[MOC] Speeder Bike

[NNOPMOC]

Hi All

Three years ago I was going to see a good friend in the US. I knew he was a Star Wars and a Lego fan, and he had recently bought some sets that included speeder bikes, and had commented on FB about how he loved the little speeder bikes. So, having already completed one major MOC earlier that year (in a post to follow) and with the building buzz still fizzing in my blood, I 'threw' this together in about two to three months.

PIC_0871 by neil cook, on Flickr

I don't remember the statistics for this model except that it was about 32 inches long and had over 600 pieces.

PIC_0875 by neil cook, on Flickr

The control arms and laser canon moved, the front steering/deflectors could be adjusted, and the foot pedals, when pressed, opened the flaps at the back.

PIC_0880 by neil cook, on Flickr

PIC_0873 by neil cook, on Flickr

I hope you like it.

[keiththelegokid]

This is amazing. Practically breathtaking. I love the detail.

[IronFish]

It looks really good, but I think some tiles could be used to smooth it out, as exposed studs all over can detract a little from the overall design.

[NNOPMOC]

This is amazing. Practically breathtaking. I love the detail.

Thank you.

It looks really good, but I think some tiles could be used to smooth it out, as exposed studs all over can detract a little from the overall design.

Yes, it would have been nice to tile it properly. Unfortunately I only managed to finish it about two weeks before flying out and was on an extended shift (away from home) until shortly before I left so had no time effect any further modifications. I think that if I ever re-engineer this model using some current pieces, I will tile it for a smoother effect.

[LegoPercyJ]

Great bike!

[Azrielsc]

This looks beautiful!

[NNOPMOC]

Thanks LegoPercyJ and Azrielsc. It's always nice to hear when ones work is appreciated.

[Azrielsc]

Do you have any photos of how when the brakes are applied, the flaps at the back open? It is really interesting!

[NNOPMOC]

I'll update my album on Flicr and then post some images here, hopefully over the weekend.

[Slurpifier]

Looks really nice! Would love to have this sitting on my shelf or cabinet!

[NNOPMOC]

Thanks Slurpifier. I have a week off work next week and plan to get to grips with one of the Lego CAD applications. If I can then I may set about redesigning this model a little, incorporating Ironfish's suggestion to tile over the studs. I have a few ideas alread on possible mods. If I do manage a revamp I'll probably make up a limited number of kits to sell through eBay. If you are still interested when the time comes I'll make sure to PM you with the head's up.

[Legocity2713]

Nice work. Its almost like an affordable UCS model. Good job man. :thumbup:

[duboismerci]

I like the fact that it's plated. It gives it an old school feel. I find sometimes that sets today are too much studless.

Great job on the speeder!

[icemann]

proportions are smack on.. and i read that you may be giving it smoother textures... which i think will turn this into a super project..not that it isnt already .

thanks for sharing!

It looks really good, but I think some tiles could be used to smooth it out, as exposed studs all over can detract a little from the overall design.

[NNOPMOC]

Thanks everyone.

iceman, I spent a lot of time referencing airfix and hasbro models, film photos and Star Wars books to try and get the proportions just right I always imagined that the front 'forks' seemed too short, but all my research indicared that those were the proportions (within a stud or two).

I am looking and re-engineering this, possibly later this year, and maybe selling a few sets through eBay around Xmas time. I will include tiles in the new version, so that builders have the option of with or without. I have quite a few SW Lego projects in the pipeline, at the moment, so I'll have to see how I get along with the CAD this week . . . though to be honest I do enjoy the "hands-on" approach to design much more.

[NNOPMOC]

I spent about 20+ hours over the last two days,working with Lego Digital Designer to create a CAD file of my Speeder Bike.

And here are the results:

SpeederBike-F1 by neil cook

All theviews are, perforce, exploded and look incomplete because of the limitations of LDD to twist, bend or otherwise 'misuse' (i.e. things like going 'studs first' into the side of a technic brick) parts, and where the program gives a tollerance or allowance for clearance of parts and refused to let me move assemblies closer together (the 'crack' in the engine block) where I know they do fit, which resulted in a significant redisignof some parts.

SpeederBike-F2 by neil cook

Not completely happy with the stand and it was too short, as I recall to operate the foot pedals properly, but when I get round to rebuilding it and listing sets on eBay later this year (proposing a limited run of maybe half a dozen) I will sort out all the little re-designs. The original was completed in a bit of a hurry because of my work schedule (working extra shifts during the 2012 Olympic Games).

SpeederBike-F3 by neil cook

The blue elastic band seen near the centre of the model is part of the foot-rest and rear vent operating system, but LDD limitations meant I couldn't move it into position. Likewise with the hoses. In the instructions I will make additional notes on where these items should go, though some of it is fairly intuitive.

SpeederBike-F4 by neil cook

The foot pedals are a good case in point for all the limitations of LDD (not complaining, BTW) as there was a hose/flexi rod that I couldn't bend to position, another connecting part that wouldn't turn far enough to allow me to connect all the pins and axles (see RHS of model), and some parts of the assembly needed to be 'flexed' (distorting the natural shape minimaly) into position.

Only about 4 types of part are not in the LDD catalogue - the scanner dial, typically - so untested substitutions have been made, but when building the sets I will purchase the 'correct' parts in some cases.

Oh, and my estimate of "over 600 parts" when I started this thread? . . . Waaaaay off! According to the brick count on LDD, over 1200 bricks and about 98-100 studs long.

[NNOPMOC]

Though I very quickly took to LDD and think it is an excellent building tool, I do have some serious reservations about the Building Guide mode and the automaticly generated parts list.

The Building Guide mode is, on the whole, very good but at one stage in this model it assembled all the technic pins in mid air then several stages later started assembling the technic beams in a different location (i.e. not around the pins) . . . ! Now, an experienced builder would be able to compensate for this, but anyone younger or less patient would be stuck.

The parts list was more of a worry though as firstly the nomenclature used by LDD is frequently not at all like that used by Bricklink and other parts descriptors, but more disturbing is the appearance and disappearance of random pieces in random quantities. I was in the process of buying some part last night to start creating some sets to sell, and I came across parts decriptions that I knew were not anywhere in the build (in any colour), and other parts descriptions that I did not initially recognise but due to the colour (and quantity) I knew could not exist in the build.

So, fantastic, time saving tool that it is, I would recommend doing a 'hand count' (if you know what I mean) of all the parts generated in LDD, especially on larger sets, before you go blowing big bucks on rare parts that you don't actually use.