BrickMonkeyMOCs

Thanks! I design whatever my customers ask for, and my next booked projects are not going to be Star Trek-related. But a TNG Enterprise would be cool and is certainly doable.

The front suspension looks a lot better in the Beyond the Brick review than in Sariel's review.

Very excited for this new luggage set. Apparently there's some kind of vehicle accessory included as well.

Thank you. And yes, the saucer-section does already have the required upwards slope on the opening top surface.

Thanks. The best Enterprise I've seen is this one which I came across during initial research. The Mega Construx model certainly looks great too. Both of these models are significantly larger than my present design though, where the goal was to keep it as small as possible while still achieving the opening bridge with minifigs inside. Thank you. I'm going to hold back from posting interior images, for the sake of my client. But I can describe it for you. There's an outer octagonal perimeter of 1x2 cheese slope computers, and a lower inner circle containing the captains chair and a computer console for helm and navigation. The inner circle transitions via steps in the forward, rear, left, and right positions, with rails around the rest of this circle. The captain's chair is brick-built, with printed 1x2 tiles with buttons on each armrest.

Thanks. The nose shaping can be challenging, but it's much more satisfying than the prefabricated one-piece solutions used by Lego sets. The Airbus is indeed pretty big, measuring 74x72cm. It contains 2,377 parts while the ATR 42 contains 1,480 parts. I agree on the wings, but decided on the stepped solution for better overall strength and rigidity. Due to the wing design the Airbus lacks working flaps and ailerons, but I was able to incorporate these into the ATR build. The Airbus does have adjustable elevators though, with an internal Technic mechanism to link the two and provide the necessary friction. Thank you. I haven't built them myself in bricks (except for various test builds to check the functional mechanisms), but the client who commissioned these models has built them already from my instructions. I've seen preliminary photos but will wait for final pictures to be posted on Flickr before posting anything more here.

This is a model I've just recently finished on commission. The goal was to create a model of the iconic USS Enterprise from Star Trek with a Millennium Falcon-style petal-opening bridge that would fit a minifigure-scale interior. Obviously, a truly minifig-scale Enterprise would be a massive model, so the idea was rather to achieve something like the 10198 Tantive IV set where the scale of the interior differs from that of the actual ship. Accordingly, the full interior of the main hull here represents what in 'reality' would be a small section at the center top of the main hull. It has space for five minifigs seated centrally under the top 8x8 dish, and when the panels are opened this exposes the rest of the bridge interior where these figures can then be moved around.

These are two aircraft I've designed on commission for the same client. Each is a scale-model of a real aircraft, though both are also designed to fit minifigures as both crew and passengers. The Airbus A320 is built to 1:42 scale, and features retractable undercarriage, detachable cockpit cover and roof sections, four opening cabin doors, and seating for up to 28 passengers. The ATR 42 is built to 1:44 scale, and features retractable undercarriage, detailed cockpit seating two crew, detachable roof sections revealing an interior cabin with seating for 16 passengers, twin turboprop engines with turning propellers, functional flaps, ailerons, and elevators, forward cargo compartment with upwards opening doors and space for 6 suitcases, and downwards opening rear cabin doors. I also designed three accessory vehicles for use with the A320 - a Mercedes Econic truck, a Goldhofer AST-1X tow vehicle, and a stair bridge.

Earlier this year I also revamped my F430 official set (8671) to bring it up to modern MOC standards. This involved adding opening doors, a trans panel for the engine cover, and replacing all stickered details (front bumper vents, headlights, dashboard, curved top edge on the front hood, etc.) with brick-built solutions. Other added details include new exhausts, a gear shift lever, fire extinguisher and water bottle (under front hood), and an improved spoiler. The picture below was shared on Flickr a while ago, but I've now also made LDraw instructions that can be used by anyone else also keen to make the same upgrade. LDraw File: [FREE DOWNLOAD]

They aren't actually Brickmania tracks. They're custom tracks by BlueBrixx, who hired an LDraw parts designer to convert their 3D designs into LDraw parts for use in building instructions and renders. The LDraw files are not available for public use, but you can buy the physical track links through the BlueBrixx website.

That's a stunning layout, Allan! Wish we could get you down to the South Island for the CBS or TotS shows so I could see it in person, but I imagine that would be a very challenging layout to transport. Hope you guys have a great event.

Thanks for your replies! The whole model is very sturdy, as the 600-piece frame is studs forwards (i.e. towards the viewer) with carefully placed studs on the inside edges connecting to a studs-up rear wall that the interior main build is connected to. The skulls are quite complex, with studs in multiple directions and the central nose section unconnected but secured in place by surrounding parts. The most difficult part was fitting the two half-skulls flush to the frame, which required a technic axle assembly partially extending into hollows in the frame supporting half-stud width dark grey lift-arms to match the curvature of the skull. A hidden Easter egg here is the teddy bear inside the cylinder above the central skull, which can be revealed by replacing this half-cylinder cover with an equivalent trans-light-blue part. So the central figure is basically having teddy bear dreams fed directly into his brain.

Wow, that's spectacular. I'm not usually a fan of sculpture-style building as it usually looks quite blocky, but this is perfectly executed. The slope-built mane, the colouring, and the integration of the sloped nose and jaw sections are all really well done. Definitely front page material. :)

Thanks. I'm working with BlueBrixx now on final preparations for a second wave of kitsets, so there will be seven more WW2 vehicles available soon.

Found time to update the instructions and redo the photography. Here's the SF71H (right) compared to last year's SF70H (left), each with the improved sidepod inlet and bargeboard area.