lowlead

Whoa, good eye! Completely missed this - all that frenzied motion. Really looking forward to seeing this vessel in action. Also wondering if it lasts for more than one movie - it's looking a bit vulnerable in this shot

"All in favor?" "Aye!" BC, that would be a fascinating bit to read about!

The 10134 set is one of my favorites as well - and you're already at an advantage, even with rare parts: If you follow the accepted 'lore' about this vessel, the Y-wing in the OT is akin to a car without a hood, or a jet without engine cowlings. In other words, the Rebel mechanics got sick of removing the outer panels every time they modified or repaired these pigs (apparently they were hangar queens). The original RMcQ sketches suggested otherwise, but Lucas rammed through the above theory and sealed it with this set So, you're in luck! I would say purchase as many corrugated tubes as you can stand, then fill in the remaining space on the white axles with these The white rims could be brick built, or just slapped on at the very end of your search for affordable ones or alternatives. In conclusion, I would argue that there probably weren't two Y-wings in any one Rebel hangar that were exactly identical - like special ugly snowflakes

Just finished the X-wing - no issues. Work great, last long time.

^^Yep The Command Shuttle is rapidly becoming my favorite ship - easily among my top 5. If I had a huge collection of black pieces I'd already be starting a UCS style MOC of this evil-looking vessel, but at this point it would be a Bricklink-intensive endeavor that I'm not willing to undergo...for now So far, in my opinion, this Fathead Decal is the standard reference for a MOCer to use as a template for a large scale version in black - oh what a sight that would be...

Looks great, Balrog. I think that's the best angle judging by the teaser trailer. Your technique might not even require Jang's stopper underneath, as it appears your wings are anchored at two points per wing instead of just one. With two anchor points on each side, the weight of the wings will pull at a totally different area - in your case, the upper technic bricks. It looks as though it would be really stable - is that the case?

Not to beat a dead horse here, but I tore apart (again) the Command Shuttle to include something from Jang's mod that I have found really helps improve stability and reduce deformation over time. The link to his mod video is below for convenience... Fast forward to time index 1:42 to 1:50 and pause the video. You will notice that he removed these two parts and replaced them with a smaller assembly of inverted 1x2 slopes and inverted 1x2 corner slopes in order to create a 'stopper' for the wings to rest against in flight mode. The resulting force that the wings exert on this area significantly reduces the prying action that slowly separates the parts above this area. One crucial element of this mod is the removal of the two bottom, outboard 1x10 plates (dark grey). These two plates will interfere with the lower technic lift arms of the wings when pivoting them outward, and need to be removed altogether from what I can tell.

Great solution, MC The nice thing about the original set design is that it's quite easy to change - almost as if the designer intentionally created a pathway for this fix. There are lots of different ways to modify the wings, and after building and modifying the set myself, I would encourage everyone to try their hand at their own mod...it's fun! You certainly don't need a master's degree in engineering or the parts collection of Anio to achieve a good result. I opted to use slightly different technic beams for the pivot points and reinforce the 'carry-through spar' using a brick beam in place of the technic beam (located in the center of the interior cabin). I found that overnight, the weight and moment of the wings will begin to pry the structure apart with its own heft - some reinforcing is definitely called for in order to counteract this.

I did something very similar. Not sure what Jang was on himself about - I think it's a nice simple, obvious approach. It was as though the designer built in a means to modify the ship with very little effort. I just replaced these 2 (per wing): http://brickset.com/parts/4120017 with these: http://brickset.com/parts/4142135 You can then display the model in flight mode, or fold the wings inward and lock them in place with an axle into the upper lift arms. Granted it's not perfect, but neither was the landing gear on 10212 that required manual removal for display in flight mode. Shift around a few of the existing parts out of the way to allow the wings to cant outward further, and I think you have a decent mod without too much futzing around. Once I get the whole thing together I may or may not bother doing anything more elaborate than this...or save it for a UCS version

Wow! That Fathead decal! That is by far the best image of the Command Shuttle to date, and I'm liking this ship more and more. Fierce indeed, definitely what a bad guy drives around. Awesome stuff.

Freezing my A$$ off in Reno...wasn't expecting to be cold in late summer in the desert. Some really good costumes here, though.

Just one of us?? I see a potential building contest here I really like the mechanism for the parts that we KNOW fold down - looks great, and a little lever included, too.

Well, there it is, looks like a mod is in my future Shame about the wings, but the set still looks interesting to me so I'm very much looking forward to this one - it's got a unique look to it. I actually like all the dark grey, as well.

Hello LS, Depending on how far you feel like driving, there are 4, yes four, LEGO stores in the greater Boston area: Peabody and Burlington to the North, Natick to the West, and Braintree on the South Shore. Large traffic delays aside, you could definitely hit all 4 stores in just a few hours, as they're not very far apart. If you're looking specifically for Anakin's Custom Jedi Starfighter, I would avoid WalMart for a very odd reason. Every WM I visit, I scan the 75087 set at a price checker and the following message appears 'Please see an associate for help.' Apparently, according to an associate, there is some kind of restriction or recall on that particular set, yet they're not being cleared from the shelves. Strange, never encountered this before - try it at your WM and see if you get the same results. •UPDATE* Nevermind, scanned a 75087 set at one of my WMs this afternoon and it's back to normal. Never did get a straight answer as to why that was happening.

Eh, hype is hype... If we don't have the set in hand, we scour the inter webs for the latest leaked images, discuss it in forums like this, and generally obsess about it until everyone gets a copy of what they want (then bash it in a review ) The 'embargo' in my opinion only serves to fuel the hype, so that by 11:59 pm September 3rd everyone will be so spring-loaded to get our hands on this merchandise that the evil Disney Overseer will be laughing in his lair whilst watching the sales numbers come in. I'm more curious to see if retailers planned ahead for this and bulked up with more stock than they would with a normal wave of sets, i.e., one that's not associated with the most anticipated movie in decades. It seems obvious they would, but I'm not exactly certain how the allocation works - other than get as much as possible as fast as possible.

My guess is TLG designed KR's shuttle around a preliminary version - long before the teaser trailer even existed. The cropped image below illustrates the shuttle in what appears to be flight mode with the wings in a vertical position, and lacking the bottom flaps. I also recall this image dropping some months ago, before the trailers appeared. So, a couple pairs of Technic lift arms with friction pins and an over-center locking mechanism. Looking forward to a little challenge, and to see what others come up with.

Ya, same here. The tilt function, if left out, would be a bit irksome for that kind of money. Nothing a mod couldn't fix, but damn....

Rayskull, may I just clarify that you saw the 'tilted outward' function of the wings on KR's shuttle? I was very curious about this as well, as the box suggests the only wing function is the vertical extension/retraction. Thanks!

Great looking modular! Supported. This station is reminiscent of one you would find in a smaller city or town - places like Bamberg or Würzberg in Germany come to mind. Best of luck! I would definitely buy a copy or two.

Yeah, I guess I'm one of the few - ha! The thread from FBTB was probably back in 2006 when I made This I was really happy with the end result of that MOC, but as soon as I saw your version I was inspired to revisit the build.

Excellent! Thanks for the exploded views, Anio. I really like the simplicity of the spine that supports the upper and lower prow sections - brilliant.

Ha! Cool post, thanks for the walk down memory lane - albeit a bumpy one. I still find it hard to believe a good percentage of us have been at this for 16+ years. That's staying power! The original Sith Infiltrator set got me back into MOCing, cuz that thing looked so bad...hmm, the more things change, the more they stay the same. But I'll happily take the good with the bad, as a tiny image of the Naboo Fighter set in a System booklet was the first clue that something wonderful was about to happen - the King of all licensing agreements (and the bane of my budget).

Looks great! The lighting/look is spot on, especially on the first image - nearly identical! Nicely done.

AH HA! Now that's what a SI should look like! Nicely done, Anio, you nailed all the structural elements that define this vehicle. Getting the prow to look right is probably the more challenging aspects of building this vehicle, and it looks great: Good taper, slender, properly rounded off for a subtle domed shape on top, and what do ya know - a bottom half! Color choice and angled plate placement perfectly represents official images. You even remembered the grille at the very front. Nice! On to the fuselage: There's still not an official LEGO set that got this right - that long center-spine sloped area that merges from the viewport down to the rear quarter of the prow - a prominent feature and simple enough to construct. Also, the 'hooded' feature just below the viewport that house the greeblie parts is another aspect that was never properly addressed, and you got it looking just right. I like that you hinged the wings to get the curved look, but in my opinion the hinges might look better if they were more centered at each wing. Thanks to LEGO, the roof dish looks very cool. And last but not least, the SNOT treatment on the engine thrusters is very well done. Great use of all the new sloped elements we have in our arsenal. Awesome MOC! Oh man, I'd build this in a heartbeat - instructions would be stellar.

HOLY!... How did you?.... Wha?.... HOW MANY??.... WOW!!! Fresh out of expletives. This MOC sets a new standard - the leveling system alone is mind-boggling. Put modesty aside for a moment: Would you say you have a natural talent for such complex Technic wonders such as this, or were all these functions the result of grueling trial and error? Either way, I also admire your patience for putting so much time and effort into this - and the presentation is the 'icing on the cake.' Marvelous, sir! I envy your skill, thanks for sharing this!