Scale: Not Stated
Source: A Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

This is my version of the I.N.S.S. MacArthur from Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "A Mote in God's Eye". The model is 10" long and constructed from a variety of plastic spheres and cones, wood, and many pieces of sheet styrene. I consider this an interpretive work. It is well documented that Mr. Niven and Mr. Pournelle used the AMT Leif Ericson Galactic Cruiser model as inspiration for the MacArthur, and the description in the book alludes to this. However, I managed to view a videotaped presentation given by Larry Niven at a local convention which showed a series of designs from novels he wrote and contributed to, including the MacArthur. The early rounds clearly showed the origins of the design as being from the Leif Ericson, but they went on to become a more cylindrical ship. Later designs continued to bulk up the drive and landing bay area and they ended with an aggressive design that is close to what I modeled here. I was unable to videotape the presentation, but I had a sketchpad handy and made rapid notes. It is from these sketches that I designed this model.

Image: Rear view

Image: Port side

Image: Overhead

Image: Hull details

Image: Aft details

Image: Closeup of the sail