[TC7] Bandits - The Sandstormer

[MajklSpajkl]

Greetings fellow combatants!

I would like to introduce you one mean notorious bandit: The Sandstormer!

As you can see, it's a half-track, roaring over the dried salt-lakes plains, camouflaged into a supplies transporter, but when the heat turns up, it transforms into...

...flying assault bomber called "The Storm"...

...and remotely controlled tracked ground unit called "Sand Wrath", which is guided by the co-pilot on the bomber.

PLOT

Bandits! Fear not, air support is here! We shall stand victorious and no enforcer will ever be safe in the Desert!!! But first let's take a closer look on this monstrosity, forged in the heart of the Desert by some crooked eyes mechanic called Furious Majkl. If you'd known him, you wouldn't be surprised that some things didn't came out just as they should, but this poor fella couldn't do any better on such a short notice and with a gun on his head. The Dusty Lord of the Desert was ruthless, as the day of the final battle with the Enforcers was aproaching with a speed of the sandstorm...

The necessity for an airborne unit among Bandits was great and what is more devastating than a heavy bomber, carrying deadly cargo. In order to keep it secret, the idea was, that the combat vessel turns airborne from a somewhat common desert vehicle whit big enough sides to turn into wings - logical choice: A truck. Next, the choise of on ground propulsion system - treads, can there be anything more universal? A half-track!

Lets take a look at the specs:

NORMAL MODE - HALF-TRACK ("The Sandstormer")

Dimensions: L/W/H = 54 cm / 20,5 cm / 20,5 cm (67,5 / 25,5 / 25,5 studs)

Weight: 3,2 kg

Main features: Drive (tracks - 1x PF L motor each = 2 all together) & steering (1x PF L motor)

Battle options: Two double huge miniguns on front + 2 double barrel machine guns behind the front bumper when lowered + Infantry reaper on front bumper when lowered.

BATTLE MODE - FLYING ASSAULT BOMBER ("The Storm") + REMOTELY CONTROLLED GROUND UNIT ("Sand Wrath")

The Storm:

L/W/H = 66 cm / 78 cm (wingspan) / 17,5 cm (once airborne) (82,5 /97,5 / 22 studs)

Weight: 2,3 kg

Power: Nuclear AAA BB core (+good ol' kerosene of course)

Transformation:

1. The sides rise up and turn into wings - 1x PF M motor drives 2 large LA's that firstly push the whole panels sideways and then they rise them into horizontal position.

2. Risen wings rotate into final position and the tail extends - 1x PF M motor (suffering as hell due friction, but there is just no space for anything bigger)

3. Tail wings and middle wings are put into final position manually (tail wings by a worm gear)

4. The Storm and the Sand Wrath separate: Two "claws" operated by small pneumatic cylinders driven by an auto pump (1x PF M motor) release the ground unit so it is set free. The rear landing gear is of-course already in position for take-off (1x PF M-motor drives two large LA's)

5. Once the Storm is airborne, the front two wheels are turned downwards (1x PF L motor) so that the wheels turn into extra thrusters for faster rising.

6. Armaments: As the wings unfold, they are already weapons-hot, carrying triple rocket launchers on each wing and a double laser gun on each side near the hull. In addition the front hood can be risen and two huge miniguns pop-out, escourted by two double machine guns when the front bumper is lowered. Total mayhem is achieved by a hydrogen drop bomb, which is carried inbetween the front wheels, which turn upwards to deploy the deadly cargo... As already said, the constructor - Furious Majkl was in a hurry, therefore the fuel lines for the thrusters on the main wings is supplied via "external" hoses, which makes it somehow vulnerable, but it is a minor problem due to huge fire power not letting anyone near those "blood" vessels.

The Sand Wrath:

L/W/H = 24,5 cm / 20,5 cm / 20 cm (with mini gun in top position) (31 / 25,5 / 25 studs)

Weight: 0,9 kg

Power: Nuclear AAA BB core (and some good ol' diesel)

Drive: 2x PF L motor, 1 for each track

Transformation:

Once detached from the main unit, it goes berserk and due to each track being pendulary suspended, there is no obstacle it cannot overcome (well almost, due to lack of road wheels sometimes overcoming obstacles in reverse is a problem ) But still, it is a lot of fun to drive it remotely from far above on the Storm - yes, the Sand Wrath holds no crew, just deadly weapons...

Armaments:

The connection platform with the Storm turns into a huge minigun and underneath it there are two deadly long range cannons. For close combats, pursuits and drive-bys it reveals additional double machineguns on the sides of the tracks.

That would be all the glorry for this war machine, you can check some details/mess from following photos of the guts below...

Pneumatic autovalve...

And now to conclude this epic poetry with the ugly truth about this model:

There is still a ton of things to improve:

I, well Furious Majkl of the Desert seems to have a leaking small pneumatic cylinder and that results in a rather poor functioning of the detaching claws betwen the two units. Perhapse the small pump just cannot provide enough presure - I've tried with big manual pump and it work like a charm. To me, this detail is the biggest fail of the whole MOC. You can realise, that remotely reataching both units back together is even worse . Oh well, it's only LEGO they say, you can't achieve it all, they say... Seems they're right though. Anyway, this attachement detail should be reworked totaly.

Another rather "notsoamazing" thing is driving the normal mode vehicle. Slipping tracks are the least of the problems. What remains is steering of course. Due to rotating design of the wheels around the longitudinal axis the front is rather flimsy - you all know how little bending the turntables can take. Well, since this baby is one heavy child, I had to use stroller wheels on the bottom of the belly, so it can steer and drive at least a little...

Nevertheless, I hope you like this lovely "pile" of bricks that me, myself and Furious Majkl of the Desert put together

Best regards and good look to all you feisty petrol-head warriors! Make sure to vote for your favourite contestant, because those without a voting ticket will be left in the Desert!

I must thank my friend Peter for letting me use his camera and studio and for helping me a bit with the setup , I couldn't have done it in my tiny LEGO room !

Here's another to go...

...and finally - the video!

Edited August 16, 2015 by MajklSpajkl

[Imanol BB]

Very amazing, and its gets better when you see that actually are 2 vehicles, maybe it would be a good idea for a new transformers movie.

[JJ2]

MAN! this is SO cool! You might just have my vote. 2 vehicles > than 1

[jono rocky]

Impressive wingspan. Thats one two mean vehicles. Is it RC?. Awesome work.

[Zerobricks]

Amazing, 2 in 1! And transforming functions is really awesome.

I know who I will vote for

[braker23]

Just wow! That looks bad-megablocks and the transformation is amazing, great work as always :)

[KirTech LAB]

Wow! I like the color scheme! And both the models are awesome!

[LegoCube]

Just the front of that truck alone is impressive :O

The transformation makes this awesome!

[skppo]

I really like how the wheels and black tracks look.

The rest is cool too :P

[Jeroen Ottens]

Mayhem all over!

What a great entry (and that yellow-red livery is so 80-ish)

I love the extravaganza style of it

[Erik Leppen]

Wow, this is a nice one. To be honest I think it looks even more bad-ass in normal mode. It really looks agressive and something you don't want to encounter. A huge and heavy monster (similar to those huge mining trucks) I like that!

What I also really like is how both the truck and the airplane looks really convincing. Yes, the plane is a bit bulbous, but far less than the truck.

I'm not convinced though by the idea that one vehicle transforms into two vehicles. It feels like "bending the rules" for me, even though it's very original and well executed. I can't judge fully without the transformation video though, so I'm curious to that.

[Sylvian]

Normal mode is soooo badass. I love it!

[BusterHaus]

That truck looks like it means business! And I may be in the minority, but I don't mind the two vehicles in battle mode. Neither would look out of place on a battle field.

I'm looking forward to the transformation video.

[MajklSpajkl]

Hi guys, I appreciate your kind words very much, thanks a lot!

I have rewritten the original post, so any of you willing for a soapy horror story, be my guest, I'll be happy to hear your thoughts on it . The only thing missing now is the video, but I had to get this "smallish" writting done first. The photos are more or less final.

Impressive wingspan. Thats one two mean vehicles. Is it RC?. Awesome work.

I believe there is not much more that those turntables could take and I already had quite severe problems for one M motor to rotate the wings and extend the tail simultaneously. If I could squeeze an XL somewhere in there, it would purr like a kitten, I've tried it, but there was no room for the LA's then. Oh and yes, the wingspan is approx. 78 cm (97 studs)

I know who I will vote for

Well, let me guess: Jeroen? Thanks man, where you've been? It seemed a little quiet in you workshop lately...

Wow, this is a nice one. To be honest I think it looks even more bad-megablocks in normal mode. It really looks agressive and something you don't want to encounter. A huge and heavy monster (similar to those huge mining trucks) I like that!

What I also really like is how both the truck and the airplane looks really convincing. Yes, the plane is a bit bulbous, but far less than the truck.

I'm not convinced though by the idea that one vehicle transforms into two vehicles. It feels like "bending the rules" for me, even though it's very original and well executed. I can't judge fully without the transformation video though, so I'm curious to that.

To be honest, I like the half-track better too. It seems more plausible and looks a whole lot meaner . Bulbous is a fantastic word for my humming bird. It reminds mea bit on those deep sea fish, with a huge mouth and tiny megablocks, well, it sure seem someone bit a nice chunk of that planes megablocks off

That truck looks like it means business! And I may be in the minority, but I don't mind the two vehicles in battle mode. Neither would look out of place on a battle field.

I'm looking forward to the transformation video.

Thanks again. Regarding the dilemma of two battle mode vehicles: I think that the terrestrial unit is not just something you take off or put on, like a shield or sun shade, but it has a higher purpose. It provides drive in normal mode and eliminates "those self righteous enforcers" in battle mode. Similar would be ( I agree, not so disputeable) an example of a tractor truck with a trailer (2 separate parts) like this fine specimen from my Bandit brother jono.rocky. It is a more common pair so it is definetly undisputeable, I agree my setup is more on the edge - I guess Jim will have the last word it. Either way, I had a lot of fun building this brick/motor/cable clutter and hold no hopes for the high spots, cause there are entries far better than mine already published and some still to come.

Best regards, Miha

Edited August 16, 2015 by MajklSpajkl

[9 fingers]

A masterpiece from a masterbuilder. I wish you luck.

Best regards

Valter

[Victor Imaginator]

This looks just awesome. Colors scheme and photos are wonderful)

[PKW]

great enrty from a great builder ahaha You can use it togheter with my yellow/red dawnbreaker ahahah great work !!

PS: it reminds me the Storm talon gunship :3

Edited August 15, 2015 by PKW

[D3K]

This is a truly epic entry indeed, love some of the seemingly heavy duty engineering that went into it!

The normal model looks very post-apocalypse-y in shape and form, and the colour scheme is very good, not looking messy! Love the small details like the chains here and there, and the hydrogen bomb (Bandits now have this H-bomb dropping flying nightmare, in addition to Milan's SCUD-launching log cabin, as far as I know, Enforcers don't have any WMDs (yet))

This is definitely a strong contender for the first place in the contest. Not too sure about the legality of one->two models though, but I hope it's OK!

[Graydingo]

Most impressive indeed! +1 for mean looking normal mode! The two vehicle thing reminds me of those early cartoons. Like Optimus prime when his trailer would fly off and had separate functionality. The colors and little bombs and chains here and there are great attention to detail!

[zver]

Cool!

Can't wait to see the video!

[Edwin Korstanje]

This is a one cool and bad as Bandit and let's hope that Jim thinks it's legal

[MajklSpajkl]

@VFracingteam: So do I, I was hoping he would make a move by now, oh well, I guess I'll have to endure this uncertainty a bit longer

Thanks again for nice comments and best wishes from you, the video is finally up down, I hope it stands up to your expectations...

C U on the battlefield!!!

I'll embed the video here as well in case you're not up for scrolling

[Chade]

This is such an aggressive looking model! The video is great, wonderful transformation (theres a lot going on - the wings coming out I especially like) and I love the colour scheme. I hope the splitting into 2 vehicles is allowed in the competition, it's not really addressed in the TC7 post.

[Subix]

Amazing build. The best so for for me.

Transformation is motorized, split into two vehicles and weapons emerge. So cool!!!

[barman]

Epic build! Really BADASS vehicle(s) I like the 2 into 1 idea and the bulk build. Rough & Tough.

There is some great engineering gone into this build. Very very cool. Video is great.