Modified TIE Fighter MOC

[20feet]

I've made a lot of special modifications myself.

Hi, this is my first real post here. Let me know what I'm doing wrong! 

I built @Jerac's TIE Fighter a couple years ago, and I've been tinkering with it off and on ever since. This was the first MOC I bought and built, and I remain very impressed by the strength, elegance, and ingenuity of the design. I've seen a lot of TIE MOCs since, and Jerac's is probably still my favourite. I wanted to say that clearly at the start, before getting into the nit-picking!  Here's what I changed:

Wing Gaps
I always found the holes in the wings very distracting. They're easy enough to fill with 1x4 tiles, if you remove a plate from the base of the horizontal spokes.  The result not only looks better, but holds the spokes in place more securely.  I added 1x1 plates to the top and bottom corners to fill another gap.

Canopy/Gun Mount
I was also dissatisfied with the canopy/guns/controls assembly, which is a precarious stack of rods and clips. It's fiddly and fragile, and leaves extraneous T-pieces sticking out the front. Why did Jerac build it this way?  I think because the cockpit's top, front and bottom dishes wrap around the quarter domes and they need to fit snugly to approximate a sphere, so the space available to mount the canopy and guns is incredibly tight.

My solution was to mount the canopy on old robot arms.  They're the right length, and they have a squared off neck where I've attached the gun mounts, which helps hold the guns in position (at least on 1 axis).

Top Hatch Mount
The top hatch in Jerac's model sits noticeably to the rear of centre.  It's a bit tricky to fix because the hatch mount connects to the top of the central hexagon, which also needs to be positioned precisely.  I had to rework my initial solution when I redid the rear - more on that below.

Wing Construction
I love Jerac's smooth stacked-brick wings, but they give the impression of subtle stripes running parallel to the wings edges, like concentric hexagons, whereas the real TIEs have prominent ridges perpendicular to the edges.  It occurred to me that I could suggest these by using tall 1x1 bricks instead of long bricks.

Stacked 1x1s do not make a strong wall, but because the hub/spokes/rim design is so secure, the finished wings are plenty solid.  The main drawback of this design is that light can shine through the tall seams when you look straight on, lessening the sense of solidity.  But I find the overall effect delightful.

I used 1x8 tiles for all the spokes, to clear some extraneous studs off the wings.

Interior
I spent a lot of time trying to mimic the cockpit's triangular panels in some way, but couldn't find a solution at this scale.  So I went for a looser interpretation, inspired by the beautiful Inthert version and Jerac's TIE Defender.  The interior space in this model is very limited (even the Defender has an extra stud of depth) but I was able to include a lot of detail.  I also made space for the newer, oversized TIE pilot helmets.

I borrowed the control design from the Bricks Feeder/Inthert interior.  I'm disappointed that LEGO has never printed the TIE Fighter targeting display.  I may print my own sticker for that.  

The top hatch isn't functional, but it does need to swing up for cockpit access, so I added some simple details underneath.  The scale is way off, but I like the way the 1x2 grills evoke the skylight pattern on the hatch.

Cockpit Side Greebling
I wanted to include the little dark grey bow ties on either side of the canopy.  This was challenging for a few reasons:

• They should be centred, which means holding a small piece in the middle of a 2-stud space and minimizing the gaps around it.
• Everything should be curved to match the quarter domes.
• I also wanted to accommodate interior detailing in this space.
• Finally, there's an identical pattern in the rear, around the engines.  These areas should look similar in front and back (see below).

I'm quite satisfied with this solution:

Wing Spars
The arms (technically "spars") attaching the cockpit to the wings are full of Lego-unfriendly details: cylinders, thin rings and fins, and the notched plates next to the cockpit that slope in like 4 directions at once.  Their diameter is small and they need to be strong.  I did my best to imitate the details while sticking with Jerac's sturdy plate-based design.

I swapped the 1x4 brackets for 1x2s to clear a couple studs off the front.  There are more brackets inside to add strength and attach interior details.

I tried a lot of different pieces for the bent T detail next to the wings.  Pneumatic t-pieces seemed to best capture the shape.

I'm dissatisfied with basically every part of these arms, but I haven't seen other versions at this scale that I prefer.  Most of the key details are at least present, although crudely represented.

Rear
The central rear ring is the last piece of the original that I altered (so far).  I'd done earlier revisions of the engines and hatch mount that retained the quarter ring tiles.  I appreciate their smoothness even though they're too flat, and sink the central hexagon behind a circular cutout.

I finally noticed that the outer diameter of this ring should match the top hatch and front canopy – it should be 5 studs (scaled to the overall model) or 6 (matching the canopy and hatch). That pushed me to build a custom ring with the key features of:

• 6 stud diameter
• Outer cone shape
• Inner inverted cone, and
• Prominent central hexagon with slightly recessed black interior.
   

Drawbacks:

• I couldn't find a way to keep the red engine centers with this design
• I also couldn't include the bump on the top of the cone.
• The top hatch sits ~1mm too far forward (but closer to centre than the original)
• The outer diameter is 6 studs, but only at the points where the handlebars attach
• The handlebars aren't angled quite right, so the clips that form the ring are a bit skewed
• The inner inverted cone is too deep
• And of course this segmented design is not as smooth as the rest of the model.

In spite of all that, I think the shapes are quite accurate for this scale, and I'm satisfied with the result.

A Note on Scale
The cockpit is about 9 studs tall, including the top hatch and bottom dish.  At that scale the front canopy, top hatch and rear cone should all be 5 studs in diameter.  It would be interesting to see a TIE MOC scaled up to fit the 6x6 dish – a cockpit diameter of ~11 studs.

Conclusion
I've changed most of the pieces and the details in this model, without changing much about the structure or general appearance.  I'm still tinkering with it.  I've got some ideas to rework the wings and spars, but that's quite a big project.  Some of these modifications are a matter of taste, but I'm quite pleased with the results.  I'm interested to hear others' opinions.

Credits
In addition to Jerac, I appreciated and drew inspiration from:

• Inthert and Bricks Feeder: Beautiful interiors
• Koen Zwanenburg: Clever cockpit side details, more accurate shape of the wing hubs (although I stuck with Jerac's for now)
• Fuku Saku: Nice front and back cockpit details.  The rear cone piece is clean and accurate, but loses the center details.
• Force of Bricks: Interesting arm details and rear shape.  If I do a more thorough redesign I'll likely borrow a lot from this model.
• Pasq67: Impressive details at a smaller scale.
• Cereal Eating Builder: Incredible accuracy at a much larger scale.

Reference Photos

• The EFX prop replica seems to be the most accurate model available.  This gallery is my main resource.
• For proportions I referred to this blueprint from the Tie Fighter Owners' Workshop Manual
• Some pictures of original props here
• A discussion of TIE Fighter scale

[Jerac]

Nice! I love seeing mods to my ships, and TIE mods are rare!
Most people prefer those pesky rebel scum fighters....

Will you be very angry if I borrow one or two things for incoming update? :D

 

[AIex]

I love the way you've got the lines on the wings headed perpendicular rather than parallel, it really adds so much to the design for such a simple change

[Alexandrina]

I must admit, it's not every day that you see flick-fire missiles incorporated into a MOC. I know it's in exactly the location the part was designed for, but still - the missiles are often discarded by MOCers.

Nice work. Very sleek.

[Fuppylodders]

What improvements on an already amazing moc! Crikey the level of detail you've gone for, and for the most part succeeded on! 

Absolutely love the way you've managed to squeeze the interior in there, such a tight fit and yet it looks soooo good! Also, what a compliment to your mods that jerac wants to ninja a few of your improvements for an update too! 

Regarding the light coming through the wing bricks, can you not just rotate them slightly all in the same direction so there's an ever so slight step, which offsets them slightly diagonally with respect to each other? If each portion were rotated all in the same direction, it'd remove the light, and also exaggerate the lines a bit more... If its possible to do it, that is... (regardless, those wings look great!) 

Also, great effort on the rear viewport, such a difficult object to achieve. I'm just popping ideas off in my head while sat in the bath, but, what if you flipped those handle bars 180 degrees so the longer bar handle part is snug up against the body held by the clip, and tried to work something off them that way? (although I'm guessing you probably already tried it...) 

Seeing this, I'm soooo tempted to get the pieces for jeracs so I can mod it to yours. Alternatively, both of you collaborate together on it and I'm sure together you could resolve every single difficult bit with ease!  

Top job! 

*edit

Just a thought regarding that rear viewing area again... What about... While still using those handle bars, (and perhaps a slight illegal technique I guess...) would you be able to fold a minifig Cape over each of the handles? And to attach it, tuck it between the clip of the arm and the clipping point on the handle...? At that situation you might also have to remove those 1x1 modified plate with clip on top

Edited March 9, 2021 by Fuppylodders

[20feet]

3 hours ago, Jerac said:

Will you be very angry if I borrow one or two things for incoming update? :D

I'd be delighted to see some of my ideas incorporated into the "official" MOC!  I can provide more pictures if that's helpful.

I'm excited to see the update!

3 hours ago, AIex said:

I love the way you've got the lines on the wings headed perpendicular rather than parallel, it really adds so much to the design for such a simple change

Thanks Alex!  I was very pleased when that worked out.  I've seen a lot of different attempts to show vertical lines in TIE wings – grille bricks, grille plates, tiles – but I prefer this style.

3 hours ago, Alexandrina said:

I must admit, it's not every day that you see flick-fire missiles incorporated into a MOC. I know it's in exactly the location the part was designed for, but still - the missiles are often discarded by MOCers.

Nice work. Very sleek.

I will admit, I've considered replacing the bar holder guns with lipstick (I think Inthert was the first to do this) but I enjoy being able to stick those silly flick missiles in the front.  My 5-year-old likes this too!

[20feet]

2 hours ago, Fuppylodders said:

What improvements on an already amazing moc! Crikey the level of detail you've gone for, and for the most part succeeded on! 

Absolutely love the way you've managed to squeeze the interior in there, such a tight fit and yet it looks soooo good! Also, what a compliment to your mods that jerac wants to ninja a few of your improvements for an update too! 

Regarding the light coming through the wing bricks, can you not just rotate them slightly all in the same direction so there's an ever so slight step, which offsets them slightly diagonally with respect to each other? If each portion were rotated all in the same direction, it'd remove the light, and also exaggerate the lines a bit more... If its possible to do it, that is... (regardless, those wings look great!) 

Thanks! It's gratifying that others like these mods as much as I do 

I did try angling the wing bricks slightly, but I couldn't get it to work.  I might try that again, but at the moment I've taken the wings apart to attempt another mod!

2 hours ago, Fuppylodders said:

Also, great effort on the rear viewport, such a difficult object to achieve. I'm just popping ideas off in my head while sat in the bath, but, what if you flipped those handle bars 180 degrees so the longer bar handle part is snug up against the body held by the clip, and tried to work something off them that way? (although I'm guessing you probably already tried it...) 

I did!  The center bit of the handlebars has an irregular shape, so it doesn't really work to attach a clip there, unless you want it to stick straight out.  I do suspect that a smoother cone shape is possible, but it might be up to someone else to figure it out.

2 hours ago, Fuppylodders said:

Just a thought regarding that rear viewing area again... What about... While still using those handle bars, (and perhaps a slight illegal technique I guess...) would you be able to fold a minifig Cape over each of the handles? And to attach it, tuck it between the clip of the arm and the clipping point on the handle...? At that situation you might also have to remove those 1x1 modified plate with clip on top

That's a very interesting idea!  I think I'll give that a try (although I shudder to think what 4 LBG capes would cost).

[macaron35]

Amazing mods

i just think that the top does not fit because it is too large for this cockpit size

otherwise the interior is impressive

and the wings are a bit too close to the cockpit 

nice work

it’s rare to use robot arms like this in MOCs

i really like how the controls fall right in the hands of the pilot and the dark / red atmosphere you recreated

[20feet]

Thanks macaron35.  The hatch and canopy are too big, but not by a lot.  I considered trying to scale the ship up to fit them, but then it would be out of scale with my X-wing.  At least the pieces are the right shape, unlike the cursed X-wing canopy.

The wings are maybe a stud too close together (measuring from the center of each wing) but because the wing hub/spoke details are inevitably thicker in Lego, the overall width is about right.  In any case, I haven't altered the outside dimensions of the model (yet!) – that part's all Jerac.  The main inaccuracy in the dimensions is that the tops and bottoms of the wings are a bit short.

[Csaba]

Very nice work.

I built this set last myself last month. I thought that the gaps in the wings and the canopy mount were two main issues with the model. I'll be interested to see the update when Jerac is finished.

[Tom_Brick]

I love the interior details. Really neat.

[20feet]

Thanks Csaba.  It looks like Jerac has fixed both those issues in the forthcoming update.  But I'm glad they were present in the first version – they spurred me to make my own modifications!

The nice thing about this model is it's composed of a lot of little discreet chunks mounted to a strong frame, so it's not too difficult to take a bit that bugs you and start fiddling with it.  It was a great way to cut my teeth.  If I'd built Jerac's X-wing first I think I would have been too intimidated to try any mods.  Even now, the thought is daunting.

Tom_Brick: Thanks.  I see you're a prolific TIE builder yourself!  I enjoyed your Classic Space/Star Wars mash-ups.

[LadyTano]

That whole thing just looks so smooth, love the lines, nice work...wish I had some of those skills!

[20feet]

Thanks LadyTano.  I certainly didn't have those skills when I started – that's why it's taken me 2 years to make these mods!

[20feet]

I'm working on a major update to this mod with new wings and spars.  In the meantime, here's a couple pieces I'm tinkering with:

I wanted to try for a smoother rear ring, using the handlebars as the outer edge.  The angles aren't quite right, and I don't have space to attach them properly.  I also couldn't think of a good way to shape the outer and inner cone, so I gave up on this method.

Some prototypes for the stupid plates next to the cockpit.  I find handlebars useful for curves and angles, but I wish there were other options.  Alas, no LBG hot dogs.  Are there any other small curved or angled pieces I could try here?

[MAVERICK26]

Go for it, I think that it would look amazing. Also, great timing for your post!

[20feet]

16 hours ago, MAVERICK26 said:

Also, great timing for your post!

How so?

[Tom_Brick]

 

On 3/27/2021 at 11:01 PM, 20feet said:

I wanted to try for a smoother rear ring, using the handlebars as the outer edge.  The angles aren't quite right, and I don't have space to attach them properly.  I also couldn't think of a good way to shape the outer and inner cone, so I gave up on this method.

Some prototypes for the stupid plates next to the cockpit.  I find handlebars useful for curves and angles, but I wish there were other options.  Alas, no LBG hot dogs.  Are there any other small curved or angled pieces I could try here?

I think the top right solution looks great. Of course it depends on how well you can integrate it into the overall design. Other than that, maybe you can smuggle in a sand-blue hot dog, though then you'd probably have to use some other sand blue highlights to balance the design. Or maybe the clip-on axe head (53705) could work. It comes in flat silver instead of LBG, but that should be fine. You'd just have to figure out a way of clipping it on in the right way.

[20feet]

Ya, I also like to top right best.  I am worried that none of this will fit next to the quarter dome pieces.  I'll have to figure out how my spars attach to the cockpit first.

I've stuck with LBG and DBG (where appropriate).  I think color accuracy is more important than getting the best possible shape, especially for something as clean and uniformly colored as an Imperial TIE Fighter.  (You can get away with more in an Rebel ship.)  But I often wish I were building a First Order TIE instead - so many more possibilities in black!

[20feet]

I'm slowly working on a major update to this model.  In the meantime I investigated the purpose of the black hexagon on the rear of the TIE Fighter and made AN UNSETTLING DISCOVERY.  May be of interest to other TIE builders.

 

[Guyinaplaguemask]

What is the discovery

[Stuartn]

4 hours ago, Guyinaplaguemask said:

What is the discovery

It appears to be a window rather than an engine which is what I'd assumed

[Guyinaplaguemask]

I believe its the reactor, the engines are the red dots on the side. This is based off of the cross sections book, which may not be canon.

[Tom_Brick]

TIE stands for "Twin Ion Engines", so yeah, it's the two exhausts left and right of the central hexagon, which itself is indeed a window.

[20feet]

7 hours ago, Guyinaplaguemask said:

What is the discovery

You can click through the gallery for the whole story, but the TL;DR is that TIE Fighters (including Vader's!) have rear windows... on the inside.  But the layout of the TIE interior set is inconsistent with the exterior models.