[MOC] Sonar Security Mk. II

[Rauy]

While I don't have the closest connection to Space Police II, one of my favourite childhood sets was actually the little rocket-pulling rover 6852 Sonar Security. I always liked that design with its many wide little space wheels and the trailer that balanced on a single axle and found it extremely swooshable. So inspired by a collaborative 90s-style spaceway at Bricking Bavaria and various revival build contests, I built a remake of it.

Of course the design tries to stay close to the colour composition of the original and its faction, being black, grey and red with green glass elements. In addition to that there's also some accents in flat silver and pearl dark grey, which should extend the colour palette reasonably, though. In general the remake is quite a bit bigger than the original, which not only allows for a bit more detail but also makes the rocket trailer a more functional launching platform than just having a rocket stand there unsecured.

Originally I actually thought about using tracks instead of wheel as an update of those old-school space wheels. But then I saw the wheels from the 3-in-1 rover and used those instead. Not only do they capture the design of the original set more accurately, they also allow for flexible wheel suspension and an even more rovery feel. For best offroad capabilities the wheels are thereby suspensed differently, similar to the 3-in-1 rover. The wheels on the lorry bob from side to side while the wheels on the trailer bob along the side. This also has the side effect that the trailer actually swings around a single axle like in the original set and is only held in balance by the connection to the lorry. But while a ladder can be folded down at the back for additional stability, the trailer is still not really made for decoupling because of another feature.

What I really like is the lighting, especially the fact that the MOC doesn't just have 5 LEDs worked into the design but also carries the whole power supply, conveniently hidden behind the cockpit and accessible through a hatch on the roof for easy on/off switching. The cabling isn't always hidden completely, but for a space vehicle that's not necessarily a bad thing. Though, I still tried to lead the cables reasonably through the vehicle as well as integrate that into a sensible instruction flow. Building instructions can be found on Rebrickable.

[danth]

YES. This is so good!

[Feuer Zug]

Wonderful recreation and enhancement of the original. Retaining the original color scheme, while expanding it as you did really fits. Are those TIE Fighter cockpit pieces on the wheels?

[Yperio_Bricks]

1993 when set 6852 came out i was 10 years old so it was THE time. As i kid i would have loved your recreation of the Sonar Security rover. You perfectly kept the color sheme and spirit of the original set. Love it!

[Lyichir]

A great MOC all around, but I particularly like the tasteful use of metallic/pearl colors. Nothing too excessive, and nothing that would clash with the classic color scheme, but just enough to give some of the elements a nice mechanical/industrial feel.

[Rauy]

Thanks a lot for the nice comments!

On 12/16/2022 at 10:04 PM, Feuer Zug said:

Are those TIE Fighter cockpit pieces on the wheels?

Yes, they're TIE cockpits (usually used in Microfighters or any other sub-minifig versions). I discovered that 4x4 dishes would fit nicely onto those wheels and then looked for something a bit more exciting than just transparent. There's actually also a ton of trans-green 1x1 round bricks inside the wheels, but you can hardly see them through the trans-black dishes.

On 12/17/2022 at 12:01 AM, Lyichir said:

I particularly like the tasteful use of metallic/pearl colors. Nothing too excessive, and nothing that would clash with the classic color scheme, but just enough to give some of the elements a nice mechanical/industrial feel.

Thanks! The decision fell early to use that big wheel from the Creator Expert cars as engine, which brought flat silver into the mix, so using it for the piping on the side was a fitting choice. I also considered adding metallic, like for the floor grating on the trailer, but then stuck to flat to not bring too many colours into it. The pearl dark grey came from the wheels and I was glad to see that the big scaffold piece for the rocket tower was also available in that colour.

[Operacion Saturno]

Nice job!

[MRYJ]

Cool Upgrade! 😉

[Krol Zmija Sebastian]

Better than the original.

[royalstick]

When i was child, i got 6852 and played it very much.

your upgraded Sonar security vehicle is very good!

[Andman]

Oh man, what a flashback! When i was young I played so much with that little set. Awesome recreation and thanks again for making me remembering these times.

[Umbra-Manis]

Those windscreens on the wheels worked out so well, nicely done!