General Magma

[MOC] 74-Z Speeder Bike

  

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Hello all! :classic:

A few weeks ago, I decided to make a speeder bike as one of the small starts for my Battle of Endor project.

I've seen Brickdoctor's version of the model, and it was fantastic: the only thing that bothered me was that the legs had to be taken off the figure and attached to the speeder bike for it to sit.

I put my figures on vehicles alot of times, but they are also taken off to go somewhere else on display, or to serve as figures for a new MOC very often. It would be a pain to have to take off the legs each time I wanted it to ride the bike, with my habit of moving minifigs alot of times. So then, I decided to try a design that could easily have the figure be placed onto it, and off again. The parts from Brickdoctor's design are the connecting technique for the outriggers to the steering vanes onto the bike, as well as the back portion: backpack, cheese slopes and the bumper plate. I replaced the gray slope with a brown one, and turned it around so it'd look more like a seat. (Otherwise itw ould look like one too, but I liked it better this way) - the light blaster cannon piece (aka a screwdriver) is the same piece he used for the blaster, but more people use that.

The hardest part was to find a way to incorporate a seat into the speeder bike so the figure would fit:

It took days to get it right, but the hard work paid off. The things I use for the handlebars are small parts I cut off a pneumatic hose, placed onto a droid arm for each side.

Alright, let's move onto the pictures now. These aren't all of them, so make sure to click the links below this post to check the rest.

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74-Z Speeder Bike

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74-Z Speeder Bike by General Magma, on Flickr

The comparison shot with the official model by TLC:

5298024106_e734e4a11b.jpg

74-Z Speeder Bike (comparison) by General Magma, on Flickr

5300259814_ce9db312b5.jpg

74-Z Speeder Bike - schematics by General Magma, on Flickr

419px-74Zspeederbike_schem.jpg

View the rest of the pictures here.

Any comment and constructive criticism is welcome.

Thanks for looking. :classic:

~ General Magma

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Very nice work! This is an excellent replacement for the official lego one. Good job :thumbup:

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Excellent 'General Magma' :thumbup: , you included a blaster cannon....Lego I think forgot to fit one didn't they ? :wink:

May the Sith Brick be with you ! :vader:

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Very nicely done, General Magma! The only criticism that I have is I think that the rear end is too fat. While it might have started out as NPU, those skis on the back are really supposed to stand in for the foot pedals, and they are about 10 times too large.

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Thanks everyone!

The only criticism that I have is I think that the rear end is too fat. While it might have started out as NPU, those skis on the back are really supposed to stand in for the foot pedals, and they are about 10 times too large.

Hmm, yes, they seemed fine, although a little big, to me at first, but it is too large indeed.

I'll incorporate some smaller ones into version 2, to completely finish it.

~ General Magma

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Very nice 74-Z MOC Gen. Magma, you have some interesting building techniques you've incorporated there, like the illegal clip connections, the shortened front bars, and the cut (?) lego piece for the maneuver controls - all of these make your speeder more accurate to the real one compared to the official lego version. Well done! :thumbup:

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the cut (?) lego piece for the maneuver controls

It looks like cut flex tubing, which, even for some purists, is acceptable. I used it once in my AT-RT, to shorten the width of the legs from 6-wide to 5-wide.

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It looks like cut flex tubing, which, even for some purists, is acceptable. I used it once in my AT-RT, to shorten the width of the legs from 6-wide to 5-wide.

Yeah, cutting tubes would be ok.

Just make sure it's the spares you've bought on BL that you cut.

Never cut those from your collection of sets :sceptic:

A great MOC General Magma - you're getting quite nifty at those small scale solutions needed to build something like the 74-Z speeder :thumbup:

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Wow, you have made every detail on it. *huh*:oh:

It looks ten times better that official version.

Only thing that bothers me a little are skis. They seem to big.

How does speeder looks if you replace them with lever (without base)?

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Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

I still haven't got around to making the pedestals smaller.

It looks like cut flex tubing, which, even for some purists, is acceptable. I used it once in my AT-RT, to shorten the width of the legs from 6-wide to 5-wide.

Yes, that is true - I cut some small parts off a flex tube, AKA pneumatic (?) hose.

Only thing that bothers me a little are skis. They seem to big.

How does speeder looks if you replace them with lever (without base)?

I have yet to try that, but I don't know what you exactly mean.

Any specific way of adding the levers to the speeder bike?

~ General Magma

Edited by General Magma

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Yes, that is true - I cut some small parts off a flex tube, AKA pneumatic (?) hose.

Er, no. Pneumatic hose is made of rubber and very flexible. Flex tubing is still flexible, but it's made of soft plastic and doesn't spring back to it's original shape when bent.

I have yet to try that, but I don't know what you exactly mean.

Any specific way of adding the levers to the speeder bike?

By squeezing thr lever into the prongs of the old hinge that's currently holding the skis.

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I quite like it. It's a bit small but very accurate. While like Brickdoctor's in some ways it is different enough from BD's. Very nice. :thumbup:

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By squeezing thr lever into the prongs of the old hinge that's currently holding the skis.

Yep, exactly that.

If you still don't understand, this part (lever) fits into that thing that's holding the skis.

4593.gif

I believe you have used this piece to hold the skis.

2433.gif

So, it should work. I have used same technicue on similiar part for MOC that was to bad to share it with anyone. :blush:

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I quite like it. It's a bit small but very accurate. While like Brickdoctor's in some ways it is different enough from BD's. Very nice. :thumbup:

Thanks.

And regarding the size: it's right this way, actually. Not completely the right size,

but this is about the size it should be: else it would be too big or harder to make.

74-Z_Military_Speeder_Bike.jpg

Yep, exactly that.

If you still don't understand, this part (lever) fits into that thing that's holding the skis.

4593.gif

I believe you have used this piece to hold the skis.

2433.gif

So, it should work. I have used same technicue on similiar part for MOC that was to bad to share it with anyone. :blush:

I just tried that, but the pedestals then seem a little too thin and long. Not sure,

might have to try it again, but I'll try several things.

Er, no. Pneumatic hose is made of rubber and very flexible. Flex tubing is still flexible, but it's made of soft plastic and doesn't spring back to it's original shape when bent.

Ah, thanks for pointing that out. I thought them to be about identical to each other,

but it seems I was wrong.

~ General Magma

Edited by General Magma

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Well, I decided to take some pics of the new designs for the pedals.

They're still tests, and I could use suggestions for a new pedeal design. If you've got any other suggestions, please tell them so I can try those.

The original pedal design with cheese slopes added, to mark the actual pedal part.

I used the ski-pieces so the speeder bike could stand up nicely without tipping over. The bottom wouldn't fit trans-clear studs or other pieces to create the illusion of hovering, as it's SNOB (Studs Not On Bottom :tongue: ), but also SNOT. Or whatever you'd want to call it. That would make it Studs Nowhere To Be Found. Or just studless.

Well, either way, here it is, the original design + cheese slopes:

speederbikepedestalstes.jpg

And here the use of lever pieces, as suggested by Stardusty:

speederbikepedestalstes.jpg

I personally prefer the original design with the addition of cheese slopes - the levers are a bit too thin and too long for their size. The skis are way too big as for accuracy too, but it gives the bike the opportunity to stand up nicely without falling over.

I'll have to find another solution that is accurate, but can have the bike stand up too.

Suggestions are welcome as always. :classic:

~ General Magma

Edited by General Magma

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I don't really like either pedal technique. The skis are too big and the levers are too long. You need pedals that are small overall - both skinny and appear short.

And on that note, they're pedals, not pedestals. A pedestal is like a stand for a bust. :wink:

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Those levers really look thin and long.

Eh, it seems that it was bad idea.

I like version with cheese slope on ski, but it still seems too big.

I really have no idea. Maybe you should try ilegall connections with clip pieces. :hmpf_bad:

Well, it looks good in each way. Design is great and I would like you to make it perfect but you don't need to

do that. :classic:

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I like the ski with the cheese slope. I really like how your design shortened the overall length of the speeder and added a cannon. The length of TLG design always bothered me.

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I'm currently updating my Speeder Bike and am contemplating doing something similar to the image below for the pedals. I was thinking of cutting a lightsaber bar for the illegal connection but a piece of the tubing you have used on the handle bars should also do the trick.

speederpedal.jpg

Edited by Praiter Yed

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I'm currently updating my Speeder Bike and am contemplating doing something similar to the image below for the pedals. I was thinking of cutting a lightsaber bar for the illegal connection but a piece of the tubing you have used on the handle bars should also do the trick.

*snip*

That's a good idea, I wanted to use a 1x1 clipped piece aswell (horizontal) and illegally connect it with the "forks",

but that should do the trick too. I'll give that a go, I'll post a pic soon.

EDIT:

I managed to execute Praiter Yed's idea for the pedals. It looks more accurate, although the speeder bike is having problems standing up - I can't add a stand either. Any solutions?

speederbikepedals001.jpg

~ General Magma

Edited by General Magma

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It looks better. I think you should go with something really small, like a pair of hands attached just behind the legs.

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Well, this was most likely the final addition to the speeder bike, unless there could be something better.

I managed to find a way for it to stand up nicely, so it should be perfectly fine now.

5494409872_3c135723a1.jpg

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As you can see, I still have the pedal placed on the other side instead of the side on Praiter Yed's picture,

since it would be better if it stood closer towards the body/minifig's legs.

Any other things I could, or should, improve?

~ General Magma

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I like it. You certainly impproved the laser cannon and backpack. The pedals are a little far out though. Maybe you could make them reach the biker scout's feet somehow using alternate leg positions. You don't have to listen to me though, I'm not on MOCer.

50th Post

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The pedals are a little far out though. Maybe you could make them reach the biker scout's feet somehow using alternate leg positions.

I think it's just about right. It looks a bit too far out for the minifig since the original version is designed to accomodate the 2-sectioned human legs, unlike the one-piece leg of minifigs. The only thing that seems lacking IMO is the triangular-shaped detail on each side of the rear. And why is there always a backpack on these 74-Zs? I don't see that detail in this schematic diagram:

419px-74Zspeederbike_schem.jpg

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I think it's just about right. It looks a bit too far out for the minifig since the original version is designed to accomodate the 2-sectioned human legs, unlike the one-piece leg of minifigs. The only thing that seems lacking IMO is the triangular-shaped detail on each side of the rear. And why is there always a backpack on these 74-Zs? I don't see that detail in this schematic diagram:

[snip - The Essential Guide is not always the most accurate source...]

According to this (as well as the full-scale prop - at least that's what they claim it is) there should be a bundle of cloth behind the rider's seat which would correspond to the cylindrical portion of the backpack.

Edited by fallenangel309

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