Blacktron 1 giant war-bot with laser cannon arm / crusher-claw hand (finished real world MOC)

[Murdoch17]

In-universe backstory:

Long ago, the world of Zonia (home-world of Classic Space) was a peaceful planet, with it's own interstellar spacefaring fleet and a moon brimming with lunar bases and habitation domes for the minifigs who lived there. They had no real major weapons development for hundreds of years, and no need for it anyway... it was a happy place with smiles everywhere you looked.

This peace was not to last.

Just beyond the moon orbiting Zonia, there was a rip in spacetime that formed slowly over several millennia. This strange tear was generally unnoticed by the various space fleets. However, ships did disappear occasionally in that area, and thus it became a cursed quadrant, as more ships vanished and the rip grew in all three dimensions. Eventually, it became big enough in size to be seen visibly from the moon's surface. Then, as the unease and restlessness caused by the tear in spacetime grew to near paranoia, a very large being appeared from the tear and crashed into the nearby moon, seemingly injured, if not dead, from it's trip through the nether between the universes. The planetary government of Zonia, sensing the mood of the populace, silenced all non-official communications between the moon bases and the surface of Zonia. A blockade was also effected, sealing the area off from everyone but the command and scientific arms of the Government.

Immediately, the curious populace used whatever they could find to observe the creature from the planet: telescopes, binoculars, and those with good eyesight and a little know-how saw what the rulers didn't want them to - the stellar being was injured and dying, and the Zonia leaders were fighting amongst themselves on what to do about it.

One side (the scientists) wanted the severely burned and blackened being merely stabilized, and moved elsewhere to study and eventually be released into outer space quadrant where it had come.

The command arm, however, wanted to augment the being with advanced weaponry while clearing it's mind of everything personality-wise for use as a war drone, as it could be this being was an accidental advance warning of an incoming invasion.

The commanders won out by sheer power of numbers via a electronic vote, and the work was begun begrudgingly by the science arm. The ruined lower arms were removed by the scientists while the being was incapacitated by it's journey and impact on the moon. They added a laser arm to the left side (originally designed for drilling into the core of meteor samples) and a immense gripper claw to the right... a hand design couldn't be worked out due to difficulties with copying the quite mangled original hand.

This is where things went south: the command arm responsible for the decisions just described was touring the facility while the mind wipe was being done. Conscience and feeling of guilt had been removed, while most of the emotions were going out when the being awoke. (It is worth mentioning at this point that Compassion, care, and love were gone. However, rage, hatred, cunning, and the original intelligence / memories remained inside the mind when it emerged from it's long slumber)

Needleless to say, it was a massacre. The being culled only those that purposely had hurt it during it's sleep: the command staff. The scientist there that day were spared death, as they had been doing no intentional harm and had wanted nothing to do with the plans it was forced to carry out.

This wasn't the end, however. The moon of Zonia began to move under the telekinetic power of the being, and some of the remaining science staff were allowed to flee... about 1/2 of the entire Ministry of Science left the moon and returned to their world, while the remains of the command staff and their allies stood motionless. They were being remotely mindwiped by the towering being, becoming drones themselves as they had wished to do to the celestial stranger.

The being then warned the Zonia people directly with a broadcast to every device on the planet: Do not interfere with me again, or risk becoming drones like your countrymen. It ended the broadcast by first signaling the logo of the lunar base on which it has been experimented on, albeit with a color change to black background (signifying the burned skin of the being) with three yellow triangles in a pattern now synonymous with evil. Then, that faded away with the robot's ingrained military designation from the now-dead CS commanders coming onto the screen: Blacktron-1

Then the moon disappeared into the space rift to a destination unknown, leaving the world of Zonia in peace once more. But for the galaxy at large, there would be no peace - only the rise of Blacktron!

Model and notes:

For this model, I used parts and ideas from the Eternals line's "In Arishem's Shadow" set 76155 (body / head / upper legs + arms) and "Hydra Stomper" set 76201 (Laser power / jet pack thing on the back of the robot) mech models from Marvel, along with claw from the old Agents 2.0' "Robot Attack" set 8970. The lower legs and laser arm are (modified) holdovers from the "Build Better Bricks" Iron Giant instructions.

I think he looks quite menacing, what about you?

This "war-bot" is supposed to be an opposite (yet equal in strength) foe for my Classic Space fleet, and an enemy to "fight" at any future displays and on my space layout. He is slightly shorter in stature than my Classic Space robot, but his laser arm and crusher-claw hand make up for it!

I thought robots were "To Serve Man"....

 

Any thoughts? Comments, questions, and complaints welcome!

Edited 10/24/21: Added real world pictures of the model.

Edited October 24, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

Main post UPDATE 6/18/21:

Compare V1 of the robot... 

...to Version two! This newer, retro-'50's style robot will be built next month.

Thoughts?

[Murdoch17]

This model was originally inspired by set 9515, Imperial V-Wing Fighter, from 2011's Star Wars lineup.

I've made it into a Blacktron 3 version (which I've called a Victory Wing) with lime accents and a trans-bright-green canopy. I also added four non-folding Art-Deco style wings from the LEGO Batman Movie sets, to give it a sleek / fast-moving look, even when it's sitting still.

Both the ships wings features twin laser guns, bringing it's firepower up to four blasters total. The vessel also has two engines at the center-rear.

The cockpit opens up, letting you place a mini-figure pilot at the controls.

I'm going to give two of these neat little fighters to my brother for Christmas, while I keep the BT3 robot I'm building for my own purposes. You can see his awesome BT3 setup (with Roller Coaster "monorail" in place) here.

[Murdoch17]

Main post UPDATE 7/9/21:

Compare V1 of the robot... 

...to Version two..

To version 3! ! This newer (or is it older?), Blacktron I style robot will be built later this month. NOTE: The chest should have the “upside down tri-force” logo printed on it.

See first post for more details!

Edited July 9, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

Is it the end of the beginning...

Or the beginning of the end?

Either way, one thing is certain: mini-figure life will never be the same!

Blacktron I is coming... soon.

Check out the revised main post for the backstory, updated text, and new screenshots of the 76155-inspired model!

[Murdoch17]

I just ordered the remaining 117 parts for my Blacktron I robot today.

I hope to have it all together by November 1st, if not earlier.

Edited October 12, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

Blacktron I war-bot - real world MOC progress (some assembly required)

"The Foot bone is connected to the Ankle bone,
The Ankle bone is connected to the Leg bone,
The Leg bone is connected to the knee bone,
The knee bone is connected to the thigh bone,
The thigh bone is connected to the...

(fast forward cassette tape noises start, then end)

Them bones, them bones, them dry bones, now that's the working of the Lord!"

All I have built for now is shown above. The last BrickLink order should be here today, so expect final real world pictures soon.

[Murdoch17]

The MOC is done!

However, I thought robots were "To Serve Man"....