20 replies to this topic

[KnightlyKnight]

Imperial Artillery Battery

S@H Description:
Imperial forces prepare to bombard the Rebel defenses with their Artillery, The forward scout observes the rebel base, While the commander locks in the target and relays the order to attack. The gunner swivels the gun into position and commences fire while the heavy trooper prepares for the counterattack. There is no such thing as too much firepower, build your army today with the Imperial Artillery Battery and destroy the rebel base...

includes Imperial Artillery Gun, power generator, Imperial gunner, Stromtrooper with pauldron, Imperial Officer, and Imperial Scout Trooper.

Pieces: 69 (excluding minifigures but including Accessories and Helmets/Hair)

Box Art:


Minifigs:


Sides:






Inspiration:
I really like the big guns Lego has been making on the clone wars vehicles, and thought they would be great on their own. Also I really want Lego to make and imperial gunner minifig, I have had to make do with a pilot. I want those helmets in Lego.

Brickshelf Folder (when public)
(includes some alternate thoughts on minifigures (also linked in post below) and a couple of additional images)

What I really want for the imperial gunner is this guy here and here in lego
I thought the tie pilot was the best substitute at short notice (although the links above show the other ideas I had).

Also the gunner and the trooper would have fleshie heads under their helmets, which could be interchanged with the officers head to make a number of different looking officers from the same pack, both with and without helmets.

Edited by KimT, 28 September 2009 - 06:03 PM.

[Fumoffu]

Great BP.  Excellent selection of minifigures and the hairpiece/helmet off idea is great (reminds me of the Rogue Shadow set).  The artillery is really good too.  Reminds me of this German WWII artillery piece toy that I had as a kid.  I'll buy this.

[Commander Flash]

I like it, except the red highlights on the battery. It makes it look like a republic weapon. Otherwise,  

[KnightlyKnight]

Thanks.

I kind of like the red, it becomes a bit bland without it I think. Also I was considering an alternative selection of minifigures which would have made it republic:
Republic Artillery Battery Minifigures (option 1)
Republic Artillery Battery Minifigures (option 2)

and some other ideas were:
Imperial Artillery Battery Minifigures (Alternate Option 1)
Imperial Artillery Battery Minifigures (Alternate Option 2)

P.S. I've edited my first post with a piece count and a few more notes on the minifigs at the end.

Edited by KnightlyKnight, 28 September 2009 - 12:50 AM.

[Darth Legolas]

I would like this better if it weren't for the fact that it seems you plucked the gun right off of the AT-TE.  

I like the battery box and minifigs though!

[Kirk0007]

Darth Legolas, on Sep 27 2009, 07:52 PM, said:

I would like this better if it weren't for the fact that it seems you plucked the gun right off of the AT-TE.  

Indeed you did:

Picture by BrickShelf member "warriorclone"
The turret is simply shortened a bit.

Edited by Kirk0007, 28 September 2009 - 01:36 AM.

[CloneCommanderDelta7]

Great, I'd definately buy this one, but the gun itself (the barrel mainly) needs work.  Everything else is perfect!

[KnightlyKnight]

Darth Legolas, on Sep 28 2009, 01:52 PM, said:

I would like this better if it weren't for the fact that it seems you plucked the gun right off of the AT-TE.  

I like the battery box and minifigs though!

I'm assuming that first comment is about originality not that you don't like it? I admit that inspiration and core of this was the gun from my AT-TE (Stated, but not so explicitly as you may have required, above). I didn't realize, as this is the first MOC I've posted and I was in a rush, that the similarity police would be on my case   I figure there's a lot of MOC's that use ideas/parts from other sets to create something new, with their own reason for being, which I hope is what I've done here. And I thought it was sufficiently original to be considered a new custom

Similarities aside, is it ultimately something that you would want to buy if Lego made it. That's what is important to me.

I really like the aesthetic of the AT-TE gun and feel that the heavily cut down gun (about 1/2 the size) works well here in combination with the anti-aircraft/artillery gun feel created by adding the side seat, turret base and power generator/regulator. All of which I think add to the feel of a support weapon, behind the main line. This gun would now look silly on top of the AT-TE but would look perfect along side it (which to my mind is a plus).

With a limited number of pieces it is an excellent way to do the gun barrel with the spring, the main barrel and the muzzle silencer and the slide guide all to give a sense of recoil from the blast of the gun. The top of the gun I have modified several times but keep coming back to the AT-TE design because I really like it for the bulk it creates as it makes it feel solid and centered (with only 4 pieces).

The seat structure is completely new, and the gun pivots from the front, not the back as the AT-TE one does. I used the swivel plate as it has the height wanted and I like the click lock which gives a much sturdier feel, as well as helping keep the piece count down.

Every piece I have used has been considered as to why that piece, does it compliment the concept, and is the overall balance right. My first cut was about 10 pieces over, so I'd love to be able to greeble it some more and make it a bit bigger & more detailed but there's a piece count to be complied with. I'm Happy if there's some constructive criticism that would make it better, but the similarities to the AT-TE are intentional.

[KimT]

KimT, on Sep 1 2009, 10:09 AM, said:

Rules Of Entry:

• 4 Minifigs - brickbuilt minifigs counts a minifig (no more, no less).
  
• 50-70 Parts (minifigs not included).
  
• Custom minifigs and accessories allowed (Brickforge, Brickarms and so forth).
  
• No clone brand parts (megablocks, blocko and so forth).
  
• No baseplates (or large parts like BURP).
  
• S@H-like Description (check the descriptions on shop.lego.com for inspiration).
  
• Own motivation for creating set (why these figs and accessories?).
  
• Max 5 pictures from different angles - One of which should be a box diplay/image.
  
• Please include a link to off-site folder with more pics or higher resolution pictures (optional).
  
• Max picture resolution is 800x600.
  
• No large parts - it's a Battle Pack and should resemble existing BP's in size and contents.
  
• Only one entry per member.
  
• 'Real' entries only - no digital entries.
  
• Entry has to be a new MOC.

A nice entry.
You might consider to change the gun's design to drown comments on the AT-TE gun look.
The entry is accepted.
Good luck.

[pedro]

Great entry Knight, i think it stands well on it's own merit despite similarities with another Star Wars vehicle. The details are really nice - the power generator makes a great addition - and I can imagine a row of these lined up like a ground based turbolaser battery! Your other minifig selections would've made a good combination too - your white 'gunner' or rebel trooper/snow trooper in the first Republic set looks really interesting.

KnightlyKnight, on Sep 28 2009, 01:49 AM, said:

I kind of like the red, it becomes a bit bland without it I think.

I'm afraid I'll have to agree with others on that - it looks good - but the Imperial colour-scheme tends to be that bland, drab grey; I think it'd look good like that too.

Best of luck to you in the contest!

[RileyC]

The gun looks good like that, but just stealing it from the AT TE isnt very creative. The officer is cool with the interchangeable hair and helmet.
I think you should remake your battlepack and just don't get bits from sets

Edited by Roncanator, 29 September 2009 - 10:16 PM.

[KnightlyKnight]

Well, for those that think it wasn't original enough for their tastes, here's a complete redesign of the set:



Piece count and figure selection remain the same.
I still like the original gun, but this one is cute too. There is no generator attached to this one and it is more of an AA style gun. It would suit a echo base size set best with a few other bits and pieces in the set IMO.

Additional images [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ]

[Darth Legolas]

KnightlyKnight, on Sep 30 2009, 06:07 AM, said:

Well, for those that think it wasn't original enough for their tastes, here's a complete redesign of the set:



Piece count and figure selection remain the same.
I still like the original gun, but this one is cute too. There is no generator attached to this one and it is more of an AA style gun. It would suit a echo base size set best with a few other bits and pieces in the set IMO.

Additional images [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ]

Well, I was still going to vote for you. In fact, you have my point now!

[RileyC]

wow KnightlyKnight thats awesome! I really like it and now you probably have my vote. Thats just incredible I love all the detail.

[CommanderFox]

Awesome KnightlyKnight !!
I love both the actual one and the re-design
Parts are nice and the fig choice is Great   
They are both nicely made.

CommanderFox

Edited by CommanderFox, 01 October 2009 - 12:47 AM.

[UsernameMDM]

Nice set!  I'd like to see at least doubles of one of the troopers and not 4 different minifigs.

[KnightlyKnight]

Darth Legolas, on Oct 1 2009, 01:02 PM, said:

Well, I was still going to vote for you. In fact, you have my point now!

I'm glad to hear it! Now if only I can scavenge enough parts from my current display sets to make both it'd make a cool little diorama. I really want to do a rebel set to face off against, but my wife has already given me grief for the time I've spent on this  . As an incentive for people to vote for me, I'll do it if I win a prize  

Roncanator, on Oct 1 2009, 01:36 PM, said:

wow KnightlyKnight thats awesome! I really like it and now you probably have my vote. Thats just incredible I love all the detail.

Thanks! That was the thing with making the re-design; to make the gun different and still cool in my mind required more detail and thus more pieces which means sacrificing components (i.e. the generator).  I also wanted enough things on the gun to give the officer something to do! (thus the control panel on the side)

UsernameMDM, on Oct 1 2009, 05:30 PM, said:

Nice set!  I'd like to see at least doubles of one of the troopers and not 4 different minifigs.

Your complements are appreciated    

on the note of why 4 different minifigures, it was important to me that every fig in the set had a role. The scout to spot for the gun, the gunner to shoot it, the officer to co-ordinate the attack and manage the guns power generator, and the heavy trooper to protect it from assault. Taking any one figure out and duplicating another takes something away from the playability to my mind.

Also I really wanted to build a battle pack that would compliment the existing sets that Lego have done. We've had a stormie pack and the scout speeder bike set (now well OOP), but we haven't had any imperial support set which is what I wanted this to be. Support figures shouldn't be as common as the ones in the other sets but buying multiple sets should be encouraged for army building (to a similar amount as the stormie packs one may have purchased), so more variety maintains the rarity of each figure while encouraging you to buy more of them.  

[lemming]

Really like both versions of the artillery. The first one would make a really good republic gun (finally a worthwhile use for the gunners from the clone battle packs..) while I know the main gun is converted from the AT-TE it still fits perfectly. Reminds me a bit of this:

You did really well on the redesign too, would definitely buy either of these sets :)

Edited by lemming, 01 October 2009 - 11:46 AM.

[KnightlyKnight]

Thanks Lemming, that picture is really a perfect illustration of what I had in mind. Although I'm trying to envision how to do a full minifig-scale one...
(wouldn't be too hard I think)

As to the clone gunners, as I understand it they operate the bigger weapons and drive things, so I've used mine in the cockpit and guns of the AT-TE and AT-AP, and I am thinking about the guns on the Republic gunship (although that is currently populated with Phase-II clones).

Also the little clone walkers can be re-jigged to one seaters and they make sence for those (and 1 per BP too). I have to admit that the clone walkers are a bit puny next to the AT-RT (which is also way cooler). So it is hard to keep them around as part of a display. I should do another battle pack alternate build with the bits from the clone walkers. I have a few from the Imperial dropship/Rebel scout speeder/Phase II clone BP sets that I need to post at some point first tho.

Edited by KnightlyKnight, 07 October 2009 - 01:05 AM.

[Klaus-Dieter]

That's an awesome entry, KnightlyKnight!

I really   it!
If you included two regular Stormtroopers instead of the Scout Trooper and the Sand Trooper it would be a perfect BP!

Very, very well done!   

KnightlyKnight, on Sep 27 2009, 10:49 PM, said:

Also I really want Lego to make and imperial gunner minifig, I have had to make do with a pilot. I want those helmets in Lego.

I totally agree with you, KnightlyKnight!
An Imperial Gunner is really needed!


Klaus-Dieter

[CloneCommanderDelta7]

The new one is good, it has shielding to protect itself and the gunner from enemy fire, it looks fantastic!