[MOC] Alliance dreadnaught cruiser Stolen Gold

[ProvenceTristram]

Admittedly, I've always had a soft spot for Dreadnaughts. Why? I don't know. They are hardly comely ships - almost like a weird, galactic merger of a clamshell, a mon calamari cruiser, and a loaf of bread (what a meal). And, according to the EU, they weren't exactly awesome performers - with slow hyperdrives and disgusting crew requirements (only later alleviated via system slaving). Even the name is dumb - who spells it that way? Jacky Fisher's famous battleship was Dreadnought, not Dreadnaught. I almost have a conniption every time I look at it. So... yeah... they're the weirdo in the room; the oddball people keep casting nervous glances at, wondering if he's about to drop his pants. But maybe I'm just into weirdos.

Plus, it never hurts that when I was looking around two days ago for a Star Wars capital ship to model, it appeared that very few people had attempted a dreadnaught in this size (it's roughly in the same scale as Raskolnikov's best-ever Star Destroyer Tyrant). And one of the nice things about dreadnaughts is their usable interior space - their being shaped like a five dollar footlong isn't so bad when you're hoping to model closed scenes (and even house smaller vehicles).

So... based on the limited pictures on the web (a few of which are posted below) and a 20-year-old line drawing from the Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels, I went about assembling the thing... hoping (as usual, in vain) to keep the parts count reasonable. Thus, without further adieu, I present to you: the Alliance dreadnaught Stolen Gold. 

Prototype:

Model:

 

Bridge, featuring crew pit (stickers will be necessary):

Hangar (can house 4x mini A-wings/Y-wings or TIE fighters):

Engineering: 

Rear bay (modeled as a bedroom/hangar, but this space could really be anything; I considered making it a crew mess):

Swinging access doors:

It came in at a little over 2,400 pieces - not great, but not heinous, either.

Edited October 19, 2016 by ProvenceTristram

[strider117]

Very cool! This ship is actually new to me so it's very cool to see something new. Nicely done

[ProvenceTristram]

1 hour ago, strider117 said:

Very cool! This ship is actually new to me so it's very cool to see something new. Nicely done

Thanks. One reason you may not have heard of it is because it's from the old EU... and not exactly recent material, either. And thus you probably won't see more Dreadnaughts in the future, since Disney took a big Mickey-sized yellow boot and smashed all that into a bloody paste.

In other news, I realized I kind of phoned in the engine compartment the first go-around, so I just redid it:

Edited October 19, 2016 by ProvenceTristram

[Kit Bricksto]

Hey this is really cool! There are very few good models of these ships and I haven't seen one that fits minifigs yet. I really like the attention to detail in the rear half of the ship and that big ship part under the nose is very nicely used too. I feel like the front area is a bit too blocky and clean though. The sides should be slanted a lot more and that also affects the shape of the front slope that should not be quite this square I think.. 

Other than that it's a cool model though and the interior detail is much appreciated. Is that one of those tiny walkers from the second Thrawn book in the last room? Nice! 

[TWP]

Not a real fan of the source material either, but your model looks very good actually! It's nice you managed to fit an interior in it too :D

Is that part you used for the underside of the belly the Slave I cockpit in dark bley?

[ProvenceTristram]

21 minutes ago, TWP said:

Not a real fan of the source material either, but your model looks very good actually! It's nice you managed to fit an interior in it too :D

Is that part you used for the underside of the belly the Slave I cockpit in dark bley?

Yeah, I would have to dye it to make it work. I spent a good hour messing with part alternatives in the area and couldn't find any other piece that provided that sort of clean, rounded look, but I am still totally open to suggestions, because I hate hate hate part modding, so if there is another way to get that same look, I am all ears.

3 hours ago, Kit Bricksto said:

Hey this is really cool! There are very few good models of these ships and I haven't seen one that fits minifigs yet. I really like the attention to detail in the rear half of the ship and that big ship part under the nose is very nicely used too. I feel like the front area is a bit too blocky and clean though. The sides should be slanted a lot more and that also affects the shape of the front slope that should not be quite this square I think.. 

No, I know the front doesnt bend in enough. The problem is exactly how I could achieve additional curvature on the sides without sacrificing the interior scene. This matter is made doubly difficult when you consider the nose - above all else, I wanted that clean, gradual slope (I, in fact, prioritized this lateral lines over horizontal ones), but, again, I messed with about 4 other approaches before I settled on that one. 

I also agree with you about the top of the bow/stern being a bit too smooth (although I did want some contrast with the more greebled elements). What I would *really* like in these two areas is some way to delineate obvious creases (or divides/breaks) between armored plates - thus still maintaining a smooth look, but with some additional eye candy. I'll mess with it again tonight ans see if I can accomplish any success.

All your criticism is more than warranted, though - there were places I had to make judgment calls, and it's possible I made the wrong ones.

Edited October 19, 2016 by ProvenceTristram

[ProvenceTristram]

I went ahead and attacked the structural problem head-on this morning, tearing down the entire front portion and starting from scratch. The result... is sort of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it's probably closer to the dimensions of the original ship. On the other, the bridge is substantially more cramped inside. I'll defer to the floor as to which you guys prefer, the original or this:

The real shame of it is those tan curved pieces only come in very limited colors, so I'd be stuck dying those or changing the paint scheme :/. 

Edited October 19, 2016 by ProvenceTristram

[xboxtravis7992]

13 hours ago, ProvenceTristram said:

Thanks. One reason you may not have heard of it is because it's from the old EU... and not exactly recent material, either. And thus you probably won't see more Dreadnaughts in the future, since Disney took a big Mickey-sized yellow boot and smashed all that into a bloody paste.

Actually the fact Disney smashed the old canon makes me think the Dreadnaught could return as part of some comic, novel or part of Rebels. The last time the Dreadnaught appeared was in Outbound Flight which was a Thrawn prequel novel by Timothy Zahn. And lo and behold we are soon due to get a new Thrawn novel from Timothy Zahn! Wouldn't surprise me if Zahn modifies the Outbound Flight origin story to somehow to fit the new Canon, re-introducing the Dreadnaught with it.

Enough ranting, this is a beautiful Lego rendition of an oft forgotten ship. Very well done!

[ProvenceTristram]

Welp, I've decided to go ahead and build it. I was really torn because of the sheer expense but, on the other hand, I felt like this would be a really good flagship for a hodgepodge rebel fleet. I'll update again with photos once the parts arrive and it's constructed, though it may be a while, since I am going to have to dye several parts.

[Raskolnikov]

On 10/18/2016 at 6:04 PM, ProvenceTristram said:

it appeared that very few people had attempted a dreadnaught in this size (it's roughly in the same scale as Raskolnikov's best-ever Star Destroyer Tyrant).

Haha, thanks.  Maybe you'll let me build one using your design, eh eh?  it's awful nice when people build stuff that's to scale with what you already have, and my Rebels need a flagship.  Mon Cal cruisers are so hard to make. 

I'm glad you decided to build it -- can't wait to see the finished pictures.

[ProvenceTristram]

4 hours ago, Raskolnikov said:

Haha, thanks.  Maybe you'll let me build one using your design, eh eh?  it's awful nice when people build stuff that's to scale with what you already have, and my Rebels need a flagship.  Mon Cal cruisers are so hard to make. 

I'm glad you decided to build it -- can't wait to see the finished pictures.

PM sent. 

[Veynom]

Nice attempt at a ship that few people still remember today. Keep on building.

If you ever decide to share the LDD, I would be interested in it. ;)

[VaderFan2187]

What is a Dreadnaught? It sounds oh-so-familiar...

Also, now I know what your profile picture is 

Only nitpick I have: I think the top of the front could have a little more detailing... there are some square lines on the real one but the top of your version is all flat...

Aside from that, I love this model 

Edited January 16, 2017 by VaderFan2187