[MOD] UCS Imperial Shuttle 10212 (WIP)

[Chronocidal Guy]

Hi folks, I've only recently gotten back heavily into building, and decided to finally have a go at doing some minor (growing more major by the moment) upgrades to the UCS Imperial Shuttle that I've had laying half in pieces for a couple years.  It started as a planned mod to the engine section using the 3x3 quarter domes in the US Capitol model, and grew into something a lot bigger.

I've so far rebuilt the engines, and the entire front section of the ship to more closely resemble the filming model and full scale sets.  Still hoping to work out a better option for the scoops on the side of the hull as well.. The curved canopy shapes used on the stock engines would be perfect if they were 3 studs wide instead of 4.  My kingdom for more 3-wide cylinder elements.

My next big project is redesigning the wing folding mechanism, and hopefully closing up the monstrous gaps in the stock version.

Edited February 2, 2018 by Chronocidal Guy

[Raf H]

The cockpit is more accurate than the official set but I am not a big fan of the studs showing. Still, I think this is a great start! Hopefully, you are able to minimize the gaps in the wing folding mechanism.

[cavegod]

Looking good but you need to correct the wing mounted laser cannons. as they are they will not fold up for landing.

 

[Chronocidal Guy]

So I realized the LDD file I found has a few errors, the wing cannons being one of them, so that's why they're backwards.  I'm planning a complete rebuild for them anyway, I just haven't gotten that far yet. 

Far as the studs go, I've flipped back and forth on this repeatedly.  A lot of the upper surface of the nose is easy to replace with tiles, it's just that the panels on the sides begin to look bulky, and it changes the curvature.

At the moment, I'm still trying to solve the fuselage shape, and might wind up swapping out the slopes for leaning plates.  That'll solve the ledge around the edge of the front panel more cleanly, but also means finding a new solution to all the curved bricks along the top edges of the stock hull.  This might easily wind up being more of a complete rebuild than a mod by the time I'm done.

 

[Chronocidal Guy]

Little more progress, I moved the tall angled bricks one stud toward the center, and swapped every alternating one for a pivoting plate to mount a new side panel on.

Still experimenting with tiling the hull, but the tiered layers of plates on the nose section don't look right.  Might need tile versions of all the angle plates before it would work, I think.

Edited February 3, 2018 by Chronocidal Guy

[Bender222]

I am of the opinion that despite the incorrect shape of the cockpit/nose, studs=bad . I think it looks quite good stock.on the sides there are those curved brick pieces. they can be replaced with alternates and tiles. It looks like you got rid of the cranks for the wings, good, I think the wings would be good with just a simple pin-in-hole hinge with maybe a lock on the ends so that the wings stay either stowed ir fully extended. Maybe if you figured out how to synchronize the wings somehow so if you stowed one side it would move the other. You might even have room for a passenger cabin. The nose needs to be raised somehow so that a ramp can be placed underneath it. 

[joebiwankenobi]

Any updates to this? I like where you're going with some of your mods. 

[Robianco]

Unfortunately the OP hasn't logged onto the site for three months, and his only three posts have come in this thread so it doesn't look like he's active in any other capacity other than this thread.

Fingers crossed he comes back once the build has moved on.

[Redbird11]

 I have some pics of my mods if you look through the forum. (interior, ramp, landing gear, wing gap fill). might be able to give you some ideas.

Edited July 24, 2018 by Redbird11