LemFliggity

[ MOD ] Apollo 11 Lunar Lander 10266

Recommended Posts

Hey everybody, I'm new here. My wife and I rediscovered our mutual love of Lego over New Years while building Christmas presents with our nephews. And thus a long age of darkness came to an end.

I'm very excited, I just placed an order with Bricks & Pieces for the parts needed to mod Lego's Apollo 11 "Eagle" LEM into a more accurate model.  I worked out the the mod in Studio and tested most of the changes out with parts temporarily cannibalized from other sets (we've... um... bought a lot of Lego in the last 8 months...). Now I'm ready to build it for real. Well, I say 'now,' but I know it can take weeks for B&P orders to arrive from Denmark, so I still have time yet. Still, I'm excited, so I thought I'd share a couple of "before and after" comparisons from Studio-- just a couple though, I want to keep some surprises for later. My hope is to not be too flaky and share build photos and a parts list with you all so you can make these mods too if you like.

I'm also looking forward to feedback, knowing that many of you experts will no doubt have recommendations to improve the mod even more than I could!

Thanks for indulging me.

VC177hZ.png

 

yfKerB5.png

 

Edit: Flickr album walkthrough with descriptions of each change in the comments: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmGZJoa1

Edited by LemFliggity

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome to EB, LemFliggity!  That looks like a nice MOD, and I look forward to seeing it incorporated into the set IRL.

If you've not run across it yet, BrickLink may be able to get you your pieces much more quickly... but it's dangerous for the pocketbook, too.  :wink:

Happy building!  :classic:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
14 hours ago, deraven said:

Welcome to EB, LemFliggity!  That looks like a nice MOD, and I look forward to seeing it incorporated into the set IRL.

If you've not run across it yet, BrickLink may be able to get you your pieces much more quickly... but it's dangerous for the pocketbook, too.  :wink:

Happy building!  :classic:

Thanks deraven!

Don't get me wrong, Bricklink is my 2019 MVP, but for this project it would have meant ordering from 5 separate sellers, and the cost for 168 unique parts (451 total pieces) from North American stores would've come to around $60.00. If each store charged me an average of $5.00 shipping, that's more than $80.00. Instead I was able to source all but 7 unique parts (17 total pieces) from Lego for $51.00 + free shipping, and I used my VIP points to get the total down to $11.00. The remaining 17 pieces I found from a single Bricklink seller for $13.00 shipped. I'm ok with waiting longer to save $60.00, and I've earned brownie points with my wife (worth more in the long run than Lego reward points) by employing her expert-level bargain-hunting skills. :laugh:

 

Edited by LemFliggity

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Seems like we're both heading in a similar direction. I'm certainly very interested to see what direction you take and what surprises you still have in store for us. :classic:

I've got an unbuilt 10266 set waiting my attention, but I was also feeling a little unsatisfied with the standard design and felt it could be greatly improved upon. The first thing that I've done is to ditch the awful minifigs and replace them with the Armstrong/Aldrin pairing available from Minifigs.me which have better helmets and environmental packs. Since then I have been tinkering with the lunar module itself in an attempt to make it look better.

Most of what I've done so far is on the ascent module, as I think that section could benefit from the greatest improvements. So far it's been just minor things like correcting the position of the various antennae and manoeuvring thrusters, tweaking the overall shape and adding a few more colour contrast patches. I knew that eventually I would have to address the front of the ascent module, but I'd got stuck initially trying to preserve the windscreen and door from the standard kit. Most of what I'd tried either looked wrong or the construction would not have been strong enough.

This is when I found this thread and the renders of your design so far. I have to say that I am very impressed with your version and I think you've done a far better job at capturing the look and shape of the ascent module front. Your design really should have been the one adopted for the official set. I hope you don't mind, but I thought I'd have a go at reverse engineering it in LDD.

I appreciate that you have tested some of the construction methods, but I have been unable to replicate some of the parts usage and techniques you've used, especially around the windows. It's entirely possible that I have missed some clever trick, but I was finding a lot of parts clashing which suggested to me that some of the design might not be possible to build in real life. As a consequence, although it's clearly still based heavily on your design, I've had to take a slightly different route and come up with a variation on the theme. Let me know what you think.

48644933942_63f8cb4ece_z.jpg

48644800226_5bb77cecbc_z.jpg

48644439658_c46888c7d7_z.jpg

I've got a little more work to do on the descent module, but I feel that this part of the set looks reasonably good out of the box. I will be making the thrust deflectors a little larger and upgrading the ladders and will explore whether or not it's possible to improve the landing gear, but apart from that I shall probably leave it largely stock.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi @Hod Carrier, I think it's so cool that you reverse engineered my mod! I believe in sharing, so I don't intend for this mod to be a secret I keep to myself. I'll share the .io files and everything, but I want to wait until I get the parts, share the build process here, hopefully get some feedback that improves the design, and then put together a final version.

I think your ascent stage looks very good. Just making those changes to the front and swapping some grays for blacks helps a lot! I can tell you've looked at diagrams and available photographs like I have. I respect that Lego can't fit everything into a model like this, but there are so many cool little features to add that, once incorporated, really bring the LEM to life. Even adding the EVA antenna and swapping in a more accurate-looking steerable S-band antenna makes a big difference.

I'm out of town till next week, otherwise in my excitement to find a like-minded Apollo nerd, I'd violate my own embargo and share some more renders! 

I can't wait for you to see what I've done with the mid and the aft sections. With all due respect to an excellent build, I can tell based in your passion for the Apollo 11 LEM that you're going to want to incorporate at least some of what I've come up with into your own mod.

I can tell you that I've built the complete forward section in real life exactly as you see it in my mockup, just not in the correct colors. You're not wrong that it took a silly amount of trial and error, but the design works and it's pretty dang stable too, if I do say so myself!

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the positive feedback, which is good to receive from someone with a passion for the subject. Thank you too for allowing me to reverse-engineer your design. Even if I wasn't able to fathom the precise techniques you've used I'm glad to be at least somewhere in the ball-park.

I'm not sure that I would have classed myself as an Apollo nerd before, but I got very enthused because of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. I watched an excellent series screened on BBC entitled "Chasing the Moon" which brought the Apollo programme to life for me in a whole new way. After that I just had to have the LEGO version of the LEM (although my Saturn V is still on back-order). It's a good base model with plenty of scope for improvement without much effort, as I believe all LEGO sets should be. 

I suspect that our versions will turn out to be broadly similar in their final appearance, but I think it's good not to have identical interpretations. For that reason I respect your decision not to show too much of your model until it's finished and will honour that by also not revealing any more of my design just yet. I'm sure that we will both find aspects of each other's designs that we like and wish to incorporate and together come up with two outstanding models. :classic:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I couldn't resist posting a couple more pictures while I wait for Lego to ship my B&P order. This time it's a view of the full ascent stage...

YeKnU37.png

As well as a view of the sub-assembly that holds the controls, sitting right behind the white tracking light on the front of the LEM...

MrvqVCz.png

 

Edit: I thought it would be fun to show an animated gif comparison of the stock ascent stage and the mod...

hsMHv2x.gif

Edited by LemFliggity

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Lego's designers did an amazing job on this set, but as soon as I finished building it, I felt like there was room for improvement.

For example, I understand why they went with a wide forward hatch so that minifigs could fit, but that, maybe more than any other design decision, weakens the look of the ascent stage. As a kid, I thought the narrow "snout" and two angled windows of the forward section gave the front of the LEM a sad puppy dog look, a little like a basset hound. That look is lost in the Lego model with the wider mouth. I don't plan on taking the minifigs in and out through the hatch, so that seemed like an easy fix. And from there, the list of changes snowballed, until I had a full-blown mod on my hands!

Here's a diagram from NASA's Operations Handbook for Apollo 15 (I couldn't find an accurate technical drawing of LM-5 with labeled parts to use, but the LM-10 diagram is basically identical). I've highlighted in yellow the features I wanted to improve, and in blue are the missing features I wanted to add.

CNhxi9B.jpg

(Click on the thumbnail for a better view.)

There are other external features on my mod that aren't listed here, like the shape of the windows, the alignment optical telescope, and the IMU "coffin," but I'll cover those in another post.

Edited by LemFliggity

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

That's an exciting looking bag of goodies. I can see a few parts in there that were on my shopping list too. :classic:

I've still got one or two orders to come in from BL before I can achieve liftoff, but I'm getting close. I'm very much looking forward to seeing where our builds are similar and where they diverge.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My knolling leaves a lot to be desired, but it helped for confirming that I have every part I need!

48747155487_baa6341c77_b.jpg

I created a Flickr album to chronicle the build. So far, I've got photos covering modifications up to step 71, with many more still to be added.

Right at the start is a modified primary life support system. I really dislike the helmet/backpack part Lego opted to use for the astronauts. After looking at a few other people's mods, I ultimately came up with my own, which I think much more accurately approximates the size and position of the backpacks worn by Armstrong, Aldrin, and later Apollo astronauts. Dark gray hands and the helmet and chrome gold visor really improve the look, I think. I haven't yet decided if i want to swap out the Lego yellow heads for light nougat "flesh" colored heads or not...

48746640928_e48e6d2990_b.jpg

What do you guys think so far?

Edited by LemFliggity

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Congratulations for an excellent start. I think your model is shaping up to be an excellent MOD indeed. I do like the chrome gold helmet visors you've used on your Armstrong and Aldrin minifigs, although unless you're going to pose them with visors open or off the colour of the heads is probably immaterial.

You are clearly either far more knowledgeable about the design features of the Apollo Lander or have been able to gain access to far better source material, as I had not been able to uncover much of the fine detail regarding the descent stage. I'd discovered that the EASEP door was hinged the wrong way around, but I wasn't aware of the difference in the shape of the door itself. The retracting landing gear is very cool. All you need now is a correctly scaled CSM so that you can pose your lander in docked flight configuration in order to take full advantage of this feature.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It took a lot of research across a dozen or more sites to piece together the details. It was a fun scavenger hunt, but the mod would be done already if I could've found clear pictures, diagrams, and descriptions all in one place. But maybe it wouldn't have been as fun...

You had to open two doors to access the EASEP/ALSEP. The smaller first door swung open to the left, and then the second door folded up and out of the way like a bi-fold closet door on its side. What's most interesting is that the astronauts pulled lanyards to open the door and deploy the packages. Here's a drawing that shows the basic sequence:

Cgw9Uo6.gif

 

I tried to, but couldn't come up with a way to do both doors and include the bi-fold hinge on the second door. Some things just aren't possible with Lego at this scale. Maybe someone smarter than me could come up with a better way to do it. Here are a couple pictures of Quad II installed, closed and partially open:

OkxdIbP.jpg

 

Compared to a picture of Quad II from Apollo 12:

zTAHXUU.jpg

Edited by LemFliggity
Added pictures of the mod and Apollo 12

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The finished descent stage is up on Flickr. It includes a new descent engine to bring the nozzle to the correct height, and a proper front porch, among other modifications.

48779615076_492f660244_z.jpg

48757092583_f17cd1e85d_z.jpg

Next up, the ascent stage. Maybe that will spark more people's interest. :def_shrug:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow
You did a real great job.

To be honest,
when I first saw the set on Lego's site my thoughts were: "where the heck are the backpacks"
and much much more.

I also wonder why those socalled designers do half work.
After all YOU prove that with some clever thinking a much better design is possible within the same budget.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
14 hours ago, LemFliggity said:

Maybe that will spark more people's interest.

Well I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm hooked. :classic:

Don't be disheartened by the lack of replies. Your thread is getting good numbers in a forum that is inevitably a bit of a "catch-all" for all the themes that don't have their own dedicated areas.

I've been getting on with my own build and have both stages almost complete. I haven't been as organised as you in terms of getting things photographed and described, but I have managed to take a few quick snaps to show some of the alterations I have made.

One of the main changes was to have larger propellant and oxidiser tanks for the descent engine. I've needed to change the back of the quads slightly to accommodate them, but they are nice and snug.

48783892032_c3a16d2a78_z.jpg

48783363143_7a0721333e_z.jpg

Without good source material for the underside I have taken a bit of a guess and covered up a lot of the exposed details using additional plates which also act to give a little more depth to the area surrounding the engine. Like you I have also remembered to include the landing radar and it's heat shield.

48783362993_e9f6058636_z.jpg

There's more to come on the ascent stage. Although I've not yet taken any photos of that I'm excited to share it and to get your feedback.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
18 hours ago, coinoperator said:

Wow
You did a real great job.

To be honest,
when I first saw the set on Lego's site my thoughts were: "where the heck are the backpacks"
and much much more.

I also wonder why those socalled designers do half work.
After all YOU prove that with some clever thinking a much better design is possible within the same budget.

Thanks, coinoperator!

The choice of the Atlantis scuba gear is such an odd one, isn't it? So wrong. I know they've used it as the default space helmet for a while now, but this is meant to be a recreation of an historical artifact, not a City Space set. If they didn't want to spend their parts limit on a backpack build like I did, even this would have been a better choice:

2524.png

I can't claim to be keeping this mod in the same budget, though. I tried to reuse as many pieces from the set as possible, but it would have been too expensive for Lego to sell the set I'm building. Plus, my changes aren't always the same degree of sturdy and minimalist as Lego likes to be. The stock set is fantastic as is, don't get me wrong. It's a design marvel, and it was one of the most enjoyable sets I've built so far. My improvements are the kind of nit-picky things I think only a small subset of fans would care about. But if you're like me, then this mod is for you! :grin:

Anyway, stick around, just wait till you see what i do to the ascent stage!

 

7 hours ago, Hod Carrier said:

Well I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm hooked. :classic:

Don't be disheartened by the lack of replies. Your thread is getting good numbers in a forum that is inevitably a bit of a "catch-all" for all the themes that don't have their own dedicated areas.

That's good to know! But don't worry, I'm not disheartened, I genuinely think the ascent stage mods will be more interesting to casual fans of the lunar lander set. And for those that are "hooked" like you, fellow LM modder, I think they'll be over the moon! :snicker:

 

7 hours ago, Hod Carrier said:

I've been getting on with my own build and have both stages almost complete. I haven't been as organised as you in terms of getting things photographed and described, but I have managed to take a few quick snaps to show some of the alterations I have made.

One of the main changes was to have larger propellant and oxidiser tanks for the descent engine. I've needed to change the back of the quads slightly to accommodate them, but they are nice and snug.

48783892032_c3a16d2a78_z.jpg

 

Nice! I really like the use of reddish brown for the fuel tanks. Makes me want to do the same color swap! It's too bad the tanks can't be easily placed where they belong, as seen below. It's why I ended up leaving them the way they are. That, laziness, and pushing the limits of my wife's Lego budget tolerance! I managed to unearth a schematic and a couple pictures of the tanks, which were manufactured for Grumman by Allison Engine Company out of Indianapolis. You can see they're really more of an egg shape, which was a surprise. I had thought they were more cylindrical.

pqbrnw9.jpg

10BFGtL.jpg

 

7 hours ago, Hod Carrier said:

Without good source material for the underside I have taken a bit of a guess and covered up a lot of the exposed details using additional plates which also act to give a little more depth to the area surrounding the engine. Like you I have also remembered to include the landing radar and it's heat shield.

48783362993_e9f6058636_z.jpg

There's more to come on the ascent stage. Although I've not yet taken any photos of that I'm excited to share it and to get your feedback.

Very nice job on the underside! I love that you included the landing radar antenna and heat shield! Your landing radar is more accurately designed than mine, if a little oversized. I like your approach because it shows the different ways we have to make compromises when making real world objects out of Lego.

Here is a zoomed-in shot of the underside of the descent stage from a photograph Michael Collins took before Eagle descended to the moon:

8S6BKVB.jpg

And another looking up at the unused LM-9 hanging in Kennedy Space Center:

36223952912_f5d0d33a00_c.jpg

I hope those help!

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Building in LEGO is always a horrible compromise between what looks best and what is possible, hence why I've taken a few different turns with regard to things like tank shapes and size of the landing radar array. It's always nice to see different approaches taken by different modeller, and I'm glad that my improvements meet with your approval.

Speaking of which, have a look at my ascent module and let me know what you think. I'd be very interested to get your feedback. :classic:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

@Hod Carrier

You and I have definitely been on the same wavelength. I can give more detailed feedback after work, but your ascent stage has many of the same characteristics as mine. Very nicely done!

Edited by LemFliggity

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Check out my Flickr, the ascent stage is almost complete! I actually took most of those photos last week... my Flickr updating has gotten behind my actual build progress. 

Here's where I left off on Flickr:

AR8z80c_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&f 

@Hod Carrier

I had more of a chance to look at your ascent stage. It looks really great, especially the cabin bulkheads. You say you didn't have the best references, but you managed to get a lot of the details in there, the ECS, the PLSS stowage, even the oxygen umbilical hoses! Nice work.

And you totally stole my idea of modeling the aft equipment rack!  :head_back: A very necessary inclusion! I really like the way you built up the interior of the aft equipment bay. I have the oxygen and helium tanks in mine too, but I had a very tough time coming up with a sturdy means of including the tanks and the rack. Are those 3L bars? An inspired choice. I like the choice of unprinted minifig heads too. I almost went the same route but didn't have the room.

My only immediate critique is that the 3x3 dishes are oversized for the S-band antennas. 2x2 dishes are much closer to the correct scale. But overall, your mod is killer!! 

Edited by LemFliggity

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hello all,

I just made this account because i wanted to say thank you for all these beautiful designs and i will keep lurking to see what it will become eventually. I will totally try to build this myself one day

keep on modding :D

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

@LemFliggity Thanks for the amazing response. I'm really pleased to have been able to deliver such a good finished article and to have drawn such high praise from you. As a man who clearly knows his onions when it comes to the Apollo spacecraft it's gratifying to get your feedback.

I'll admit that I could find a lot more source material for the ascent module, including photos of the interior of the ground training simulator, to supplement the various schematics and diagrams. Therefore I had a better chance of getting the details right than I had with the descent module. Of course I could not overlook the aft compartment. How could I possibly resist the temptation to steal such a great idea :wink:. It was a bit of a puzzle to include the oxygen and helium tanks as well as the electronics rack, but by making the rack as flat as possible (only 2 plates) and trading off against the amount of detail depicted I was able to create sufficient space. Yes, those are 3L bars at the top but they are not structural. Even though these details, along with so many others, will stay hidden in normal display it's nice to know that they are all there.

Having now completed my build I think that there are some details I may change in the future, including those S band dishes. But for the time being I am happy to leave the build for a while, step back and just enjoy it. But I'm still keen to see how you've depicted this famous craft and will be watching developments with interest. However, and not wishing to hijack your thread, here is a little snap of the finished article to spur you on. :classic:

48799239218_428e8f6d2e_z.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Great picture, @Hod Carrier! I'll write more after work, but I had to quickly post to tell you to rotate your 2x2 backpack tile 180 degrees! The flag is in the right place, but the part with the velcro attachments and flap for the water fill and vent connectors is upside down.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Just now, Hod Carrier said:

Whoops!! That’s how they came out of the box so I didn’t spot the error. Many thanks. :thumbup:

Where did you get them?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.