[WIP] Space Shuttle

[Jeroen Ottens]

Hi,

I've been working on and off on this project for some time now and I feel it is in a good enough state now to show some progress. It is a spiritual successor to the 8480 spaceshuttle. That one came out shortly after my dark age and I bought it the minute it was available in the stores. I still think it is one of the, if not the very best models of the studded era. It was also the model that started the studless era as this was the model where the designers introduced the first studless beam (the Liftarm 1x9 bent (6-4) thick in white).

So time has progressed and sucker as I am for complicated mechanisms I decided I wanted to cram as many RC functions in there as I could. In spirit of the original I use a switching mechanism to shift between functions, but this time the switching is also done remote controlled. Three Control+ M motors power the functions. One is used for switching and the other two drive the functions. That gives me 4x2 functions:

Open payload doors* + Rotate robotarm
Open landinggear baydoors* + deploy landinggear*
Lift robotarm* + rotate end point of robotarm
Control jaw/roll* + control pitch*

The functions with an asterisk are either not implemented or not working yet. So there is still a lot of work to be done.

And also a photo with the payload doors open:

Comments and feedback are much appreciated,

Leg godt

Jeroen

Edited February 14, 2020 by Jeroen Ottens

[Seasider]

That looks great. Where are you going to hide the motors with such a large open space as the load bay of a shuttle ?

[sirslayer]

i love it!!!!  Now, I need to finish mine!!!

[WvG_853]

Oh man, this is so cool! I was a big space shuttle fan as a child and the 8480 was one of the first sets I bought when I came out if my dark ages and realised what I had missed all these years. You have managed to capture the looks perfectly. Very much looking forward to the final version!

Edited February 14, 2020 by WvG_853
Typo

[Jeroen Ottens]

21 hours ago, Seasider said:

That looks great. Where are you going to hide the motors with such a large open space as the load bay of a shuttle ?

The motors are all in the back. One is visible just below the vertical fin, the other two are in the pods. Unfortunately the control+ hub has to sit inside the payload area. I first had a design where the motors and the switch were in the front of the vehicle (like in the original 8480), but things got too crowded there. I would then have incorporated the Control+ hub in the payload and routed the cables along the robotarm.

21 hours ago, sirslayer said:

i love it!!!!  Now, I need to finish mine!!!

I look forward to see your design, it'll be interesting to compare.

8 hours ago, WvG_853 said:

Oh man, this is so cool! I was a big space shuttle fan as a child and the 8480 was one of the first sets I bought when I came out if my dark ages and realised what I had missed all these years. You have managed to capture the looks perfectly. Very much looking forward to the final version!

Thanks

[howitzer]

Do you think you could make the tail fin somehow more closed, something other than just an outline of the shape? With the otherwise enclosed bodywork it seems a bit out of place now.

Other than that, great work, I love space sets! 8480 is something I missed as a kid and would want to get my hands on but even the used sets are quite an expensive today so seeing a reincarnation of it being designed is always a delight.

[sirslayer]

@Jeroen Ottens I have done 5 different variants of the shuttle and all were based from the original Rockwell International space shuttle from the 80's .. this one I'm posting is from the Lego ideas contest of last year .. Cargo bay doors open and a crane inside is mounted toward the rear. I've included canards and a airlock from the cockpit to cargo bay 

Lego Technic Space Shuttles by victormendoza_jr, on Flickr

Edited February 15, 2020 by sirslayer

[Erik Leppen]

To be honest I'm really not fond of the squarish look of the central body/roof. The original 8480 set was better shaped in my opinion thanks to the 6x4 beams. I don't really have a studless alternative though; maybe using 1x6x3 arch pieces would give a better (rounder) shape, but I don't know if you want to go that route.

Anyhow, really looking forward to seeing more of the functions :D

[Jeroen Ottens]

Just now, Erik Leppen said:

To be honest I'm really not fond of the squarish look of the central body/roof. The original 8480 set was better shaped in my opinion thanks to the 6x4 beams. I don't really have a studless alternative though; maybe using 1x6x3 arch pieces would give a better (rounder) shape, but I don't know if you want to go that route.

Anyhow, really looking forward to seeing more of the functions :D

Yeah, that part bothered me as well. I have been thinking of an alternative where I use two curved panels instead of one to create a more rounded door. It would make the transition to the cockpit a bit more difficult. I feared that this solution would look less elegant (because it would be more out-of-system and because of this transition to the cockpit), so I never really tried. But I'll give it a try now.

[MangaNOID]

I realise the space shuttle is a long smooth shape and looks are subjective but for me a whole bunch of the same shape panels lined up cheapens the look.

Your other builds are inspirational but this, so far of course, is a bit dull in outside looks.

@howitzer above said fill the tail in but I suggest unfill some body work? Technic should be on display...somehow. Easy to criticise of course  

flex axle cargo bay? Or Take some panels out of the side of the shuttle for balance. The tail and wings have suggestive shapes but maybe the body needs that also?

 

[lcvisser]

Oh, 8480 was great, loved that set! I always say to myself I should rebuild it some day, but never get to it... Looking forward to where this is going (payload...?) 

I have to agree with @Erik Leppen and @MangaNOID though. While the real orbiter was a bit flattened on the top also, it wasn't actually flat on the top. Closer to a cylindrical shape:

In 8480 it worked great with the 6x4 angled beams with the single 16M studded beam of the robotic arm squeezed in the middle. I hope you can find a better solution also...!

[Jeroen Ottens]

21 hours ago, MangaNOID said:

I realise the space shuttle is a long smooth shape and looks are subjective but for me a whole bunch of the same shape panels lined up cheapens the look.

Your other builds are inspirational but this, so far of course, is a bit dull in outside looks.

@howitzer above said fill the tail in but I suggest unfill some body work? Technic should be on display...somehow. Easy to criticise of course  

flex axle cargo bay? Or Take some panels out of the side of the shuttle for balance. The tail and wings have suggestive shapes but maybe the body needs that also?

 

The bulk of the spaceshuttle is quite boring, I agree. Having said that I think I will keep the panels for the doors, albeit in a different configuration.

9 hours ago, Ludo Visser said:

Oh, 8480 was great, loved that set! I always say to myself I should rebuild it some day, but never get to it... Looking forward to where this is going (payload...?) 

I have to agree with @Erik Leppen and @MangaNOID though. While the real orbiter was a bit flattened on the top also, it wasn't actually flat on the top. Closer to a cylindrical shape:

 

In 8480 it worked great with the 6x4 angled beams with the single 16M studded beam of the robotic arm squeezed in the middle. I hope you can find a better solution also...!

I've found a way to capture that curve better. Now I just have to make it IRL. I'll post some photos when I have built it.

[Jim]

Very nice work @Jeroen Ottens

I have taken the liberty to test my fully automatic front-paging tool with your post  

[Jeroen Ottens]

On 2/16/2020 at 8:06 PM, Jim said:

Very nice work @Jeroen Ottens

I have taken the liberty to test my fully automatic front-paging tool with your post  

Thanks for that

I've built the new doors in real life:

Let me know whether you think it is an improvement over the previous ones.

[lcvisser]

I think that’s an improvement! Do you think you can close the gap at the bottom  a bit?

White is terrible in that respect: any gap is immediately obvious. 

[MangaNOID]

I like the gap! I think there should be more, but this does look better than the previous imo. But that is my opinion and as soon as you ask for opinions you get too many of them confusing your own ideals 

 

[Pluribus]

Oh my god this is amazing.  I am a huge collector of space shuttle memorabilia, both real life, and in Lego form.  I must own this!  Are instructions available?  I will happily pay for them!

[Jeroen Ottens]

It isn't finished yet... I was busy with it, but then a commission took my time, then the TC18 and then @T Lego came with his Lamborghini which detracted me once more and inspired me to build my next 1:8 car. However, the Spaceshuttle is still sitting on my desk, so I do have the intention to finish it and make instructions.