My Opinion is: Why not? This is Discovery and not Vanilla. If the Creator manages to get the same Explosion Effect, why should this not be replaced? Basically it is an Improvement. That here is the original Cruiser without Texture, take a look.
"Who is it doing this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'?"
The first picture is stereotypical and therefore offending, remove it (face de la cool).
Also, the equation makes sense, but even if it wouldn't, this is FL -and- disco, any relations to real life, reality and any kind of real science doesnt have to exist.
Characters Alan Markson: The Hellfire Legion's Lord Commander The Perihelion: Freeport Four's guardian, and yet much more. Missing and assumed Lost with all hands. Eric Dresmund: Junker, smuggler, thief. Last seen drunk on Beaumont Vayrn Wyard: IMG Recon pilot turned Neo-Terran Captain. Last location unknown
Point is, I guess, that rheinland ships should have that un-modern (green-dirty-ish?) middle-industrial look, edges, flat shapes and so on.
Rounded off edges would look, let's say, too modern.
I don't think the rounded edges take anything from the feel of Rhineland ships. The biggest thing that comes to mind when I think Rhineland isn't blocky. It's massive. All rhineland vessels seem overly armored middle ages forts hurtling through space in front of equally massive engines. Even thier fighters, though having more grace than thier capital brethren, seem overly armored. It's like they are the space-age equivalent of 12'th century crusading knights. At least that's how they seem to me.
If the designer can get it to go boom like the current model I'm all for the change.