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Fresh from the frigid swamps of Livgorn, the oppressive heat of Yetornius hit Hernan like a wall, even through his OctanCorp© Survival Suit™. He carefully picked his way across the broken landscape, keeping a watchful eye on the leathery shapes riding the thermal currents far above him, and patting out the embers that occasionally threatened to set his poncho alight. He had just been beginning to examine one of the strange crystalline deposits he had spied from the air. It was the wrong colour for Awesomnium, but he thought that the extreme pressures and temperatures of the volcanic planet might have altered its structure in some way... Afterwards, he wasn't sure what had alerted him. A shadow? A subtle change in air currents? Or instincts honed by years of exploration? Whatever it was, he ducked, just in time, as the creature swooped directly over his head. The crystal he had been examining slipped from his grasp, tumbling into the lava flow and vanishing without a trace. Scrambling to his feet, he looked into the impassive face of the bizarre creature, its bat-like ears twitching as it emitted a low-pitched, guttural ticking. The white markings around it's neck reminded him of Father Mendez, the ancient priest who had practically run the small village he had grown up in. Gripping the haft of his axe, he weighed his options. The creature would be ungainly here on the ground. On the other hand, there were plenty more of them soaring overhead, and if they decided to swarm him he could be in real trouble. The decision was made for him when, letting out a screech, the creature charged at him, tottering forward on its spindly legs. He ran, leaping across the lava flows, dodging gouts of flame and blobs of molten rock. He could still hear the creature skittering along behind him, but his landing craft was within sight. https://flic.kr/p/tHVPCT]I06-Yetornius: Inferno[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/133432149@N03/]Jesse Carley[/url], on Flickr https://flic.kr/p/tFAa37]I06-Yetornius: Inferno[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/133432149@N03/]Jesse Carley[/url], on Flickr https://flic.kr/p/tFA8qu]I06-Yetornius: Inferno[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/133432149@N03/]Jesse Carley[/url], on Flickr https://flic.kr/p/tHBord]I06-Yetornius: Inferno[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/133432149@N03/]Jesse Carley[/url], on Flickr https://flic.kr/p/tJ2YA6]I06-Yetornius: Inferno[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/133432149@N03/]Jesse Carley[/url], on Flickr
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Corporation: Octan Planet: G07 - Hennigan II Job: Pilot +++++++++ START TRANSMISSION +++++++++ O.C.S. Axle, this is O.C.S. Bident. Thanks to Lu’s report we now have a much better understanding of what we’re dealing with on Hennigan II. I feel we should be cautious about this alien artifact. For all we know the ones who created it are still around. And who knows how many others artifacts there are? Anyway, if anyone thinks of challenging us, I WILL use lethal force. I don’t care about the Octan Conduct Manual! It was written in an age where alien threats weren’t something we had to be wary of and I’m not losing another comrade again! … I er-… Got a bit carried away there. You know what? Delete this transmission, okay? +++++++++ END TRANSMISSION +++++++++
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BEGIN TRANSMISSION 02: SPECIAL FORCES JEBEDIAH O'REILLY TO OCTAN HQ SECURE CHANNEL 768954 30 MAIAN AD 3815 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After a lengthy space journey I have arrived at I06. I don't know why Isabel would have wanted to come here. Well, her taste in landscapes cost her her life. I am just now landing at Docking Port 6 of Big Z's brand new facility. Oh look, here he is with Pombe to greet me! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- END TRANSMISSION 02 I06 Facility Facility Top Landing 1 Esteemed Colleagues Defense Tower Biomass Pumps Lava Interceptor Interceptor Back Platform Empty
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Location: G07 Tags: Science, Exploration, Vehicles Earlier, on H05. //"Log date 317, this is Dr. Danielle Long, Recording from the surface of Planet H05. My second day on this miserable planet has been much more eventful than the first. After receiving a transmission from one of our Engineers, Big Z, as the crew calls him, I was able to devise a method by which a prospector on this planet might reliably discover Awesomnium without the use of our advanced detector technology. The key to finding sub-surface deposits of Awesomnium is a very distinctive "bush." Found planet-wide, this bush only grows in Awesomnium rich soil. I've gathered several specimens for research aboard the O.C.S. Axle, and tested the surrounding soil with Sc119, or as the crew calls it: Hound. I'll be returning to Orbit shortly. Dr. Long signing off."// Conclusions Drawn --------------------------- Later, aboard the O.C.S. Axle. "Greetings, Comrade." "Greetings, Danielle. Have you gotten a chance to look over my Science Outpost request? I've detected very promising readings from a sector on the Northern Pole of H05." "I did review your work. Excellent adherence to protocol. We did send out a scouting mission lead by Horsleben, and work is underway for a permanent mining facility to be installed... however your request is being denied." "Wait... but why? I'm fully capable of working planet-side on this." "I know you are... but we're needed elsewhere. The Axle always follows the primary fleet... and the fleet is moving out." "You mean...?" "Yes. Domination has been achieved. H05 is ours. Now we begin firming our control over the nearby planets." "So... Where does this leave me?" "We will be needing a lab on G07 to test the water there for potability, in addition to performing routine environmental studies. This will be your new assignment. Go over the plans with Big Z. He's disembarking from the Axle shortly. I'm sure you'll have much to discuss." "So, Octan's reach is extending. Excellent." "You know what they say: Kawashita thinks red is the color of domination, and MANTIS thinks green is. They're both right!" --------------------------- Later still, on G07: //"Log date 322, this is Dr. Danielle Long. Preliminary reports from Hennigan II show bountiful water resources, but inedible biomass. This will have to be researched. Samples collected. Etc. I have my drones working on that now. There are more pressing matters, however. One of our explorers has reported an... "Unknown Artifact..." which is Octan code for a really interesting anomaly... Potentially produced by highly intelligent non-human lifeforms. That's why we send the explorers out first. They have a knack for picking up on interesting finds. Some say it's fate, or luck, but I don't believe in any of that. I will be inspecting this report, and employing the assistance of an explorer by the name of Jacques LaRose, one of my fellow executives. I've dispatched an Sc212 drone to locate him. Shouldn't be too hard. Dr. Long out."// Arial Observation and Personnel Location --------------------------- //"This is Dr. Danielle Long: Status update: In transit to location of G07 anomaly aboard one of our Scientific Personnel and Equipment Transporters. None of the hostile "butterfly"-like lifeforms have been observed, however I have noted several large arthropoidal creatures camouflaged in the grasses. They appear bovine and docile. We should be arriving at our destination soon."// Take Me to the River Take Me to the River Take Me to the River Out Standing in Her Field Sorry for the multiple Vigs. I got a bit carried away. Also sorry for the mediocre pictures of the centerpiece carrier craft. I didn't have much time, but I'll upload better ones later... probably too late for the judging, mais c'est la vie. Updated with some better pics. ~Dr. Long
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Location: G07 - Hennigan II Tags: Exploration, Vehicle Explorer's Log - 28 Maian 3815 I arrived on my first alien planet today. Although Hennigan II initially sounded far less exciting than "the lava planet" the rest of my team went to, any disappointment was quickly forgotten as I piloted my Single Occupant Survey Vehicle through an alien ecosystem bursting with life. My task is to investigate a magnetic anomaly that one of our probes detected from orbit. It's almost certainly an iron deposit, or something similar, but there's always a tiny chance that it's Mithril. When I arrive at the coordinates, it takes my brain a few seconds to process what my eyes are seeing. Is that a ...? It is. It's a living tree, floating in the air, roots and all. I've heard rumors about alien artifacts being found in the vicinity of the anomalies - current scientific consensus seems to be that the anomalies themselves were engineered by some ancient, unknown race of aliens. Whatever this is, it doesn't seem to be bothering the local wildlife, although there is some slight gravitational lensing around the base. My suit doesn't pick up any radiation or energy emissions, but I'm not going to get any closer until Dr. Long or someone else from the science team gets here. This could be anything. It doesn't look like a weapon, but that doesn't mean it isn't. Of course, it could also be some kind of alien art installation, or shrine, or simply some malfunctioning tech. Almost unbidden, the rhyme from training pops into my head. In a strange situation, you can make Pres. Business happy. Instead of snappy judgements, just activate your CLAPPIE. Dammit. I reluctantly pull out my Explorer's Guide. "Hi, I'm CLAPPIE, your Corporate Law And Planetary Politics Incident Evaluator! In a few words, tell me how I can help!" "Unknown Artifact." CLAPPIE: "I think you said 'Undead Artichoke.' Are you having trouble with your Octan Hydroponic Vegetable Growth System?" Lu: "What?! No." CLAPPIE: "Oops, sorry! In a few words, tell me how I can help! Lu: "Alien Artifact." CLAPPIE: "I think you said 'Alien Artifact.' Is that right?" Lu: "Yes." CLAPPIE: "... Initiating Alien Artifact Protocols. I need a little more information. How many fatalities has the artifact caused. Please round to the nearest thousand." Lu: "Uh, zero." CLAPPIE: "Thank you. Please wait while CLAPPIE determines your location. ... ... CLAPPIE detects that you are not located within two-hundred miles of an Octan Regional Headquarters Building. Is that right?" Lu: "Yeah...." CLAPPIE: "Thank you! CLAPPIE recommends that you take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. Shall CLAPPIE attempt to gain access to the nearest launch facility?" Lu: "No! Cancel program!" CLAPPIE: "Are you sure you want to exit? CLAPPIE remains very enthusiastic about this mission." Lu: "Exit!" CLAPPIE: "Goodbye." On second thought, I'll just type up a manual report and mark the location for the science team. Lu, out. --------------- Overall scene:
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Location: I06 - Yetornius Tags: Vehicle, Spaceship / Airplane, Exploration, AG, Octan ++Start data transmission++ Pombe to John Hannibal: package received. Thanks again, John, for delivering my hover chair. Getting around Yetornius will be that much easier with it. By the way, that's an impressive barge you've got there. When are you going to let me take a ride on it? Alright, alright, see you later. Hmm...time to open the crate and assemble my ride according to Big Z's instructions.... To tell you the truth, I'm anxious about this mission. I'm scared of what I may find. I guess I can chat a bit while I put this thing together. About two years ago, the legendary Octan explorer, Wick Nole, asked me to mentor a promising young explorer named Isabel Novak. Wow...I mean, THE Wick Nole actually knew who I was and asked me to train an Octan employee. I was honored beyond belief. How could I refuse? In any case, Isabel turned out to be quick study...faster than I was at her stage. We performed exploration missions together for the corporation and before long she had proved beyond capable of conducting these missions by herself. I was proud to be her mentor, but I can't kid myself here. It's easy to be a good teacher when you've got a good student. Then came the day I knew would come: she asked to undertake a solo mission. Based on her records, she'd earned it. But I was scared, not because I thought she was incapable, but because until that point, she had never known failure. I was afraid she was over-confident. And in this line of work, some serious self-doubt can save your life. I had just come back from my solo mission on H06, when I found out that she wanted to take on an ambitious mission. The protocols state that Octan employees may not go beyond one planetary system outside our region of dominance as part of our mission here in Andromeda. However, Isabel was confident she could jump two systems away and explore. I didn't like it, but she put in the request and the mission was approved. I still remember the final mission briefing with Jebediah O'Reilly and Dr. Danielle Long in a meeting room aboard the O.C.S. Axle. We went over the particulars of what was expected: I06, otherwise known as Yetornius, was a truly inhospitable planet. Based on Octan probes, it had severe volcanic and seismic activity coupled with extremely hostile predatory lifeforms, which could be harvested for biomass. I still remember that meeting. Jebediah went over combat and safety protocols with Isabel. Dr. Long went over scientific precautions, all while sipping that drink I owed her from my last mission. Everything, at first, seemed to have gone well. She reported in regularly, stating that she had made it to Yetornius and that she had located potential lifeforms that could serve as biomass. Then, she missed a check in. And another one. And another one. I was nervous. Then my nervousness became fear. Once we officially dominated H06, I immediately put in a request to search for Isabel. Request granted. I asked Big Z and Jon Horsleben about the most nimble vehicle that would allow me to quickly locate Isabel on a planet like Yetornius, and they agreed that the hover chair that I'm now almost done assembling was the most ideally suited. I had tested it back in the engineering bay of the O.C.S. Axle, and I had no issues with it. One last panel...there we go. Finished. Powering up. All systems nominal. Everything checks out. Now...let's look for Isabel. Her last transmission was from coordinates not too far from here. ... ... Just over this ridge. ... Oh my...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo...Isabel... ... ... ... Hold on...(sob) Give me a moment...(sob) ... Explorer Pombe checking (sob) in. Isabel Novak's remains (sob) identified. ... Transmitting coordinates. ... ... H-her vehicle is not present (sob). Probably engulfed by the lava.... These creatures...near her remains...they d-don't look hostile nor predatory. Something's not right. Isabel faced much scarier lifeforms than these during her training. She would not have fallen prey here. Maybe she was careless? Poor Isabel... ++End data transmission++ Next:
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Location: I06 - Yetomius Tags: Military, Vehicle, Spaceship / Airplane, Exploration [i - 06] OCTAN BARGE by Ryan McBryde, on Flickr I06 - Yetomius - Octan Pilot John Hannibal follows a modified drone to Explorer Pombe's location on I06. Forward artillery and mercenary guards protect the barge from the dangerous inhabitants of the planet below.
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Open channel message #002 to Octan Corpotarion. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Engineer J.S smith reporting from settlement on H06 - Farmolis, I have have finally secured a power source for my lab, let's not worry how I obtained it...at this point. Work on my lab / workshop is coming along, my assistant Jeannie has set up the persuasion device for the other factions for just in case moments... Untitled by Meyerj, on Flickr over and out j.s. smith Untitled by Meyerj, on Flickr Power source in action by Meyerj, on Flickr video to show working power source -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Hail lord business End of message #002.
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Week 2: Transmission 3 AD3851 Maian 23 Location: G05 - Jen's Star Tags: Civil, Building After mapping out a sector of the Cave system I came to a vast underground water aquifer. The cave area was pretty big around the water so I decided that this area would be a good spot to put the Water pumps. The supplies for the Water ram pumps came quickly and was a very easy to assemble. The great thing about these water ram pumps is that it uses no electricity to move water up through the cave system and will work none stop always pumping water. ​
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Location: H05 Livgorn Tags: Spaceship/Airplane Built mostly for transporting supplies within a given planet, this transport vehicle is all about getting the job done! For take off, the blasters switch positions: Cargo bay in the back: I think this is my first space vehicle of this sort... I know the back is a touch blocky, but it's a transport vehicle so I thought it fit. I was really happy with the front though! Thanks for checking 'er out!
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--------- Start Log ---------- I have been speeding along the outskirts of this swamp for hours. I was told by the eggheads at corporate that it would be easy to see the rivers of awesomnium running out of the swamp and into the water system. So far, nothing but swamp, swamp, swamp. If I do not find anything soon, I will have to find a spot to camp for the night. I was hoping to have found the source of the river flows and reported back to HQ by now. Oh well, looks like a nice night for a campfire! -------- End Log --------- The splash behind the speeder is inspired by Keith Goldman. All hail Lord Business and the Octan Corp.!
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---Begin transmission--- This is Pilot Ace Head, reporting from Awsomnium station #29, H05-Livgorn. The mining operation seems to be going well. With multiple wells popping up all over the place. And when the awesomnium piles up, the need to get it back to Farmolis comes. And that's where I come in. The guys on top has entrusted me the OT-NVG Freighter to bring back the stuff. In order to save cost, Octan made the ship from existing consumer level tech and parts. Which honestly doesn't make the ship particularly fast. But with large tanks of precious awesomnium in the back I can forgive the lack of speed. Well breaks over. I need to get this back to Farmolis. And into a better ship. Ace out ---End transmission--- The moon is really bright here on Livgron. Hope the other guys have set up stations on open areas like they did here. Or I'm gonna have a hard time landing this thing. And here are some shots of the ship itself.
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Corporation: Octan Planet: H05 - Livgorn Job: Science Research ------ Start Transmission #001 ------ - Remote scanners detected deposit of interest in the northern quadrant of planet H05 - My research indicates it matches levels comprable to the mineral Awesomnium - Corporate has been notified - Request for Science Outpost submitted, temporary duty planet side being routed to allow closer study of environment - All this science, I don't understand... it's just my job five days a week... ------ End Transmission #001 ------
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Spencer's Diary, Maian 21, 3815 There's no excitement to match the feeling of being among the first to set foot on a new planet. Hooray for pastures new! Although, around here the pastures seem pretty barren. Still, the orbital scans suggested that this should be a good region to prospect for Awesomnium - that's why I'm here with my trusty drilling rig, Edwina. Hmm, that rocky outcropping looks like a good place to start. Sure enough, a few minutes' drilling reveals an Awesomnium node! Time to try out the portable sample collector and ore analyzer the Octan tech guys fitted Edwina with, and find out what sort of a deposit we're looking at. Looks like I'll be pretty busy for the next few days...
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H05 - Livgorn: First Contact by Jesse Carley, on Flickr Trekking through the Livgorn jungle to investigate a potential water source, Octan Explorer Hernan Alvaro is surprised to come face to face with a native, clutching a crude trident and smelling strongly like a poorly tended aquarium. Remembering his training, he quickly reaches for an Octan Corporation pamphlet. Inside, the native will find all sorts of useful information, including how best to serve the new rulers of their planet, the benevolent Octan Corporation. H05 - Livgorn:First Contact by Jesse Carley, on Flickr
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Location: Livgorn Tags: Building ***START TRANSMISSION to AXLE RESEARCH SHIP*** On the directions of Jebediah O'Reilly I put up a mining station a little up north from the blown up station of the grays. The station is being finished as we speak. FE8-5E is applying the last plating to the roof. I have equipped the station with all kinds of tools to collect air, ground and flora samples. So this station will not only provide huge amounts of Awsomnium, but will also be of great value to Dr. Long and the other scientists on the Axle. At least I hope. Big Z out. ***END TRANSMISSION to AXLE RESEARCH SHIP***
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"Log date 316, This is Dr. Danielle Long, recording from the surface of planet H05, or Livgorn. My Sc106 probe drone and I successfully landed at 1200 hours Farmolis time... which translates to roughly mid-morning here, although the days are faster. Sc106 and I are scouting the immediate vicinity of my landing point for signs of hostile life and to collect samples. Supposedly there are deposits of Awesomnium beneath the ground not too far from here. I will look into this. First observation: This place reeks of urine. Likely this is due to abnormally high concentrations of urea in the atmosphere. I suspect this has to do with the wildlife. To confirm my suspicions, I have tasked Sc106 with the collection of multiple samples of the native "Flora" and "Fauna." The air is breathable. I imagine that means these "xeno-plants" are conventionally photosynthetic. I cannot wait to perform experiments on these xenobiological organisms in my lab... and get out of this fetid fen. Second observation: I should have worn a heavier jacket. It's positively frigid, and I'm currently within the tropical zone. Status update complete. Dr. Long, signing off." //Survey// //Specimen Acquisition// ~Dr. Long
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Location: H05 - Livgorn Tags: civil, building, exploration Terrain: Swamp Start of transmission #01. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "Finally arrived at Livgorn. Truly, a forsaken place. It was almost impossible to find a proper landing spot on the sites marked as "interesting" on satellite images... either wild jungles or frozen marshes there, both biomes allowing no possibilities to safely land. I'll better let our explorers deal with there places. Deployed surface sensors and analyzers as soon as the spot was more or less cleared. Awesomnium confirmed, extraction possible. However, the proper on-site analysis requires 6 days more. And I'll have to stay here all this time. Need to finish the cupola now - it will provide at least some safety both from environment and who-knows-what living here. I've already heard some strange noises... so I'd better finish before nightfall." -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- End of transmission #01. The build:
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Transmission 1 AD3851 Maian 16 Location: Jen's Star After a long trip in space I finally made it to Jen's Star. It was a rough landing along side of the mountains. Octan corp has Let me test out their new Model T Utility Bot. Its specialty is in construction but right now its has been good at uprooting plants and moving rocks. I've been searching along side this rocky mountain ridge for signs of water flow. Took me some time to find but I finally come across a mountain side minerals deposit and according to what I was taught only water can do that. Scanners are picking up loads of minerals in that deposit but it looks too dangerous for me to excavate intensively, Plus Night is falling upon me and I need to get some rest after the long hike today but lucky the Utility Bot never sleep. The Bot has also reported about picking up the sound of running water but that is way to far at the moment to journey to at this time of hour. I'm going to take shelter in the cave up ahead. End of Transmission Edit: Image was remade and new one was posted with more visibility
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The new 60025 excited me at first, but when it was out, I was so disappointed about the design. The 6-stud to 8-stud transition was awkward. I would say this is more like a starter set. However, the color scheme was good. At the same time, I was watching the news on the recent Le Mans 24-hour racing, and I was so fascinated by the champion Audi R18 car. Hey, that's exactly what Lego should have done, perhaps! It took me nearly 1 week to research on that car, and 3 days to create this Lego version of the R18. Let's get into the racing tracks and have a look! Overview of the car: The hardest part is the tail. I did 4 versions in total, and I finally adopted this. I used the 1x2x1 piece sideways as the side exhaust, and integrated the brake light into the bottom bumper line. Looks ready to dash, right? The crew is doing a fine tuning... Reference image of Audi R18: (Google R18 for more images!) Okay, after a week I finally completed the modification on the truck as well. And here you go, the transporter! I have been struggling for the whole week figuring out whether I should use 8-stud or 9-stud or 10-stud container. 8 is not enough as the R18 is actually a little more than 8.5 stud. 10 is too big and it is so difficult to make it look good with the 6-stud wide truck head. Finally I used the uncommon 9 stud, which is not bad at all. The R18 fits perfectly inside while the trailer can "grow" smoothly from the head using some tilting pieces. The tail. Come on quick quick quick! Unload it! So that's basically what it is like after the huge surgery. It doesn't take too many extra bricks, which are mostly used on the base for the trailer, top of the trailer (it is 2 bricks taller) and the racing car. I used the same amount of wheels from 60025 too! Well, the trailer can be detached, as usual. You can see the barrels of Octan petrol stored at the front of the trailer too! Maybe I will make a Shell LMP later to compete with this R18. Let me know what you think! :D
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So I am putting together an Octan MOC and would like to get some official stickers from sets that have the logo or any other related designs, but searching for them on BrickLink is impossible without searching through every single page unless you know the set number. So my question: does anyone know some numbers for sets with Octan stickers? I would prefer stickers that came with clear backing, but any at all (any size, also) will do. Thanks!
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I have begun work on my first modular building. It is currently under construction next to the Palace Cinema. The ground floor is open for business. The front Octan_Ice_Cream_01 Sitting beside the Cinema Octan_Ice_Cream_02 Jo serving customers Octan_Ice_Cream_03 Cold drinks are available as well. Octan_Ice_Cream_04 There is a small office behind the shop, and there will be an apartment above with access from the rear laneway. Comments and crits welcome as this is my first building moc!
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Hi all, for a while I had a baseplate with a few tiles slapped on it sitting next to my row of modulars with the intention of it one day becoming a service station. Over the weekend I sat down one arvo to make a bit of progress on it and in no time the basic building and walls were made. While I was on a roll I kept going and threw in whatever I felt was necessary for a typical servo and this is what I've come up with so far: The two pumps are quick mods of the one from the 3180 tank truck set, and it's nice to have a more permanent home for them now. The attendant's all smiles since he's nice and safe behind the top notch security bars For the late night customers there's a night pay window, there's also the usual junk chucked around the side. "Can you grab some ice on your way, oh, and some firewood, we're running pretty low." A basic interior does the trick since I leave the roof on the majority of the time anyway. Each lane allows for a 7-wide, but realistically, anything more than 4-wide is going to take up a lot of the available real estate. I'll be periodically updating this when I get more ideas but for now I'm happy with it (it sure beats the empty lot that it started out as ). Let me know what you think and feel free to leave any questions or constructive criticisms.
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Stunt Copter Set #: 6515 Year Released: 1994 Piece Count: 35 Minifigs: 1 RRP: $3.25 (I think this cost 1.49 or perhaps 1.99GBP of my pocket money). Continuing to sort through my childhood lego, I bring you another classic 90's set. The 6515 Octan Stunt Copter (Not to be confused with the much larger 6357 Stunt 'Copter and Truck). Impulse sets of this size/piece count seem to be less common these days and more usually reserved for promo polybags. The design of this set also has a clear lineage from the 26 piece 1630 helicopter of 1990, which didn't even come with a minifig! The Box Due to storage space at my parents, I don't have the box for this set, it was recycled long ago, however as usual the front print on the instructions matches the front box art, showing the helicopter at a nice angle flying over the sea with the shadow of an oil rig and some cliffs in the background. Perhaps rather than for stunt flying the Octan corporation are actually using it to inspect oil and gas pipelines, though admittedly that's a less exciting prospect for most children. The Minifig We get one classic 90's Octan guy (or girl; it's the 90's - without hair I can't tell, and Octan corp is an equal opportunities employer), with large printed logo on his white torso, green legs and a red helmet with trans light blue visor. Standard yellow hands, so (s)he may get cold frostbite in his fingers from the rotor downdraft: The Parts A standard mix of Octan colours, predominantly white and including all the standard bits you expect for a 90s helicopter (2x2 tile with pin, 4 bladed rotor hub, 2x2 plate with hole, etc). As a sign of things to come the set also had a small sticker sheet, with the two Octan legends for the 1x8 white tile rotor blades (stickers already applied in this pic): The Instructions Standard double sided fold out leaflet with 11 steps in total. The background varies from light blue sky at the top to green grass at the bottom but contrast and colouring is fine for piece identification. The Build and Model The fuselage comes first, then the tail boom. Its all very simple part stacking with no snot. The 1x2 plate with 1 stud serves to position the tail boom on the centreline of the copter rather than offset. Landing gear and rotors next and before you know it it's finished! From the front 1/4 it looks just as smart as on the box art. The levers in the pilot's hands give the sense of simple mechanical controls that you would expect in a basic helicopter and are vastly better than the alternative of a patterned tile. From the side, it looks compact, but the proportions seem right for the LEGO world, if not reality. The aerospace engineer in me is thinking about the noise and possible control issues the pilot will have with the tail rotor being constantly in the main rotor downwash. The open cockpit and having your head inches from bits travelling at a couple of hundred RPM might seem like issues too, but in reality many early helicopters put the pilot in similar conditions. From the rear quarter it still feels 'right', though the shortness of the tail boom is still obvious. I suspect if it was lengthened to even 8 studs though she would become a tail-sitter whenever the pilot got out! This model made enough of an impression on the young me, that during my dark ages, it continued to shine some light through: Whilst I should have been doing homework I was actually modelling this set for use in Microsoft Flight Sim 2002: The Verdict Build& Model: Very simple build, but this set does feel complete, unlike the 1630 from which it clearly owes it's design. Something about it the model just seems 'right' to me: 9 Parts: Has all the basic bits needed for any 90's helicopter: 7 Figure: Simple, yes, but good colour combinations, and can't have too may Octan employees can we?: 7 Playability: Everything that should spin, spins, its reasonably robust to 'wub wub wub wub wub' (helicopter 'swoosh') around, and should you wish to crash it, you won't need to break the instructions out to put it back together: 8 Overall: I may be overly fond of this set due to my own nostalgia, but I can't think of a better 30-40 piece pocket money set from the 90's town range. This is what LEGO should be: 9 But what do you think? Am I right/wrong?
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The Octan "Luxe" was launched in the late 50's as Octan Motors first official car to try and take a slice out of the growing market; it was met with lukewarm feedback but due to its luxurious interior its sales went through the roof. Unfortunately, not many of them have survived to this day and are extremely hard to get hold of nowadays. You can find more images on my Flickr photostream. Enjoy!
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