ARC-001 (The Arctana)

[Darkblane]

ARC-001 - The Arctana

The Arctana is my first attempt as an AFOL at a spaceship.

It is designed for long range reconnaissance and radar picketing.

I've been working on it intermittently over the last few months and now it's complete.

It is much bulkier than originally intended due to the inclusion of the mechanism for automating the cockpit. This consists of a Power Functions motor and linear actuator. Unfortunately, there wasn't room for the battery box, so this remains external (hidden out of shot in both the photos and video), connected via the underside of the ship. It would have been nice to have incorporated the battery box into the internal structure, but the only way I could have done this would have been to have made the ship longer and this would have unbalanced and distorted the overall shape of the ship which I was quite happy with.

I should have taken a few photos as I was constructing the internal framework as I incorporated a clutch design that I found via the Internet to link the motor and the linear actuator. This was necessary as otherwise the combined force of the motor and linear actuator literally tore the framework apart, primarily because the linear actuator didn't need to fully extend in order to fully open the cockpit. With the addition of the clutch, the moment either half of the cockpit meets any resistance, the stress on the structure is negated as the motor continues to spin without the linear actuator being affected.

There are also Power Functions motors to operate the engine turbines and lights to illuminate the cockpit and sensor array.

More photos can be found on Flickr:

View the ARC-001 on Flickr

A video of the power functions can be found on YouTube:

Hope you like it.

[Fires-storm]

I actually really love this, the black and orange color scheme really catches the eye, the blockiness is appealing to me for a recon ship, and I love your detailing on it. Well done

[Stash2Sixx]

Just watched the video and that is really cool. I love how the cockpit comes all the way down to the ground level so the pilot can enter his ship. The color scheme is AWESOME! The spinning intakes were a nice addition also. This looks to be one solid ship!

[XimenaPaulina]

Oh my, what a very impressive-looking ship! It doesn't look like a first-time AFOL spaceship MOC to me, it seems like you're already an expert. I love the overall design of the ship, the orange color scheme is interesting and the details are just great. Great job Darkblane!

[Smack]

Great idea for a recon ship! I love the power functions & how the cockpit reaches the ground. Great work from a first time? AFOL MOC!

[nismogrendel]

Awesome! I like the two long blasters hanging over the cockpit.

[Batbrick]

Fantastic creation darkblane, I am in awe of this! The colour scheme while simple works extremely well, and I think the blockiness actually makes it look really nice, it isn't too smooth nor to chunky. The power functions are great additions, particularly the opening cockpit which I just think is superbly done. That said, I think some angles on the ship don't look nearlyu as nice as others, but I can't really lay proper fault on design since the power functions certainly take up room, and they are worth keeping.

Stunning job for a first AFOL spacecraft.

Batbrick Away!