[MOC] T-65 X-wing Starfighter

[General Magma]

Hello everyone!

I've been busy working on an X-wing Fighter lately, and since it will take a while til I'm done with the wings and am ready to start making the body, I figured it might be useful if I posted some WIP shots, to give you guys a first impression and the ability to give me suggestions about what I could change about the wings.

I have almost finished 2 of the bottom wings, and wanted to do it in SNOT. The shape of the wings was mainly inspired by Marshal Banana, but I wanted to do a gray X-wing, and I changed some aspects of the wings - now they're about the same size as the official pieces TLC uses for wings.

Let me know what you think about these so far, and remember that suggestions are always welcome: in fact, that's the reason I posted the WIP version for now and not just the completed version later on.

Here's the earlier wing design - to show the rest of the wing except for only the finalized laser cannon:

There we had the earlier design: the new one is the same, except for the laser cannon which had been adjusted a bit:

Let me know what you think about it so far, please, suggestions are always welcome.

I can smell fallenangel already.

~ General Magma

Edited February 4, 2011 by General Magma

[Brickdoctor]

Looks good so far. The cannon looks nice, although I'm pretty sure it should be much longer. Your use of the wheels looks really good head-on, but the transition to the rest of the rear part is kinda choppy and that part should be colored tan. I'm thinking the 2x2 round behind it needs to face studs-back.

[Fallenangel]

Did you recognize my foul stench when you were brought on board?

I'm wondering whether the wings aren't too thin; if you were to attach engines to that sliver, I think they would look rather fat. And by the way, the wingspan (with wings open) is roughly 86% of the length, so you may want to elongate it.

If you're building SNOT wings, it has to be in a very large scale (at least the size of drakmin's X-wing, if not bigger) or else the wings will appear ridiculously fat. Still, you're using 2x2 round bricks for the wingtip laser cannon housings, so that should offset it a bit.

You've devised a unique and fairly accurate solution for the flashback suppressors; very good.

You're going to want to rework the area around the laser cannon; the rectangular bit on the end doesn't look all that great. Also, the cannon itself shouldn't touch the wing surface; there are actually small struts attaching them to the wing, as seen here.

The barrels should definitely be much longer; they extend to around the proton torpedo launch tubes.

Since you're using SNOT, you've managed to include the "holes" in the wings. However, they appear the wrong shape (they look like this), and at the very least they should be thinner than the main part of the wing. Perhaps some brackets would do.

Your use of the wheels looks really good head-on, but the transition to the rest of the rear part is kinda choppy and that part should be colored tan.

Not necessarily. Tan laser cannon cooling sleeves are unique to the Red Three X-wing (both the 1/24 miniature used in the Death Star trench run and the large four-footer from the Magic of Myth exhibition), and only on the upper pair of wings. On the Red 1, 2, and 5 models, they're all the same color as the fuselage base (white/grey). This is one area where LEGO goofed on 7191.

All four of the models I mentioned have significant differences in detailing, so what General Magma will include on his model will change depending on which X-wing he bases his model off of. Because let's face it, a hybrid with details from all four would just look weird. (I based my own X-wing off the Red Five model, though I couldn't include the correct identification markings and tan stripes on the nose, among other things, due to part limitations. Someday I'll make a UCS...)

Edited February 5, 2011 by fallenangel327

[Brickdoctor]

Not necessarily. Tan laser cannon cooling sleeves are unique to the Red Three X-wing (both the 1/24 miniature used in the Death Star trench run and the large three-footer from the Magic of Myth exhibition), and only on the upper pair of wings. On the Red 1, 2, and 5 models, they're all the same color as the fuselage base (white/grey). This is one area where LEGO goofed on 7191.

Ah. Never knew that. I'd actually base any model off the Red Three X-wing, if not because the studio model is the biggest.

[Fallenangel]

Ah. Never knew that. I'd actually base any model off the Red Three X-wing, if not because the studio model is the biggest.

I don't know... the engines on the large Red Three aren't flush with the bottom surface of the wings like they are on the smaller models, which doesn't look as good for me. On the other hand, the details and weathering on the large model are amazing, much more so than any of the smaller models.

[General Magma]

*snip*

Ah, thanks for the information!

That will be very helpful and useful - I'll get onto fixing/adding those things soon.

I want to base this one either off of the Red 5 model for Luke, or else Biggs Darklighter's Red 3. Later on I might make 2 others aswell.

~ General Magma

Edited February 4, 2011 by General Magma

[Fallenangel]

I want to base this one off of the Red 5 model for Luke, and later on I might make 2 others aswell.

Just so you know, all the models have slightly varying proportions, especially the Red Two model. Don't think you can get away with just changing the identification markings like LEGO tried to do.

[Brickdoctor]

Just so you know, all the models have slightly varying proportions, especially the Red Two model. Don't think you can get away with just changing the identification markings like LEGO tried to do.

Well technically in-universe they would all have been the same.

[Fallenangel]

Well technically in-universe they would all have been the same.

Nah. It's obvious that the fighters used in the Battle of Yavin weren't exactly in factory condition. It could be assumed that adjustments and modifications would have been made to the fighters in their long time of service, resulting in each model being unique. (This would also be the in-universe explanation for why there are differences in kit parts used for detailing on each of the Falcon models.)

A closer look at each of the four models I mentioned reveals that they have major differences in detailing. For example, Red Leader has a horizontal gold stripe across its upper port engine, Red Three has a green blot on the port side of its nose, and only Red Two sports the red circles around the air intakes seen in the cockpit closeups. And of course there's the famous broken red nose stripe and blue "barbershop" markings along the laser cannon barrel characteristic of Red Five.

And it's also quite obvious that Red Two is shorter and bulkier than the other three if you've watched the film through a couple times.

Edited February 5, 2011 by fallenangel327

[Lord Of The Fries]

Looks great so far.Can't wait to see it completed. Keep up the good work!

Cheers,

Lord Of The Fries

Edited February 5, 2011 by Lord Of The Fries

[XimenaPaulina]

Nice start Gen. Magma, I love the SNOT approach of the wings ala-marshal banana's X-Wing. I'll keenly observe the progress of this project, and I'm pretty sure you'll get plenty of help constructive criticism from our resident X-Wing expert (fallenangel).

[Churchill]

All I keep thinking is I wish we could get a custom piece for the flashback supressor from Brickforge, etc. Heck, we'd buy enough of them to make it worthwhile.

I hoping that one of these days one of us can pull of snot on these wings, cause I really love the way it looks. I'm trying to achieve it with my WIP A-wing, but I still can't quite get it right.

I too would like to see the wings and the cannons a bit longer.

All in all, though, looks good so far.

[Fallenangel]

I hoping that one of these days one of us can pull of snot on these wings, cause I really love the way it looks. I'm trying to achieve it with my WIP A-wing, but I still can't quite get it right.

The A-wing's hull slopes upward as well as outward and is rounded at the sides, so I don't know how you're planning to make that work...

General Magma, you're going to want to use 2x4 wing plates instead of 2x2x2 slope bricks for the slope toward the engine, since the angle is more accurate. This would also allow you include the engine innards which are visible in this shot.

[Brickdoctor]

The A-wing's hull slopes upward as well as outward and is rounded at the sides, so I don't know how you're planning to make that work...

Rounds, cones, and curved wedged plates.

All I keep thinking is I wish we could get a custom piece for the flashback supressor from Brickforge, etc. Heck, we'd buy enough of them to make it worthwhile.

Well if you're going to go non-purist, you might as well just cut the sides off a 2 x 2 inverted dish.

[General Magma]

I haven't gotten around to changing anything so far,

but I have been thinking what pieces to use to lengthen the wings of the X-Wing. Another slope would make it too big.

And just for you guys to make a final conclusion, whether it should be longer or not, a comparison shot with a figure:

What do you think? Suggestions are appreciated.

~ General Magma

[CMP]

I think you sneezed all over the wing.

The wing looks nice, I'm not sure if it's accurate though. You gonna build it in gray, and then replace osme bits with colored parts?

Edited February 6, 2011 by CallMePie

[Fallenangel]

Looking at this picture I'd say the overall length is about right. On my X-wing, one wing was 16 studs from the outer edge of the laser cannon to the inner edge of the engine, which is equivalent to the height of 13 1/3 bricks. But the section inside of the slope should be as wide as the entire engine, which itself should be roughly a quarter of the length of the wing, as seen in the picture I linked to above.

How do you plan to apply identification markings? Will they just be decals?

[Churchill]

The A-wing's hull slopes upward as well as outward and is rounded at the sides, so I don't know how you're planning to make that work...

I have no plan! The problem comes when you try to angle inward toward the front. Brickdoctor- I can't figure out what pieces those are on the MOC. I've stared at that a loooong time and can't figure out the piece.

I can get a good profile for the back of the hull, and the front profile looks fine. It's just that there has to be some "jump" to get angled in towards the nose.

But I digress from the x-wing under discussion...

[Brickdoctor]

I have no plan! The problem comes when you try to angle inward toward the front. Brickdoctor- I can't figure out what pieces those are on the MOC. I've stared at that a loooong time and can't figure out the piece.

Dig around a bit and read the notes and...

Cutaway!

[Churchill]

Dig around a bit and read the notes and...

Cutaway!

I'd never seen those views- I still can't place that piece... I'm not sure I like the look. I'd like to talk at length about this, but I've hijacked the x-wing thread...!

[Brickdoctor]

I'd never seen those views- I still can't place that piece... I'm not sure I like the look. I'd like to talk at length about this, but I've hijacked the x-wing thread...!

What piece, exactly? Drop me a PM if you have further questions. I think I've figured out what's going on there.

[AndyC]

I'd never seen those views- I still can't place that piece... I'm not sure I like the look. I'd like to talk at length about this, but I've hijacked the x-wing thread...!

Do you mean the two minifig hands, connected back to back by a very short bit of flex tube?

Back to the X-wing, I think the wings need to be a lot bigger, if you go for a SNOT build the whole thing needs to be significantly bigger than minifig scale or they just end up looking really fat. Unlike fallenangel though, I don't like grey x-wings, it just looks too dark a colour. They look more accurate (to me) in white, even if that's slightly brighter than they should be. I do like how you've done the gun though, it's looking really good.

Looking forward to seeing how this progresses.

[Fallenangel]

Unlike fallenangel though, I don't like grey x-wings, it just looks too dark a colour. They look more accurate (to me) in white, even if that's slightly brighter than they should be.

Well, if you want to get right down to it X-wings are really more of a dirty white. Though I would agree that it's not exactly the correct fuselage color, I prefer LEGO gray for the X-wing because LEGO white just looks too clean.

On the other hand, I'm glad someone shares my opinion on SNOT wings. (Brickdoctor, are you reading this? )

[Brickdoctor]

On the other hand, I'm glad someone shares my opinion on SNOT wings. (Brickdoctor, are you reading this? )

*Looks away*

"La la la, la LA La, la LA la. La la La LA La la la LA La..."

But SNOT is so...beautiful... Nah, I know why you don't like it in this case. I'm just not one to be an accuracy stickler when I can make something smooth and stylish instead. Of course, that does depend on your idea of 'style'. I remember Dickens once wrote a short story entitled "A School of Facts", wherein a young girl like wallpaper with horses printed on it, and she was informed that that was bad 'taste' because (from the teacher's point of view) 'taste' is only 'fact', and we do not in 'fact' see horses walking on walls. I also remember that story was written as a satire criticizing the 'taste is fact' view.

[Fallenangel]

*Looks away*

"La la la, la LA La, la LA la. La la La LA La la la LA La..."

"Estimated time to firing range, fifteen minutes."

"Dum dum duh duh duh dum, dum dum duh duh duh duh duh duh dum, duh duh duh dum, duh duh dum..."

Seriously though, there's a limit to how thick you can make a thin surface. It doesn't look so bad with more compact vehicles like the T-47 or the Alpha-3, but I don't think it would be an appropriate technique for ships with thin wings like the ARC-170 or the X-wing. To each his own, I guess.

Edited February 7, 2011 by fallenangel327