Hangar Additions

[501st Commando]

Even though I finished my hangar, the project is far from over. Over time I will continue to add more vehicles (and possibly more to the dio). The Jedi Starfighter didn't come out the way I wanted it to, but overall I'm pleased with it. Mainly the bracket sized gaps (most noticeable in the mid-section, between the droid and Republic symbol ) are my biggest frustration about it. Until I figure out another way to keep the SNOT wings without wrecking the angles this won't be fixed for a while. The Crate Transport on the other hand turned out much better than I thought it would. Initially I though it would be too blocky, but I think it turned out alright. As always C@C is welcome.

Jedi Starfighter:

Jedi Starfighter set.

Crate Transport:

Ground Crew set.

Edited April 16, 2012 by 501st Commando

[Mr Man]

Very nice starfighter, it doesn't look exactly like the Delta B, but it does look really nice, the little hovering thingie is a good build.

[Dapper-D2]

The hangar looks amazing and I really like the greebling you‘ve done. You’re right that crate transport did turn out nicely, but what I really love is that Starfighter! It’s hard to see the gaps without a close-up, so I can’t offer any suggestions on how to fix it! Well done! I’m looking forward to your additions.

[JackJonespaw]

These are both amazing! I love the starfighter!

[LEGOman273]

Looks great! The only thing I can say is that you could make the front of the Delta-7 a bit pointier.

[Ishv-viss-j]

To eliminate the gaps at the hinges, you would simply need to build up the area around the cockpit canopy similar to what was done here – this will also help to convey the bulbous look of that structure better and make your creation look a little less flat.

To be frank, though, I can’t say I agree with your choice of SNOT wings for this creation; while it does allow for a smoother overall look, I’ve always felt that below a certain size the one-brick thickness forces the MOCer to compensate other aspects of the build such as shaping and detail, something that is especially true with a craft as small as the Delta-7. In comparing the Fine Molds kit with your creation, for example, I feel that the thrusters on the latter are too small at one stud in diameter (I would have used this piece) and that the 75 slope bricks make the ship a tad too narrow. In addition, a look at this screen capture suggests that one brick’s width is too much for the thin wings of the ship... all of which contributes to the finished product's looking more distorted and blocky than it could be.

So you see now how too much has been sacrificed for the sake of a smooth finish in the case of this creation (it’s not unlike The LEGO Group’s going out of their way to shoehorn flick-fire missiles into 8097 – but that’s for another thread ), and indeed there are in fact several worthwhile LEGO Delta-7s on MOCpages with plate wings. I know that the spare half-plate’s thickness doesn’t seem like much, but when you consider how much more flexible you can be with attaching plates as opposed to bricks I’d say it definitely helps you in the long run.

DutchRebel certainly made good use of 1x4 slopes here to sharpen the tip of the nose on his Aethersprite... as did KielDaMan.

Cheers~

[501st Commando]

To eliminate the gaps at the hinges, you would simply need to build up the area around the cockpit canopy similar to what was done here – this will also help to convey the bulbous look of that structure better and make your creation look a little less flat.

To be frank, though, I can’t say I agree with your choice of SNOT wings for this creation; while it does allow for a smoother overall look, I’ve always felt that below a certain size the one-brick thickness forces the MOCer to compensate other aspects of the build such as shaping and detail, something that is especially true with a craft as small as the Delta-7. In comparing the Fine Molds kit with your creation, for example, I feel that the thrusters on the latter are too small at one stud in diameter (I would have used this piece) and that the 75 slope bricks make the ship a tad too narrow. In addition, a look at this screen capture suggests that one brick’s width is too much for the thin wings of the ship... all of which contributes to the finished product's looking more distorted and blocky than it could be.

So you see now how too much has been sacrificed for the sake of a smooth finish in the case of this creation (it’s not unlike The LEGO Group’s going out of their way to shoehorn flick-fire missiles into 8097 – but that’s for another thread ), and indeed there are in fact several worthwhile LEGO Delta-7s on MOCpages with plate wings. I know that the spare half-plate’s thickness doesn’t seem like much, but when you consider how much more flexible you can be with attaching plates as opposed to bricks I’d say it definitely helps you in the long run.

DutchRebel certainly made good use of 1x4 slopes here to sharpen the tip of the nose on his Aethersprite... as did KielDaMan.

Cheers~

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I actually thought of using some techniques from the first link during the build, for the cockpit, but decided against it (mainly due to all of the studs). Even though I sacrificed some details, I choose the studless approach, since I only use studs for texture. I agree with what you said when it comes to accuracy, but as MOC'er I prefer to keep my MOCs (mainly spaceships) as sleek as possible, but that is just a personal preference.

@-Thanks for the great C@C everyone!

[Ishv-viss-j]

I agree with what you said when it comes to accuracy, but as MOC'er I prefer to keep my MOCs (mainly spaceships) as sleek as possible, but that is just a personal preference.

I mentioned that below a certain size the one-brick thickness forces you to compensate various aspects of the MOC, and that includes sleekness. Having a one-plate thickness at the edges of the Delta-7’s wings would at least convey a sleeker form much more effectively than a one-brick thickness would.

Compare the radiator panels on lowlead’s TIE fighter with the brickbuilt panels on -2x4-‘s – which look thinner? I'd say those on lowlead’s, even though they are only marginally so. The same holds for any fighter with very thin wings (e. g. N-1, Eta-2, any TIE variant).

Obviously anything smaller than 1:28 UCS scale in LEGO is going to require that you take significant liberties as far as accuracy is concerned, which is why I didn't go into specifics concerning the shaping around the cockpit. But I think at least hinting at those features will make this adaptation more recognizable, at least in sleekness.