Philloz

Just some questions about Viper variants ... as a modeller, I'm also curious if any fans have taken to building versions of the following:

1) What exactly is a "Scarlet Viper'? I've seen this term in Richard's books ... is it an invention of Richard's or did it come from elsewhere?

2) The sixth millenium fighter seen in "The Long Patrol": It's implied that the technology came from the colonies. Is this a Viper forerunner?

3) The altered designs for the Viper seen in the Maximum Press comics and the Trendmasters toys from the 1990s seem similar at first glance but are not quite the same. What are the pedigrees for these designs? Are they "official" in any way?

Just curious ... with new variants coming along from the videogame and the "reimagining," the Viper seems to be a rather durable design that invites numerous imaginative variations.