MOC: Lego Ideas - Space Shuttle (Saturn V Scale)

[KingsKnight]

I designed a Lego Space Shuttle to scale with the recent Lego Saturn V set. Since I get this question a lot, it is more proportionally correct than the 10231 and 10213 Shuttle, and is also accurately scaled to the Saturn V :) I posted a version of it on here before, but this one has been adjusted and finally submitted it to Lego Ideas. Please share with friends and sign up and support if you like it!

Click to see more images and support if you like it!
Lego Ideas - NASA Space Shuttle (Saturn V Scale)
 

[manglegrat]

Spotted this on Reddit a few mins ago - supported! I agree it looks much better proportioned than previous official versions. Good luck with this very well executed MOC. 

Other than stickers, etc. is it actually buildable with current brick colours?

I'd be all over instructions or an LDD file for that if you ever want to release some...  

Edited July 20, 2017 by manglegrat

[Dragunov2]

Supported this one aswell!

[KingsKnight]

16 hours ago, manglegrat said:

Spotted this on Reddit a few mins ago - supported! I agree it looks much better proportioned than previous official versions. Good luck with this very well executed MOC. 

Other than stickers, etc. is it actually buildable with current brick colours?

I'd be all over instructions or an LDD file for that if you ever want to release some...  

Thanks so much! I'm actually working on a physical model of this before I share in case it falls apart. There are several parts that don't exist in the right color, so I'll have to substitute with a different color.

[Dragunov2]

I still have an old version with launch tower and one on a plane!

But this one is definately more real!

[manglegrat]

I noticed today that this project has broken through the 10k mark! Congratulations, @KingsKnight! 

I really hope it gets approved, good luck with the next stage of the process! 

[Bender222]

any plans to sell or release the instructions since it was not approved?

[NathanR]

14 hours ago, Bender222 said:

any plans to sell or release the instructions since it was not approved?

Instructions would be nice to have, but the designer admitted on his ideas post that some bricks were not available in the correct colours.  Also, the fuel tank is built out of dark orange 4x4 quarter cylinders, which only appeared in the long-retired Shuttle Adventure/Expedition sets, so the price would be astronomic.

That said, I would dearly love to build my own copy of the Orbiter. The split rudder on the tail fin... 

[ScottishDave]

I've been building my own copy.

Before anyone asks: Sadly, I don't have an LXF to share. I worked in real bricks for this one. However, there are enough renders and photos on the Lego Ideas submission that you can get very, very close.

One thing that took some squinting and thinking was the rudder. I worked out eventually that it's held on by two old THIN clip lights in black:  each of which has two tiles modified with clips  attached to the sides.

I've cleaned out the UK supply of Dark Orange quarter cylinders (sorry) but at the risk of inviting righteous fury, I found a close paint colour match: RAL 8023 "Orangebraun". Quite a few places stock it - I got a plastic-specific spray can for £13.99 from eBay.

Photos:

[NathanR]

Oooh, I'm envious.  That looks fabulous! Did you make the decals on the shuttle as well?

3 hours ago, ScottishDave said:

One thing that took some squinting and thinking was the rudder. I worked out eventually that it's held on by two old THIN clip lights in black:  each of which has two tiles modified with clips  attached to the sides.

That is a neat solution.  I've heard of those thin clips, but never seen one in real life.

[ScottishDave]

20 minutes ago, NathanR said:

Oooh, I'm envious.  That looks fabulous! Did you make the decals on the shuttle as well?

Thank you :-). Yes, I made the decals as well. I copied and pasted a bunch of images from the internet onto glossy photo sticker paper.

 

[KingsKnight]

Oh wow that looks fantastic ScottishDave! Glad you were able to piece it together! For those asking, I'd like to figure out a way to share the build without giving away the file (in case a competing company steals it). But I'd like to post some better photos of the build so that those who want can still build it. I'd also like to see if others have ways of improving the build. I've already begun making small changes myself. I'll try to get some stuff together and post it when I get a chance. Thanks all for the support.

[GlosMat234]

Hi, Sad to see that it did not passed by the team at lego. I would live to build this, will you be selling plans?

 

[koalayummies]

On February 9, 2018 at 5:37 PM, KingsKnight said:

Oh wow that looks fantastic ScottishDave! Glad you were able to piece it together! For those asking, I'd like to figure out a way to share the build without giving away the file (in case a competing company steals it). But I'd like to post some better photos of the build so that those who want can still build it. I'd also like to see if others have ways of improving the build. I've already begun making small changes myself. I'll try to get some stuff together and post it when I get a chance. Thanks all for the support.

If one of those ripoff thief companies wants it they'll take it in anyway. If you sell instructions they may buy one and get the plans that way, if you only share pictures they'll do what the other member has already done and just reverse engineer it from the photos. Best to just not worry about that and know that if one of those terrible companies does that then the AFOL community will call them on it and you'll still get the credit from the community. You got 10K votes on Ideas so you've reached a sort of Lego fame.

Only way one could see about improving the build or making more solid, streamlined, efficient parts use or legal connections would be to see how you've built it fully because recreating it from photos requires some areas to be hypothesized or guessed. 

It is a fantastic MOC, I was rooting for you in one of the other Ideas discussions. 

[Bender222]

I am not above doing some painting.

[Bender222]

just a quick observation. if you were to give up the cargo bay doors opening you could employ something using 3x the 6x6 cylinder halves (only about 1.5 studs or so too long) it would make for a more sleek shape and you could just put some decals for the extra details.

[icm]

Nah, the parts he used are more accurate to the shape of the real Shuttle.  The real cargo bay doors have a very boxy cross section, not a smooth semi-circle.

[Bender222]

you could build up the sidesa brick or a brick and a few plates and stick the cylinder halves ontop so that the curve starts higher above the wing.

[Shiva]

KingsKnight, I am 1 of those that voted and hoped for your Space Shuttle.

ScottishDave's Space Shuttle + tank and boosters look nice :)

I built the Space Shuttle too, but I have not even started on how I could build the 2 boosters nor the external tank. But I am thinking of going for the painted version of the tank. "STS-1 and STS-2 launches".

 

 

/Edit 10th April 2018:

Been waiting for some parts from Lego Bricks & Pieces for the last 3 weeks. Boosters and External Tank can not be built without those last parts needed. There are some differences to KingsKnight's build.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Shiva
Added text 10th april 2018.

[freshfather]

Hi KingsKnight and other fellows,

I’m also one of the fans of this idea, and was really disappointed when it wasn’t approved. I have two 10213 sets and a 60080 set on their way to me, hoping that this will allow having most of the parts required for this build.

I’m a 1979 space era collector and I’ve never built a MOC - Mainly I’d say that unfortunately I don’t know all the modern bricks, so I’d still be hoping that you’ll find a way to share the instructions of how to build it.

Edited April 14, 2018 by freshfather

[Shiva]

Hi freshwater, the Dark Orange Pieces, those are worth gold for you.

You'll have most or all of the most expensive parts needed to build it as KingsKnight has built it.

The other parts you can get thru Lego's Bicks & Pieces. Bricklink etc.

For example, the Fez piece 29175, is very cheap thru Lego. I wish it had been buyable when I bought my parts for the orbiter.

[TrickyRicky]

Hi everyone. I am attempting to build the white version of the external tank due to part availability in New Zealand, but an really struggling with the internal pieces required to complete the section beneath the cone section. I have all the external pieces but cannot seem to master the attachment angles for the angled sections around the circumference. If anyone could give me a h int (or even an internal picture) as to how it can be achieved, I would be very grateful. Kindest regards. Richard.

[Shiva]

Richard, I used parts 64566 x 4 to do the Mid section of the SRB. My build of it works IRL, but not accepted in LDD, oddly enough.

How the others did, no clue.

I am still waiting for the last parts to arrive, so I can finish my build.

[TrickyRicky]

Thank you, Shiva. I had been wondering if those waterwheels could be offset to create suitable anchors. I will give it a try. Thank you very much!

[Shiva]

Finally the last and critical pieces arrived 2 days ago. And after some smaller internal rebuilds, the Space Shuttle is mostly finished.

I used a brick for stability while I took the photo, if you are wondering.