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6/1: After torturing myself for way too long, I’ve given up on trying to build wheeled landing gear for @arcadiumsol’s Sparrow series craft. Here’s what I’ve learned:
* The presence of the tow holes also means that a wheel assembly would have to be set lower than those tow holes and just behind them to touch the ground and roll. This would mean that the ventral curvature on the nose extending around the craft would have to be eliminated. That’s a no go.
* The Sparrow’s cockpit downward angle means that the nose wheel assembly would need to rotate upward into the craft. The connection would need to be between the cockpit area’s pilot seat and the tow holes forward of the nose. There isn’t enough room there to stow the landing gear, so that’s a second problem that I can’t figure out.Therefore, a nose wheel assembly in a sleek, compact minifig scale starfighter is impossible with my set of building skills. Instead, I’m going back to Sean Collins’ sled shoe solution and building some VTOL engines. I’m also going to avoid using wheeled landing gear on any of my spacecraft. The wheel assemblies are too large and are awkward to coordinate and space as play features, and stowing and securing them is a nightmare. I now see why TLG doesn’t do it on their sets.
Starting tonight, I’m going to refocus my efforts instead on making the Sparrow sleeker and a tighter fit around the canopy. This means widening the entire craft by two studs at this point, as I’m using a set of 2×4 wedge plates (parts 41769 and 41770) to match up with the narrowing angle of the canopy (part 92579) to at least seal the cockpit. Lying this canopy atop the two wedge plates facing the other way alongside it is almost a perfect fit.
6/19: Got distracted these two weeks with The Great Sort and… building race cars.
However, I got yanked back into starfighter schedule with the purchase of set 60177, the Airshow Jet.
Set 60177 on BricklinkIf I were a LEGO designer with experience in low part count builds, this would be the type of designing I’d do. It uses many of the exact same techniques I’ve used on my starfighter MOCs, on the nose, the cockpit, the fuselage, intakes and engines. Its low part count has inspired me to adapt this style, maybe handing out these 100 part builds for the Q4 Vic Viper LUG challenge in a variety of cockpit box arrangements, both standard and SNOT.
@arcadiumsol, I’d like to organize a Build Day with you and perhaps others surrounding the Black Sparrow you lent to me, as I’d like to pick your brain instead of reinventing the wheel. Suggestions?@zaximillian yeah sure i can host i just need to clean up my room a bit i’ve been busy fixing my cars. but yeah just txt me some dates and ill see what looks good.
8/18: Got distracted by Real Life things, but I had a burst of progress:
* Built a Space Container standard for an 8×8 stud cube and longer 8×17 stud container. These containers can carry 6 stud wide vehicles, Temple of 5:2 crates, all sorts of stuff. They have pull open doors that work with serial number details on the doors. The containers are rock solid. They also plug together as a system with Technic structured H-bars, and once that’s been done, the entire assembly is rock solid. I can build a container SHIP this way! And Sean, I’d like you to evolve my system as I am slowly evolving your Sparrow.
* I have also completed the Black Sparrow cockpit for @arcadiumsol. The pilot’s position has been changed to lie even further back as a result. There’s a nicer seat and the possibility exists for a VERY good color scheme. Sean, do you happen to have (3) 1×2 plates with door rails in white to replace the other bricks I had on hand.
My plan now is to complete the Black Sparrow’s fuselage and a few easy cockpit boxes on the two days’ vacation I have this Thursday and Friday before Q3, and to sort some key, spare Vic parts into boxes to share with the LUG.
Rich, since you did not provide any photos, you are now obligated to bring your builds to Q3.
Sure thing! I *might* have the 8×26 stud container completed tonight too. I got new idea in my head for brick built shipping company logos for the longest containers.
8/22/2018:
The Project G QS-1 Alpha drone, version 1, is complete.
I got the 8×26 cargo container complete too except for attaching the door. This will be a container that ships environmental life support equipment and cargo.Tonight’s plan: I may have a FOURTH container done as well, using up the last of my trap door modified plates, this one for the Outer Colonies.
8/27/2018:
Started work on the Sparrow’s fuselage. Based on a discussion with Sean Collins about his faction, this craft now has a new name.
I’m building from the top downward, layer by layer, as the bulk of changes for the fuselage will be downward to offset the longer and slanted cockpit section, and I don’t expect the fuselage to grow longer.
I’m about two plate layers downward at present, and have designed some modular weapons for the craft.You know cause its a bigger build you can do the wheel landing gear now
Nope; still can’t because a nose wheel would be required, and that’s not possible with the current cockpit box. A nose wheel is a very difficult thing to account for. I have never found a building solution.
8/29/2018:
* According to @arcadiumsol’s faction rules, the Black Sparrow will be renamed the White Raven.
* I did some more work on the fuselage, working down from the dorsal surface toward the connection points to set up the internal structure. I have a white stripe from front to back that I’m happy with.
* The black grilled cheese slope on the rear sides of the cockpit will match up pretty well with another black grilled cheese slope on each side of the fuselage.
* I discovered that the two fork and stub connection points are going to be further away from each other vertically than in other craft. That’s not a problem, because more room is better than the alternative.
* I also found out that I do not have the white 1×4 plate with stub on the side that I think I did. I now need 4 of these to continue. This is part 44568 in white.
* The 1×2 modified plate with the locking stub hinge on the side is nearly impossible to find, so I’ll have to use 1x4s in that color.Sean, if you have these white 1×4 locking plates with dual stubs, I can bring you the 1×2 black plates with Technic holes you’re looking for, but I need the ones with the hole on the bottom for container doors. I believe it’s the ones with the hole on top that you need though.
9/1/2018:
* After going to a Build Day at Sean Collins’ house, he helped design a nose wheel solution that I’m happy with, and this opens up the floodgates for creativity for me.
* I did some further shaping changes to the White Raven. Thanks to Sean, now I know more about it, its faction, its role, and who my pilot is going to be.
* Added new pea shooters to the Raven, and Sean added connection points for throttles.
* Next up is getting all these changes into LDD, refining the ventral surface, the pilot seat, the detachable drone, and backup pilot controls.9/5/2018:
* Rebuilt the White Raven’s nose to better sandwich the tow holes on, shifting the white stripe one stud forward. Rebuilt for strength overall. Rebuilt the seat. Eliminated the 1×2 panel in favor of old fashioned stud seating. Updated the LDD file to reflect the changes.
* Located the two azure Galaxy Squad figs I have. One of these will need a new face to reflect me.9/12/2018:
After a fourth rebuild of the White Raven cockpit, now the pilot won’t fit in LDD. Where LDD fails, I shift to building in real brick for the answer. I find that switching back and forth between LDD as my building platform and real brick gives me differing ideas that help my building process.Sean, I’ve removed the two 2×4 plates from within the bracketed area on the ventral surface of the craft. I’ve opted for a 2×4 Technic plate so that two white 2×2 dishes are sunk into the holes, serving as VTOL engines that I use on my craft and to parallel the white brick built stripe on top of the craft. I’m digging deeper downward into the cockpit area to fit the pilot in, just like we thought might happen.
9/24/2018:
* White Raven is now version 0.6; I need one white 1×2/1×2 bracket, half plate upward, to complete color blocking on the removable drone. Added handlebars to the drone for pilot connection. Added throttles to the cockpit. Added dashboard instrumentation in holographic HUDs. Reworked the nose. Added a brick built white ventral stripe to match the dorsal stripe.
* Started work on the White Raven’s fuselage. The fuselage will be 17-19 studs long and probably heavier than the cockpit once wings are attached. Weight may become a factor.9/27/2018:
In one big burst of creativity, I designed and brick built the White Raven’s fuselage. I like the shaping, but need to redesign this for strength. I have just placed a BrickLink order for the large black wings I’m going to need here and hope to have those parts in by October 1.any photos?
No, and that’s a bad idea, because every time Sean and I meet, as we will I hope tomorrow, he brings up new ideas from his faction to improve what I’ve built, for functionality, shaping and faction backstory. As such, any pics I’d put up today would be not only altered by Sunday, but quite possibly “wrong” by the standards I’m trying to keep for Sean’s faction as I learn his engineering style.
Right now, the heat is on to complete White Raven 0.7 tonight, which now includes refining the complete fuselage a third time. Modular wings and weapons are next, and those parts are on order from AlphaBrix and paid for.
Thanks for the interest, @greg!
Well THAT yearlong schedule got destroyed, partly because of Real Life issues, partly because other hobbies and other LEGO ideas caught my attention instead.
So, what HAVE I been tinkering with?
* I have pretty much completed the #8 Turbo Sprinter V8 racecar in blue and flat silver. the stickers I’m using on the hood won’t lie down because of the crests on the Wedge 4 x 4 x 2/3 Triple Curved (part 45677) that I’m using for the racecar roofs. I *think* I’m going to have to resort to the Sword of Exact Zero to get these LEGO stickers onto a surface that they were not designed for. Somewhere, @joshhall cringes and doesn’t know why…
* I am pret-ty close to also finishing the #12 Super Kool / Wa-Sport racecar in yellow, black and red. I think I want to add more red to the color blocking brick built livery on this car because of the sticker set that I’m using from set 8228, the Sting Striker. As a result, I have a bunch of these air blaster launchers in pretty good shape. I’m thinking about saving these for a kids’ event.
* In development is the Dragon Dueller car in red, black and yellow, based of course on set 8227, Dragon Dueller. I’m not sure what number I’m going to put on this one, as I am still discovering new sticker sets for racers.
* In development is the #21 white, red and green Octan racecar. As it stands, Octan is going to have a three car stable with the #1, #21, and #71 cars.
* Next on the docket is the #23 team.
* In LDD, I am still designing starfighters for @whitesidewjw’s January LEGO Store display. It turns out that I can’t entirely avoid using curved slopes, as those are the inverted slopes I have in bulk for the ventral half of the cockpit box.
That’s the end of my active projects, as I want to build more racers, and building a race course has been a LEGO dream for me for a long time. I’d like to integrate it into a City display as a Grand Prix site for these V8 racers, maybe hand out a car or two for builders who want to “adopt a team” and maybe improve it. @arcadiumsol and I also discussed “running a race” during a display where we slowly determine the outcome of the race, changing the display as time passes, or getting the audience to interact and help their favorite cars win.
* On the back burner remains the White Raven addition to @arcadiumsol’s Space faction. I do like working in another builder’s world and fulfilling others’ specifications. It’s still guiding me to learn new styles and new building philosophies.
* Deep in the shadows is a total rebuild of all of the G-Fighters, which were my very first MOCs, and all could really use upgrades based not only on my knowledge, but input and feedback from others, Spacers or not, on their refinement and evolution. I am not afraid to let others’ insights contribute! Already I have learned that forward swept wings require canards on the sides of the fuselage, shaped pretty much like the hexagonal flag part. This is so close that this may be a single digit part solution. I plan on doing this to further distinguish the Paladin series, which should have more iconic backswept wings reminiscent of classic jet and shmup craft, from the Warlock series, which can and probably should look more experimental. Also, with new pearl gold parts being created, the secret fifth craft can have more building options.
So that’s where I’m at, about to plunk down another $100 to find stickered parts for my racing team collection and noodling ideas for a new flight wing of starfighters.
because other hobbies
Other hobbies?!? Now I know how Higgins’ boss felt.
9/9/19:
I have always wanted to build a race circuit, ever since I was a little kid. Now that I have *this* much LEGO and the money to support larger projects, I can do it, and with low stress, as I’m casually chipping away at this project instead of something higher stakes and higher pressure on myself. Big projects have overwhelmed me in the past, so this one has smaller “components” which keep me building at a speed I can maintain.
I aim to create as many cars as possible so that everyone can have “a favorite” team. That would help in displays that we all staff. As an outgrowth of all this research, I will have duplicate numbers for teams (the #2 in particular should be interesting), that I could give away from the parts I collect in building these nearly two dozen teams.
* I realized that some of these race car teams will need pit crews on display. Then I realized I needed drivers for all cars in custom colored fire suits. I started working on combinations of torsos, arms, hips, legs, helmets and visors that mirror the livery of all of the teams. So I’ll be in the market for monochrome, unpatterned fig bodies, varying colors of visors too.
* Then I had to ask myself: Which teams will occupy pit lane? For review, I want a display that can integrate into modular buildings. Using the road plates is necessary because of the curves, but I can MILS those up at the corners, and that should be okay not only for track connections, but connections to everybody else.
* My ideal layout plan is 5 baseplates by 3. I am using the SWR numbering method of row-column, where row is top down (also rear row forward), and column is left to right to describe the course. The race course is Grand Prix, which means I can connect the course into a street grid. The cars move in from the background on a vertical road toward the front of the layout, down 1-1, 2-1, and 3-1. This vertical road intersects a horizontal divided road, like Grant Street, of rows 2 and 3. 5-1, 5-2 and 5-3 send another vertical road back into the background. The cars come down the single road on the left and turn either into pit lane (row 2), or turn onto the front straight and the start-finish line, which is row 3. This is why the double road in front is a great conversion. At the back of the display, on row 1, beyond the pit lane wall, are four garages bracketing Winner’s Circle. In this way, two single vertical roads intersecting a divided, two baseplate horizontal road serve as both race course, start-finish line, pit lane, and garages and Winner’s Circle. I hope to be able to integrate this with the LUG’s modular building selection in a big City display, adding grandstands, catch fences for the cars, and lots of flags, and hold an ACTUAL simulated race over the course of a display. I’ve figured out that the 10 x 10 nets are the best choice for the vertical part of the catch fences. I still have to work out those track structures, but cars first!
* Selecting the teams on pit lane turned out to be dependent on which teams’ fire suits look good OUTside the car. In all of LEGO history, to the best of my knowledge, the best *labeled* suits are the Octan teams, the Vita Rush team from the Desert Rally Racer (60218), and the leather, fire and checkerboard bad guy Blaster Boys from the World Racers series. Sticking to my restriction of no licensed racers, this narrows the pit lane teams to the #1 Octan team, the #4 Vita Rush team, the #13 Blaster Boys unsponsored team, and the #21 Octan team. Yes, Octan fields a multple car stable. Bandwagon them or root against the empire if you will.
* After all that thinking, I moved over to LDD, digitially polishing the cars I have, and I found new teamsthrough sticker sets on BrickLink! It turns out that McDonald’s got nonlicensed car polybag sets as promotional items, as did General Mills cereals. The sticker sets are pretty good, including fake sponsors, so I am now including a #9, #14, #22 (the ONLY purple racecar to my knowledge!) and #27 teams. These sets and sticker sheets are rare, so I’m going to snap the sets up wherever they appear.
* After working on that this weekend, I revisited the #8’s problem of stickers not staying down on the roof. It turns out that by bunching the sticker inward from the edges with my fingers, it creates more room at the ridges for the sticker to corner at the ridges and lie down. I hope these stay put now that I’ve done that. I may have a spare sticker sheet for the roof if this doesn’t work. I really do not want to cut stickers if I don’t have to.
* Further progress is made on the #8, so that is ready to show now. @whitesidewjw, you might like this car, as it’s livery is blue and flat silver, an unusual color.
* I am actively building the #21 and #71 next, along with hunting down parts for the #9, as I want to build these cars numerically. Sadly, there has never been a #10 or #11 unlicensed racecar to my knowledge, so the pattern breaks up at 9.
Anyway, this is just as much thought as execution, so, if you want in on this and join me, maybe you can “adopt” a team for yourself, and maybe I’ll give you the car to start with. This project is going to take a looooooong time doing it solo, but this race circuit is worth it, and I would love to use it as a complete loop at one of our displays one day and run a race for our audience to participate in somehow and root for the cars throughout the day. Maybe post results for fun.
I might need help creating the curved catch fences, which will be the biggest design challenge, to fit the curvature of the preprinted curved road plates. Hey, might that custom MILS curved track provide a solution? Any of our trainheads have a suggestion? Who ARE our trainheads anyway, so I can tag them all?
Grandstands, pit garages, Winner’s Circle… jeez, I need an ambulance and a pace car, don’t I? *grins*
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