[MOC] M-tron & Ice Planet FOXX mobile suits

[Exetrius]

Hi all! 
I've recently finished a pair of mechs. Normally I would post two threads, but these belong together. The idea was to make a versatile frame which could serve as basis for multiple different mobile suits, which would help save time with designing complicated body components such as the cockpit and articulated waist (more on that later). In the end, I'm a little skeptical if the cockpit is actually suitable for different add-ons beyond simple colour swaps. In any case, the design uses pretty common parts which are available in many different colours. For the moment, I'm satisfied with my M-tron and Ice Planet variations, but I wouldn't rule out more colour swaps in the future. Now without further ado, let's get to the pics:

 

General Overview

 

 

It's no secret that OXON III, which I made last year (see topic), was the go-to reference for these new mechs. I adopted its angular design language, and partially copied its lower arms, legs and hands. I was also aiming for the same size as OXON, but with a great reduction in weight, which I succeeded in. The Ice Planet FOXX was constructed first, although the differences between the two are minor. 

 

Functions & Features

Not much to discover here, just an opening cockpit. Any mobile suit or mecha should suit a pilot in my opinion, so it's there. Interior detail is absent, though. No hidden canons in the shoulders that OXON had, either. Most of the assets are to be found in the other departments. 

 

Articulation

 

This is where the the main innovations were made. First of all, there is front to back waist articulation. The upper torso can raise up, come down, lean a bit backward and lean quite a lot forward, over the hips. No side to side movement or twisting of the torso. I wanted to try to my hand at functional waist actuators. I couldn't figure out a cylinder-bar construction, which would allow for independent 'pushing and pulling' on the upper torso. Instead, mine are a fixed length, so I made the distance to the torso (in place of their individual length) variable. They are both connected to a block that slides up and down the crotch (is groin or pelvis a more correct term?). This is done with 1x4 bricks with inset and 1x2 'slider plates', but it doesn't add friction. There's a technic ball joint in the spine and together with two pairs of small ball joints in the actuators there is enough friction (most of the time) to keep the torso in the pose you want it to be in. 

In addition, I made a number of smaller improvements. In general, the limits of what the joints can bear are exceeded less easily due to reduced weight compared to OXON. The neck follows the 'floating head' design from X-RAY³ (topic here), rather than a more humaniod ball-socket connection. It has more points of articulation and is able to look up much further, which is useful when the torso is facing the ground. Furthermore, the shoulders are less restricted in their outward movement, and made more simplified the ankle stabilizers.

 

Interaction

 

Mechs are more fun together, I tested it for you! 

 

 

Thanks for looking! C&C appreciated! 

[sander1992]

 Great work on the shape of the mechs. They are also stable at various positions. 

[murtaughf3]

Now those are cool. Very nicely done. 

[blueshift12]

Great job on these; you did an excellent job balancing form and function with this design, as your shot of the Ice Planet one crouching illustrates so well.

[Hive]

I'm not really into mechs in LEGO form, but damn... those are really, really impressive.

[Exetrius]

On 12/28/2018 at 5:34 PM, sander1992 said:

 Great work on the shape of the mechs. They are also stable at various positions. 

Thanks, sander! 

On 12/29/2018 at 4:47 AM, murtaughf3 said:

Now those are cool. Very nicely done. 

Thanks! 

On 12/31/2018 at 12:49 AM, blueshift12 said:

Great job on these; you did an excellent job balancing form and function with this design, as your shot of the Ice Planet one crouching illustrates so well.

Thanks a lot, blueshift! I worked hard to achieve both, I'm glad it came out the way it did! 

21 hours ago, Hive said:

I'm not really into mechs in LEGO form, but damn... those are really, really impressive.

That means a lot to me! After all, mecha is not so easily appreciated by builders outside the genre then some other themes are. Thanks! 

[InvisibleTimmy]

These are fantastic! I particularly like the color blocking on the M Tron one, but I do think that Ice Planet should have a bit more white. The sets used blue as an accent, with white as the base color, in their larger sets,

[Exetrius]

5 hours ago, InvisibleTimmy said:

These are fantastic! I particularly like the color blocking on the M Tron one, but I do think that Ice Planet should have a bit more white. The sets used blue as an accent, with white as the base color, in their larger sets,

Thanks for your suggestion!  I chose to shift the colour scheme towards blue because I envisioned a more military kind of Ice Planet association, and blue struck me as more menacing. 

[InvisibleTimmy]

On 1/1/2019 at 4:37 PM, Exetrius said:

 I chose to shift the colour scheme towards blue because I envisioned a more military kind of Ice Planet association, and blue struck me as more menacing. 

That makes sense now. Nice builds!

[PaddyBricksplitter]

The whole design is great. That’s a very well thought out build.

[Renny The Spaceman]

Ooo, snazzy

[ControlAltBrick]

Great models, i would ask you some info about your light setup, my photos sucks so badly 

[Exetrius]

On 1/6/2019 at 1:00 PM, PaddyBricksplitter said:

The whole design is great. That’s a very well thought out build.

On 1/6/2019 at 1:04 PM, Renny The Spaceman said:

Ooo, snazzy

Thanks, guys!

 

On 1/6/2019 at 9:52 PM, ControlAltBrick said:

Great models, i would ask you some info about your light setup, my photos sucks so badly 

Thank you! Lighting is nothing special, really: I shoot in my room, on the shaded side of the house. My walls are white and I shoot on sunny days, when enough diffuse light enters the room. That's it. 

[ControlAltBrick]

11 hours ago, Exetrius said:

Thanks, guys!

 

Thank you! Lighting is nothing special, really: I shoot in my room, on the shaded side of the house. My walls are white and I shoot on sunny days, when enough diffuse light enters the room. That's it. 

Very nice results, i especially like the highlights on the blue pieces

[Exetrius]

12 minutes ago, ControlAltBrick said:

Very nice results, i especially like the highlights on the blue pieces

Thanks again! It can be a pain to find the angle where the light reflection is just right to strengthen the look of the model, instead of being a distraction, but it's always worth the search.