, 08:06:56 PMI did a lot of work on doing floorplans for the prison a few years back.

Murderous.

Personal project or for something official?

The original intent was the latter but it didn't pan out.

Can't wait.

The Star Wars collected cross section books are amongst my favourite. Whilst this one touches on some interiors I'm up for blueprints of the Sulaco and co.

This book has become my most anticipated upcoming  hardcover.

One would assume that the content is 'signed off' by fox ?

Quote from: Russ840 on Oct 04, 2017, 08:39:06 AM
This book has become my most anticipated upcoming  hardcover.

One would assume that the content is 'signed off' by fox ?

Titan, the publisher, has a license.


I'm wondering if we'll finally get to see where they store the coffee...

Rumour has it it's the only thing good on that ship.

This sounds awesome!

Hey Graham,
Great to see this being made public. Can't wait to see the eventual book.  :)

Hi Graham.  Will we have any juggernaut / space jockey blueprints?  Will the entire book be black and white?  It would be cool to see some of your work in full color.  Also, is there any possibility you might include vehicles from the EU?  The Benedict space ship from Aliens: Book One was a really beautiful design...

Your blueprints are epic!  Can't wait!

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Oct 09, 2017, 03:08:18 PM
Hi Graham.  Will we have any juggernaut / space jockey blueprints?  Will the entire book be black and white?  It would be cool to see some of your work in full color.  Also, is there any possibility you might include vehicles from the EU?  The Benedict space ship from Aliens: Book One was a really beautiful design...

Your blueprints are epic!  Can't wait!

The book does and always has mainly concentrated on the human-related hardware in the ship, vehicle, colony realm; I do have the original derelict in there, though the original intent was for it to be a hand-drawn piece, and only if there was time. Hand-drawn due to the organic nature of Giger's work. More difficult to do on cad because drafting on cad is mainly straight lines. Trying to do 20-24 subjects is tough in the time permitted, and I knew that I would be pressed to draw the derelict.

So rather than leave it out altogether, I've done a few sheets of the original Derelict and Space Jockey. Without giving too much away I've illustrated it in such a way that it's based on a Geologist from the colony among the team that investigate it after Russ Jordan is attacked, and according to Prometheus, what do Geologists have? Spectographs, or 'PUPS' as Fifield calls it. So basically there are a couple of sheets that are colony spectograph print-outs from that exterior derelict survey. They look cool and are the only sheets that are not the usual blueprints. The original map that hangs in Operations has 'Geo Surv / Asset Claims' written on it, so I ran with that; it makes sense that there are a couple of Geologists / Geotech Engineers at the colony what with the rock formations, lava flows and just the nature of the landscape, so it seemed to be plausible.

The Prometheus Juggernaut is not included (personal preference really, I prefer the original - sorry); rest of the Prometheus ships and vehicles however are.

All the book will be black & white. The derelict pages I mention are grayscale so not strictly black & white.
I've thought about color over the years but people always seem to love the B&W technical look, so stuck with it.
As for EU ships, movie subjects only on this one. :-)

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Oct 12, 2017, 01:01:17 AM
As for EU ships, movie subjects only on this one. :-)

"This one", as if there could be others if there's demand?

Graham. His sounds amazing mate. Release day can not get here quick enough.

Will there be a canon explanation for the "Weylan" spelling?

Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 17, 2017, 06:15:48 PM
Will there be a canon explanation for the "Weylan" spelling?

Ha, I doubt it. As you likely already know, the 'Company' was called Weylan-Yutani in the original 'Alien'. That was then changed by Cameron for 'Aliens'. When I first created the Nostromo illustration back in 2009, I wanted to go the 'as seen on screen' (if you really squint) approach as did some fans of the movie. Of course Prometheus came out two years later, and I wondered if the Yutani Corp were putting the boot in on a former competitor after a hostile takeover of Weyland...and then Alien Covenant came out and it was Weyland Yutani
One cannot really plan ahead for that kind of stuff and maybe it doesn't really matter.
I would think that any dialogue in an official publication concerning Weylan vs. Weyland in a story or otherwise would need approval from Fox, and/or an explanation regarding the difference likely and conveniently forgotten about in the overall franchise. But, remains a little interesting piece of history on the making of the franchise if nothing else.

I never did understand why the spelling was changed for ALIENS.

QuoteTechnical drawings of all the major ships and vehicles from the Alien movies, presented in incredible detail. Includes iconic spacecraft like the Nostromo, the Sulaco and the Covenant.

Alien: The Blueprints is a collection of brand new blueprints of all the major vehicles, ships and technology of the Alien movie universe. Artist Graham Langridge delves deep into the concept art, set designs and photography to recreate full and accurate blueprints of the drop ship, the Sulaco, the Nostromo and many more. Covering all the movies including Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, this is a must-have for any Alien fan.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1FQsVJuY2L.jpg)

https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Blueprints-Graham-Langridge/dp/1785654950/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515257487&sr=8-1&keywords=alien+blueprints

Preordered.  ;D

Ditto

Oh I'll buy this for sure.  As an industrial designer, I LOVE blueprints.  But am I seeing this right?  Is that blue grid paper with subtle stains or wear on it?  The publisher may be trying to be clever, but I'm not sure that is the direction I would have taken...

Loving the look of this.

I'm loving the blueprints.  For sure.  I can live either cover.  This has the potential to be one of the best Aliens reference books out there..

Got an email from Amazon saying that the release date has been bumped back to 2035, and Amazon's listing says the same thing. I just emailed Graham to see if he knows anything about it.

2035?! :laugh:

Usually when Amazon put up a ridiculous date like that, it just means there's a delay and they're covering themselves so they don't need to keep changing the release date.

I just saw this the other day in my browsing the "literature" section. It didn't even come up on the Amazon search I did. Though it was still up on Book Depository's site for 10 0/0 off.

2035 Crazy :o

Chapters.ca in Canada also has 2035!  Awesome!  This book will feature everything about Alien X by Blomkamp!

---

Anybody recall if 2035 has any significance in the Alien timeline?

Weyland Corp opened an office in Antarctica.

According to the WY report, Weyland introduced a spacecraft called the Heliades in 2034.  Nothing particularly interesting happened in 2035.  It doesn't seem to be some elaborate in-universe geek joke...  probably a typo, but an odd one.  I can't see how you could press these keys consecutively by mistake on a keyboard to get that number.

Noooo....not 2035!

Very likely pushed back to tie in with a big anniversary next year....the 40th Anniversary of the movie that started it all, 'ALIEN'. I do not know the exact date yet, that is still being worked out. I will say that Titan have been awesome to work with on this and I'm very happy with how it is coming along.

About the way the pages look above, I wasn't sure about it at first, but having seen it in person (I got sent some preview sheets), I love it.

I am very excited. :-)

This is the single most exciting thing in the AVP galaxy for me for the foreseeable future.

Any updates on this thing since the Amazon 2035 thing?

This and the Hallett/Hatton David art book both intrigue me immensely.

See USG Ishimura's post above.

Ahhh, thank you! Somehow missed that one but it makes perfect sense.

I love this book.  I don't even have it yet and I love it.  I have blueprints of the sulaco and APC on my wall in my den.  Can't wait to enjoy them as a book.

Ok seriously, enough with the release date joke.  When is this hitting stores?  I need it on my bookshelf!

>:(

"...intercepted a transmission..." (https://thenostromofiles.com/2018/07/30/intercepted-a-transmission/)

Quote from: FenGiddel on Aug 05, 2018, 02:45:36 PM
"...intercepted a transmission..." (https://thenostromofiles.com/2018/07/30/intercepted-a-transmission/)

Noice, thanks for the update! I hadn't heard from Graham in a while myself.

This better be in the pipe, 5x5!

Quote from: FenGiddel on Aug 05, 2018, 02:45:36 PM
"...intercepted a transmission..." (https://thenostromofiles.com/2018/07/30/intercepted-a-transmission/)

Thanks for the intel. Glad to hear it's all on track. Makes sense they'd push it back as another anniversary release.

Always glad to return the favor RE: ALIEN news...

Quote from: FenGiddel on Aug 05, 2018, 02:45:36 PM
"...intercepted a transmission..." (https://thenostromofiles.com/2018/07/30/intercepted-a-transmission/)

Thanks for the update :D

All the exterior and interior stuff sounds amazing

Quote from: Wweyland on Aug 08, 2018, 11:31:51 AM
All the exterior and interior stuff sounds amazing

Yes, sir, it does! There'll be a lot of "golly-gee-whiz-bang!" here when those pages get opened...

Quote from: Wweyland on Aug 08, 2018, 11:31:51 AM
All the exterior and interior stuff sounds amazing

There will be interior floorplans? :O
Dear lord when does it come out?

Coming September 3, 2019 as per Chapters.ca.

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/alien-the-blueprints/9781785654954-item.html?ikwid=Alien+blueprints&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

And there was much rejoicing...

There will be.  There will be.

Yes!

https://titanbooks.com/9152-alien-the-blueprints/

I just wish they would use a more beautiful typeface in the cover. That one is an eyesore.

Quote from: Kane's other son on Mar 20, 2019, 10:02:48 AM
I just wish they would use a more beautiful typeface in the cover. That one is an eyesore.

Don't know why but that cover takes me back to 1979 and me sifting through my brother's book collection for my first introduction to the Alien world reading this ...

(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/avp/images/6/6b/The_Book_of_Alien_Original.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150508081944)

Hello,

Unfortunately, the release date for the item(s) listed below was changed by the supplier, and we need to provide you with a new estimated delivery date based on the new release date:

  Graham Langridge "Alien: The Blueprints"
    Estimated arrival date: October 01 2019 - October 02 2019

One of our aims is to provide a convenient and efficient service but in this case, we've fallen short. Please accept our sincere apologies.

If the order won't arrive by the time you need it, you can cancel the order or an individual item from your order by visiting Your Account, and viewing the order details. As long as the item hasn't entered the dispatch process, you'll be able to cancel it.
We hope to see you again soon.

Amazon.co.uk
http://www.amazon.co.uk
Please note: This e-mail was sent from a notification-only address that can't accept incoming e-mail.


...bugger...

For what it's worth, the US release date is still Sept 3rd.

I got one that said "Estimated arrival date: September 24 2019"

???

Thanks for the 'merge', Corporal!

If any delay results in a better book, I'm all for it.

I'm not sure about any delay, my work on it completed in Feb and nothing has changed on content. Probably just on the manufacturing and printing end.

In that case I am really upset about the delay!  My poor bookshelf.   ;)

Having just picked up Alien Vault, I wonder if the Nostromo blueprint in this will just be a reprint of the pull-out from Vault. It kinda looks like it from the preview images, albeit sectioned off into four smaller drawings.

It's the same person. I believe he's redone it for this.

If this book dealt with only the original film - specifically, the Nostromo, interiors and exterior - this would be an instant pre-order.

I would love to see a whole book devoted solely to the Nostromo; in a (full colour) cut-away section format - like the STAR WARS vehicles & ships books.

And it isn't an instant pre-order? I think you'll get your money's worth.

Quote from: The Old One on Jul 28, 2019, 03:08:33 AM
And it isn't an instant pre-order? I think you'll get your money's worth.

It would be if the book wasn't contaminated by the inclusion of vehicles & tech from the later films.
The Nostromo is such an interesting subject that an entire book could easily be devoted to it.

Contaminated? lol Alright, I'd rather get the Nostromo, Sulaco, Patna, Auriga, Prometheus and Covenant altogether myself. (& Hopefully the Carpathia someday.)

Quote from: Elmazalman on Jul 28, 2019, 08:56:31 PM

Quote from: The Old One on Jul 28, 2019, 03:08:33 AM
And it isn't an instant pre-order? I think you'll get your money's worth.

It would be if the book wasn't contaminated by the inclusion of vehicles & tech from the later films.
The Nostromo is such an interesting subject that an entire book could easily be devoted to it.

A book solely based on the Nostromo, the Narcissus and other chattels associated with the vehicle could be assembled.  It would have to be very intensively focused in a variety of areas to make the page count, covering every possible angle of the ship.  From pre-production concepts by Foss and Cobb to final set photographs and everything in between.  Not just elaborate and detailed schematics of the vehicle as we are seeing in the upcoming Langridge book but also include carpenter and set construction schematics as well.  Basically, a book that covers every facet of the vehicle from start to finish of the production, including a post cinema release history of what's happened to all the props since then and who has them.

There's still a lot of interest in ALIEN merchandise - possibly now more than ever - so a book dedicated solely on the Nostromo could definitely be published.  It would have hardcore appeal, that's for sure, and the mass market may not support it, but it's there in a dedicated way.  After all, the gear and tactics was no less of a focused attempt at realising everything relating to the Colonial Marines in the 'Colonial Marines Technical Manual'.  So it can be done.

How many pages?  At least 150.  Easy.   Time to assemble such a book?  About 4 years.

-Windebieste.

Quote from: The Old One on Jul 28, 2019, 09:14:09 PM
Contaminated? lol Alright, I'd rather get the Nostromo, Sulaco, Patna, Auriga, Prometheus and Covenant altogether myself. (& Hopefully the Carpathia someday.)

Refresh my memory, what's the Carpathia?

I mean, other than the ship that rescued survivors from the Titanic.

Quote from: windebieste on Jul 28, 2019, 11:41:18 PM

Quote from: Elmazalman on Jul 28, 2019, 08:56:31 PM

Quote from: The Old One on Jul 28, 2019, 03:08:33 AM
And it isn't an instant pre-order? I think you'll get your money's worth.

It would be if the book wasn't contaminated by the inclusion of vehicles & tech from the later films.
The Nostromo is such an interesting subject that an entire book could easily be devoted to it.

A book solely based on the Nostromo, the Narcissus and other chattels associated with the vehicle could be assembled.  It would have to be very intensively focused in a variety of areas to make the page count, covering every possible angle of the ship.  From pre-production concepts by Foss and Cobb to final set photographs and everything in between.  Not just elaborate and detailed schematics of the vehicle as we are seeing in the upcoming Langridge book but also include carpenter and set construction schematics as well.  Basically, a book that covers every facet of the vehicle from start to finish of the production, including a post cinema release history of what's happened to all the props since then and who has them.

There's still a lot of interest in ALIEN merchandise - possibly now more than ever - so a book dedicated solely on the Nostromo could definitely be published.  It would have hardcore appeal, that's for sure, and the mass market may not support it, but it's there in a dedicated way.  After all, the gear and tactics was no less of a focused attempt at realising everything relating to the Colonial Marines in the 'Colonial Marines Technical Manual'.  So it can be done.

How many pages?  At least 150.  Easy.   Time to assemble such a book?  About 4 years.

-Windebieste.

Of interest (for me) would be comparisons between both versions of the (filmed) refinery platform and the Narcissus - ALIEN vs ALIENS shuttle sets.

Quote from: windebieste on Jul 28, 2019, 11:41:18 PM

Quote from: Elmazalman on Jul 28, 2019, 08:56:31 PM

Quote from: The Old One on Jul 28, 2019, 03:08:33 AM
And it isn't an instant pre-order? I think you'll get your money's worth.

It would be if the book wasn't contaminated by the inclusion of vehicles & tech from the later films.
The Nostromo is such an interesting subject that an entire book could easily be devoted to it.

A book solely based on the Nostromo, the Narcissus and other chattels associated with the vehicle could be assembled.  It would have to be very intensively focused in a variety of areas to make the page count, covering every possible angle of the ship.  From pre-production concepts by Foss and Cobb to final set photographs and everything in between.  Not just elaborate and detailed schematics of the vehicle as we are seeing in the upcoming Langridge book but also include carpenter and set construction schematics as well.  Basically, a book that covers every facet of the vehicle from start to finish of the production, including a post cinema release history of what's happened to all the props since then and who has them.

There's still a lot of interest in ALIEN merchandise - possibly now more than ever - so a book dedicated solely on the Nostromo could definitely be published.  It would have hardcore appeal, that's for sure, and the mass market may not support it, but it's there in a dedicated way.  After all, the gear and tactics was no less of a focused attempt at realising everything relating to the Colonial Marines in the 'Colonial Marines Technical Manual'.  So it can be done.

How many pages?  At least 150.  Easy.   Time to assemble such a book?  About 4 years.

-Windebieste.

The way to make this work is to add the cargo platform and provide some cross-sections and details of what is inside that thing.

I want to see the showers and toilets. :D

Just aft of the main access ladder.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Jul 29, 2019, 12:11:44 AM

Quote from: The Old One on Jul 28, 2019, 09:14:09 PM
Contaminated? lol Alright, I'd rather get the Nostromo, Sulaco, Patna, Auriga, Prometheus and Covenant altogether myself. (& Hopefully the Carpathia someday.)

Refresh my memory, what's the Carpathia?

I mean, other than the ship that rescued survivors from the Titanic.

Carpathia would be way too on the nose.

They need to keep it ancient, or stop naming the movies after the ships at all. Awakening was as good a title as any.

---

Quote from: Elmazalman on Jul 29, 2019, 12:42:23 AM
I want to see the showers and toilets. :D

Communal toilets with an alien underneath.

After Covenant, Carpathia is the best prospective title.
Awakening is painfully generic.

Quote from: Elmazalman on Jul 29, 2019, 12:30:55 AMOf interest (for me) would be comparisons between both versions of the (filmed) refinery platform and the Narcissus - ALIEN vs ALIENS shuttle sets.

Funny you should mention that, I'm kicking around ideas for a Narcissus-centric website.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Jul 30, 2019, 04:46:51 AM

Quote from: Elmazalman on Jul 29, 2019, 12:30:55 AMOf interest (for me) would be comparisons between both versions of the (filmed) refinery platform and the Narcissus - ALIEN vs ALIENS shuttle sets.

Funny you should mention that, I'm kicking around ideas for a Narcissus-centric website.

Please do. I would be interested in visiting it.

There are a whole bunch of differences between the Alien and Aliens Narcissus sets. On both sets the viewports at the front and the door at the back were built much more 'vertically' than they appear on the filming miniatures too which makes things even more interesting.

Quote from: SM on Jul 29, 2019, 12:53:55 AM
Just aft of the main access ladder.

[emoji6]

As I've said, it's almost as if people don't believe me. lol
I'd enjoy seeing the differences in black and white so to speak.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/climb-aboard-and-inspect-our-sneak-peek-of-titan-books-new-alien-the-blueprints

Thanks for the heads-up Hicks!

Probably most interested in the Fury 161 stuff. Just ordered from Amazon.co.uk, there is a discount.

I'm really curious about this one myself. It's really cool stuff. I've been offered a review copy but honestly not sure it's something I'll be able to speak about in any critical fashion.

Looking forward to it!
Loving the sound of seeing the layout of the Nostromo, Sulaco and the Fiorina 161 Facility.

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Sep 22, 2019, 02:50:08 PM
I'm really curious about this one myself. It's really cool stuff. I've been offered a review copy but honestly not sure it's something I'll be able to speak about in any critical fashion.

Feel free to give me the review copy in that case. ;D

I almost remarked identically.

Quote from: Fiendishly Inventive on Jul 28, 2019, 09:14:09 PM
Contaminated? lol Alright, I'd rather get the Nostromo, Sulaco, Patna, Auriga, Prometheus and Covenant altogether myself. (& Hopefully the Carpathia someday.)

Carpathia? I'm familiar with the liner. I can't find an alien connection in search.

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Sep 22, 2019, 02:50:08 PMI've been offered a review copy but honestly not sure it's something I'll be able to speak about in any critical fashion.

I know what you mean. It kinda strikes me as being like the Tech Manual - really cool to have and reference every now and then, but not really something you'll read through very often.

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 23, 2019, 07:22:36 AM

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Sep 22, 2019, 02:50:08 PMI've been offered a review copy but honestly not sure it's something I'll be able to speak about in any critical fashion.

I know what you mean. It kinda strikes me as being like the Tech Manual - really cool to have and reference every now and then, but not really something you'll read through very often.

Think of it more like an art book that compliments the tech manual.

Awesome to see this finally getting released, man.  :)

Quote from: SM on Sep 23, 2019, 10:26:52 AM
Awesome to see this finally getting released, man.  :)

Thanks SM; your website was a great help and your name is in the acknowledgements.

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 23, 2019, 10:17:56 AMThink of it more like an art book that compliments the tech manual.

Oh yeah, to be clear - I'm definitely getting this :)

I just feel like it's gonna be something cool for me to peek at now and then rather than something I actively sit down and read through. Which isn't intended as criticism, because the same goes for the Tech Manual, which I love.

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 23, 2019, 11:29:56 AM

Oh yeah, to be clear - I'm definitely getting this :)

I just feel like it's gonna be something cool for me to peek at now and then rather than something I actively sit down and read through. Which isn't intended as criticism, because the same goes for the Tech Manual, which I love.

Oh sure, it's cool, I didn't take it that way. It's kind of nerve-wracking if I'm honest. I've tried to put something in there for everyone.

Well congrats on getting this published! Loved the blueprint you did for Alien Vault :)

Just ordered off Bookdepository.com ... boom. Great discount too off the RRP.
Can't wait to get this one :-)

https://www.bookdepository.com/Alien-Blueprints-Graham-Langridge/9781785654954

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 23, 2019, 11:29:56 AM

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 23, 2019, 10:17:56 AMThink of it more like an art book that compliments the tech manual.

Oh yeah, to be clear - I'm definitely getting this :)

I just feel like it's gonna be something cool for me to peek at now and then rather than something I actively sit down and read through. Which isn't intended as criticism, because the same goes for the Tech Manual, which I love.

Oh yeah, I'm definitely getting this too. I've had it on pre-order since it was announced and am really looking forward to seeing what Graham has come up with!

Should be out today but I've had no notice from Amazon about shipping.

---

Speaking of, just got this email:

QuoteWe're still trying to obtain the item(s) which you ordered

Amazon UK has been absolutely shite with getting these latest Alien big books from Titan lately.

Hicks, they are shite with most hardcover I preorder. I got the same message and get it for every comic hardcover I preorder. With the exception of Dark horse Books.

How can you have a book pre ordered since Jan 2018 and then they not get the stock to cover a near two year old preorder lol

Mr H has a review up on youtube. The book looks F-ing amazing.

I'm paging through this thing and holy f**king shit, this isn't a book, it's an accomplishment. The density of material and attention to detail is f**king insane. It's going to take days to really give this the attention it deserves; it's like the CMTM all over again.

Wow, really?? I'm really looking forward to checking it out.

Great to hear.

Ya I've just cracked into my copy and have already found some fun bits regarding the architecture of the refinery that I thought was really cool. I'll certainly be slowly making my way through it as there's so much detail. A beautiful book!

Mine is arriving tomorrow. Can not wait

I don't get it.  How can there be so much goodness in150 pages?  Any Prometheus / Covenant stuff?

Yes.

Does it show us where the Sulaco's EEVs are?

Just got the email that mine is being shipped. Should have it in a couple of weeks.

;D

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 26, 2019, 11:38:33 PM
Does it show us where the Sulaco's EEVs are?

Don't know.  There were a few of us working on a project some years ago where this was discussed, but I don't think we ever reached a consensus.  Be very cool if Graham managed to work something out.

Does it show us a second shuttle on the Nostromo?

Don't know.  I don't have a copy.

Looks like the preview pages on Amazon show us the Nostromo blueprints and I think I can make out two shuttles...

Spoiler

(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FjANhntB.jpg&hash=a4124b52e4d817b641ec9e5f188752ec387ea9dd)

[close]

The original Vault blueprints had both shuttles.

Who can we blame for the spelling of Weyland on those blueprints?

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 27, 2019, 12:22:48 AMDoes it show us a second shuttle on the Nostromo?

The preview images made it look like the Nostromo blueprints were essentially recycled from Alien Vault, in which case it will.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 27, 2019, 12:22:48 AM
Does it show us a second shuttle on the Nostromo?

Yes.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 26, 2019, 11:38:33 PM
Does it show us where the Sulaco's EEVs are?

No, which is unfortunate since the Sulaco diagram has a bit of wasted page space by way of the Port/Starboard diagrams of the ship - the Sulaco is identical on both sides, so getting a view of each side felt superfluous.

There is a full page in the section on the EEV that talks about how they mount into the hull and the armatures that deploy them, but I find it really confusing; there isn't anything spatially to show where it's located on the ship, and it's even hard to tell if you're looking at the interior or exterior of the hull - the first pic shows blast plates that are flush with the hull that I assume are blown off of the exterior hull when the EEV is going to deploy, but at the same time there are catwalks and ladders which makes it seem like it's on the interior.

After spending some time with the book, some thoughts:

- The attention to detail is pretty wild, and a lot of the "marginalia" (for lack of a better word) is as interesting as the technical drawings themselves.  What's present is really dense, there's a lot to dig into

- That said, 'Alien Resurrection' gets shafted pretty hard. The exteriors of the Betty are neat, but the exteriors of the Auriga felt lackluster compared to the rest of the blueprints in the book; not a single feature on the outside of the Auriga gets labeled. Also, neither the Betty nor the Auriga get interior diagrams of any kind, which was a bit unfortunate since the chapter introduction rattles off a ton of interior sets from the movie and even includes some concept art of the Betty's cockpit. Also the APC from 'Prometheus' gets twice as many pages as the Auriga.

- What we get for 'Alien3' is great, but it left me wanting more. After we get full deck plans of the Nostromo and Hadley's Hope, I was hoping we'd get a full facility schematic for Fury 161. We get some parts (the quinitricetalyne storage, the abbatoir, the furnaces, the mold press), but there's a lot that we don't (the admin areas, mess hall, infirmary, prisoner quarters/common area, the exterior of the facility).

- The Sulaco has a bit of a similar problem, in that we're only shown drawings for areas we explicitly see in the movie (hangar bay, ready room, and cryosleep bay/mess hall), it kind of would have been neat to get a hint at what else is in the ship. I guess 'Aliens: Colonial Marines' will have to do. :P

- the Narcissus, Dropship, and APC are real standouts, they get a ton of interesting detail. I didn't know that one of the lockers in the Narcissus doubled as a cryosleep chamber, I don't remember seeing that anywhere else but it's a cool detail (and makes the escape plan in 'Alien' make a lot more sense with 3 people :P ). Checking Xenopedia, there isn't a mention of the third cryopod. There's a lot of technical marginalia for the Dropship and APC, and it's pretty much all copied verbatim from the CMTM (with acknowledgements).

- Take the time to check the stuff in the blueprint detail box in the corner of each blueprint, there's some neat stuff in there. Whoever this "Graham J Langridge" guy is, he lives for a long time based on the dates in the boxes. :P

- Including drawings for the Derelict and Space Jockey felt weird, and the drawings themselves aren't that interesting, but the side notes are pretty cool. It feels like those side notes are "the point", and the drawings are just a justification for including them since it's meant to be a blueprint book.

All in all it's a pretty great book, and a cool companion book for the CMTM. It's weighted a little heavily in favor of the first two movies which is unfortunate, but that's true of most Alien media. I was kind of hoping this book would buck the trend, but oh well. All in all it's absolutely worth the wait and absolutely worth picking up.

One final "complaint", the book is really tall and I have no way to fit it on my bookshelves. :(

I'd guess the lack of overview re:the third and fourth film locations is because they never really considered that when they made the sets. The sets for the first two movies were largely interconnected, were they not? I get the impression Alien 3 and Resurrection were more spread out, even over separate stages.

The whole Alien Resurection thing was down to two things; a set page count that had to be adhered to - I had to be mindful that the first two movies (and the third, depending on who you talk to) are way more popular than the fourth, so with a limited page count, absolutely more was going to be done on the earlier movies.

Second, there was not the reference available for Resurrection and much of Alien 3. There were some set photos, but it's a whole different beast when one is trying to turn limited information into an accurate blueprint. It takes much more additional time trying to figure out what goes where. I think it covers something like 22-23 different subjects, so two years, one a month, evenings and weekends...you can probably appreciate how quick the time goes, and there is no access to a mystical vault where one can access all the information. The focus had to be where the reference was available the most, and the line had to be drawn somewhere (no pun intended).

I can confirm that I have the same lifespan as Yoda.

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Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 27, 2019, 09:36:39 AM
I'd guess the lack of overview re:the third and fourth film locations is because they never really considered that when they made the sets. The sets for the first two movies were largely interconnected, were they not? I get the impression Alien 3 and Resurrection were more spread out, even over separate stages.

Plus with Alien 3, the sets were rapidly changing because of the difficulties the movie had when filming.

---

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 27, 2019, 04:00:51 AM
Who can we blame for the spelling of Weyland on those blueprints?

James Cameron who changed it for Aliens, then the arrival of Prometheus and Covenant. :-)

I tried to put a floorplan of the prison together back when I was working on the aforementioned thing with Graham, John Mullaney, Mike Lynch and a bunch of other guys years ago and all we really had were some set blue prints of the abbatoir and blast furnace.  I made copious notes of regarding how many levels are in the prison, where various things are on what level and how they're connected.  Didn't really get very far and what I came up with was fairly crap.  It's not like Alien where all the corridors leads to different rooms.

I'm sure Graham's work would be infinitely better.

Quote from: SM on Sep 27, 2019, 01:02:14 PM
I tried to put a floorplan of the prison together back when I was working on the aforementioned thing with Graham, John Mullaney, Mike Lynch and a bunch of other guys years ago and all we really had were some set blue prints of the abbatoir and blast furnace.  I made copious notes of regarding how many levels are in the prison, where various things are on what level and how they're connected.  Didn't really get very far and what I came up with was fairly crap.  It's not like Alien where all the corridors leads to different rooms.

I'm sure Graham's work would be infinitely better.

I was about to ask had anyone attempted to make there own floor plan of Fury

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 27, 2019, 09:46:55 AM
The whole Alien Resurection thing was down to two things; a set page count that had to be adhered to - I had to be mindful that the first two movies (and the third, depending on who you talk to) are way more popular than the fourth, so with a limited page count, absolutely more was going to be done on the earlier movies.

Second, there was not the reference available for Resurrection and much of Alien 3. There were some set photos, but it's a whole different beast when one is trying to turn limited information into an accurate blueprint. It takes much more additional time trying to figure out what goes where. I think it covers something like 22-23 different subjects, so two years, one a month, evenings and weekends...you can probably appreciate how quick the time goes, and there is no access to a mystical vault where one can access all the information. The focus had to be where the reference was available the most, and the line had to be drawn somewhere (no pun intended).

I can confirm that I have the same lifespan as Yoda.

---

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 27, 2019, 09:36:39 AM
I'd guess the lack of overview re:the third and fourth film locations is because they never really considered that when they made the sets. The sets for the first two movies were largely interconnected, were they not? I get the impression Alien 3 and Resurrection were more spread out, even over separate stages.

Plus with Alien 3, the sets were rapidly changing because of the difficulties the movie had when filming.

---

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 27, 2019, 04:00:51 AM
Who can we blame for the spelling of Weyland on those blueprints?

James Cameron who changed it for Aliens, then the arrival of Prometheus and Covenant. :-)

Would you be able to clarify the EEV launch diagram page? I found it confusing for some reason.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 27, 2019, 04:26:37 PMWould you be able to clarify the EEV launch diagram page? I found it confusing for some reason.

Sure, I'd be happy to. I had just the page to devote to it, I would have liked to create some kind of 3d view to it, but time and space were against me.

The view you see at the bottom of that page is basically an elaboration of the view you see at the beginning of the movie as the EEV launches. There are behind-the-scenes shots on the bluray features that show more of the space around the one EEV and you see multiple EEV units around it, plus the door and catwalk at the top of the view against the wall. So this view was based on the behind the scenes shot, I just elaborated and extended the view out a little.

The top view is the new one. There has been all kinds of dialogue on forums where people asked how the EEV's are loaded with the cryotubes. It didn't really make any sense as we only see the one shot in the movie as the EEV pulls away from the hull, and the bottom row of EEV's are in a different orientation - rotated 180 degrees. It seemed like in order for it to work, the bottom row of EEV's would have to be loaded from the bottom, with the top row loaded from the top. Again, did not make sense.

So I instead pictured both rows of EEV's with the back of each (where the fins are) set within some kind of 'cage' attached to a large swinging armature. When there is no emergency, the rows of EEV's are in a horizontal orientation, close up to the ceiling of the large EEV chamber. That is what you see in the top diagram. This means that the cryotubes can be loaded much more easily and there aren't all these tunnels going everywhere through which the cryotubes would travel. I called my version the 'Cryotube Loader Magazine' because that is how I pictured it, the loader putting the cryotubes into the EEV like bullets through a magazine into a rifle. Kind of fitting seeing as the Sulaco looks like a huge gun. Another way to look at it is those large slides side by side at a fairground where kids climb to the top and they go down to the bottom. Cryotubes at the top side by side, transported down to the EEV at the bottom.

Now I also had to think well, what if the crew / marines are not in a cryotube? For that I essentially used the idea from Alien Resurrection, where the USM soldiers run along catwalks to ladders that drop into the EEV from above. So that is the Gantry and Walkway you see at the top of the diagram. Of course I would not have been able to do this had I left the EEV's in the same position as they are shown in the movie.

So once the EEV's are loaded, hatches closed, the whole 'cage' assembly holding these EEV's in-place swing down using the Swinging Link Armature as a pivot and position the EEV's against the hull. EEV's locked in place. The cage detaches, then swings back up out of the way. If the emergency has not been canceled, then the Blast Panels blow out away from the hull, and the EEV's launch.

Hope this helps with some of the thinking behind it and how I thought about it.
If you have any questions about the other things in the book send them on over, I like the conversation.

---

Another thing about the 'Cygnus' Refinery from 'Alien'.

Back in 2009-2011 when I finished the original Nostromo print and it was then in Alien: Vault, I had the Refinery noted on there as a 'Tesotek 2100-B'.

I searched on the internet for any real-life refinery names that work with mineral ore and fuel processing. I found two companies, chopped the names up, mixed a couple together and came up with 'Tesotek'. It sounded cool, kind of like Texaco.

So I come to do the book several years later, and I'm trying to find on Google the webpages where I got the inspiration for the name. And what do I find? A website called 'Testotek' pops up since I made the original print that manufactures supplements that help guys with muscle-gain and low testosterone.

I thought, 'oh shit'.

So I had to think of an alternative name pretty darn quick as this was one of the last pages I completed, and now I affectionately know the refinery as a CYGNUS Tesotek 2100-B. Nothing really to do with the ship in 'The Black Hole'.  :)

So those EEV launch drawings are the interior hull? The blast panels that are flush with the hull threw me off, since they're gone in the bottom picture.
Also did you pick a location on the Sulaco hull that the EEVs deploy from? I didn't see one called out in the blueprints but maybe I missed it.

Was the third cryotube in the Narcissus your doing, or is that sourced from anywhere else? Either way, I like it.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 27, 2019, 07:58:38 PM
So those EEV launch drawings are the interior hull? The blast panels that are flush with the hull threw me off, since they're gone in the bottom picture.
Also did you pick a location on the Sulaco hull that the EEVs deploy from? I didn't see one called out in the blueprints but maybe I missed it.

Was the third cryotube in the Narcissus your doing, or is that sourced from anywhere else? Either way, I like it.

That is correct, interior hull. The location of the EEV's on the hull is still up for debate, the only area that is large enough and does not clash with anything else is maybe at the front toward the top of the ship, but with the scales of the dropship and EEV compared to the Sulaco, not sure. It's a tough one. This is the conclusion Jan Rukr came to also on his papercraft model of the Sulaco he did where he picked that area.

I did develop the third cryotube area. I pictured it as a 'bed' set within the wall, waist height, with a sliding door on the front that would seal the same as a usual cryotube. Kind of similar to the Autodoc in the Nostromo Infirmary where Kane gets his scan. The missing third cryotube in the movie bugged everyone me included; then I added the water closet, when you gotta you, you gotta go. That was basically a similar size to an airplane water closet. Just about has enough headroom, it's close.

The Narcissus was tricky in parts because the back of the set where the door is and the front part where the viewports are were built much more vertically than how they appear on filming miniatures. So when transferring the set into the Narcissus drawing section cuts there was more dead space, but I think it worked out okay.

I always assumed that the shuttle had only two cryotubes but Ripley decided they would take their chances with it anyway.  Isn't that why they had to stock up on all that coolant for the air support system?  ???

That's my understanding.

Either way, problem solved.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 29, 2019, 01:25:05 AM
Either way, problem solved.

Then what did they need the coolant for?  Ripley specifically said it was for the air support system.  Why would that even be an issue if the shuttles are already equipped to accommodate three passengers in hypersleep?

It undermines a huge part of why the third act of the movie played out the way it did.

Maybe one of them was out of order.

Why not?  It works for the unseen and unmentioned second shuttle.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 29, 2019, 01:37:57 AM

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 29, 2019, 01:25:05 AM
Either way, problem solved.

Then what did they need the coolant for?  Ripley specifically said it was for the air support system.  Why would that even be an issue if the shuttles are already equipped to accommodate three passengers in hypersleep?

It undermines a huge part of why the third act of the movie played out the way it did.

Perhaps the shuttle needed to be tanked up before use? The Narcissus/Salmacis weren't primarily escape shuttles, they were also short-range excursion craft. It could be that the Narcissus wasn't prepped for launch, and grabbing a bunch of coolant would have been necessary no matter how many people were going to use it.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 29, 2019, 08:25:04 AMPerhaps the shuttle needed to be tanked up before use? The Narcissus/Salmacis weren't primarily escape shuttles, they were also short-range excursion craft. It could be that the Narcissus wasn't prepped for launch, and grabbing a bunch of coolant would have been necessary no matter how many people were going to use it.

That doesn't work either since Ripley left it all behind and had no trouble using the shuttle without it.

Indeed.  The original escape-craft had only one pod.

It feels like a solution to a problem that didn't really exist.

... like only having one shuttle, honestly.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 29, 2019, 08:48:35 AM

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 29, 2019, 08:25:04 AMPerhaps the shuttle needed to be tanked up before use? The Narcissus/Salmacis weren't primarily escape shuttles, they were also short-range excursion craft. It could be that the Narcissus wasn't prepped for launch, and grabbing a bunch of coolant would have been necessary no matter how many people were going to use it.

That doesn't work either since Ripley left it all behind and had no trouble using the shuttle without it.

Ripley left it all behind because there was a killer space monster on the ship and she didn't have a choice now that all her friends were dead. They thought they had the luxury of tanking up the shuttle and fully prepping it, and it got two of them killed; now with Ripley by herself, she just takes her chances because it's better than definite rape-murder at the hands of the Alien.

She still could've taken some bottles. She didn't even try.

The fact the shuttle kept her alive just fine for 57 years kind'a speaks volumes that it wasn't necessary "no matter how many people".

Quote from: SiL on Sep 29, 2019, 09:51:06 AM
She still could've taken some bottles. She didn't even try.

Of course she didn't try, there was a killer rape-monster on the loose and the last people who stopped to grab bottles of stuff got murdered.

Quote from: SiL on Sep 29, 2019, 09:51:06 AM
The fact the shuttle kept her alive just fine for 57 years kind'a speaks volumes that it wasn't necessary "no matter how many people".

Perhaps the bottles only matter for when you're out of stasis?

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 29, 2019, 10:20:42 AM
Perhaps the bottles only matter for when you're out of stasis?

That's literally the plot of them getting the coolant. If there weren't three of them they wouldn't need it, because with two or less they'd be in stasis.

Which is what I said, they wouldn't need coolant "no matter how many", since clearly they didn't need extra for one and presumably wouldn't have for two. It's just because there were only two beds but three people.

Which is why adding a third bed is silly.

That's what I mean, perhaps the bottles matter even for one person because Ripley (or whoever) might have to wake up and operate the ship while conscious at some point, but then Ripley bails on that plan because she doesn't really have a choice and rolling the dice in the shuttle (or even eventually suffocating because of no air) is better than whatever the Alien might do to her.

I'm just tossing around retroactive explanations in light of the knowledge that there's a third bed. Graham might chime in with his own thoughts; ultimately I'm pretty okay with the existence of a third bed.

I'll just stick to the film :P

Yeah, I'm all for an extended universe extrapolation when it's appropriate but I don't think it is.

Quote from: SiL on Sep 29, 2019, 10:52:52 AM
I'll just stick to the film :P

Well I mean, that's what I'm trying to do. :P Stick with what the film gives us, but with the new knowledge that there's a third bed.

I mean, I didn't write the book - I like the change and think it's a novel idea, but I'm sure Graham can offer some insight.

My understanding was always that two would get in the freezers and the third one would draw the short straw, stay awake and hope the network would pick them up before life support petered out. It was a desperate move, following Ash pretty much telling them they can't kill the alien.

I think that was pretty much everyone's understanding.

Ha! Okay, let's go.
First, put all of that aside; you've all had forty years to think about it and develop your own understanding and assumptions about what went down during those final, desperate scenes of the characters involved (as have I). Focus on exactly what is said in the movie, and what we see, absolutely nothing else. Tune all that out and disregard everything you read in the novel or the script.

Ripley, Lambert and Parker, up until Ash's deception is found out, are going to try to follow the plan of Dallas, which involves cornering the Alien and flushing it into space. Parker goes down to C-Deck to refuel a flamethrower, and does so without incident. The shit hits the fan however when Ash tries to choke Ripley. After that point and when Ash tells them they can't kill it, the situation becomes increasingly desperate. They now have no choice but to go and try to escape via the shuttle.

The three crewmembers are on B-Deck, walking hurriedly to the Narcissus. Ripley says 'We're going to need coolant for the air support system'.
That's all that is said about that; Lambert and Parker then go down to C-Deck to go get the coolant. In the Narcissus, we see two cryotubes, but there is never any indication that aren't more, though it is implied there are no more than three, as Ripley says that the shuttle can't take four.
Now beyond that, any thoughts about it, understandings or assumptions on what happened have been left to the viewer to develop and think about.

In both the script and the novel, the Nostromo is running out of air, and the remaining crew make the decision to collect the air cylinders and food supplies and get off the ship, taking any remaining air with them. So, it's different to the movie in that respect but regardless, my book is about the movie only.

So all that said, here are the thoughts I have about what happened and how I interpreted them for the book.
The crew was desperate, and knew they were ten months to reach Earth based on information from Lambert earlier in the movie and this is if they stay on the Nostromo with the speed and route they are going. On the Narcissus, who knows - they don't know how long they will be out there. They are acting purely on hope they will be picked up by the network, though at least one of them knows they are about six weeks from the frontier. With this huge 'unknown' hanging over them, it makes sense that if they have the choice of having more coolant as a 'just in case', if it were me, I'd go for the coolant. After all, Parker went down to C-Deck earlier without incident, right? So the risk may be worth it and asleep in a cryotube or not, it just makes sense to have the cylinders on-hand.

So that's one. I didn't think any more about what coolant the Narcissus had already, what exactly it was used for or go into any other reason why they needed the additional. All that is up to the viewer of the movie and it sounds, like me, like you all have your own thoughts based on and expanding upon what the movie explicitly shows and tells us.

Now for the cryotubes and an explanation of why I illustrate three. One; above I wrote about the Narcissus not taking four crew, so we know it will take three or less. Three in cryotubes? Two in cryotubes, with the third crewmember hanging around playing Tetris and just waiting (six weeks or longer)? Maybe they rotate shifts using the cryotubes? And why would they need to draw straws, would they do it to determine which two would stay on the Nostromo (assuming there are two cryotubes), or are they doing it to determine who gets to use the cryotubes and who gets to wait?  Who knows - none of that is in the movie and it does not offer an explanation.

Two; nobody knew what was in the second locker, we don't see inside it (is it even a locker at all?). With those taken into account, it seemed like I could use the space and just go ahead and put in a third cryogenic compartment for hypersleep. Three seats in the Narcissus, three cryotubes/compartments, three crew left.

For some, it changes the end of the movie and their feelings on why the characters do what they do. Whether the viewer believes there are two or three is up to them. I cannot really do anything about that, it's out of my hands, and I'm sorry if it spoils the movie or the book for them a little. But the theme of the final part of the movie is the same whichever way you look at it - the crew were desperate and had to get away from the Alien. They had no clue how long they would be out there, and to a great extent their future as the movie progresses is more and more out of their hands and their choices and resources available to them are getting less and less. Air or no air, enough cryotubes or not, they have to take their chances and get off the ship. All I can do as an illustrator is look at what I see and what is said in the movie, and make decision knowing that whatever I decide there are always going to be those for and some against.

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Quote from: SM on Sep 29, 2019, 09:26:41 AM
Indeed.  The original escape-craft had only one pod.

Have you played Alien: Isolation? They used that Ron Cobb shuttle design for the Ambulance. Awesome - I would love to make a model of that.

Quote from: SM on Sep 29, 2019, 12:19:12 PM
I think that was pretty much everyone's understanding.

Apparently not. :P

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 29, 2019, 02:24:03 PM
Ha! Okay, let's go.

Thank you for the insight! Frankly, all of that makes a lot of sense to me.

My intention was never to diminish the work done. Personally, I'm really looking forward to owning the book.

Quote from: Kane's other son on Sep 29, 2019, 05:11:23 PM
My intention was never to diminish the work done. Personally, I'm really looking forward to owning the book.

That was really my intent. Not to go against anything we see in the movie, but to try to expand upon it in a respectful way.

I'm wondering how many people are re-watching the movie today. If the book gives you a new way of looking at the movie in a new and hopefully exciting way, then I'm happy about that. It's done it's job.

I'm looking forward to Alien: The Blueprints vol 2, including detailed specs for Casey the doll head, Ripley's apartment on Gateway, the interior of one of the Auriga escape pods, the briefing room from 'Prometheus' before they depart, and David's flute.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 29, 2019, 05:29:32 PM
I'm looking forward to Alien: The Blueprints vol 2, including detailed specs for Casey the doll head, Ripley's apartment on Gateway, the interior of one of the Auriga escape pods, the briefing room from 'Prometheus' before they depart, and David's flute.

Let's not forget each of the Marines' lockers.

Shit, you're right. My bad!

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 29, 2019, 06:05:35 PM
Shit, you're right. My bad!

However, the most important item we should see in a vol. 2 is Drake's necklace.

It's been 33 years and we still can't figure out every piece.

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 29, 2019, 02:24:03 PMFirst, put all of that aside; you've all had forty years to think about it and develop your own understanding and assumptions about what went down during those final, desperate scenes of the characters involved (as have I). Focus on exactly what is said in the movie, and what we see, absolutely nothing else. Tune all that out and disregard everything you read in the novel or the script.

With all due respect, I'm pretty sure that we're all focusing on the movie.  I haven't seen anyone invoke the script or novelization in this discussion so far.

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 29, 2019, 02:24:03 PMI didn't think any more about what coolant the Narcissus had already, what exactly it was used for or go into any other reason why they needed the additional. All that is up to the viewer of the movie and it sounds, like me, like you all have your own thoughts based on and expanding upon what the movie explicitly shows and tells us.

My thoughts are based on what Ripley actually says in the movie, and she explicitly says that the coolant is "for the air support system."

I have to agree.  As much as I'm a huge fan of Graham's work - adding a third cryotube is beyond baffling to me.  Both Ripley and Lambert talk about 'taking a chance' at getting picked up.  If there's three cryotubes - why is there 'chance' involved?  It's just 'Righto, let's go.'  One tube supported Ripley for 57 years; at that rate the ship could support three for 19 years each minimum (and Parker and Ripley would have some idea on the specs), and they were only six weeks from the frontier.

Including another tube obviously isn't just an arbitrary decision, but I don't agree with this film interpretation at all.

QuoteHave you played Alien: Isolation? They used that Ron Cobb shuttle design for the Ambulance. Awesome - I would love to make a model of that.

Yeah I spotted that right off.  Even the fold out launching mechanism was the same as Cobb's.

Quote from: SM on Sep 29, 2019, 08:59:20 PM
I have to agree.  As much as I'm a huge fan of Graham's work - adding a third cryotube is beyond baffling to me.  Both Ripley and Lambert talk about 'taking a chance' at getting picked up.  If there's three cryotubes - why is there 'chance' involved?  It's just 'Righto, let's go.'  One tube supported Ripley for 57 years; at that rate the ship could support three for 19 years each minimum (and Parker and Ripley would have some idea on the specs), and they were only six weeks from the frontier.

Including another tube obviously isn't just an arbitrary decision, but I don't agree with this film interpretation at all.

QuoteHave you played Alien: Isolation? They used that Ron Cobb shuttle design for the Ambulance. Awesome - I would love to make a model of that.

Yeah I spotted that right off.  Even the fold out launching mechanism was the same as Cobb's.

:)

That's quite okay, guys; I guarantee you there is at least one person on Facebook that has unfriended me because I put toilets on A-Deck.

I always thought the crew just pooped into the food processors and that's what they were eating after they all woke up.

Waste not; want not.

Coffee is a natural laxative.  That's probably why the company makes it the only good thing on the ship.

Quote from: SM on Sep 29, 2019, 08:59:20 PM
If there's three cryotubes - why is there 'chance' involved?  It's just 'Righto, let's go.'  One tube supported Ripley for 57 years; at that rate the ship could support three for 19 years each minimum (and Parker and Ripley would have some idea on the specs), and they were only six weeks from the frontier.

"The chance" is whether they'd get picked up at all - Ripley demonstrated this when she thought she'd get picked up within weeks, but instead drifted for 6 decades. That "chance" is present no matter how many cryotubes the shuttle has.

If there's three cryotubes then there's no reason for the coolant, which is for the air, which they wouldn't need if they were in cryo.

Going strictly by the film, it doesn't make any sense for the characters to do what they do if there's a third bed.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 30, 2019, 02:52:15 AM

Quote from: SM on Sep 29, 2019, 08:59:20 PM
If there's three cryotubes - why is there 'chance' involved?  It's just 'Righto, let's go.'  One tube supported Ripley for 57 years; at that rate the ship could support three for 19 years each minimum (and Parker and Ripley would have some idea on the specs), and they were only six weeks from the frontier.

"The chance" is whether they'd get picked up at all - Ripley demonstrated this when she thought she'd get picked up within weeks, but instead drifted for 6 decades. That "chance" is present no matter how many cryotubes the shuttle has.

This.
The one cryotube supported Ripley for 57 years so all is well and good point is really an 'in hindsight' statement. Would they have had someone actually test a cryotube for that length of time before the events of Alien? Again not knowing for sure what would happen, would make sense they would go for coolant to take with them as a 'just in case' I wrote about above. I think some are missing the whole point of what I wrote.

Quote from: SiL on Sep 30, 2019, 03:04:10 AM
If there's three cryotubes then there's no reason for the coolant, which is for the air, which they wouldn't need if they were in cryo.

Going strictly by the film, it doesn't make any sense for the characters to do what they do if there's a third bed.

They'd potentially need the air if they woke up from cryo, though. There were a whole lot of "what ifs" in their escape plan so they were hedging their bets, and then two people got murdered and the third person decided it wasn't worth the risk and decided to take their chances in the shuttle. Ripley doesn't make it clear if taking the coolant for the shuttle is an absolute necessity, or merely a way of increasing their chances.

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 30, 2019, 03:19:33 AM

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 30, 2019, 02:52:15 AM

Quote from: SM on Sep 29, 2019, 08:59:20 PM
If there's three cryotubes - why is there 'chance' involved?  It's just 'Righto, let's go.'  One tube supported Ripley for 57 years; at that rate the ship could support three for 19 years each minimum (and Parker and Ripley would have some idea on the specs), and they were only six weeks from the frontier.

"The chance" is whether they'd get picked up at all - Ripley demonstrated this when she thought she'd get picked up within weeks, but instead drifted for 6 decades. That "chance" is present no matter how many cryotubes the shuttle has.

This.
The one cryotube supported Ripley for 57 years so all is well and good point is really an 'in hindsight' statement. Would they have had someone actually test a cryotube for that length of time before the events of Alien? Again not knowing for sure what would happen, would make sense they would go for coolant to take with them as a 'just in case' I wrote about above. I think some are missing the whole point of what I wrote.

I don't think we are.  Just trying to understand the reasoning behind, as SiL said, 'fixing a problem that didn't exist'.

QuoteThat's quite okay, guys; I guarantee you there is at least one person on Facebook that has unfriended me because I put toilets on A-Deck.

I ain't going down to B-Deck every time I want a slash.  Plus it makes sense.  I think the second shuttle makes sense too.

In the context of the film though, I don't see how a third cryotube fits.

I find the "maybe they didn't know" angle is fairly disingenuous, and assumes a space-faring crew wouldn't have had to go through some kind of safety training to learn about emergency procedures. Every time I go on a cruise ship I learn about the emergency tenders, how they operate, what supplies they have and features they have for being found. The idea the crew of the Nostromo wouldn't know the shuttle's capabilities feels a bit of a stretch.

If it was built for three people, there'd need to be a reason they distrusted its ability to do its job. The one the film gives is that it's not built for three -- it's built for two.

It's 100% not going to affect my enjoyment of the book or the work done on it, mind, just a fun conversation about

Quote'fixing a problem that didn't exist'.

Indeed.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 30, 2019, 03:21:41 AMRipley doesn't make it clear if taking the coolant for the shuttle is an absolute necessity, or merely a way of increasing their chances.

Ripley said: "We're gonna need coolant for the air support system."  Did that not make it clear it was a necessity?

If the line had been "We should bring extra coolant," and didn't specify what it was for, I think you and Graham would have a point.

"Air support system" is fairly specific and pointing to, 'some bugger's going to be awake for a while'.

"I'm talkin' about breathing, not this frozen shit."

Amazon finally got their act together and have shipped my copy! Really looking forward to checking this out.

Wew! Payday this week will let me grab it off Book Depository.

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 30, 2019, 03:19:33 AMThat's quite okay, guys; I guarantee you there is at least one person on Facebook that has unfriended me because I put toilets on A-Deck.

Do these people expect the officers to go pee with the hired help?!

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 29, 2019, 02:24:03 PMHave you played Alien: Isolation? They used that Ron Cobb shuttle design for the Ambulance. Awesome - I would love to make a model of that.

I picked up on that too. Really neat touch!

As for the cryo issue that everyone's discussing - yeah, to me the film makes it pretty clear they're taking a big risk trying to escape in the shuttle with three occupants, but by that point they consider it preferable to being eaten or turned into an egg. Their actions in having to gather additional supplies, whatever they might be, support this; it wouldn't be much of an emergency escape craft if you have to gather a load of shit before you can use it. They need supplies because they're stretching it beyond its intended capacity. Having a third cryotube on board undermines that.

Over three pages of not liking a third cryotube being in place but nothing about why coolant cylinders are miles away and not next to the Narcissus in the first place.

I recommend you check out the "Egg on the Sulaco" thread :P

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 30, 2019, 10:35:55 AM
Over three pages of not liking a third cryotube being in place but nothing about why coolant cylinders are miles away and not next to the Narcissus in the first place.

Because they're not normally needed for the Narcissus ;D

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 30, 2019, 10:35:55 AM
Over three pages of not liking a third cryotube being in place but nothing about why coolant cylinders are miles away and not next to the Narcissus in the first place.

Is it OK I thank you for saying what was on my mind?

Quote from: SiL on Sep 30, 2019, 10:43:47 AM

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 30, 2019, 10:35:55 AM
Over three pages of not liking a third cryotube being in place but nothing about why coolant cylinders are miles away and not next to the Narcissus in the first place.

Because they're not normally needed for the Narcissus ;D

Pretty much.

It's more than likely it's coolant that has a bunch of uses throughout the ship - not just the shuttle.

Quote from: SiL on Sep 30, 2019, 05:00:42 AM
I find the "maybe they didn't know" angle is fairly disingenuous, and assumes a space-faring crew wouldn't have had to go through some kind of safety training to learn about emergency procedures. Every time I go on a cruise ship I learn about the emergency tenders, how they operate, what supplies they have and features they have for being found. The idea the crew of the Nostromo wouldn't know the shuttle's capabilities feels a bit of a stretch.

But it's not an emergency escape vehicle, it's a shuttle that can be used as one in a pinch.You may see safety videos for airplanes and cruises and they stick with you because of how infrequently you're on them, but I suspect many real-life truckers don't know how to use the fire extinguishers stowed in the cabins of their trucks because the work is so routine and mundane and "nothing bad could ever happen". When you get in your car, you don't double-check that all your airbags are primed and that the car is properly tuned and that the breaks function, you just start it and go.

Quote from: SiL on Sep 30, 2019, 05:00:42 AMIf it was built for three people, there'd need to be a reason they distrusted its ability to do its job. The one the film gives is that it's not built for three -- it's built for two.

It's 100% not going to affect my enjoyment of the book or the work done on it, mind, just a fun conversation about

Quote'fixing a problem that didn't exist'.

But it's got three seats, which tells me it's built for three.

Ripley definitively says the shuttle won't handle four, but she doesn't say why. If the shuttle only has two cryotubes, then the number of cryotubes can't be the deciding factor because you should be able to just load the shuttle up with as many people as you want and stock it with air and, as Lambert puts it, "take your chances". Sure, you'd deplete the air faster, but that's the risk you take. So why can't it take four?

Perhaps, given Graham's design, it's got two main cryotubes and then a third that occupies the spare space available, comparable to a folding or "rumble seat" in a car or plane. Ripley knows the shuttle can take three because it's got three cryotubes, and the coolant is because having air is a good idea when you're in space because you don't know what might happen. They try to get the air because they think they're safe, turns out they aren't and two people die, and Ripley bugs out and takes her chances.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 30, 2019, 06:12:26 AM

Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 30, 2019, 03:21:41 AMRipley doesn't make it clear if taking the coolant for the shuttle is an absolute necessity, or merely a way of increasing their chances.

Ripley said: "We're gonna need coolant for the air support system."  Did that not make it clear it was a necessity?

If the line had been "We should bring extra coolant," and didn't specify what it was for, I think you and Graham would have a point.

Yes, if they wake up and want to breathe, having air is probably a good idea - the more the better. I think reading into the word "need" is sort of semantics.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 02, 2019, 02:16:38 AM
But it's not an emergency escape vehicle, it's a shuttle that can be used as one in a pinch.

...which makes it the emergency escape vehicle. A tender isn't strictly a lifeboat, either.

QuoteYou may see safety videos for airplanes and cruises and they stick with you because of how infrequently you're on them, but I suspect many real-life truckers don't know how to use the fire extinguishers stowed in the cabins of their trucks because the work is so routine and mundane and "nothing bad could ever happen".

Fire extinguishers are not the least bit analogous to emergency evacuation procedures on planes and ships. I know they're "space truckers", but you're stretching the term a lot here. A better analogy would be trying to argue that professional flight and sea crews don't know their own emergency procedures.

... and the Nostromo crew clearly knows how to use fire extinguishers :P

QuoteWhen you get in your car, you don't double-check that all your airbags are primed and that the car is properly tuned and that the breaks function, you just start it and go.

I am not a professional driver or a crew member on any sort of ship, I am not relevant here ???

QuoteBut it's got three seats, which tells me it's built for three.

As a shuttle, sure. Not as a lifeboat.

QuoteRipley knows the shuttle can take three because it's got three cryotubes, and the coolant is because having air is a good idea when you're in space because you don't know what might happen.

If it's built to take three for extended periods then they wouldn't need to worry about the air support system, because the air support system would be designed for three people for an extended period.

The fact the crew has to run halfway around the ship to make it accommodate three people for an extended period in an emergency speaks volumes to the fact it's not actually designed to fit three people for an extended period in an emergency.

Quote from: SiL on Oct 02, 2019, 07:28:53 AM

Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 02, 2019, 02:16:38 AM

QuoteRipley knows the shuttle can take three because it's got three cryotubes, and the coolant is because having air is a good idea when you're in space because you don't know what might happen.

If it's built to take three for extended periods then they wouldn't need to worry about the air support system, because the air support system would be designed for three people for an extended period.

The fact the crew has to run halfway around the ship to make it accommodate three people for an extended period in an emergency speaks volumes to the fact it's not actually designed to fit three people for an extended period in an emergency.

Define 'extended'. They had no clue how long they would be stuck out there.

Geez, all this over nine words in a movie.

I'd define extended as "long enough to need the freezers", which they knew would be the case. Lambert had updated them on their current position and their remaining time to home. They knew they were in the middle of nowhere and it would be weeks before they hit the frontier.

QuoteGeez, all this over nine words in a movie.

To be fair, all this over

Quote'fixing a problem that didn't exist'.

The entire last act is built on them taking a chance and going out of their way to risk taking the shuttle when it's clearly not the safest bet -- it's just the lesser of two evils. That's the film as-is. If everyone could've packed into the freezers and put themselves to sleep, there'd be no need for them splitting up over the ship and the movie would've ended two minutes after Ash died.

I am imagining the scene in 'Jurassic Park' where Alan Grant closes the door on little Timmy as the boy gets into the Ford Explorer.

Well, this is an interesting discussion. Firstly, thanks to the author for engaging here with us and for doing such a great and detailed job on the book, as far as I'm hearing from the reviews. Wasn't planning on getting this, but word of mouth is making me reconsider.

FYI, we here at the forums are a passionate bunch. We dissect EVERYTHING. From the things we love from the franchise to the things we hate. What makes sense and what doesn't make sense, we like thinking about those sorts of things. Even the harshest of critiques don't explicitly reflect how much we enjoy that piece of media. Some media and books that are not high quality enough simply get ignored, not worth the time to discuss anything about it. If it's interesting, it's gonna get analyzed to the point of possible and probable nitpicking. You should really see how we brutalize (with love!) all of the movies across the forums, looking at every detail and saying what we don't find convincing in even the movies we really love.

In such an undertaking as this book appears to be, if the third freezer is the only thing that doesn't make sense to some in this entire book, then you and the fandom are lucky! :laugh:

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Oct 02, 2019, 10:14:44 AM
Geez, all this over nine words in a movie.

Dialogue is the basis for many of the things we know about from these movies.  Why should this be any different?

Quote from: SM on Sep 30, 2019, 11:23:51 AM

Quote from: SiL on Sep 30, 2019, 10:43:47 AM

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Sep 30, 2019, 10:35:55 AM
Over three pages of not liking a third cryotube being in place but nothing about why coolant cylinders are miles away and not next to the Narcissus in the first place.

Because they're not normally needed for the Narcissus ;D

Pretty much.

It's more than likely it's coolant that has a bunch of uses throughout the ship - not just the shuttle.

Didn't the coolant cylinders come from the Nostromo's HeliJet? I assume that's what their primary purpose were for.

There were also some in a storage area next to the hangar.

Quote from: Still Collating... on Oct 02, 2019, 04:10:13 PM
Well, this is an interesting discussion. Firstly, thanks to the author for engaging here with us and for doing such a great and detailed job on the book, as far as I'm hearing from the reviews. Wasn't planning on getting this, but word of mouth is making me reconsider.

FYI, we here at the forums are a passionate bunch. We dissect EVERYTHING. From the things we love from the franchise to the things we hate. What makes sense and what doesn't make sense, we like thinking about those sorts of things. Even the harshest of critiques don't explicitly reflect how much we enjoy that piece of media. Some media and books that are not high quality enough simply get ignored, not worth the time to discuss anything about it. If it's interesting, it's gonna get analyzed to the point of possible and probable nitpicking. You should really see how we brutalize (with love!) all of the movies across the forums, looking at every detail and saying what we don't find convincing in even the movies we really love.

In such an undertaking as this book appears to be, if the third freezer is the only thing that doesn't make sense to some in this entire book, then you and the fandom are lucky! :laugh:

Thank you for your kind comments.  :)

As an aside, I sent you a Facebook friend request :)

Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 02, 2019, 06:55:44 PM
As an aside, I sent you a Facebook friend request :)

Sent you a pm. Your 'The Dude' banner is very fitting. LOL!

Quote from: The Eighth Passenger on Oct 02, 2019, 05:33:01 PM
Didn't the coolant cylinders come from the Nostromo's HeliJet? I assume that's what their primary purpose were for.

There were also some in a storage area next to the hangar.

Some of it did, yeah.

Quote from: USG Ishimura on Oct 02, 2019, 11:20:57 AM
I am imagining the scene in 'Jurassic Park' where Alan Grant closes the door on little Timmy as the boy gets into the Ford Explorer.

Excuse me for being passionate about a subject you provided a wonderful addition to :)

Thanks for spending the time to engage with us, even if you find the nerd discussions ingratiating  :P

Hell, I was already willing to settle for...

Quote from: SM on Sep 29, 2019, 01:42:10 AM
Maybe one of them was out of order.

I think Alien is partially so tense because of the pure desperation, so another Cryotube isn't necessary.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 02, 2019, 10:54:35 PM
Hell, I was already willing to settle for...

Quote from: SM on Sep 29, 2019, 01:42:10 AM
Maybe one of them was out of order.

Or if we must include a third in the blueprint, we could just say it was planned to have three -- but they skimped and didn't install it in the end ;D

Same for the Salmacis.  Or that it was cannibalized for parts to keep the Narcissus running.

Got it in the post yesterday.
The book is absolutely beautiful... I think even though I've only had a chance to flick through parts of it, I can say with hand on heart that this could become my prized treasure in my rather constantly growing collection of Alien related material.

FWIW I couldn't give a stuff about 3 hypersleep chambers on an escape pod ;-p
Outstanding effort Graham.

It is beautiful true, heavenly so- but the Devil's in the details and Alien's clearly got passionate people working on it, and debating it to this day.

Quote from: Fiendishly Inventive on Oct 03, 2019, 10:20:07 AM
It is beautiful true, heavenly so- but the Devil's in the details and Alien's clearly got passionate people working on it, and debating it to this day.

True. My original post was a bit tongue in cheek.
People will be annoyed by the Egg on the Sulaco and it ruins their experience with Alien3. Some don't. All subjective. Open to interpretation.

Personally I can't wait to get some free time this weekend to dive deeper into this book.

It doesn't ruin my experience, but is an issue.

A lot of it can be handwaved by saying that corporate bean counters forced them to cut corners throughout the Nostromo's service life.  I'm intimately familiar with that sort of thing in my job.

Yeah, the Nostromo and the Sulaco most likely, along with Fiorina 161.

So last night I finally got a chance to really dive deeper into this book. Wow.
The insight into Aliens era vehicles and locations is just geek heaven for me. The detail is incredible. Also what is even better is that for someone who saw this film in the premiere night back in 1986 in the cinema, I found all this new stuff I hadn't considered or thought about.

Tremendous.

Wonder if any of the schematics will be available as large scale prints.

Quote from: Prez on Oct 05, 2019, 02:00:53 AM
So last night I finally got a chance to really dive deeper into this book. Wow.
The insight into Aliens era vehicles and locations is just geek heaven for me. The detail is incredible. Also what is even better is that for someone who saw this film in the premiere night back in 1986 in the cinema, I found all this new stuff I hadn't considered or thought about.

Tremendous.

Wonder if any of the schematics will be available as large scale prints.

For a while I believe Graham offered some of them as prints.

I dearly want this book, but I'm off on holiday in a few days and there's no point me ordering it before I go because it won't fit into my postbox lol.

My front door is- let's say, inoperable so I must be at home also, I understand.

Finally finished this. Very impressive collection of artwork. The blueprints really have helped me spatially map the locations seen in the films (especially the first two films) which in turn enhances the viewing experience. Only minor critique would be that I would've liked to see a bit more info on the Auriga but this in no way diminishes the overall book. Strongly recommend picking this book up.

Quote from: Xiggz456 on Oct 10, 2019, 03:31:10 PM
Finally finished this. Very impressive collection of artwork. The blueprints really have helped me spatially map the locations seen in the films (especially the first two films) which in turn enhances the viewing experience. Only minor critique would be that I would've liked to see a bit more info on the Auriga but this in no way diminishes the overall book. Strongly recommend picking this book up.

I totally can appreciate your comment about spatial awareness. Likewise with me. Added another dimension when watching the films again.

The book is totally amazing. The Hadley's Hope sections are probably the best part.
The only gripes I have is that it doesn't fit in my shelf, has not much on Auriga and the Alien 3 "Main Area" including the mess hall.

I thought the Nostromo (apart from one aspect) was superb and I myself wish it included more on Hadley's Hope and Fiorina 161.

Quote from: Wweyland on Oct 15, 2019, 07:27:38 PM
The book is totally amazing. The Hadley's Hope sections are probably the best part.
The only gripes I have is that it doesn't fit in my shelf, has not much on Auriga and the Alien 3 "Main Area" including the mess hall.

I can appreciate the not fitting into the shelf issue  ;D
I have had similar problems with all my older Star Wars cross section books too.

Haha, it's an issue also for Alien The Illustrated story.

Yeah, the book's height is my only real "complaint". Oh well, it'll be the new minimum height when I'm looking at new bookshelves.

You're getting new bookshelves?  Did you run out of space?

I never run out of space for more Alien, even when I run out of space.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 16, 2019, 05:41:34 PM
Yeah, the book's height is my only real "complaint". Oh well, it'll be the new minimum height when I'm looking at new bookshelves.

Cuz it belongs on coffee tables  :P

Does it turn into a coffee table if I don't already have one?

Yes but wouldn't recommend.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 16, 2019, 05:44:22 PM
You're getting new bookshelves?  Did you run out of space?

The shelves are sagging due to age and me not buying particularly high-quality shelves. :(

Hah, I've had that happen before myself.

Finally got myself a copy of this!

Only had time for a cursory flick through so far, but wow. A lot to unpack. Finally some official Nostromo interiors! Still no word on what the hell the Salmacis was doing during that final voyage though :P As with the Tech Manual, this'll probably be something I pick at rather than reading through, but it looks to be a fantastic resource. Hats off to Graham Langridge because this clearly required a hell of a lot of work.

Only downside I can conjure up is that the Alien 3/Resurrection stuff is noticeably more lightweight than the rest, but I guess that's to be expected, both because they're not as popular and because they were probably never as extensively documented even during filming. To be honest I'm glad we got anything at all for them.

Honestly, I mostly know the layout of the Nostromo already from watching the film, my interest really lied in see the layout of the colony facility complex and the penal facility complex.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alien-Blueprints-Graham-Langridge/dp/1785654950/

Huge discount atm.

Certainly tempting.

Finally got this!  Best colouring book ever!!

Fellow Aussie friends.
The Book Grocer has the Blueprints book at the amazing bargain price of just $30!!!!
https://bookgrocer.com/p/movies-alien-the-blueprints

Struth!

(Sorry.)

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 27, 2020, 09:30:04 AM
Struth!

(Sorry.)

Crikey. I am going to buy another copy for myself.

*Strewth

Speak English!

Yeah nah mate I reckon I need to get flat out like a lizard drinkin' grabbin' me a copy so I can finally have a squizz, even if I think the extra cryo in the Narky is pullin' me leg a bit.

You should. Well worth it at that price :)

Yeah nah reckon.

Bloody drongos got to the Sulaco speed wrong too.

Wait, the blueprints repeated the CMTM figure?  ???

Yep.

Between that and the third cryotube on the Narcissus:  >:(

Quote from: SiL on Oct 27, 2020, 11:59:55 AM
Yeah nah reckon.

Fair suck of the sav mate.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 27, 2020, 10:43:06 PM
Between that and the third cryotube on the Narcissus:  >:(

Disappointing - but everything else is so fecking sweet in that book.

You've been seduced.

Graham put me name in the back and I'm easily seduced.

I'm devoting an entire chapter to you in my autobiography so you will say nice things about me.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 28, 2020, 02:03:43 AM
I'm devoting an entire chapter to you in my autobiography so you will say nice things about me.

I tried that, didn't work.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 31, 2020, 08:42:38 AM

Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 28, 2020, 02:03:43 AM
I'm devoting an entire chapter to you in my autobiography so you will say nice things about me.

I tried that, didn't work.

Hope still reigns eternal that you two will finally collaborate on the Grand Unification Project.

What?

Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 31, 2020, 06:45:09 PM

Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 31, 2020, 08:42:38 AM

Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 28, 2020, 02:03:43 AM
I'm devoting an entire chapter to you in my autobiography so you will say nice things about me.

I tried that, didn't work.

Hope still reigns eternal that you two will finally collaborate on the Grand Unification Project.

Oh yeah the RPG did that for us.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 31, 2020, 09:53:36 PM

Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 31, 2020, 06:45:09 PM

Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 31, 2020, 08:42:38 AM

Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 28, 2020, 02:03:43 AM
I'm devoting an entire chapter to you in my autobiography so you will say nice things about me.

I tried that, didn't work.

Hope still reigns eternal that you two will finally collaborate on the Grand Unification Project.

Oh yeah the RPG did that for us.

Canon war...

Passé.

Quote from: SM on Oct 31, 2020, 11:33:51 PM
Passé.

Ditto

Quote from: Xenomrph on Nov 01, 2020, 11:21:29 AM

Quote from: SM on Oct 31, 2020, 11:33:51 PM
Passé.

Ditto

You guys are killing me!  >:(

Can't remember if I have posted this previously but local Aussie book store the Book Grocer has this book for just $AUD30. Bargain.

https://bookgrocer.com/p/movies-alien-the-blueprints?barcode=9781785654954 (https://bookgrocer.com/p/movies-alien-the-blueprints?barcode=9781785654954)