[MOC] Airship Adventures

[Airworks]

Welcome to the unexplored Skylands, floating isles where no one man has set foot before... 
Float across the skies with this novel steampunk airship! It has everythink you`ll ever need on your voyage - storage crates, telescopes, star maps for navigation, sextans, compasses, binoculars, treasure storage.. and Milk. The cockpit is removable for easier acess to it and storage. The storage area also has a door with integrated stairs, and the middle section has a hatch for various valuables. The nose features a navigator station, with a map table, telescopes, compass and some storage.

Airship Adventures by Airworks, on Flickr

Interior by Airworks, on Flickr

 

Forward view by Airworks, on Flickr

Hatches by Airworks, on Flickr


Here goes the play feature. The ship is built swooshable, but what is a swooshable ship without propellers spinning? Turn or shake the cogs on the side (and these are not just HOGs, they blend into the design), and enjoy smooth flywheel-augmented propeller motion. Tested with real bricks! Provides a satishfying sound and seamless action. The build relies on a lot of SNOT, bracing, interlocking and even s tiny dose of bottom-up building to provide a stable, holdable, swooshable experience. The balloon is cylindrical and easy to hold from below and the boat is securely connected to it.

Function by Airworks, on Flickr

Mechanism by Airworks, on Flickr

When the handle turns one way, the 16 tooth gears engage, other way - they move apart. Like with a ratchet. The flywheel (a literal wheel at the back) sustains the rotation duting the reverse motion of the handle.

I wanted to make a Bricklink Designer Program build that stands out and that can have play features that are fun to build and use. The core of the design is the mechanism, and all dimensions and design decisions were driven by its` size and functionality. I also feel that the mechanical play feature and all the gears play along with the steampunk aesthetics. Though the design language of the build is not classical steampunk - it borrows heavily from modern yachts and airplanes (I work as an airplane designer, and that left its` mark on the shaping of the build). The characters and setting of the build are somewhat inspired by Adventurers and related themes. I tried not to overdo detail, therefore the main body uses 2 main colors (white and blue) with greebling used sparingly. 
The build tops at 2000 pieces. I spent days optimising part usage and the building instructions, so that the moc is actually buildable. Unfortunately, I didn`t have time to add something for the explorers to explore except a couple of gems. I wanted to make a tiny floating island, but ran out of time and thought that the part count is high anyway. 

Check out the BPD submission here:
https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1844/Airship-Adventures

Build it at Rebrickable:
https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-211120/Airworks/airship-adventures/#details

Edited February 22 by Airworks