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  1. Hello. I made a post a while ago where I showcased quite a few changes I made to the Brickvault Tie Fighter model. Now I'm back to showcase the same thing with additional Tie Fighter variants from their store, alongside a few I made using other models as a base. I'm not talking about one or two, I'm talking about 24 distinct models. Some ships are heavily altered, while others are unchanged minus one or two tweaks. On top of that, I've probed the depths of Canon and Legends lore for additional color schemes I could apply to some of the models. I've amassed enough pictures to drown a forum post in, so I'm going to do just that. *Because I went into much more detail in my previous topic, I won't talk much about the parts of ships that share the basic Tie Fighter's cockpit or wing designs. I recommend you check it out before continuing, but you don't have to. Tie Interceptor This ship was the obvious first choice for improvement following the Tie Fighter due to the two models sharing the same design for the central pod and wing pylons. As for improvements unique to the Interceptor, I slightly modified the wingtip cannons and added their power conduits using hose pieces. I changed the construction of the wide armor detailing where the wing pylon meets the wing hub for better screen accuracy. I also moved the ribbed detailing where the power conduits meet the wing hubs and rebuilt the sensors between the two wings for the same reason. Finally, I got rid of the grilled bricks on the rear solar panels and made the backside of the wing completely flat. This design also has the most additional color variants with the first being a version belonging to Inferno Squadron. The construction is taken from the Inferno Squadron Tie Fighter I modified in my first post. While not shown in-lore, its existence can be inferred; why would one of the best group of Tie aces still be flying regular Ties in a time when the Interceptor exists? While this isn't a color variant, it's minor enough to be counted alongside them. It's a version using the 6x6 Tie hatch piece that Lego used before downscaling to the newer 4x4. Even though it is less accurate, I prefer to keep the smaller piece because it's much more available and affordable. This is a version belonging to the 181st Fighter Wing, adorned with a brick-built red stripe on each wing. Some of the support for the stripes bleeds through to the other side of the wing, but I tried to keep it unobtrusive. This is a version modeled after Vult Skerris's ship from Star Wars: Rebels, with its sparse red highlights and hemispherical gray cockpit stripe. This is a primarily red version based off the Emperor's Guard paint job from Star Wars: Squadrons. Its construction is nearly identical to the base model, illustrating just how much difference some color blocking can make. Royal Guard Tie Interceptor Despite being listed as a unique model on Brickvault's website, the Royal Guard Interceptor is the same as the regular Tie Interceptor save for the four extra winglets. The biggest change I made is the addition of the mounting brackets for said winglets, something present in the ship's original appearance. Tie Bomber The main feature I wanted to change with this model is the construction of the missile-hole on the front of the ordinance pod. The original is sort of a vaguely defined square and is too large, mostly because of the unique construction of the face. I was able to modify the design to make a 2x2 hexagonal hole using slopes, but I had to use clear tiles to support the shutter arms. Other things I've modified for increased accuracy include remaking the front detailing between the pods, shrinking the thrusters, filling a gap in the bracers that run the length of the pods, and making the front and back of the wings one continuous surface. Here is another variant inspired by the Emperor's Guard paint job. Tie Advanced Another model that's mostly unchanged is the Tie Advanced. I adapted this design to utilize the newer 4x4 hatch piece for consistency with the rest of Brickvault's Tie lineup. I think it does the job well enough, but I don't think it could be any better without completely changing how the central pod is built. I also gave this Tie the updated “bowtie” details on the central pod and the blasters from the regular Tie Fighter. Finally, I beefed up the rear wing pylon construction and flipped the brackets covering some gaps on the rear of the ship to hide their studs. Tie Brute This is the first design I tweaked not made by @Jerac. Despite having its own style of wing construction, I replaced them with my modified version from the regular Tie Fighter because I think they look more accurate. I recessed the wing pylon details by one plate on the front and back of the model and created a gentler armor slope from the central pod using jumper plates and ingots for better screen accuracy. Next, I rounded out the central pod by making the top and bottom out of 6x6 hinged dome pieces. This means I got rid of the newer Tie hatch and replaced it with the old. The ratio of the larger hatch to the central pod is about the same as the smaller hatch to the normal Tie Fighter. I also gave the central pod upscaled “bowtie” detailing and remade the engines for screen accuracy. There's also the variant that uses 4x4 quarter dome pieces for the central pod. Tie Defender The Tie Defender's central pod now has the same updated features as the Tie Advanced. Additionally, the rest of the pod is rounder and free of inaccurate surface greebling. The triangular armor on the wing pylons is more substantial and the rest of the armor has been slimmed down. The biggest changes are the wings. The original ones are based off of older appearances, where the wings are smaller and shorter compared to the pod. I wanted to modify the ones that came with the model, but they're constrained by their use of ball joints for support. I didn't know how to make new ones until I saw a post by @Sylyphics showcasing his own Tie Defender MOC. I bought the instructions and started tweaking those wings too. The new wings have been majorly reworked for added length and build simplicity, while the wing hubs are unchanged. The result is more of an experiment representing my ideal Tie Defender model, uniting components from two great designs. This variant is based off the Elite Tie Defender from Rebels. It adds 6 missiles in between the wings and uses brackets that conceal highlight connections to get the little areas of color at the rear of the wings. This is based off Vult Skerris' personal Tie Defender Elite, basically the same as the above variant, but in yellow. This is another variant based off the Emperor's Guard paint job. Since the wing pylon rings run through the wedge plate detailing, I replicated the latter using jumper plates. Tie Striker This model also received the standard central pod enhancements, though the rear details required some interesting connections to get everything to line up correctly. The wings now come to more of a point and the laser cannons have their long, long power conduits running all the way to the cockpit. The biggest changes are to the top hatches; the 6x6 dome pieces have been replaced with an ovular, brick-built roof piece. It is removable for access to the interior, held in by a few studs while resting on smooth tiles. While not explicitly shown, this Emperor's Guard inspired variant follows the same design rules as the other ships with this coloration. First Order Tie Fighter Thanks to the Tie Series' inherent design similarities, improvements made to one model can be applied to many others. Case in point, the First Order's Tie fleet. This model is envisioned as a “V2” update to the First Order Tie Fighter, similar to the one its Imperial counterpart received. The new model is mostly built off of my tweaked Tie Fighter, but there are a few unique details that make it more a simple color swap; firstly, there are holes near the wing pylon armor, as there are on all First Order Ties. The thruster orientation rotated 90 degrees and there is an antenna on the right side of the central pod. The “headlight” details near the cannons are depicted with small segments of hose. The printed hatch piece has been replaced with a regular 4x4 dish for consistency with the other models. Finally, the interior wing hubs and bracing struts have their bulkier, armored appearance from the movies. This is a custom color variant that can be applied to all First Order Ties. Based on the appearance of the Final Order fleet's livery (and initially an excuse to see new Ties in the classic color scheme), this color scheme asks “What if all the forces of the galaxy-conquering First Order Navy didn't stop existing as soon as Kylo Ren found some shiny, new toys?”. First Order Special Forces Tie Fighter Despite its unique construction, the Special Forces Tie still benefits from some of the standard Tie upgrades, such as rounder pylons, more accurate pylon armor, updated wings, and a more circular central pod. The larger cannons are made using slightly altered construction from the regular Tie. The thrusters are now their correct size and shape, at least as close as it can be for the latter. Finally, the power cell banks on the wing pylons are fuller, more circular, and feature all of the segments in-line with each other This is as variant of the design that replaces the printed 6x6 dish on the rear of the central pod with a brick-built assembly. While it costs 2 dollars in comparison to the dish's 1 and eschews the detail of the printed element, it features a correctly colored rear window and can be built in whatever color pattern the design requires. Here is the requisite Final Order color variant of the Tie/sf. Thanks to the color change, it now features the 4x4 printed Tie hatch for added detail. This variant can only use the brick built rear windshield due to the new coloration. Tie Baron The changes here are mostly minor tweaks made to bring this model in line with the other edited Ties. The central pod received the standard Tie upgrades, including chin cannons, “bowtie” detailing, thicker pod dimensions, and an interior matching the standard First Order Tie Fighter. The wingtip cannons have been remade to fit their correct size and the power conduits have been simplified. The missile launchers have been edited so that the ordinance inside is visible. The wings are free of inaccurate detailing, the front wing pylon armor has been slightly modified, and the internal support “spine” behind the central pod has been made more sturdy. The Standard Tie Baron created by the designer features all the same improvements, but in black. The Special Forces variant now has the turret, chin cannons, and antennae of the Special Forces Tie Fighter. The Final Order variant swaps the gray and black from the Standard version. Modified Tie Whisper The central pod has been replaced with one based off the pod from the Special Forces Tie Fighter in order to correctly depict the two-seater cockpit. It uses some a unique connection to the handlebar element to both represent the red windshield ring and to support the windshield “spikes”. The red protrusions on the central pod have been rebuilt to be 1 stud wide and feature custom vent detailing stickers that can be applied for a more accurate look. The rear solar panels are made using a specific type of wedge plate because it is the exact shape they're supposed to be, though this leaves them covered in studs. The wingtip cannons have been redesigned and the indentations along the rearmost part of the wings has been made smaller. Here is the Final Order version. Those are all the official models I've modified, but I've also used those models as a base to create designs for ships that don't have as high-quality representation as Lego MOCs. Tie Experimental M1 “Bizarro” The first of the new models, and the first of the unmanned Tie Experimental series, is the Tie Bizarro. It was designed as an inverse to the standard Tie Fighter, with 2 pods straddling a single, central wing. Just as the model makers rearranged and recombined parts from a standard Tie to create this design, I've done the same with the Lego model of the Tie Fighter. The pods had to be modified to create a smooth outer curve thanks to their new positioning showcasing what once flowed into a wing pylon. The wing pylon itself is now a singular construction that runs from pod to pod. It's made using the longest 2-wide plates Lego produces for stability's sake. The pylon armor had to be modified as well to fit on the pylon, though this just means it is a plate thicker on each side compared to the standard Tie. The internal of the pod housing the turbolaser has been completely stripped and replaced with a scaffold to support the dish piece that replaces the windshield. This is a variant that more closely follows the “rules” of Tie design, with the vertical pylon armor next to the pods and the horizontal armor by the wing. It maintains the slimmer pylon armor of the Tie Fighter due to its unaltered construction. Tie Experimental M2 “Big Gun” This is a standard Tie Fighter with two large cannons attached to its outer wing hubs. I made the cannons 7x7 studs to depict their relative size to the central pod, but this led to some issues with how to mount them to the wings. I had to redesign the outer wing hubs with jumper plates to connect to the holes on the underside of the plates supporting the cannons. This accounted for the half stud offset required to center the cannons on the hub. Tie Experimental M3 “Warhead” This is a Tie Interceptor with missile pods mounted on the outside of its wings, so I took the modified Tie Interceptor model and did just that. The launch tube detailing on the front of the pods is too fine to be represented using Lego bricks, so I created custom stickers that could be applied over a flat, circular 4x4 area. Tie Experimental M4 “Bomb” This is a ship designed to act as a large missile. Fittingly, it is based off a Tie Bomber with a single pod and is fitted with a massive booster engine. The modification to the base Tie Bomber model was easy enough to make, as I just mirrored the construction already present for one side of the ship. The engine proved more challenging, thanks to its length. I made the smaller shaft out of cylinder pieces, while the larger part is a novel assembly made to display curved slopes on all 4 sides and to recess the exhaust. I've reinforced the engine and its connection to the main ship using Technic axles, but as I've only made a digital model, I can't tell if this engineering would be enough to support the engine in real life. Thusly, I created a stand to act as support for the engine. Tie Experimental M5 “Booster” This is a standard Tie Fighter with an engine based off the Tie Bomb's added to it. However, the Tie Booster's engine is even longer and larger than the one on the Tie Bomb, and is supported by a much smaller central pod. The construction of the engine is similar to the Tie Bomb, but magnified where necessary. The bracers running from the wings to the engine are attached to the rear solar panel strut by a clip-and-bar connection to achieve the correct angle. I also created a stand to support the engine regardless of the design strength, because it would definitely throw the model off balance in real life. Tie Droid This model is based off the droid-controlled fighters that were produced in swarms by the factories of the World Devastators. I based the model off the ship's appearance in the first Rogue Squadron game, because details like the wing size, wing detailing, and windshield color vary wildly across its initial appearance in comics and later illustrations. The central pod and wing pylons are almost entirely unchanged from the base Tie Fighter, save for the two protrusions a the top and bottom of the windshield. The opaque windshield is supposed to feature a horizontal line bisecting it, which would be represented with a thin, rectangular sticker, but the Stud.IO part designer program doesn't apply textures to domed surfaces too well. The standout feature of this design is the blocky wings. They're attached to the wing pylons by two clip-and-bar connections each, which should be enough to support the weight of the wings. The wings themselves are built around an oddly designed core, which supports the tiles of the large, smooth wing hubs. The solar panel detailing and outer edge leave the core mostly untouched, only connecting together in a few places for structural support. The outer edges themselves have been designed in a way to keep the two-plate thick sizing consistent across all sides of the wing. Tie/rc This obscure Tie variant was never given an actual name beyond its factory designation (the obvious Tie Reconnaissance Fighter referring to another ship entirely). It's little more than a standard Tie Fighter with a single cannon and some sensor greebling on the front of the ship, some of which is represented through custom stickers. I made it because it was an easy modification to do, though presumably somebody would be interested in displaying it. Tie Ground Targeting This unique model of Tie was designed to serve as he Empire's initial bomber for planetary bombardment. Given its in-universe existence before the dedicated Tie Bomber, it's built from a modified Tie Fighter frame. However, like a mullet, the front of the central pod is the same as a regular Tie (one cannon non-withstanding), but the rear is cylindrical like that of the Tie Bomber. This proved challenging to make because of its odd-numbered sizing, which needed to be mounted on, and centered to, an evenly-sized studded surface. The rear of the pod is made using a similar construction to the engines of the Tie Bomb and Tie Booster, and has a set of thrusters similar to that of the Tie Bomber. The top and bottom of the pod feature plates that are integrated with the top and bottom cockpit hatches, similarly to the design for my tweaked Tie Striker. The gaps from the regular Tie pod to the cylindrical back half are filled as best as possible, and are mostly hidden by the wings and hatch assemblies. Finally the triangular wing strut armor coming from the central pod has been redesigned to match the ship's reinforced appearance, complete with holes where they should be. Tie Fire Control This is the Tie/gt's other half, and another relatively easy build. This model of Tie was designed to house the sensors required for precise ground targeting, which was then relayed to the Tie/gt fighters it flew alongside. This ship shares its sticker detailing and single cannon with the Tie/rc. Its unique features are the chin mounted sensor arrays flanking the laser cannon. These boxy protuberances are meshed to the central pod as well as can be achieved without sacrificing the quarter dome pieces for something custom built to house the sensors. The sensors even extend into the area reserved for the bottom 4x4 dish, so a brick-built lookalike stands in for it. Tie Heavy Bomber This is a ship based on the Tie Bomber, but with two ordinance pods. I was inspired to recreate this design after I saw a Flickr post by Gingko19 Biloba showing a similar model. Unfortunately, he didn't alter the sides of the pods, which meant they clipped into the model in a manner impossible to build in reality. He told me he used a tile with a stud attached to a tile with a hole in the middle (a stud reversal method) to connect the pods to the central pylon. A plate ran from the core of one pod to the other for structural stability, covered by increasing the depth of the pylon by one plate. With that info, I set out to refine his model into something physically possible. The ordinance pods have been slightly altered in order to evenly meet up with the pylon. Additionally, I increased the height of the wings to extend past the bomb chute, a feature that is actually accurate to their portrayal. Emperor's Guard variant. Tie Interdictor / Punisher The next logical model to make after the Heavy Bomber. This ship basically mirrors the double-pod side for 4 ordinance pods. Emperor's Guard variant. First Order Tie Brute Seen exclusively in an immersive shooting gallery ride at Disney World, this Tie is largely the same as the Imperial Tie Brute. The First Order version has small, red headlights on its pylon armor, the requisite antenna array, and unique thrusters resembling those of the Millennium Falcon. I created the thrusters using custom stickers, including some applied to 1x2 grated slopes, meaning someone building this in real life would have to gently press the stickers on. Also available with small corners. And in the colors of the Final Order. First Order Tie Whisper To end this list of ships, we have the regular Tie Whisper. They are seen during the Lightspeed Skipping chase in TROS and have the wings of the standard First Order Tie Fighter. I reused the central pod and pylons from the Modified Tie Whisper and the wings from the Tie/fo. One detail unique to this ship is the curved, almost dented appearance of the wing hub's armor plating where it meets the wing pylon bracer. This altered construction means this ship can utilize the same wedge plate bracer design as most other Ties despite the extra plate's worth of armor usually blocking it. Final Order Version. Let me know what you think!
  2. NOTE: I changed things on my Webserver so images may be broken - if anyone wants to see things let me know and ill dig them up - these forum boards are not entirely friendly on edits. - Sorry! (Pictures are still there - just have to go the the trouble of fixing them.) - And it appears these stupid boards won't render the images upfront - but they load when you click - sigh. UPDATE - The Hinge fixes worked - its stable as it can get - enough that you'd be at the level of the UCS Star Destroyer or X-Wing or any other model in terms of how much a model can take before it starts having issues. Currently working on redoing instructions to get it up to current design specs. PIcs below are still accurate - only the hinges are twice the strength and the stand does a better job keeping it stable. Instructions are updated up to the stand - got an another 200 pages to blitz through before I can post the current iteration. Should be done tomorrow. Future plans are improvement on the panel wings to not looks so fragile - cockpit strengthening. Going to need help with Q/A on instructions and anyone whose released a design - PM me and give me some pointers - total newb here - want to do it right. Reminder - not charging for instructions - these will be free. I will however accept donations (to put towards Otana - the "other" monster project) Would really like to see someone build this thing to really get a sense of cost/design. Also just might send this up to Lego Group. Any comments about that? Much thanks. PS: Bug thanks to the Technic gents who helped me puzzle out a stronger hinge design - which turned out to be a "Well duh" problem and not a disaster. ==== UPDATE 2: Instructions/Parts List are done. https://www.kagegoomba.com/lego_moc.php (2 Files - 54-55MB - 1 PDF/1 CSV) *Again - please respect the work done here - don't go running off with it/etc - for everyone to enjoy* I'll be looking into making the manual look pretty with a cover/end cover/credits/graphics. Decal has been created for this design - https://www.ultimatecollectorstickers.co.uk/product-page/lego-star-wars-ucs-moc-sticker-for-tie-defender-by-kage-goomba TIE Pilot not included in design - just a random thing I snagged for display purposes. ---- <TIE Pilot isn't included in the design - thought it would be cute> As I said before - still updating instructions and parts list. So stay tuned. UPDATE: I Added LED's - still need to clean it up but here it be. https://www.kagegoomba.com/lego/tie_defender/TIE_Defender_prototype_led.mp4 ============== This is my second MOC (albeit first one to be "finished" to the point of building) There's history behind this design that ill save for later - I'll just focus on the meat and potatoes. Here's the pictures from Stud.io - ill look into a rendering version in a while. Cleaned up the Cockpit <-> Main Core area - not sure if that area is stable but it certainly looks good (Stability in the little bits that decorate it) And the Stand itself 3421 Parts as of this posting (With stand) 20” x 19” x 19” (51cm x 47cm x 46cm) (Think - Between an A-Wing/TIE Fighter UCS in size terms - also not including stand so it may be a pinch taller/longer) This MIGHT support mini figurine in the pilot's seat. Bit of Lore (My Take on it) The TIE/d or "Defender" was Grand Admiral Thrawns answer to the X-Wing Space Superiority Fighters. Essentially the first of its kind to be Mass Produced with not only Shields - but a Hypderdrive with exception of modded TIE/i (Interceptors) and Darth's TIE Advanced (bit of a debate?) Point is - this was designed out the gate to be more inline if not exceed the trouble that X-Wings bring with them - and the ability to not require a Mothership to "Get around" thanks to the Hyperdrive. It also sports additional weaponry. Packing the lasers and ordinance that is typical of a TIE Interceptors (4 Laser Cannons - dual launchers) - this also has 2 ion cannons to make it a formidable ship (taking a page from the Y-Wings/B-Wings). - Also sporting a Tractor Beam to make it easier for its quarry to be killed. Carries more ordinance as well. Bit of a debate on speed but its essentially an Imperial X-Wing with bigger fangs. Bottom line - this TIE would have been the nail in the alliances coffin if it had been taken seriously as it could fill a Bomber role that the Y-Wings did - Tarkin however would block this project citing its too expensive and prefer to keep to his doctrine of throw many cheap TIE's at them and not bother cleaning up the mess. We all know how that turned out. Thrawn would have cleaned house if he had the backing of the Empire - but alas - he was essentially ignored and the TIE/d was only on field in limited numbers - and still feared overall. Again - just my take on it - I'm a big fan. (For some reason they say it has "Chin cannons" - it doesn't - don't care what they say - don't give a damn - I reference the TIE Fighter Game and similar games :P) That said - in my honest opinion - this was the King of TIE's - the Apex predator of the Empire for Space Superiority. Vader even grinned behind his mask when he got to fly one - a rare moment indeed (Thrawns books as source) But alas - too little too late - and the rest is history - for now? (We shall see) FAQ: This is a UCS Scale like model - not a play thing - not very tolerant with tampering. Yes there will be a Stand - and you can purchase a decal for it - ill dig up a link when I get there. Cost? - Instructions will be made available for free when they get done. This thing set me back about 2K USD (maybe less now that it's refined? Not sure - happy to take estimates for anyone brave enough to build this beast) - I'll accept donations to put towards my Otana project - but I don't intend on making profit off this for the main reason as to how this project came to be. It did take 1000 hours plus to build this thing out - and it will take a lot of effort to build instructions for it. Build - there's half a dozen "super rare" (not ultra?) parts Id estimate that may cause some trouble - namely the Cockpit hatch up top and the Window - then you have some decorated tiles inside for looks - and maybe some other parts. I'll audit to remove these variables as much as possible. Majority of the bricks are Black and Grey with some slight alterations. Feel free to substitute where you like if you see fit to do so. Stud.IO file will be made available on request when I get around to releasing this thing propper - so just ping me if you want a copy. This will also produce a parts list as well. Will it work? I'm 80-90% Confident it will. Doesn't this look like _____ model? - Yes - it does - the Mocopolis model is no longer available because that design was fraudulent - a total rip off. I actually bought instructions and this became a 3-4 month long nightmare. I suspect that designer will not be allowed to come back let alone claim credit for an "impossible" build. Hence why I'm releasing for free. More details below. Bottom line - this model WILL work - and is legitimately possible to build....I hope. (Going to find out for sure!) I intend to build this in real life very soon - need to these parts off my desk so I can move on to other projects lol - so I'll be sure to take pictures during construction or rather "reconstruction" - keep reading for answers to THAT question. As I said - I'm confident it will work this round. Update: Updated the Cannons - so now they don't freely spin looking awkward//broken/odd. Shrunk the length by an inch or so - more parts - but better looking. PS: This forums engine has very retarded caching - the images have been updated but it won't load the images - if you load the images in a new tab/window you'll see the updated pics. MVP's - Special Thanks to @Monkeyulize for helping to redesign the core body/pylons/TIE Panel main struts from ground up - creator of the gorgeous TIE Phantom -> Big thanks to "Darth Soban" - a Homeworld MOC'er enthusiast whose been giving encouragement and check-summing me the entire time. @ForgedInLego for helping me solve the Cockpit "sagging" problem or at least giving me the best shot. And lastly @Kdapt-Preacher for majority of my sanity checks and feedback overall since the beginning. Who has a fantastic collection of minatures -> This community is just full of genius that allowed the best chance for this "Salvage" project to come to fruition. Now as to the background as to why this is a thing - ill just tag this as spoilers - happy reading if you wish. Things left to do: 1: Rebuild Core body/Pylons 2: Rebuild Cockpit / Reinforce Cockpit sagging 3: Rebuild Tail Section 4: Rebuild Stand to accommodate new body and polish remaining areas. 5: Parts Audit/Colorization (ties into 4) (In Progress) 6: Test Build/Construct in Real Life (In Progress - Bricks ordered) 7: Did it work? Is it stable? Corrections? 8: Release final version of 2.0 Model and publish (In Progress) 9: Instructions (1.0 Version done) - Need to go back through and fix and adjust/polish! 10: 3.0 Version? - TIE Panels need rebuild due to ugliness - Feedback from other MOC'ers Big thanks to everyone who helped out! Here's hoping it will work this time!\ PS: This began as a "rant rave for bad moc'ers taking money into fixing this thing and making it work - so bear it all with a grain of salt. ==== Real life build progress: Day 2 Progress Looking great - and its holding structurely quite nicely - very rigid. May have to make some changes to the dressing that covers the spine - its too think with the current build so I removed some plates to make it nice - that and it wasn't fitting so nicely. Or I may keep it as is. There's some opprotunities to change some parts to make things better/easier however - and I've made those notes in the manual error list. The next step is the make it or break it point! Next is the cradle/stand being modded for the body - and the outer panels. Found a oops in assembly process and may need a change in parts for the "caps" (center hubs) on the panels - but not enough to cause concern for now. Off to sleep - here's hoping next post I make in terms of updates is good news that the new TIE Defender is legit (albeit not quite perfect) is build-able. ==== Reported "oopses" on the instructions: Fixed - its live Ready - needs to be "compiled in" Manual Corrections: (In progress)
  3. I started my MOC year 2018 by making the cheapest TIE craft in the Imperial fleet, and now I end this year by making the most expensive one. The TIE Defender only recently made it into canon, but back in 1994 when it debuted in Lucas Arts' TIE Fighter game, it was a beast. Faster than an A-Wing, tougher than a B-Wing and more manouverable than the Interceptor, the Defender does all a starfighter does, just better*. Now I have it in LEGO form... which was pretty interesting to get to. Because since there is no true canon representation of the ship except for Rebels... which I'll get to in short... I could give myself some leeway when it comes to accuracy and give it the coolest shape I could think of while still preserving core features. The Defender as seen in Rebels has slightly different shape: Much like... well, almost everything, Rebels took a nice design and changed it... for reasons unknown. Let's just say I am not a fan of this rear-heavy design, nor do I like the tall-neck ISDs or featureless toy-looking basic T/F line fighters. Not to mention if I went with this one it would tip forward because the center of mass is further to the front than the furthest flat piece of the wings. Instead I based my design having this one in mind: The only real alteration I did was making top guns a bit different to distinguish them - after all these are supposed to be ion cannons, and added visible missile launchers in a place which made at least some logical chance - on the panel centers. Anyway no matter which design you pick, the Defender is an odd one. The ball is just tacked on to a triple support base, panels are bent in wrong way and it is always going to look top heavy because, well, it is. Engines were contested point between me and BrickVault. We tried several solutions, but the final fight was between these two: I still believe the Defender, being THAT FAST should have large, prominent engines, but eventually we picked a less-in-your-face design as seen on top, while still making more sense than what Rebels did with theirs. Structurally this design perhaps the toughest one of all the ships to date, except maybe the Bomber. But it is hard to compare something to the Twin Flying Brick, This is the first TIE in my line which has an interior, thanks to Inthert for inspiration! It fits any kind of TIE pilot and altough you need to remove the quarter dome pieces to put him there, they are lightly attached on one stud so this is super easy. Tell me what you think! This build, as usual this year, is available through http://brickvault/toys as instructions, which you can get to support us! *When it comes to OP starfighters, the Defender is the top dog - with sole exception of the Missile Boat which is as ridiculous compared to the T/D as the T/D is to anything else. To put it shortly, Missile Boat is almost twice as fast, holds enemy ships in place with tractor beams and carries ten times the ordnance count of what B-Wing carries. And the MB is pretty small ship.
  4. See replies in this thread for any NEW models Models in this thread - SHADOW CASTER PHANTOM II PELTA-CLASS FRIGATE IMPERIAL GOZANTI-CLASS CRUISER QUASAR-CLASS CARRIER IMPERIAL TROOP TRANSPORT GHOST & PHANTOM INTERDICTOR CRUISER TIE DEFENDER MINING GUILD TIE FIGHER ARC CANNON AT-DP PROTOTYPE (NEW) LAAT/le PATROL GUNSHIP (NEW) SHADOW CASTER Hello again everyone This week I present the Shadow Caster a Lancer-class pursuit craft - the ship of Bounty Hunter Ketsu Onyo from the excellent (well last 3 series anyway) Star Wars Rebels animated series. I was ill a while back and my attention span at the time was only an hour or so so watching a few Rebels episodes at a time fit nicely. It made me realise that there were a lot of vehicles from the animated series, not just Rebels, that I have not built or could update form my old collection so this is the first of many from this genre so keep an eye open. This is not a very tricky build, The difficult part was getting the colour scheme right whilst not making the model too thick. The new maccaroni tile pieces and 6x3 semi circle plates certainly helped with that once I realised that they existed. I tend to find out about new parts now when my son gets a new set! I think i have the overall shape and dimensions just about right. I am surpised an official minifig scale set of this was not made. As this was not the case I have also had to build a Ketsu Onyo minifig from official parts for the display. This is not my speciality so if anyone can think of better minifigure parts let me know. Anyway, enough waffle, here is the model. Let me know what you think. Jon
  5. A long, long time ago I started working on a micro scale Millennium Falcon. To begin with all I wanted to do was add detail to the Microfighter but I kept tinkering and before I knew it I had a growing collection of micro Star Wars freighters and fighters, and here they are! Instructions for all these little builds are on my Rebrickable page. Since this all started with that Falcon Microfighter the cockpit piece (a light blueish-grey 2x2 truncated cone) became my yardstick for scale. Luckily trans-black 1x1 slope pieces work as fighter cockpits at the same scale so all the ships are, and will continue to be, as close to scale with each other as I can manage, at least based on these pieces and whatever reference images I can gather from Google. My Blockade Runner (April 2021) is the last ship on my micro Star Wars to-do list, although it’s hardly micro! The size and weight were a new challenge for me, I’ve never had to worry about a moc falling apart under its own weight before, but I enjoyed the challenge and managed to make it pretty easy to pick strong. I’ve put together instructions for the Tantive IV as well as the Liberator from Star Wars Rebels, which I couldn’t resist building for myself. Rather than doing new posts for each new ship I’ll edit the very long post below. All the instructions are on my Rebrickable page and there are photos and Studio renders some photos of the ships in this post, plus a few more on Flickr and Instagram. Thanks for looking!
  6. StarWars8Spoiler

    TIE Defender MOC help needed

    So today I've been working on an MOC of the Imperial TIE Defender, and I'm nearly finished, but I plan to bricklink this model and build it in real life after the digital render is complete. Right now this is about 835 pieces, but I'm asking the community for help as to how I might potentially stabilize the wing connections. As they are right now, each of the six wings are attached to the middle plate by some clips which are in turn held in their upright position by a series of inverted 1x2 curved slopes. There's no chance of this thing standing on its own if I were to build it with the current design. Despite this, each of the three central plates are securely held to the rotating axis by means of technic pins. So other than what I mentioned does anyone else have any comments or ideas on how I can improve this? Thanks!
  7. Reputator

    [MOD] TIE Defender

    I was thrilled to death when I found out this had been accepted into the new canon. It's just such a cool ship, way more advanced than any other TIE, and completely awesome looking on top of it all. That realization just made me want this set all the more, but the original model is marred by a number of substantial flaws. So how about a before-and-after? Re-familiarize yourself with the original TIE Defender, a set I hardly ever see anyone talk about anymore. Before (click to enlarge) The original model definitely has the look (please excuse the ugly hairy appendage). The proportions and everything are good and the structural integrity is decent for the most part. You might say it's a little chunky looking, but it's hard to fault it much for that. Here's a close-up of one of the wings. It's simplistic almost to a fault. The 1x2 grills just don't work as wing frame braces, almost conveying a "pixelated" appearance from an old Atari game. The model also sported a swivelling cockpit, ala B-Wing. You could pivot the wings around in any angle, which looks cool but AFAIK is a complete fabrication on Lego's part on the actual capabilities of the craft. Here you see the pilot, awkwardly sitting inside of a completely featureless cockpit with no controls. Maybe he was trained by a Sith and controls the ship using the Force? After The new-and-improved TIE Defender. A close-up of the wings with a complete frame all the way around, and added center detail. Slightly modified cockpit. It now sits in a fixed position and no longer swivels independent of the wings. The pilot sitting with his new kitted-out flight controls! The "yoke" is the same used on the latest TIE sets. The original model cockpit opened from the top -- the roof and front dome all one piece. It was LAUGHABLY fragile, using a ratcheted hinge that was much too strong for its limited support. A much smoother, wider hinge is now used at the bottom -- WAY more durable and a much more silky movement. --------------------------------- The TIE Defender is an amazing Imperial craft. It looks wicked, and has that too-good-to-be-true, almost fanfiction quality that you often see of Extended Universe creations in how seemingly invincible it is. The fact that the powers-that-be smiled upon it, and grandfathered it into the current canon via Star Wars: Commander is such an awesome move, and allows collectors of strictly "official" storyline Star Wars sets an excuse to add this one in with open arms. Hopefully it will start getting more attention now, and who knows? It might even make a cinematic appearance in one of the side-story movies!
  8. Kuat Drive Yards

    [MOC] TIE Defender D

    I've always loved the TIE Defender. Since I didn't have any TIE cockpit pieces at the time of this build, I just made a drone. The engines. I imagine it must be very fast.