22 replies to this topic

[KielDaMan]

It has been a while since I did some MOCing, and being physically away from my bricks, I had to turn to LDD to 'release my creative juices'. Inspired by a recent discussion on possible future UCS sets, and challenged by the idea of making my first UCS Design, I present my take on a UCS-scale LAAT/i a.k.a. the Republic Gunship:




Project Details:

Piece Count: 1,922 (unoptimized)
Dimensions: L x W x H = 70 x 84 x 24 studs
Design Manhours = approx. 24 hours

Different Views:




















A Closer Look:


Left: Detailed cockpit interiors and brickbuilt top cockpit canopy
Right: Rear speeder bike rack and sliding door with open viewports (74-Z speeder bike design courtesy of Praiter Yed)


Left: Side bubble turrets and troop bay with deckplates
Right: Armature swing details of the side bubble turrets


Left: Exposed missile belt thread area at the top
Right: Ball turret with firing dishes and four air-to-air rockets on each wing

A comparison in size with the 7676 Republic Gunship:


(7676 RGS LDD design courtesy of ADHO15)

Some self-criticisms:
- I will admit right from the start that this digital design was made with accuracy and detailing as the focal points, and as such this is a highly unstable model when built with real parts. Making this in real brickbuild will require some 'stability adjustments' from the builder.
- Most of the parts are not available in the current colors.
- The piece count is still not optimized and can still be further reduced.

And before somebody asks, will I build it? Probably when I get the right parts and time to actually build it.

Here's the LXF file for those who want to take a closer look at this. And being a digital model, you could make constructive criticisms by simply modifying the build with your suggestion to improve the design and report the file here.

[Ceroknight]

Brilliant LDD MOC KielDaMan!
It's very smooth, and big! Not to mention the appropriate details everywhere!
When you and your bricks reunite, I hope you consider building this!

[Brickdoctor]

Ooh, very nice.

Everything looks great, from the shaping of the mass drivers to the floor of the troop cabin. The only thing that looks a little off are the general proportions. Somehow, it looks a bit too tall, but only in views other than the side view.

[DutchRebel]

Oooohh Kieldaman! You are saving me an anormous amount of time by posting this! Thank you so much!!! This is almost exactly what I had in mind doing. Only thing is: I'm kinda hoping/suspecting that Lego is going to release something like this in the near future... I was working on an UCS Imperial Shuttle, what happens? Right... later, working on a new Sebulba's podracer, what happens... than started working on a decent X-wing, what happens... fortunately I can continue with the last one, because I don't really dig the new rendition from lego.

Looks great dude! Thanx again.

DR

[Anio]

I think you did a pretty good job with what the Lego parts enable.
Unfortunately, I do not think that the RGS can be very well UCS-ised, because of the current Lego parts, but also because of its overall shape.

First, with the shape of the model, you can hardly put it on a support. And I do think that a (black) support is very important for an UCS in order to give the model a strong presence.

The front cockpit is perfect. Lego could not do better.
The second cockpit is too blocky, because of the red line. Well, let's say that Lego can make this cockpit perfect by printing a red line on the windscreen.

On the top, you've some nice missiles. But I think that the 2 engines are wrong. A bit too thin (ideal would be 5 studs wide), and the right conical shape can not be executed with the current Lego parts.

The slope you used are better than the curved slope Lego use in its RGS. However, I'm not sure it is very accurate. 5x1 slopes would maybe work better. But of course, this angle doesn't exist in the Lego slopes. Oh yes, it does, with the Technic slopes. But then, you've got a lot of terrible holes on the side.

Is the cockpit linked to the slopes or does it just lay on them ?
I mean is it attached on both ends ?

The wings are okay, though a little blocky for me (I'm not a big fan of those big tiled surfaces).

The body of the vessel is very similar to 7676, but bigger. There is not more detail on your bigger model. But the problem is not your model, but the ship itself. There is no detail to add. Ok, you've 2 speeder bikes. But it'is not much when we take into account that the part number maybe twice higher than 7676. The front laser cannons are also too small now.
So, I think that the RGS doesn't not justify to make a UCS version.

DutchRebel, on 18 October 2011 - 11:54 AM, said:

I'm kinda suspecting that Lego is going to release something like this in the near future...

I doubt it, for the reasons I explained above.

In short :
Some aspects require a model which make the size of 7676 to be well executed (engines, canons)
On the contrary, some parts must be bigger to be correctly designed (cockpit, missiles, and maybe the interior (even if I think that an interior is not 100% necessary for such a UCS model)).
Moreover, new slopes would be very usefull.

DutchRebel, on 18 October 2011 - 11:54 AM, said:

later, working on a new Sebulba's podracer, what happens...

In a UCS scale ?
If yes, you can still make your own UCS.  

Edited by Anio, 18 October 2011 - 01:14 PM.

[lightningtiger]

AWESOME LDD creation 'KielDaMan', looks tons better than the actual Lego release.
LDD On 'KDM' !

[Masked Builder]

It's great to see you MOCing again Kiel! Though I agree with Doc's statement:

Brickdoctor, on 18 October 2011 - 06:51 AM, said:

Everything looks great, from the shaping of the mass drivers to the floor of the troop cabin. The only thing that looks a little off are the general proportions. Somehow, it looks a bit too tall, but only in views other than the side view.

Other than that this is lovely.

And you've gotten me inspired.

[KielDaMan]

ceroknight, on 18 October 2011 - 06:27 AM, said:

When you and your bricks reunite, I hope you consider building this!

I hope so too!

Brickdoctor, on 18 October 2011 - 06:51 AM, said:

Everything looks great, from the shaping of the mass drivers to the floor of the troop cabin. The only thing that looks a little off are the general proportions. Somehow, it looks a bit too tall, but only in views other than the side view.

That's why I made it a point to take screenshots at various angles, so I could see if the proportions are correct, and I think I did my best to capture the overall proportions correct with the available LEGO parts.

DutchRebel, on 18 October 2011 - 11:54 AM, said:

Oooohh Kieldaman! You are saving me an anormous amount of time by posting this! Thank you so much!!! This is almost exactly what I had in mind doing.
Looks great dude! Thanx again.

DR

I'm glad you liked it, I hope to see your take on this in real brickbuild in the near future.

Anio, on 18 October 2011 - 01:12 PM, said:

First, with the shape of the model, you can hardly put it on a support. And I do think that a (black) support is very important for an UCS in order to give the model a strong presence.
Amen to that. Especially on the back part. Heck, even the the 7676 cannot be made properly without putting an inaccurate arch support at the back.

The front cockpit is perfect. Lego could not do better.
The second cockpit is too blocky, because of the red line. Well, let's say that Lego can make this cockpit perfect by printing a red line on the windscreen.
My first design used the same cockpit pieces for the top and bottom, but I tried to experiment using a brickbuilt approach. The end result is blockier, but I chose the 'non-sticker' detailing of this brickbuilt version.

On the top, you've some nice missiles. But I think that the 2 engines are wrong. A bit too thin (ideal would be 5 studs wide), and the right conical shape can not be executed with the current Lego parts.
I knew that right from the very start, and you could just imagine how I wanted to have bulkier cylindrical engine parts when I was in the middle of designing.

Is the cockpit linked to the slopes or does it just lay on them ?
I mean is it attached on both ends ?
Unfortunately, no. Just like the 7676, the whole cockpit is just laid down on the body, but it is attached on the top part. And like what I said earlier, this is a highly unstable model and a lot of 'stability adjustments' are required if this is to be built in real bricks.

The front laser cannons are also too small now.
Same problem with the engine cylinders, no available parts of the right size at this scale.

I knew someone with the technical expertise would spot the inaccuracies of this design, and you pretty much summed up my 'frustrations' when I was making this one. My responses in blue.

lightningtiger, on 18 October 2011 - 01:13 PM, said:

AWESOME LDD creation 'KielDaMan', looks tons better than the actual Lego release.
LDD On 'KDM' !

Thanks LT!

[Darth Nihilus]

Can you give me an estimate of how much this would cost for parts on Bricklink? Because this is so awesome, I want it sitting on my desk.

[Anio]

KielDaMan, on 18 October 2011 - 01:52 PM, said:

I knew someone with the technical expertise would spot the inaccuracies of this design, and you pretty much summed up my 'frustrations' when I was making this one.

Yes, and the thing is that I have no avenue in mind for you to improve what you consider as "frustrations".  

Edited by Anio, 18 October 2011 - 03:01 PM.

[Hollander]

This is awesome! I love it.

It's all smooth and accurate, amazing job!

[Mr Man]

I love it KielDaMan . I'll leave it to more appropriate people to critic the size, dimensions, accuracy etc but I love it as it is, I would love to build this for real, amasing .

[Fallenangel]

Okay, now this is just awesome.

First off, you’ve captured the shape of the ship with incredible precision; I’m really impressed by how well everything matches up, from the angles of the aft end to the handrails in the troop cabin, especially as most of this build is studs-up. It's just unbelievably spot-on. There are many good System LAAT/is out there, and you’ve managed to take their techniques and use them to the best possible effect. Good to see that you’ve also incorporated some functionality – the moving bay doors and ramp are neat.

Aside from what Anio has already mentioned, there is very little that is wrong on this model. Of course I can nitpick, but the only major errors that haven’t already been mentioned would be the length of the missile launcher barrels (they should extend past the second cockpit) and the size of the blocks holding up the wings (they could be smaller). Also, the 74-Zs appear to be stored upside down. However, I do feel that some semblance of weathering would greatly improve the look of the model, as it is rather bland as far as hull detailing goes – the ‘real’ ship sported more discoloration and even a few burn marks.

Brickdoctor, on 18 October 2011 - 06:51 AM, said:

The only thing that looks a little off are the general proportions. Somehow, it looks a bit too tall, but only in views other than the side view.

I think that what Anio mentioned about the mass drivers being too small is what may be causing the model to look too tall, as well as the fact that there isn’t enough red around the cockpits.

Anio, on 18 October 2011 - 01:12 PM, said:

First, with the shape of the model, you can hardly put it on a support. And I do think that a (black) support is very important for an UCS in order to give the model a strong presence.

What if there was a hole in the side of the ship that served as the mount for the stand, in the fashion of the Tantive IV? (The set could also come with a panel to cover up the hole for those who would rather display it without the stand).

[KielDaMan]

Masked Builder, on 18 October 2011 - 01:25 PM, said:

Other than that this is lovely.

And you've gotten me inspired.

Thanks!

darthnihilius, on 18 October 2011 - 02:32 PM, said:

Can you give me an estimate of how much this would cost for parts on Bricklink? Because this is so awesome, I want it sitting on my desk.

I don't have any estimate, though I believe there is an application in the LDD forum where you could export the parts list into a Bricklink spreadsheet or something, but I have not tried to use it. So just download the LXF file and try to use the said application.

Anio, on 18 October 2011 - 03:01 PM, said:

Yes, and the thing is that I have no avenue in mind for you to improve what you consider as "frustrations".

No problem, I guess I have to blame the large scale I worked on which offset the 'should've been properly-sized elements (front ball guns, engine cylinders, etc.)

Hollander, on 18 October 2011 - 04:04 PM, said:

This is awesome! I love it.

It's all smooth and accurate, amazing job!

Mr Man, on 18 October 2011 - 06:08 PM, said:

I love it KielDaMan . I'll leave it to more appropriate people to critic the size, dimensions, accuracy etc but I love it as it is, I would love to build this for real, amasing .

Thanks guys!

fallenangel309, on 19 October 2011 - 03:45 AM, said:

Okay, now this is just awesome.

First off, you’ve captured the shape of the ship with incredible precision; I’m really impressed by how well everything matches up, from the angles of the aft end to the handrails in the troop cabin, especially as most of this build is studs-up. It's just unbelievably spot-on. There are many good System LAAT/is out there, and you’ve managed to take their techniques and use them to the best possible effect. Good to see that you’ve also incorporated some functionality – the moving bay doors and ramp are neat.

Aside from what Anio has already mentioned, there is very little that is wrong on this model. Of course I can nitpick, but the only major errors that haven’t already been mentioned would be the length of the missile launcher barrels (they should extend past the second cockpit) and the size of the blocks holding up the wings (they could be smaller). Also, the 74-Zs appear to be stored upside down. However, I do feel that some semblance of weathering would greatly improve the look of the model, as it is rather bland as far as hull detailing goes – the ‘real’ ship sported more discoloration and even a few burn marks.

Thanks! I'm glad I impressed the Simon Cowell of our SW forum (and I mean that as a compliment)

And I agree with all your points regarding the short missile launchers, large wing holder, and upside down 74-Zs. I actually noticed all of these when I was reviewing the final design but laziness finally caught up to me and I did not change these. I know someone with a keen eye as you would spot these. I'll probably change these when I have the time, and they're quite minor so it wouldn't be that difficult.

[wokajablocka]

Nice LDD Gunship, I think it looks mad. Nice and smooth, double speeder bikes and side turrets witch i was dissapointed that they removed on Legos 2nd release of the gunship.

Yeah Doc it dose look a little tall, but the over all proportions are not that bad.

[DutchRebel]

Anio, on 18 October 2011 - 01:12 PM, said:

I doubt it, for the reasons I explained above.

I find your lack of faith disturbing

[Fallenangel]

DutchRebel, on 19 October 2011 - 11:41 AM, said:

I find your lack of faith disturbing

Your X-wing will be completed on schedule.

[Anio]

DutchRebel, on 19 October 2011 - 11:41 AM, said:

I find your lack of faith disturbing

[Fallenangel]

Anio, on 19 October 2011 - 11:58 AM, said:

Basically, don't thwart the hopes of FOLs who would be interested in a UCS LAAT/i... even though you feel the ship itself is a poor subject. They made an N-1, after all...

[jamie75]

Wow, I have been working on one for while now and am not as far along as you. I am working in MLCAD thou.

I like the idea of using with windscreens from the Jedi Starfighters for the canopy on the RGS! Hadn't though of using that pieces. The pieces you used over the back cockpit look bulky and out of place to me. A sticker maybe a better idea?!

The ball turrents look small to me. I played with those using different pieces. The new planet sets look like they may be promising if there are holes in them to run Technic pins or axels through.

As for the supports in the back of the ship. Which are a must! You may want to use this method:



This model is from Guybrush or Gareth. it is not mine!! He built it year ago.

Those Technic Liftarms run through the floor, up the ramp in back, and to the top. Attach the bikes to the those to hide them. They look ugly, but, look better then stacked brick in the middle of the model

Great work, Jamie

Edited by jamie75, 19 October 2011 - 02:09 PM.

[M<0><0<DSWIM]

Stability issues aside, this is one beautiful airship, man! In particular, i love the "cannon bubbles" on the wings, the missile belts on top and the cockpits.  Great work all around!

[Matiam92]

I haven't visited this website since March and yet such a long time has passed and the greatness keeps on coming

[commdr_neyo]

Wow, this looks like it could be a real UCS set  
I'm not kidding though, I really love the smoothness, and of course (very important with UCS) it really resembles the real thing, more than other UCS Republic Gunships I've seen