Brave Eagle

Akrophobia refers to the fear of heights, while ornithophobia is the dread of birds. After seeing today’s creation for the world of Minecraft PE, I find myself contemplating the term “arkronitophobia,” which I would define as a fear of this astonishing airship that embodies elements of a bird, a boat, and a dirigible!

So, before we proceed, does anyone here suffer from arkronitophobia? No? Because I just made it up, and it’s quite unrealistic, right? Fair enough. Now, let’s take a closer look at the eagle ship!

The helm of this airship features an eagle’s head, possibly the most majestic part of this already marvelous creature, serving as the crowning jewel of this wonderfully whimsical structure. Literally! Since it is a head! And the top of the head is often referred to as a crown! Ha-ha-ha! No? Well, suit yourself.

If you peer through the piercing eyes of the eagle (and its equally sharp beak), you’ll notice that this airship represents much more than just a charming face. From the attention to detail (note that the ropes are crafted from fences – “no other block offers this detail,” explains the building team) to the color palette (soft pinks, wood, and metal to give the vessel a vintage feel), this flying craft is truly something special.

As with any large-scale project in Minecraft Pocket Edition, it doesn’t happen overnight – and Saphire Studios, the team behind the eagle airship, takes their time crafting the perfect living space (if you don’t mind soaring through storms).

“Initially, we focused on constructing the ship,” the team adds. “Like any other vessel, our work began with the hull, the most crucial aspect of any ship.”

“We combined various ideas and elements to give the ship a unique appearance in MCPE,” the team continues, “from merging the eagle with the ship to adopting a steampunk style.” The fusion of an eagle with a ship sounds like something that could traumatize a pilot, but in this case, it actually resulted in a stunning construction for Minecraft Pocket Edition, which we consider rather optimistic. Hooray!”

To describe the building process, let’s explore how Saphire Studios operates: they have different individuals working on various types of structures, from shipbuilder Lukz2cool, who concentrated on the anatomy of the ship, to organic builder AustinDeBehr, who focused on the eagle’s head. “I love organic designs,” says AustinDeBehr, “so I decided to start there. The result was a fantastic eagle organism!” Focusing on your area of expertise is a great strategy for any team’s success.

Not only does the exterior captivate, but the interior also deserves recognition. “Our ship has many rooms spread across three levels,” the team states. “We have a working elevator, kitchen, crew quarters, animal pen, butcher room, cold storage, engine room, and, of course, captain’s accommodations!” Not a word about what happens when animals need to use the restroom. Probably best not to think about it. Although, if you see this ship in the sky, it might be wise to go back inside and put on a hat you’re not particularly fond of?

The team at Saphire Studios is divided into tiers, from builders to lead builders, all collaborating on projects across different console versions of Minecraft. This allows them to work in small teams, creating constructions like this eagle airship, as well as more picturesque scenes such as mountain ranges, underwater vistas, and palaces. They even created an impressive Halloween scene – their “most successful project” recently completed. “This shows that the diversity within our team is the best among all our projects,” they acknowledge, referring to each builder having their own specialty worthy of attention.

And here’s their incredible Halloween creation!