by Jason Smith

Out of all of the transports produced by the CEC (YT-1300, 2000, 2400) the YT-1350 is one if the least known and less seen models. The reason for this, it’s rarely in one place long enough to be noticed. The YT-1350 was designed as a heavy-duty courier ship. It has no weaponry to speak of but boasts an impressive deflector shield array. It has a modest 35 metric ton cargo capacity, which is more than enough for its average runs. As is usually the case with the CEC transports, the YT-1350 is easily upgradeable. This version, used primarily for long-range deliveries, and communications where no holonet transceivers are present, boasts and impressive 0.35 hyperdrive rating.

Due to the rapid paced nature of a courier's life, the YT-1350 was not designed with any permanent landing gear. Rather, it uses a highly tuned repulsorlift system.

The model was inspired by a 3DO I discovered while searching the web. After getting a built but unpainted model off e-bay I set about cutting. The original sidewalls were discarded, and new one built from scratch to the shorter sidewall height. Both the upper and lower aft sections were removed and built and armor plated using sheet styrene. Great care went into making sure all of the panels matched, and that everything flowed together. The maneuvering veins along the engine were all hand made. The opening left on the starboard side of the main hull was covered with styrene and detailed with custom plates. The cockpit and tube were salvaged from the original kit, while the rest of the outrigger portion was fashioned using pieces from my parts box. The interior of the cockpit was created using the cockpit of a 1/72 Apache helicopter, giving it a one-seat-behind-the-other configuration. The ship was then painted camouflage gray and detailed with various acrylics.

Image: Underneath

Image: Left/rear view

Image: Starboard side

Image: Right/rear

Image: Top view

Image: Top/rear