What Spaceship?

Overview

What Spaceship? is the galactic leader among consumer space craft magazines, and its buyer's guides are commonly considered the most reliable performance tests in the business. Few commanders will purchase a new ship without consulting this publication.

Pimp my Cobra: To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the release of the Cobra Mark III, Cowell & MgRath in concert with What Spaceship? magazine engineered a competition. The competitors were given a standard Cobra Mark III and were freely allowed to modify its engines, interior space and design, exterior design and equipment. The response was so great and the standard of entries so high, that a wave of pimped cobras hit the shipyards.

Sample Issue

What Spaceship?

Our sub-ether holo-facsimile machine chugged into life this morning, and rolled out a very interesting document from one of our more reputable anonymous sources.

What Spaceship is proud to divulge yet another stellar scoop: a draft press release hot off the desk of the Cowell & MgRath Shipyards, Lave, Marketing Department. Whilst we can’t reproduce the exact text of the document (protecting our sources and all that), we summarise as follows:

[drum roll] It's not particularly sleek or sexy, but it will plug a very profitable gap in Cowell & MgRath's Cobra line-up (we told our stockbrokers the same thing just this morning). Humanoids, Felines, Aquatics, Insectoids, Sentient Beings of No Identifiable Species, it is: [/drum roll]

The Cobra Mk III 'Carrier'

Vital statistics:

• Space: 45TC cargo bay, that's before you fit the 15TC expansion. Standard 5TC passenger berths can also be accommodated. WxHxL is not a million miles off the original CMk3 (or is that CMk2?) hull dimensions.
• Handling: 3.35LM max flight speed. Same pitch and roll characteristics as the original CMk3, thrust being on a par with the ever-popular Cobra Mk III ‘Courier’.
• Armament: 3 fully configurable pylons (will you miss a fourth?), fore and aft weapon mounts (military laser compatibility only - ouch!), all other standard - and not so standard - shipyard equipment can be fitted.
• Price tag: 285,000 ₢
• Provenance: your guess is as good as ours - something that got left on the cutting room floor after the Pimp My Cobra competition ended? Fall-out from the Thargoid-incursion-at-Diso / nanobot episode? Or maybe even that someone in the Design department at Cowell & MgRath has actually done some work?
• In showrooms from: give them a chance, they haven't even announced it exists yet!

Our verdict: If trading is your bag, and your pilot and combat skills will make up for the Carrier’s little less speed and little less heat, then welcome to your new ride.

You may also like: Mosquito Trader (cheaper, faster, bigger dimensions); Pelamis (2 more missile pylons, leather seats, terrible acceleration); Josher (half the price, twice the missile pylons, no military shield option); SuperCobra (dream on).

Which Spaceship! Only ₢ 2.99 for a year's subscription!

• Next issue: Witchspace Craft - our dedicated group of work experience interns hit interstellar space to test out the latest Thargoid-hardened luxury ‘Drifter’ escape pods! Full review available through a wormhole 12,000 years from now!

Links

• Energy banks Special Issue
• Pimp my cobra competition (Cobra Mk.III page)
• Pimp My Cobra competion opens BB thread July 2006
• Xarik Interview with Derik Roh'i
• Tiger Mark I scoop
• Which Spaceship Stop Press (2009)
• Iron Ass scoop! (2022)

• Other fictitious magazines