[MOC] Cranes (birds)

Raystafarian · February 1, 2019

I was recently given the Large Creative Brick Box (10698) and inside there are some instructions for making a crane:

I thought this could obviously be improved upon with a simple jumper so the neck was centered, and then I added a claw plate to enhance the coverts and tertials of the wing (the train, like on a dress):

But, this just doesn't look like any crane I've ever seen. So I decided to give it a go in Stud.io, keeping the same basic structure, changing the size for smaller species and keeping to the available colors.

I haven't done very many MOCs that I've shared, so I'm open to suggestions (or relying on suggestions)!

I know adding some bricks with additional studs might be a good idea for adding more feathering on the sides.
The brick modified 2x3 with curved top - I think if I can find a 2x2 like this I could add some more detail to the coloring for the train
I toyed with the idea of using cylinders for legs, but they didn't look as good on my physical model.
I thought maybe using some technic angles for legs to give the legs some bend might work, but not at this scale.
I also think using a 2x1 cheese slope for the crowned cranes might be a good idea, or even using clips with bar 4L (Lightsaber Blade / Wand) like on the rockhopper penguin..
I'm pretty sure some yellow or red eye prints exist, which I would need to change for some of the species.
If there is some plate similar to the claw that is maybe longer, that would be better for the train

So anyway, I present 10 of the 15 species of crane present today, rendered with the lowest settings:

Common crane (Grus grus) wiki media