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(first posted 9/5/2004)
In case you don't know what Freelancer is, it's a PC flight simulation
game where you fly around in space, trade goods, upgrade your ship, and,
in single player, follow a story line. It's really fun, and I recommend
getting it, even though some things about it could have been improved.
Anyway, this LEGO is based on the Rheinland Valkyrie (sometimes misspelled
Valkyre in Freelancer, I've noticed...) Heavy Fighter from that game. You'll be fighting
this ship a lot in the main story, and you'll see it often, usually in
enemy hands. It
takes a long time for you to earn the power to actually buy one for
yourself, because it is one
powerful ship!
 
Here are the two minifigs I made based on Freelancer: the main character,
Edison Trent, in his generic brown outfit with his generic Luke-clone
head, and a Rheinland officer. Yes, his torso is from an off-brand LEGO
copy-cat company, just like my Halo Marines'... It's not my fault LEGO
didn't make dark green minifigs at this time!
To show you what the ship looks like, here is a desktop-size image I made
by compiling screenshots of the Valkyrie in various Freelancer custcenes.
Yes, I took all the screenshots myself (and yes, that's a Star Wars TIE
Defender in one screenshot - I had a mod turned on):
The Rheinland emblem can be seen on the side of the ship. Yes, it's a
decal, but I didn't think the ship looked quite right without the
Rheinland symbol there.
Here is the underside of the Valkyrie, with its landing gear up. In the
game, none of the ships actually have landing gear, but in my opinion it's
hard to call a fighter complete without them.
Here is the back of the ship. See the landing gear down? In the game,
those big green boosters blowout strange green smoke. One of the coolest
things about the Valkyrie is the way the engines sound when you finally
buy the ship and crank it up into Cruise Speed.
Don't worry, you probably won't ever see a Valk headed straight toward you
in Freelancer, thanks to the blasted swiveling turrets and the strange way
the shooting controls of the game are set up...
The side of the ship, down low, so you can appreciate my landing gear and
the ship's sleek design. Boy that's a joke. I'm not fooling anyone by
calling the Valkyrie sleek...
Here's the ship's cockpit. Comfortable-looking, isn't it? It has a green
cushion on the seat, which you can just see in this image.
Trent: "Nice day here in the Rheinland Battleship Westfalen... which
is in the Hamburg system and is the only place you can buy a Valkyrie,
coincidentally... Wait, is that a cop heading this way? Oh, crap."
Cop: "This is... Rheinland Federal Police... to... Freelancer Alpha...one
dash... one. I have orders to scan your hold.
You will comply."
Trent: "Um, okay. (gulp) But don't you usually do this in space with a
scanner? I'd... rather do it there..."
Cop: "Ja. We usually do, but I decided to do a surprise check today before
you left the hangar of the Battleship Westfalen."
Trent: "Oh, I... wonder who put this crate here... Um, it isn't mine,
really..."
Cop: "Are you too smart to get caught by a stupid cop? Ha ha ha, that's
what they ALL say..."
(breaks open crate)
Cop: "Hey, these don't look like pharmaceuticals... This is Cardamine!
You're coming with me, buddy!"
Trent: "Um, I just got a call from Juni. I have to go continue the plot...
um, okay?"
Cardamine, by the
way, is the illegal drug you can smuggle around in Freelancer for quick
cash. I actually made this ship while I was in my room, playing
Freelancer, and watching as my ship flew on a long space run through trade
lanes, carrying goods to different space stations in an effort to earn
more money. So while I was watching my ship go, I idly built on this LEGO
Valkyrie. It's not 100% accurate, but I like it.
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