[MOC] LEGO Moments in Space - Mobile Autonomous Research Station

[Leewan]

Well, I thought I'd share my entry here as well. 

I decided to create a microscale Mars exploration vehicle, which I called the Mobile Autonomous Research Station (or MARS, in short) :

I wanted the model to be as playable as possible, so I've included an articulated arm with a grabber (made with this part, who said the stud shooters were useless ?) to collect samples of rock, which can then be dropped into the bed :

 There's also a ladder on the right side of the vehicle, which can be folded :

 

The model is made of 144 parts, including the microfig and the little square of Martian rock. You can see it in 3D on Mecabricks, and, if you wish to see it become an actual GWP set, give it a vote. 

[Digger of Bricks]

Dang, excellent entry you've done there @Leewan! 

I think what I really like about this creation, is that it doesn't look like a microscale build, but a larger minifigure scale one instead. Kind of reminds me of the work of Fredoichi, who's microscale creations also give me that same impression. Here are a few albums of his work, categorized by genre:

Flickr - Mechs, Multipeds, and Robots

Flickr - Starfighters

Flickr - Sky-Fi

[Leewan]

Thank you. 

On 10/02/2018 at 6:02 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

Kind of reminds me of the work of Fredoichi, who's microscale creations also give me that same impression.

Oh, it's an honour to be compared to such a talented builder. 

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I've made a few changes to my entry today. First of all, Loysnuva suggested me to hide a small crystal beneath the rock. While it kinda goes against my idea of building something realistic (or, let's say, plausible), it adds a bit of playability, with the possibility of "discovering" the crystal while you dig.

I've also changed the bars on the sides of the bed, there was a small issue with the way they were attached, a part was touching the tires, preventing the vehicle from driving. Here's how it looks like now :

 You can find more pictures on flickr, or on the update page.

[Digger of Bricks]

I must add, the other thing this entry reminds me of is this playset done by Mega Construx's subtheme Probuilder, which is fairly recent.

MegaConstrux | Probuilder - Space Rover Expedition

Kinda makes me envious, as I only learned this subtheme of theirs just yesterday. With the only other set in that line being a Viking Longship, I thought "Damn, why don't you have sets like this in your Creator Expert lineup Lego?!"