ISD Aggressor with Top Hull Mod

[Rubblemaker]

Hi all, 

I thought some of you might be interested to see my build of Raskolnikov's ISD Aggressor. I finished it a week ago after 4 months of building. I wanted to do something to make the build a bit unique so I decided to try and modify the upper hull a bit.

I first removed the 1x1 tiles to smooth it out and added some grill tiles to break it up a bit. I built all the main raised areas on the top hull with tiles instead of studded plates (god I wish Lego would start making wedge tiles!) I also built in the zig zaggy pattern that appears along the top rear hull of ISD's extending out either side of the superstructure into the back corners

I redesigned the long thin rectangle section that appears at the front of the superstructure and the triangular raised platform at the very front of the ship. I also redesigned the middle raised platform to make the shape of this part more faithful to the studio model of an ISD. I removed the lightsaber handles from the turrets and doubled up on the clips. Moving onto the superstructure itself, I added in the extra raised platform that appears on the L shaped area directly behind the turrets. I also replaced many of the studded plates on the top roof of the superstructure with tiles (credit to Onecase for his use of cut corner tiles in this area, which I replicated) Finally I added macaroni tiles to the back engines.

I seem to have ended up with a sort of Monarch-Aggressor hybrid in the looks department. These changes may be a bit divisive to some but personally I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Modding it wasn't easy. And what a build it was! I loved every second of it. Thanks and all credit to Raskolnikov for this incredible model!

Here it is: 

And here is the full album including tons of pictures of minifigs hanging out in the incredible interior: https://www.flickr.com/photos/164260086@N06/albums/72157710727139542

 

Edited September 7, 2019 by Rubblemaker

[Raskolnikov]

Nice photos! I really like the interior pics in the album as well. There sure are a lot of options for ISDs these days, but only one allows for playful use of minifigs :)

As for the mods, I considered a few of these, and a lot of it comes down to personal preference. I actually built a version of the top panels where the large raised sections with studs were mostly replaced by tiles, but I just like the way the studs look at a distance--makes those raised areas pop. As you said, the lack of wedge tiles also makes the tiled design look a little inconsistent--if there were wedge tiles available in the right shapes, even I might be convinced to go studless. We'll see if the new 2x2 wedge tile heralds more to come.

I think your choice to replace 1x1 "texture" tiles makes sense, given the other mods. You could also throw in some 1x2 ingots, or possibly jumpers.

The rectangle thing that extends from the superstructure also looks good. It's not really a part of the Aggressor's design that I was happy with--think I tried a couple different things, then said "f it" and left it as exposed studs. The Devastator/ISD I has some noticeable turrets there, one of the few occasions where I prefer that studio model.

4x4 macaroni tiles and 2x2 corner tiles both came out in 2017, after I had most of the hull and engines done. I like the corner tiles on the superstructure roof, and might've done that myself if they were cheaper at the time. I think I used all six that I had ordered for exorbitant prices elsewhere in the build. I considered the 4x4 macaroni tiles on the engines, but thought it made them a bit too cylindrical. Wish we had 4x4 macaroni plates to go under them.

The added terrace on the portions of the superstructure jutting out near the rear looks good and is accurate. I just skipped it for simplicity and because I was looking ahead to my Victory conversion. Kind of makes sense that a Victory would be slightly less terraced (although I also skipped that feature in the Tyrant, but plan to add it if I ever get around to some upgrades).

Removing the lightsabers on the main turrets also probably makes sense with what you're going for. I tried versions of the turrets that used those clips, but chose the lightsabers to highlight the rotation mechanism. The bar w/ stud piece (used on the new ISD set) also opens up some new design possibilities, but it wasn't out at the time.

Anyway, thanks for sharing!

[SteamSewnEmpire]

Even though this Star Destroyer design is a bit chunk-I-fied, it remains my favorite.

[KevinYoung]

Digging the snot look on the hull. Like those engines too! Very nice build.

[ClassicLook]

These ISD MOCs are much more detailed as the official sets. Very nice build!

[Space_jaco]

1 hour ago, ClassicLook said:

These ISD MOCs are much more detailed as the official sets. Very nice build!

True but 10000 more pieces...

[Rubblemaker]

15 hours ago, Raskolnikov said:

Nice photos! I really like the interior pics in the album as well. There sure are a lot of options for ISDs these days, but only one allows for playful use of minifigs :)

- Very true. When I decided to do your model I wasn't that fussed about the interior. I just thought of it as extra fun building time. But once I had it done its tons of fun making photos with those interior sections. Loved it by the end of the build.

As for the mods, I considered a few of these, and a lot of it comes down to personal preference. I actually built a version of the top panels where the large raised sections with studs were mostly replaced by tiles, but I just like the way the studs look at a distance--makes those raised areas pop. As you said, the lack of wedge tiles also makes the tiled design look a little inconsistent--if there were wedge tiles available in the right shapes, even I might be convinced to go studless. We'll see if the new 2x2 wedge tile heralds more to come.

- There are 2x2 wedge tiles??!!! Thats the first I've heard. Awesome! Though strangely, despite my wishing for them, there is one big advantage to having to make the trim of these areas out of studded wedge plates. It makes it obvious that this is made from Lego which I believe contributes so much to the wow factor of a model like this. I recall Jerac saying somewhere that his studless design slightly undermined all the work he'd put into the Chimaera when people just thought it was a giant plastic model and didn't realise he'd spent so many hours using so many bricks to make it. I guessed that you made the raised areas all studs to make them stand out more and it really does. I was looking at pictures like these for my ref material which show those areas as being quite subtle when seen in the context of the whole ship: http://www.modelermagic.com/?p=11205 Like you say, its a preference thing. I'd say at this point I don't see any probs with your original. It's perfect. I just wanted to challenge myself as much as poss.

I think your choice to replace 1x1 "texture" tiles makes sense, given the other mods. You could also throw in some 1x2 ingots, or possibly jumpers.

- Ingots is a nice idea. I actually ran out of them when I was modding it or I'd have broken up the hull plating a bit more with them. 

The rectangle thing that extends from the superstructure also looks good. It's not really a part of the Aggressor's design that I was happy with--think I tried a couple different things, then said "f it" and left it as exposed studs. The Devastator/ISD I has some noticeable turrets there, one of the few occasions where I prefer that studio model.

4x4 macaroni tiles and 2x2 corner tiles both came out in 2017, after I had most of the hull and engines done. I like the corner tiles on the superstructure roof, and might've done that myself if they were cheaper at the time. I think I used all six that I had ordered for exorbitant prices elsewhere in the build. I considered the 4x4 macaroni tiles on the engines, but thought it made them a bit too cylindrical. Wish we had 4x4 macaroni plates to go under them.

The added terrace on the portions of the superstructure jutting out near the rear looks good and is accurate. I just skipped it for simplicity and because I was looking ahead to my Victory conversion. Kind of makes sense that a Victory would be slightly less terraced (although I also skipped that feature in the Tyrant, but plan to add it if I ever get around to some upgrades).

Removing the lightsabers on the main turrets also probably makes sense with what you're going for. I tried versions of the turrets that used those clips, but chose the lightsabers to highlight the rotation mechanism. The bar w/ stud piece (used on the new ISD set) also opens up some new design possibilities, but it wasn't out at the time.

-This confirms what I thought regarding why you did this. And I can totally understand it. To be honest, my turrets don't work. The webbed trans blue dishes didn't pop enough until I put your grey webbed dishes behind them, which then pulled that vital connecting cog away from the main mechanism. But as I'm aiming for very much a display model (whose interior I can show off to visitors) I'm not too bothered. Someone suggested taking out the grey webbed dishes and putting white plates back there. That sounds like it could work pretty well.

Anyway, thanks for sharing!

- Thanks for creating this! and don't worry about the 2019 UCS ISD stealing your thunder. The Aggressor will never die! People will always want to make this model, plus I doubt anyone except you will ever surpass the interior in it!

 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Rubblemaker

[Cylo]

Great pics Rubblemaker! I hope to build this one day too  This model looks far superior to the new UCS, which I believe is around the same size as this one? That's a lot of pieces that go into the details and interior!

[m4st3rt3ch]

1 hour ago, Rubblemaker said:

There are 2x2 wedge tiles?

These?

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=35787&name=Tile, Modified 2 x 2 Triangular&category=[Tile, Modified]#T=C

[Rubblemaker]

5 hours ago, Reaper said:

Great pics Rubblemaker! I hope to build this one day too  This model looks far superior to the new UCS, which I believe is around the same size as this one? That's a lot of pieces that go into the details and interior!

Thanks! The new UCS is 13cm longer but a LOT less detailed and far more retro looking to my eyes. I like tiles. :]

4 hours ago, m4st3rt3ch said:

These?

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=35787&name=Tile, Modified 2 x 2 Triangular&category=[Tile, Modified]#T=C

Hmm, think those have been around for a while now. I don’t think they are the tiles Raskolnikov was talking about? I couldn’t have used them in my mods to this build unfortunately.

[Raskolnikov]

Yeah, those are the ones I was thinking of, came out in 2018. Not useful for your top mods, but I was surprised that LEGO made that kind of a piece at all. There is a use for them on the side cutouts near the front of the ship, though. Can be seen at 8m52s on this video (and apparently in the thumbnail too):

 

Although, if you're going for accuracy, the 45 degree angle on those wedge plates cutouts is too steep--should probably have use 2x3 wedge plates like on the littler cutouts near the back.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Raskolnikov

[Rubblemaker]

14 minutes ago, Raskolnikov said:

Yeah, those are the ones I was thinking of, came out in 2018. Not useful for your top mods, but I was surprised that LEGO made that kind of a piece at all. There is a use for them on the side cutouts near the front of the ship, though. Can be seen at 8m52s on this video (and apparently in the thumbnail too):

 

Although, if you're going for accuracy, the 45 degree angle on those wedge plates cutouts is too steep--should probably have use 2x3 wedge plates like on the littler cutouts near the back.

Your Mon Cal dwarfs the Aggressor. It must be crazy huge. Where do you store all these massive Mocs? It always makes me chuckle when people ask for Tyrant instructions. If these people actually saw the Aggressor fully built they’d realise how crazy that request is. The Aggressor is enormous and barely moveable when fully assembled as it’s so heavy. I have no idea how you transport the Tyrant to shows. It looks bigger than my car!

[icm]

This question is a bit off topic, but could you post some breakdown pictures of the little A-wings, @Raskolnikov?  The whole Mon Cal and Aggressor builds are brilliant, but those little A-wings are a bit more affordable!

[Raskolnikov]

To answer both questions, storage is a continual issue for me, as I'm in a city apartment. I'd like to display my entire Imperial fleet w/ the Mon Cal, but I haven't thought of a way to do that in my current situation, especially not if I buy the UCS ISD and add it to the bunch >.<

So currently I'm taking a bit of a break, and the front half of the Mon Cal is taking up part of one of my dog's favorite sleeping spots. But I'm sure you'll see more of it (and @icm its A-wings) in the future.

 

 

[Rubblemaker]

20 hours ago, Raskolnikov said:

To answer both questions, storage is a continual issue for me, as I'm in a city apartment. I'd like to display my entire Imperial fleet w/ the Mon Cal, but I haven't thought of a way to do that in my current situation, especially not if I buy the UCS ISD and add it to the bunch >.<

So currently I'm taking a bit of a break, and the front half of the Mon Cal is taking up part of one of my dog's favorite sleeping spots. But I'm sure you'll see more of it (and @icm its A-wings) in the future.

 

 

Gorgeous dog! I’m lucky in that I have a semi detached house with an external garage. I keep all my builds on shelves in that garage. I can also lock it so my kids (5 and 2 year old boys) can’t get their mitts on them. At least for now. When they’re a bit older I’ll let them play with some of them.

Edited September 9, 2019 by Rubblemaker