Xynthymr

As part of my upscaling project, I decided to attempt to upscale the basic Unikitty figure from the LEGO Movie sets. I ultimately settled on Space Unikitty due to the lack of LEGO elements in the required colours to successfully upscale I first upscaled to a ratio of 2:1, and then later to a ratio of 4:1 (actual size figure shown for comparison) The majority of the build was simple to replicate at a larger scale, but I did have some trouble trying to get the shape of the tail correct. Obviously the facial features are missing as that is traditionally a sticker, although with a little more work I may be able to rework the head secction to include a brick-built mouth and eyes I generally feel that the overall look and shape of Space Unikitty has been captured, although I do feel the design could be improved

The initial plan was to try and create a smaller X-wing model which used less LEGO elements and would therefore be slightly cheaper to build than the retail sets, but while still retaining the overall look and feel of the X-wing, and also the functionality and playability features. The plan was to make a model half the size of the retail X-wing, but due to various structural and technological restraints, I had to settle for the scale as shown above. I started contruction with the top wings, followed by the main part of the fuselage, and then mirrored it underneath. This part of the build went through several redesigns, and I tested out several different mechanisms in order to retain the movement and position of the four wings. The cockpit and nose of the build were created last, and were relatively simple

It is indeed an option. At the moment I am just experimenting with using the basic minifig shape as a template and seeing which classic minifig characters I can recreate. I ultimately want to add hats / hair pieces, but in such a way that they are optional and easily removed from the main head template I am quite pelased with the few figures I have recreated so far, and am currently working on a Benny spaceman :)

While attempting to create a minimalist X-wing design, I found myself acidentally creating a smaller X-wing which uses approximately 1/3rd less bricks than the standard X-wing retail LEGO sets Unlike the retail X-wing models, the underside is almost a symmetrical mirror image of the topside, having employed some advanced Technic building techniques to be able to flip the layout, but while still retaining the basic functionality of the original X-wing designs. A modified gear system which controls the wings is still present in this 1/3rd smaller model, and functions in the same manner as the gearing in retail sets! The only major compromise I had to make was in regards to R2-D2, where there is only enough space for the top dome, but nowhere for the body to fit. I don't feel that this is a major concern though, considering many other retail Star Wars models apply the same design Purely for fun, I decided to redesign my model slightly with more of a steampunk feel to it:

As a purely conceptual exercise, I decided to create a large, flat, mosaic-style representation of several classic LEGO minifig characters. One of my favourite characters from LEGO Town history is featured in set #6665 River Runners The build is mainly 3 plates deep. The bottom tier is made up of entirely black plates to provide a base level to build on and to retain structural rigidity. The middle tier consists of predominantly yellow plates, with some black plates to outline the shape of the minifig head. The top tier consists of mostly black elements to represent the eyes, mouth, and stubble, as well as blue plates for the shades! The whole mosaic measures 38x38 studs, and would make an excellent wall decoration, framed or otherwise

As a purely conceptual exercise, I decided to create a large, flat, mosaic-style representation of several classic LEGO minifig characters. One of the most iconic characters from LEGO history is Captain Redbeard, the infamous antagonist from the classic Pirates range from 1989 The build is mainly 3 plates deep. The bottom tier is made up of entirely black plates to provide a base level to build on and to retain structural rigidity. The middle tier consists of predominantly yellow plates, with some black plates to outline the shape of the minifig head. The top tier consists of mostly flat orange elements to represent Captain Redbeard's eponymous ginger facial hair, as well as some black features for eye, mouth, and an eye-patch! The whole mosaic measures 38x38 studs, and would make an excellent wall decoration, framed or otherwise

Having used LDD extensively over the last few months, one thing that really frustrates me is the fixed overhead light source - especially when working with darker coloured bricks or at certain angles. There are times when I want to tilt my digital LEGO model, but find it uncomfortable to build at such an angle as the fixed light source makes it difficult to see the outlines of the bricks. This is most evident when building predominantly black models (think Batmobile) I hope that TLG recognise that this is a major problem for digital designers, and I would like to see an update where we are given the ability to manoeuvre the overhead light source so that we can build comfortably. Alternatively, as we tilt our digital model, the light source should automatically adjust itself so that the light source is always positioned correctly to the plane that we are looking at Does anyone else here find the light source equally as frustrating?

I have always been fascinated with taking something that aready exists and reimagining it either as something slightly different, or in a new way - ie, larger or smaller. Inspired by the various Star Wars sets which have been miniaturised for various reasons over the years, and the few UCS sets which have enlarged popular sets from the Star Wars universe, I wondered whether the same could be done with other iconic sets from LEGO's history... I could have chosen any theme from classic Space to classic Castle, but I decided to go with some easy builds to start off, hence why I chose some classic Town sets from my childhood. I still intend to visit other themes in the near future, so watch this space! Some of the first sets I was given at a young age in the early 80's are shown below, alongside my upscaled reimagining of the same vehicle to a ratio of 2:1. I have had to make several compromises along the way to achieve the final look and / or functionality, but overall I believe that the upscaled models retain the look and feel of the classic sets that they are based on. I was also limited to the availability of certain parts in certain colours, so have had to make suitable substitutes where necessary The first set I upscaled is one of my favourites! 6655 - Auto And Tyre Repair (minus the accessories): I struggled to achieve an accurate look for the windscreens and the functionality of the doors, and had to get creative when attempting to recreate the wheel arches in a larger scale. The steering wheel and yellow seat were also fabricated to resemble the classic LEGO elements that they are based on. A few other compromises had to be made for rigidity, but overall I am pleased with the end result This set forms the basis of the next two, which are very similar in design. It's clear that the original LEGO designers went with a design that was quick and easy to modify, as several sets from this era share the same basic shape and structure The second set I upscaled was 6623 - Police Car: I chose to upscale this set as it was essentially a colour swap of the 6655 set I had previously created, so required minimal effort. A few extra pieces were added where necessary, and several others swapped out to make it more accurate to the original set design The third set I upscaled was 6634 - Stock Car: Although lacking the Shell branding, I feel that this model still closely resembles the classic set design. Very few areas needed to be modified from the previous build, so this one took me less than half an hour as it was almost identical to the previous two models I then decided to try my hand at something a bit different, mainly because I felt I was being lazy by sticking to the same style of build. I chose 6604 - Formula 1 Racer: I chose this set namely due to its simplicity and relatively low piece count. Even lacking the printing on the front slope, the car closely resembles the model it was based on, and can still be easily identified as 6604! The most recent set I upscaled is 6688 - Ambulance: A crude vehicle by today's standards, I chose this set as I wanted to tackle something larger, but while still keeping it simple. I was able to recycle a lot of the upscaled "pieces" I used for the earlier projects and incorporate them here. A few design liberties were taken on the inside for structural reasons, but these were minor alterations to increase the rigidity of the larger model. Ideally the model would have Red Cross stickers where applicable, but I think the model still resembles the original set design without them

I believe we both require post counts of over 10 posts before we can private message each other. I'll do a bit of posting, and then contact you again once I have broken the new member post count threshold

@Actionfigure - I hope you don't mind, but I attempted to recreate your Guinea Pig design in LEGO Digital Designer, as a friend's daughter wanted one for her birthday. I did so using just two of your pictures I found while browsing Google, but have since stumbled upon this thread here (which would have been helpful before I finished the creation in LDD). Obviously not being able to see the complete structure on the inside, I had to get a bit creative. I definitely got the eyes wrong (I used frying pans. Lol), but I feel I managed to capture the overall basic design I have also used LDD to create several alternative colour designs, as can be seen below: I really think you should publish this on the LEGO Ideas website. I could help you promote the idea if need be Alternatively, I would like your permission to post the idea on the PleyWorld site, which would then give you a rough idea of the interest this project would achieve if you were to publish on LEGO Ideas. I know it's not quite the same thing, but you can perhaps gauge the projected interest based on how many votes are received on PleyWorld, and you can then be able to make a better judgement call on whether it's worth making the effort to publish on LEGO Ideas If you would like me to send you a copy of my LDD file, shoot me your eMail address, and I will send it over for you to see how my design differs from your own