[MOC][ALT BUILD] 10497 Ground Base

[danth]

Hi all! I made this Galaxy Explorer Ground Base from the leftover parts in set 10497 after building the smallest One Man Space Ship alt build.

This is the original:

Here's mine:

In addition to the command base & comm tower, there's a power station, small landing pad, some craters, a small speeder, and a rover.

Command base:

Comm tower:

Power station:

Landing pad and speeder:

Rover (which I think is hilarious because the truck/storage bed is under the driver's seat):

Anyway, I had a ton of fun building this. Thanks for looking!

[Moriboe]

Cool, very much in the classic space spirit! They should have added something like this on the back of the box.

[TeriXeri]

Very nice build, definately captures the same styling as the original.

Great use of those large "railway crossing" ramps originally used on the tail as wall panels, and using the small yellow windows inbetween.

Also the fact it's built on blue airplane tails, and using leftover slopes as a moon craters, and yellow edge for the landing pad, captures the original 497/928 ground section very well.

Edited June 2, 2023 by TeriXeri

[danth]

7 hours ago, Moriboe said:

Cool, very much in the classic space spirit! They should have added something like this on the back of the box.

Thank you! Agreed, if there was going to be another official alt-build after the two smaller spaceships, it would have to be of the ground base.

4 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

Very nice build, definately captures the same styling as the original.

Great use of those large "railway crossing" ramps originally used on the tail as wall panels, and using the small yellow windows inbetween.

Also the fact it's built on blue airplane tails, and using leftover slopes as a moon craters, and yellow edge for the landing pad, captures the original 497/928 ground section very well.

Thanks TX! What's funny is that all of the things you mentioned basically "built themselves" in the sense that those pieces jumped out at me as begging to be used that way and I had no other choice. I love it when building is like that!

[Feuer Zug]

Superb reimaging of the classic set. Your use of new pieces blend well and keep up the spirit.

[danth]

18 hours ago, Feuer Zug said:

Superb reimaging of the classic set. Your use of new pieces blend well and keep up the spirit.

Thanks! 😊

[Operacion Saturno]

A great add on. I like the fact that you were able to pull this one with leftovers form the smallest ship instructions. Meaning that we would not need to buy a forth G. Explorer.

[danth]

4 hours ago, Operacion Saturno said:

A great add on. I like the fact that you were able to pull this one with leftovers form the smallest ship instructions. Meaning that we would not need to buy a forth G. Explorer.

Thanks Saturno! Nice to hear from someone who builds such awesome bases!

[bricktoad]

Wow! This is such a fun build and inspiringly close to the source. 

[AmperZand]

 Excellent! 

@danth Did you require any additional pieces or were they only parts left over after making the smallest ship? If no additional parts were needed, LEGO should have thought of something like this!

[danth]

On 6/23/2023 at 10:26 AM, bricktoad said:

Wow! This is such a fun build and inspiringly close to the source. 

Thank you!

21 hours ago, AmperZand said:

 Excellent! 

@danth Did you require any additional pieces or were they only parts left over after making the smallest ship? If no additional parts were needed, LEGO should have thought of something like this!

No additional parts required! There are a bunch of leftovers to play with. I made an entire spaceship with the leftovers from the mid-sized build too.

[icm]

This is a great little alt build. Are these posted on your Flickr account too? I used to remember your Flickr handle but I don't anymore.

[danth]

On 9/4/2023 at 2:20 PM, icm said:

This is a great little alt build. Are these posted on your Flickr account too? I used to remember your Flickr handle but I don't anymore.

Thanks! This is on Flickr too, pretty sure I'm Danth1 over there. I noticed there are some things I've posted here that I forgot to post on Flickr though.

[Aanchir]

Neat work! I apologize that it took me so long to comment on this!

I'll admit, I'm not quite as fond of this as I am of the Galaxy Roadster. In particular I feel a little iffy about the way the SNOTted slopes on the sides leave a horizontal gap at window level, and also with the jagged shape and uneven colors/textures of the radio antenna. At the same time, I realize that a lot of that was probably unavoidable, since this is honestly restricted in even more ways than the Galaxy Roadster was: not only is it likewise built from the parts left over from one of 10497's alternate models, but this model is also aiming to re-imagine a specific Classic Space model, and one with a very different sort of subject matter than the original (vehicle-focused) set!

I think this model is helped a lot by your willingness to take creative liberties from the original model, such as by making the supports for the command base perpendicular to the front window instead of parallel, and using a ladder for access instead of stairs. You did a good job "upscaling" the design to match the official 10497 builds, referencing distinctive details like the old-timey TV antenna, and making use of leftover grey parts (especially larger ones) for the lunar landscape. And the command center interior looks fantastic with its big picture window, clean white floor, and dazzling array of screens and gauges!

Even so, I think my favorite parts of the model are the ones that you DIDN'T base on 497/928. The power station is a fantastic design that fits perfectly with this modernized Classic Space design language — if non-vehicle "side builds" were as common in 70s and 80s sets as they are in modern ones, then I could definitely imagine a smaller and simpler version of this power station being one of them! The taps also seem like they could be a place to hook up charging cables for an electric power supply vehicle, perhaps similar in design to the fuel tankers from set 920/483 or 6980 Galaxy Commander, so that larger ships don't have to dock directly next to the power station.

The rover is also a great design, adhering closely to the utilitarian colors and textures of early Classic Space ground vehicles, but with a shape that evokes the whimsy of later sets like 6883 Terrestrial Rover (which you may have been intentionally referencing with it?) and 6952 Solar Power Transporter. It also somewhat calls to mind the elevated bed of the rocket transport trailer from set 897/462. While the tall and narrow proportions might seem a bit wacky, I suspect they would be more practical in a low-gravity environment than they would be here on Earth! And when fully loaded with supplies, having the cargo bay low and centered also probably be more likely to prevent rollovers (which would be the main issue for a vehicle with these proportions in real life) than to cause them.

I almost overlooked the little speeder since it is so small compared to the other models in the main image! But it's quite lovely in its own right — the 1x4 offset plates make great fixed landing gear, the tap pieces are cleverly used as compact thrusters, and it maintains the familiar wedge/arrowhead shape of so many Classic Space vehicles but in a unique way. Between the "legs", dual wings, and the antenna-like control levers, it almost reminds me of a mechanical cricket or grasshopper!

[danth]

2 hours ago, Aanchir said:

In particular I feel a little iffy about the way the SNOTted slopes on the sides leave a horizontal gap at window level

I see what you mean. Not sure why I did that, maybe I thought the gap created visual interest? But now I'm doubting it...I might futz with it and see if it looks better without the gap.

2 hours ago, Aanchir said:

and also with the jagged shape and uneven colors/textures of the radio antenna.

Yeah the large radio antenna is a monstrosity. The white tiles/round bits were used to hide large areas of anti-studs but I admit they look out of place. I'll see if I can improve it somehow...

I was sad that I didn't have a way to create the appearance of a large round dish. The 3x2 tiles are the best I could come up with to make the whole "dish" area look bigger.

2 hours ago, Aanchir said:

such as by making the supports for the command base perpendicular to the front window instead of parallel

Busted! Wow you notice everything! Yeah, that was a mistake...I was going off memory and didn't realize it was wrong until I posted it here. Oops.

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

referencing distinctive details like the old-timey TV antenna

Thanks for noticing! Getting an approximation of the original aerial was tough.

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

And the command center interior looks fantastic with its big picture window, clean white floor, and dazzling array of screens and gauges!

Yay! Thanks, I really liked how the interior turned out.

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

The taps also seem like they could be a place to hook up charging cables for an electric power supply vehicle, perhaps similar in design to the fuel tankers from set 920/483 or 6980 Galaxy Commander, so that larger ships don't have to dock directly next to the power station.

YES. Taps are a must. Gotta have something to hook up to, for exactly that reason.

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

The rover is also a great design, adhering closely to the utilitarian colors and textures of early Classic Space ground vehicles, but with a shape that evokes the whimsy of later sets like 6883 Terrestrial Rover (which you may have been intentionally referencing with it?) and 6952 Solar Power Transporter. It also somewhat calls to mind the elevated bed of the rocket transport trailer from set 897/462. While the tall and narrow proportions might seem a bit wacky, I suspect they would be more practical in a low-gravity environment than they would be here on Earth! And when fully loaded with supplies, having the cargo bay low and centered also probably be more likely to prevent rollovers (which would be the main issue for a vehicle with these proportions in real life) than to cause them.

Wow, those are great thoughts! I daresay the rover is the best part of this, at least in terms of whimsy/ridiculousness. I didn't even think of the reasons why it might actually be practical. And I think you might be right about the sets I "referenced", although it would have been sub-conscious. When building it I had the thought "Hey, this looks...right somehow" and I bet some part of my mind was thinking of 6883's shape.

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Between the "legs", dual wings, and the antenna-like control levers, it almost reminds me of a mechanical cricket or grasshopper!

It does! 😮

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback. Definitely makes it feel more worthwhile to make MOCs and post them here! 😊

[Operacion Saturno]

On 6/16/2023 at 12:49 PM, danth said:

Thanks Saturno! Nice to hear from someone who builds such awesome bases!

I purchase my own 10497, but this design is not mine.
BTW, I post a video link of my latest project Gaia 72 yesterday and someone delete it. WHY?

[Space78]

Wow, love the idea of making a command base.  I agree this is what's missing from 10497 that was in the original.  That and a baseplate or two.  Might Lego have reduced the "bulk" of the 10497 ship a bit and included a baseplate and a small command center?

However, I love that you put this together from the spare parts of the small ship alternate build.  I'm in the process of building 10497.  I have a second copy of the set and plan to build the larger of the two alternate ships.  @danth you said you made an entire ship from the leftover parts of the mid-size alternate ship.  Can you share pictures of that also?  Would be great to see what can be done with the "leftover" bricks.  It's my understanding that you can't build both alternate ships from one set simultaneously.  Is there a list somewhere of what additional parts are needed to build both ship at the same time from one set?

[danth]

17 hours ago, Space78 said:

@danth you said you made an entire ship from the leftover parts of the mid-size alternate ship.  Can you share pictures of that also?  Would be great to see what can be done with the "leftover" bricks.

Here you go!

 

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

This is exactly what I was looking for!

I would love to build something similar for my 10497 set

Is it possible to have more detailed photos of the internal panel? It seems to me that the entire console is built on a hinge.

Very good job!