[LDD] [MOC] Buildable Figure Cyborg Darth Maul from The Clone Wars

[JekPorkchops]

75537 Darth Maul will be released in 2018. I'm very excited to get this figure, but he's going to be the standard TPM version. That means he's the same ol' humanoid figure with standard black pieces and limbs. I was kinda hoping he would be the cyborg version from The Clone Wars, so I decided to build one myself in Lego Digital Designer:

LDD MOC: Lego Star Wars Buildable Figure Cyborg Darth Maul 8 by Jek Porkchops, on Flickr

He is made using mostly parts in existing colours, so I have the option of BrickLinking the parts if I decide to build him (and Maul's head sculpt will be released eventually). Some changes from these pictures will be made if I were to physically make him however:

*The upper leg armour will be made using the 2016 Star Wars upper leg armour shells, as they have the perfect shape. They were however unavailable in LDD. Also, both the SW and 8M shells don't yet exist in dark bluish grey, so I might have to use black SW shells with custom grey stickers on them, or wait until they do exist.

*The real one will have the regular lightsaber blade piece, but it was unavailable in LDD, so I used a substitute in the pictures.

*The chest armour does not exist in regular red (without printing), so I could opt for a black version with custom red stickers.

*I might make custom stickers of the black and red patterns for the torso piece, the chest and the upper arms.

LDD MOC: Lego Star Wars Buildable Figure Cyborg Darth Maul 1 by Jek Porkchops, on Flickr

I designed it as if it would be an official Lego set, so I had a lot of 'constraints' to work with because it also had to be sturdy and stable. While I by no means have any idea what the precise constraints are when designing such a set, I think there are are only a few things that would not make it if it were to be finalised:

*The lightsaber hilt would probably be of the standard design, but I modified mine to look more like Maul's

*The 'ribs' that hold his upper body in place are probably a little too fragile for little kids, but I think they are strong enough to be physically built, and I kept them this way because they are crucial to the overall look.

LDD MOC: Lego Star Wars Buildable Figure Cyborg Darth Maul 2 by Jek Porkchops, on Flickr

The 4M half beam is where it all began, as it is perfect for the shape of the mechanical detail in front of his stomach. I also like the light bluish grey peeking though, as it too is accurate. I wasn't able to make the 'ribs' round though, so that's something to improve upon. I also think the hip section should look a little more curved around the joints, but I do like the 'crotch' section as is. The hip / upper leg articulation is a little limited, like the K-2SO set, but not a lot.

LDD MOC: Lego Star Wars Buildable Figure Cyborg Darth Maul 3 by Jek Porkchops, on Flickr

I am very satisfied with the leg design, as it is proportionally accurate and pretty detailed. I have chosen DBG over gunmetal, because while gunmetal might look better, most of the parts used here aren't available in that colour and it looks very matte in the show anyway, not as shiny as gunmetal. Plus, the Lego figure from 2013 has a DBG lower body as well. The lower legs are made with a lot of system parts to create the shaping and the details. They are placed around a Technic axle that runs all the way through.

LDD MOC: Lego Star Wars Buildable Figure Cyborg Darth Maul 4 by Jek Porkchops, on Flickr

The toes are fully articulated using mini ball joints. The middle piece only has 3 ball joints, so I had to find a different way to add a fourth tow. In the end, this reduces its mobility, but it makes it more stable as the figure can securely lean on at least one toe per foot. Maul is posed similarly, with the hind toe extended back, in many of the official images.

LDD MOC: Lego Star Wars Buildable Figure Cyborg Darth Maul 5 by Jek Porkchops, on Flickr

The 1x2 plates on the backs of the lower legs represent details as well. The arms are very standard. I used a black bone on the forearm to subtly distinguish the gloves from the mechanical parts, and because Maul's elbows look mostly black. I wish the official Lego figures would return to this type of elbow joint, as the B-joints are very restrictive.

LDD MOC: Lego Star Wars Buildable Figure Cyborg Darth Maul 6 by Jek Porkchops, on Flickr

His back mostly consists of system elements. Maybe the shoulder blades could use some stickers as well. Sadly, I wasn't able to cover up the Technic pieces and that dreaded blue pin on his lower back, without making him too bulky.

LDD MOC: Lego Star Wars Buildable Figure Cyborg Darth Maul Custom Torso by Jek Porkchops, on Flickr

His torso is completely custom, because it needed to be 1M longer than a standard torso (underneath the torso ball attachment point), both proportionally and to make more room for the mechanical 'ribs' and the custom hips. I started out with three glatorian necks as the neck and shoulders, and with the torso ball connector. It was very difficult go make it stable enough, as there were a lot of pin connections that had to be doubled up with axle connections, all within a limited space, but the end result is as sturdy as most custom Bionicle 2016 torso's.

I have to wait and see before I order any actual parts, as the design can probably be optimised a bit more. Also, I hope the Maul headsculpt will work well with this MOC. I might have to change some parts to dark red after seeing what 75537 looks like.

So that's it. I hope you liked it :) Please leave some constructive feedback if you want.

Bonus creepy mock-up Darth Maul head:

LDD MOC: Lego Star Wars Buildable Figure Cyborg Darth Maul with creepy head by Jek Porkchops, on Flickr

 

Edited January 9, 2018 by JekPorkchops

[TheGreatSpirit]

Ill be honest, I was expecting to click on this link and see an abomination, which a lot of LDD models end up being... but this is actually quite good. I really do hope we get a clone wars Maul one day (unlikely, sadly) but in the meanwhile I hope someone tries and makes this (even if it does require a bit of heresy) when the regular Maul set is released.

[Comcitoon]

did you ever finish or make this? If you did can you send me images of it or the build instructions for this moc 

[Lego David]

Really nice... though I feel like the MOC could very easily use the specialized Darth Maul head that came in the actual set.

[JekPorkchops]

5 hours ago, Lego David said:

Really nice... though I feel like the MOC could very easily use the specialized Darth Maul head that came in the actual set.

That was the intent. I made this in 2017 but I knew there would be a Darth Maul buildable figure in 2018.

13 hours ago, Comcitoon said:

did you ever finish or make this? If you did can you send me images of it or the build instructions for this moc 

Never got around to making it. Currently don't have the time or money unfortunately. I don't even have the official Darth Maul buildable figure yet, though I hope that will soon change. I could send you the LDD file if you'd like.

[Comcitoon]

On 1/30/2020 at 8:22 PM, JekPorkchops said:

That was the intent. I made this in 2017 but I knew there would be a Darth Maul buildable figure in 2018.

Never got around to making it. Currently don't have the time or money unfortunately. I don't even have the official Darth Maul buildable figure yet, though I hope that will soon change. I could send you the LDD file if you'd like.

Yes I would very appreciate if oyu could send me the LDD file. Thank you!

[Comcitoon]

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Edited February 19, 2020 by Comcitoon