Questions on the design origins of specific spacecraft.

While Wookieepedia is a great resource, it's sometimes lacking when it comes to the origins of certain starship and vehicle designs. And I'm real curious about the following:

- YV-666 Hound's Tooth
- IG-2000 Aggressor
- K-Wing

Does anyone know who first came up with the visual designs for these ships? And when?

I do realize the YV-666 and IG-2000 first showed up in the Shadows of the Empire comic series. However, did the artist Kilian Plunkett design these craft? Or was someone else involved?

And the K-Wing's first appearance was in the Black Fleet Crisis. However, its design (vastly different from what was described!) appeared - what? - years later? In what source? And who was responsible?

Finally, does anyone know if the EU writers had any say on how these ships were eventually visualized? For instance, did Timothy Zahn give his approval for the design of the Skipray Blastboat? And did Michael Kube-McDowell really look at the K-Wing design and say, "sure, good job, guys!"...? Did George Lucas have any say?

Color me curious.

 

The first source to show the K-Wing in basically its modern appearance (which later sources only refined a bit) was The Essential Chronology (April 2000). Bill Hughes was the artist for that book:



I don't think Kube-McDowell had any input on the design - at least, not that iteration. The novel has the pilot and bombardier sit one behind the other, not side-by-side.

 

I could be wrong, but I think the Skipray first appeared in WEG's Imperial Sourcebook, for the tabletop RPG. I'm pretty sure Zahn used that sourcebook when he wrote the Thrawn trilogy.

 

Harlock999
The IG-2000, YV-666 and Xizor's Virago were created by Doug Chiang along with the YT-2400 and Sentinel class landing craft while he was working on ANH special edition.

 

You're not wrong, the Skipray did originate in the Imperial Sourcebook in 1989; just like the Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser.