[LDD] Mortesv's CR90 corvette (reverse-engineered version)

[EKae]

Thank you, ecmo. I didn't realize I screwed up the head so much!

And yes, can you share an updated LDD? :)

[DarthTwoShedsJackson]

Great to finally see some builds come together here.

As for a faithful reproduction of the Tantive IV studio model, I've found one thing that could be changed. What I'm speaking of is the starboard (right) side of the Tantive IV - the section between the escape pod section and the docking rings. As for the port (left) side of that section, you find two narrow sloped and slanted fins or ridges going from the top and underside of the docking ring to the centre top and bottom end of the escape pod sections - represented on mortesv's great model by the angled flag pieces. On the starboard side, however, the lower fin (or ridge) does not go all the way to the centre bottom end of the escape pod section, but stops 2/3 of the way and meets a vertical fin or ridge. Interstingly enough, this leftover from the early design stages of the ship as the original Millenium Falcon was there to leave space for a large access hatch and was kept even after the studio decided to make the Blockade Runner Leia's larger ship, and has also been recreated faithfully on the digital Rogue One Tantive IV. The Clone Wars-model of the Tantive IV has 'corrected' this feature and left out that gap, and the covettes in the REBELS show do not have that gap, either. I wonder if the Roque One-versions of the corvettes from the REBELS show have that gap or not - but maybe this goes a bit too far with the detail.

Just to play devil's advocate... It goes without saying that you do not absolutely need to incorporate this quirk into your model, I just want to point it out for those who do and missed that part until now as I did.

https://www.google.de/search?q=tantive+iv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwixpc2C6N_TAhXMDywKHXWaDGIQ_AUIBigB&biw=1024&bih=488#imgrc=2CtlripSI-S1MM:

You can also see it on my screenshot from Rogue One on the page before in this thread.

[mortesv]

Great spotted @DarthTwoShedsJackson :)

It is also evident here at 04 seconds: 

I must admit I left out this feature because I thought it looked better with a continuing fin, but as you say you can argue that it should be there :)

Edited May 8, 2017 by mortesv

[ecmo47]

That would be this boarding ramp from page 57 of The Star Wars Sketch Book. You can actually see the lower fin in this drawing that has been cut into.

CR90 Boarding ramp by Scott Roys, on Flickr

 

As far as updating EKae's LDD, I'd be happy too. It's going to take a few weeks though so I hope you all can wait a bit. Depending on what EKae wants to do, I'd be happy to let him distribute the updated versions so there is still a single point of contact. That is until Mortesv/CJD223 releases their version!

By the way, I did get the cockpit fixed last night. It's wasn't too hard with the way you had it constructed. I'll post some builders photos of the changes tonight.

Edited May 8, 2017 by ecmo47

[EKae]

@ecmo47 Any solutions for the 7 vs 8 stud problem yet? Are you going to keep that?

[ecmo47]

I think so! I just revamp the engine block section and added a one stud layer to the front where the black arrow is. That will push the docking tubes/radar tower 1 stud forward leaving 7 studs for fins.

Engine block V2 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

I didn't like how the 2 middle panels set on top of the cheese wedges in your design so I got to looking at Mortesv's design. On his model, the cheese wedges were in front of the sloped panel so it seated down further. I thought about shortening those 2 panels to 8 studs but glad I figured out a solution more like Morts' model. 

To make it happen I took off all your 1x2/2x2 brackets and tied in a bunch of bricks for studs on the sides. Looks like this:

Engine block V2.1 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

I haven't built it yet so, while it looks good on LDD, you never know how good the design is until you do! I think there will be a problem with the bottom row of bricks which are flipped upside-down in my (our!) current design.

I also filled in some of the area under the slopped parts:

Engine block V2.2 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

As you can see, I have divided the model into three parts, engines, engine block and fuselage. This really streamlines the build and doesn't make your poor computer crash sorting out all the steps! I've got the engine file done and am near complete on the engine block. Fuselage is next and I hope to incorporate Bricksmarlins design to cut down on the 1x2 plate hinges. 

This is lots of fun for me and I hope your not insulted that I'm making so many changes to your excellent re-creation. I think they will be for the better once done.

 

Edited May 11, 2017 by ecmo47

[EKae]

@ecmo47 No problem! I'd love to use the alternative design for the 1x2 plate hinges myself.

[ecmo47]

Here's a simple fix for the upside-down floating bricks problem. Add two 1x3 bricks as shown by the green arrow.

Engine block V2.4 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

Then tie the sloped bricks together with the tiles as shown. The 2x4 tile (orange arrow) will lock the bottom row of sloped bricks in place which, in turn, carry the upside-down studs-on-sides bricks (blue arrow) which hold the stud-jumpers and cheese wedges on the bottom.   

Edited May 11, 2017 by ecmo47

[bricksmarlin]

Good improvements, nicely done!

I'm very excited about the end result!

Keep up the good work

Edited May 12, 2017 by bricksmarlin

[EKae]

@ecmo47 With the engine block fix, wouldn't you still need to change the length of the fuselage?

also, what extra pieces did you use for these mods? I'll need to change my parts list :)

Edited May 11, 2017 by EKae

[ecmo47]

2 steps forward and 1 back tonight. I've completed my revamping of the engine section and the engine block section. The LDD's for each look good and I have separate parts lists for each. The parts list have been review for Bricklink compatibility. As you know the LDD generated BOM always has issue numbering parts especially if there is a letter attached (3069b). I took apart my engine block tonight to re-inventory my parts and see what extra I need to round up. I got as far as comparing my two lists. So next up is rebuilding the engine block, while modifying the fuselage LDD to include fixes to the cockpit, moving the docking tube 1 stud forward, and incorporating Bricksmarlins fuselage changes to cut down on those hard to find strap hinges. (Have I said all this before? Been answering several PM's and I get confused!) 

[manglegrat]

Watching this thread with interest... Loving the collaborative nature of this build, guys - this is exactly what communities like this should be for - Yay you! 

I'm also wondering what Mortesv's own version will look like as well! 

22 minutes ago, ecmo47 said:

As you know the LDD generated BOM always has issue numbering parts especially if there is a letter attached (3069b). 

What I do to avoid annoyance with LDD BOMs - I import the LXF file into a "custom list" on my Rebrickable account, which does all the work of cross-referencing the LDD part IDs to Bricklink part IDs, plus it gives you the opportunity to fix the occasional colour problem or part variant (the a-b-c thing) mistake. Takes some of the heavy lift out of the equation.  

[ecmo47]

That does sound like it would make life easier. I've not used Rebrickable in a long time so I'd need to re-learn how to use the site starting with how do you create an .LXF file? 

[manglegrat]

6 hours ago, ecmo47 said:

That does sound like it would make life easier. I've not used Rebrickable in a long time so I'd need to re-learn how to use the site starting with how do you create an .LXF file? 

It's just the extension of the files that LDD creates - since you already have them, if you can log in to Rebrickable then you're good to go. 

You do need an account to do this but it's easy & free, so once you log in, go to the "My Account/Custom Lists" page from the menu bar along the top, click the "Add a new list" button on the bottom left. Then you can "Edit list details" to name it, etc. or just click on "Import/Delete Parts" to get the the page where you can point it at your LDD(LXF) file and "Append Parts" to upload or or "Replace Parts" to flush the list & upload the file.

Then it gives you a page with some notes on any ID translations it did for you or any errors it found, which if it went OK (usually) you can close and then you can see the parts list, which you can sort, print, etc. It highlights any colour errors or rare parts in the pic of each part.

It's not perfect (if it included the length/width for larger parts that'd be awesome) but I find it really helpful for checking when I've used LDD in extended mode and ended up with a part that's not available in the colour I "painted" it, or I ended up picking a rare or old variant of a part that can be swapped for another more available one.

Hope that helps! 

[ecmo47]

Thanks for the tutorial! I'll have to look into that and see if it will save me any time. 

Got some LDD work done on the fuselage today. Cockpit is adjusted, airlocks moved forward one stud and the sloped area between the cockpit and gun emplacement is  updated. Next adjustment is the spine which will have to have one stud of length taken out (red arrow) and stability issues fixed and then on to the mid-section. Placed an order today for extra parts needed for the engine block so that will be delayed a few days.

Fuselage V2.1 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

Edited May 12, 2017 by ecmo47

[EKae]

Using ecmo's mods to fix the 7 vs 8 stud issue, I've incorporated it into my own LDD:

 

Here I made the technic bricks shorter, so the two sections should attach:

Here is the engine block:

I've updated my parts list and such, so now hopefully everything will go smoothly! I should be able to begin building after I make a few more orders :)

[ecmo47]

Your still missing a 4L bar! (red circle area)

EKae's engine block by Scott Roys, on Flickr

Green arrow. You do not needs these 2x2 plates in the build. LDD will not let you connect the 1x2/2x1 bracket to the side of the engine but in real life they will fit just fine. That's why they were not on the file I sent you.

Edited May 13, 2017 by ecmo47

[EKae]

I was aware of the 2x2 plates, but thank you for spotting the missing bars! :)

One part that I am finding nearly impossible to find is 3675, slope 33 3 x 3 double convex. The ones I need are in dark gray, and only 3 sellers in the world have it in the color I need! And I need 4 OF THEM! :)

[ecmo47]

Actually 3675 does not exist in Dark grey or DBG  as an official color. I'd be very suspicious of those parts. On bricklink, there is just one guy in Germany that has 6 DBG at .81 cents apiece. Not over priced so grab them quick! 

If you want some Sand green ones, I've got a big bag full from my last Lugbulk order.

3675 color chart by Scott Roys, on Flickr

Edited May 13, 2017 by ecmo47

[EKae]

I think dark gray is my only option. As for it being an unofficial color, I had to do the same thing with some black technic half pins that are unofficial that I had to order from Germany :)

[EKae]

@ecmo47 The last mod I need in my own LDD is the head. Can you write up a review for what you did? Thanks! :)

[ecmo47]

I've run into a dilemma that may cause me to go back and redesign the spine as the current 4x4 structure is too big. I am working on incorporating Brickmarlins fuselage midsection design to eliminate all the 1x2 strap hinges and noticed a difference between Mortesv's version and EKae's.

You can see in the photo below that on Mortesv's model (and Brickmarlin) the wings are only 5 studs wide each.

Mortesv's Hull midsection by Scott Roys, on Flickr

On EKae's version they are 5 studs but the hinge gap creates another stud of width to that area. (orange arrows)

Fuselage V2.2 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

The only way to take out the needed space (about 2 plates on each side) would be to redo the spine much like ScottishDave did as detailed back on page 6. I'm sure that this is way that Bricksmarlin did it. The photo below proves that his spine is thinner than 4x4.

Bricksmarlin Hull midsection v2 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

So what to do?

Option 1: Live with a six stud (per side) fuselage mid-section that is not true to Mortesv model and therefore not quite technically accurate per his scaling from the studio model. This is the easy option and visually, the average joe could not tell the difference.

Option 2: Re-design the entire fuselage to maintain said accuracy.

I guess the answer boils down to how much of a Star Wars purist am I? 

 

Edited May 14, 2017 by ecmo47

[ecmo47]

EKae: as per above, my fuselage LDD is a huge mess right now. Hopefully these pictures will help. I'll send you the file and you can dissect the head yourself. (That sounds a little creepy!)

CR-90 head 2.1 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

CR-90 head 2.2 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

CR-90 head 2.3 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

[bricksmarlin]

Hello Ecmo.
You're right, my construction is more like the one from Scottish Dave.
But it's not exactly what I did.
I have built individual sections, which were then assembled at the end.

The individual sections were connected directly to each other. (parts 30414/11211)
The backbone of technic bricks is fixed with the help of technic axle 3 (4519) and technic plate 2x4 with 3 holes (3709b).

http://www.imperiumdersteine.de/index.php?/gallery/album/6681-sonstiges/

[EKae]

@ecmo47 If you make the one section where the main body attaches to the wings like bricksmarlin did, then it may fix the problem. When I have some time, I'll jump in to LDD and see if I can find any solutions :)

@bricksmarlin did your technic/plate internals run through the entire body using your formula? Or were some sections like mine, the exact 4x4?

Edited May 14, 2017 by EKae