sparkart

Those donut-like quarters aren't available in light bley, but they are available in flat silver, which, under the right light, suggests light bley...AND dark bley! Weird, huh? What color is this dress? by SPARKART!, on Flickr. There will be something in another topic...instructions or build/breakdown photos, that should help anyone who want to modify the TIE into something less pixelated and more anti-aliased. But back on topic, I'm really looking forward to this model. Especially the printed pieces.

Yes,I agree - there's three of those 4 x 3 hinge plates holding up each of those bent triangular panels. Those hinge plate are what I've got on hand in my paltry LEGO collection, so I'm going to try those first in real brick. There's actually room for up to 11 click hinges. I suspect I'll have to beef up the structure with more click hinges, we'll see, hopefully soon. Definitely need the printed dishes from the official set of 75095 to make it look right. I can't wait to get my hands on some real brick and see how this thing might work in real life. Thanks for checking it out!

I stayed up a little past my bedtime working on this: LEGO TIE Interceptor by SPARKART!, on Flickr. It's not as time consuming as you'd think. With all the symmetry, you've just gotta figure out about 1/4 of the whole thing, then just copy and paste the rest. My sense is that 65% of this will work as it is planned, now. I've never built anything from my LDD plans that didn't require some kind of re-work when building in real-brick. LEGO is pretty lightweight, but there's some cantilever structure in this model that's got me concerned. I think it'll be a fragile model, if it's even buildable, at all.

Big thanks to Christopher Hoffman for suggesting the Scala dish for the rear: LEGO 75095 UCS TIE modification Scala dish by SPARKART!, on Flickr. For an Interceptor modification, I wanted to follow the same aesthetic as the official set, but the 3 x 6 wedge plates suggest a structure that makes the solar panels too long...gonna have to re-think this, I think.

Thanks for the feedback, seriously. I'm assuming "hngggggggggggg" is a kind of expression of "hmmmm...not seeing it" (apologies for not being up-to-speed on what you kids are using for slang on the Internet these days. :) ) I think it's not conveying the shape convincingly? Let's try something else... Here's the rear using a Fabuland tub: LEGO 75095 UCS TIE modification Fabuland tub by SPARKART!, on Flickr. Cleaner, but still...not completely accurate in size and shape. I find it somewhat...acceptable. What do you think?

I watched the LEGO Designer video a few times, trying to discern how to attach the panels, which I intend to re-use with no modification. It was somewhat of a bear to figure out, because the official version is apparently built primarily studs up, but this modifcation is built studs forward and back. I cobbled something together that should fit, but I won't know if it'll work physically until I get more parts. Also reworked some of shapes, trying to more closely resemble the studio model: LEGO 75095 UCS TIE modification by SPARKART!, on Flickr. Back side: LEGO 75095 UCS TIE modification by SPARKART!, on Flickr.

Thanks for your support Blondie-Wan! I know what you mean about using too many pieces to build something. I think i might have erred on the other side with Speed Buggy, here. Speed Buggy and his crew are made with so few pieces, that it's more like a poly-bag than a box set.

Thanks for checking it out, guys! Fuppylodders, that dish on top...the first thing I did was arrange the printed piece elements used on the UCS TIE - the clear front canopy and the decorated hatch on top - onto an imaginary sphere suggested by their curvature. Then, I just tried to find pieces to fill in the rest. I definitely want to use that printed top hatch piece from the set, and make the hatch open, so light can get into the cockpit, and make it possible to see the pilot. krisandkris12, yes, I know what you mean about structural considerations. When I started taking out structure to make room for an interior, I tried to leave behind a reinforced shell of interconnected pieces. The stud orientation of this build is almost all on the sides, which, generally, makes for stiffer construction when the primary force applied is gravity. It's easy to bend a LEGO plate in the Z-axis, but not so easy in the X and Y-axis. With most of pieces in this build on their side, I'm hoping they'll resist bending and separation better. But it's hard to tell, until you make it with real bricks. I've built stuff in LDD, that just won't work, or is very, very difficult to build. This little build of the Ghost from Rebels, is frustratingly difficult to assemble. Once it's together, it's pretty solid. It's a totally "legal" build, the LEGO pieces fit snugly to hold it all together, but until you lock that last piece in, it's like a little LEGO grenade that'll explode in a hundred pieces as you try to push parts into their place.

I came out of my decades-long Dark Age in 2009 and missed out on all the big LEGO UCS TIE fighters. So, I am really looking forward to the new UCS TIE (75095) designed by Olav Krøigaard. I'm impressed by the size of it, the engineering and ingenuity it takes to build larger structures in LEGO, and it looks nice overall. It's got an accurate shape, proportions, and details that captures the classic TIE fighter design. I've been collecting, building, painting, destroying, and playing with TIE fighter toys and models since I was a kid back in the 70s, so to me, the TIE fighter looks a certain way - a combination of a round ball and straight edge angular pylons connected to big solar panels. I think Jerac nailed it in LEGO. Ever since I saw Jerac's TIE, I've wanted to build a LEGO TIE fighter like it, but just never got around to it. The new UCS TIE (75095) got me motivated to plan a build inspired by Jerac's and Olav's work. I wanted to replicate the differing shape of roundness versus angular edges on the TIE: WIP LEGO 75095 UCS TIE cockpit modification by SPARKART!, on Flickr. After a bit, I got bored with just a seat in the cockpit, so I put a minifig in. That didn't look quite right to me, so I made a brick-built pilot: WIP LEGO 75095 UCS TIE modification by SPARKART!, on Flickr. The brick-built pilot is "permanently" placed, not designed to be removed. I lined the inside with white LEGO to bounce around what little light can get into the cockpit. When I build this for real, I hope the pilot can be seen. WIP LEGO 75095 UCS TIE modification cutaway by SPARKART!, on Flickr . The pilot in the cockpit is about 1/20th to 1/24th scale, based on the assumption that the standard LEGO minifig is about 1/48th scale. WIP LEGO 75095 UCS TIE modifcation sizing by SPARKART!, on Flickr. What scale are LEGO minifig helmets? by SPARKART!, on Flickr.

Started working on this tonight: WIP LEGO 75095 UCS TIE cockpit modification by SPARKART!, on Flickr.

WOW! Amazing and inspiring. Thanks for sharing the blueprints! The subtle detailing is fascinating as you hide layers of parts to see what's underneath.

How did LEGO choose this line-up, I wonder? Are they saving Boba Fett and a Sandtrooper/Stormtrooper for the next wave? Any why would you save them? Why not start out with your biggest potential sellers first? Or am I wrong assuming that Boba and a Sandtrooper would be bigger sellers than Jango and Cody?

From far away, and under the right lighting this looks pretty nice. Impressively sized, but when you get up close and look at the details, it seems a bit too blocky (for me). The TIE fighter is a ball intersected by sharply angular, almost architectural, pylon supports. There's a visual difference in those structures that are seemingly lost in this build, which look like a ball just blended into the pylons. There's not enough of a textural difference to discern where the ball is, and where the pylons intersect it, it's just all blended together in the same-looking blockiness. Overall, I like the model, good proportions, and it's a great size, and much better than what's been released before, IMHO. I really like the solution to locking the solar panels in.

Thanks for checking it out, guys. I was at a LEGO convention yesterday, WorldWarBrick.com, and I brought Speed Buggy along. One kid that saw it, exclaimed, "Speed Buggy!", which shocked me completely, because he was way too young to know what it was. Then it dawned on me; He was just reading the sign I had made for the model. I can't help but think that kids that see this model would just think he's some Disney Cars knock-off, whereas, Speed Buggy came first, decades earlier.

In the 1970s, Hanna-Barbera produced cartoons that a whole generation of kids enjoyed. One of these was Speed Buggy, and the characters from this show made a cross-over guest appearance on The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Weird Winds of Winona". Here's a LEGO purist version of Speed Buggy with no modified or painted bricks or elements. For the mouth, I used the printed 1x4 tile piece from the LEGO Cars 2 "Mack" model: LEGO Speed Buggy! Speedy's a little bigger than I wanted (I like smaller economical LEGO models), but I also wanted the whole crew to fit inside. It's kinda strange that Mark stands in the back, but this arrangement makes them look like the cartoon. It's difficult to see in the photo, but there's a walkie-talkie stowed underneath, near Debbie, that represents the remote control/radio that was used by Speedy's friends (and sometimes his antagonists). The back of Speed Buggy incorporates a cargo/engine compartment that holds an engine that Tinker can tinker with. I'm working on a way to incorporate a LEGO wind-up motor, but I'm afraid it'll compromise the design. I'm thinking maybe a pusher trailer attached to the back, maybe something disguised as a puff of wheel smoke? Any suggestions? Thanks for checking it out, and supporting it on LEGO Ideas.

These look GREAT! I was a fan of the midi-scale, too, and would like to get a chance to collect more LEGO ships in this small-shelf-friendly format. I don't have a lot of interest in mini-figs (I know I'm in the minority), but it seems like you can't sell a pop-culture LEGO set without them, anymore. I'd like to suggest that you add mini-figs to these proposals - Grievous for the Invisible Hand and Ahsoka for the Venator. Grievous is an expensive figure on the secondary market, and Ahsoka is a girl, and female mini-figs on LEGO Ideas are popular.

Not what I was expecting, but I totally LUV it! Ha-ha! That longing lean... if only the AT-AT had a rear turret gun, it would be wagging.

Great models! I have a soft spot for this scale. I like the economy of size, small and easy to display and collect, but big enough to get some clever details in. The little Star Destroyer looks like a model (8099) of a model (6211) of a model (10030) of a model (studio model), I luv it! For my mini y-wings, I've replaced the bars with longer LEGO rigid 3mm hose for the engine spars. When you use four of them, they're good about staying in shape at this scale. Thanks for posting these, looking forward to seeing your other planet builds.

H_Solo, thanks for your support! Yes, I agree, a little color would be good, and I am curious to see what the model would look like in real-life dark bluish grey. On the studio model, there's some small dark red panel detailing, too, that I thought could be replicated with some dark red elements. I'm having a spot of trouble attaching a Bricklink-compatible XML upload file for the parts list, so I just cut-and-pasted it in the spoiler below. The wanted list ID in this file is ten zeros, "0000000000", just "replace all" that with your own wanted list ID. I'd love to see other people's take on this model made with their own special modifications. The Empire did send out thousands of them, whatever happened to them? The XML upload file:

TK924, nice model. I'm starting to appreciate the patina that dust, discoloration, and bite marks bring to LEGO builds. This didn't start with Benny in The LEGO Movie, either - it was Carl Merriam's Vammoth, with its use of used white pieces.

Hey Robianco, thanks for checking it out. While I was putting together the Probe Droid model, I was thinking there were thousands of them sent all over the Star Wars galaxy, and there is probably lots of potential in telling comic-book stories of their travels and run-ins with the locals. I could imagine them captured, scrapped, or re-purposed for other work. Maybe we'll see them in Episode VII, painted in more cheerful colors, serving or preparing food. Isn't the TESB Probe Droid a terrific and menacing design? I thought it was SO COOL when I saw in on-screen in 1980 (Did I just give away how old I really am?) For this droid, it was definitely more than the dark color scheme that made it look threatening - maybe it was its resemblance to a jelly-fish and those tentacles designed to kill? I originally came up with this model so I could have something new for the fan display at Star Wars Days at Legoland in California this year. It's only about 250 pieces, which, if it ever made it into production, would keep the price under $30. However, I don't think it's a good toy for kids. There's more than a few assemblies in the head that are held together by a single stud, so it doesn't make for a robust build that can take careless handling. I guess in that way, it resembles the reel-life Probe Droid, in that it'll self-destruct, even if you don't hit it very hard. Still, I think it makes a nice desk-top display model. It may not be spot-on accurate, but the silhouette, shape and details, IMHO, immediately conjure up images of the Probe Droid.

LEGO Imperial Probe Droid by SPARKART!, on Flickr. I've added a big update to this LEGO Ideas project. There's a hard-to-read parts list, convoluted illustrated step-by-step instructions...but if you can make sense of it, you can make your own version of this model. It's made from about 250 pieces, and relatively easy to find parts. May the Force be with you.

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart... by SPARKART!, on Flickr: I've been seeing a lot of automobiles around town sporting the Rudolph get-up with red nose and antlers, and thought ye olde Furst Batmobile Microfighter could do that, too. This scene depicts an earlier time in the bittersweet romance between LEGO Batman and Wyldstyle. The song playing on the Bat-radio is Last Christmas; Batman gives Wyldstyle a knowing wink when the refrain, "I'll give it to someone SPECIAL," is sung.

Instructions available here. Have fun, and please share your custom color combinations and variations. The Ravager fleet needs your ship!

The Betty from Alien: Ressurection by SPARKART!, on Flickr. The Betty from Alien: Ressurection by SPARKART!, on Flickr. The Betty from Alien: Ressurection by SPARKART!, on Flickr. Started this sometime in January 2014, finished it sometime in February 2014. I plan to make a blue one, too, just so that I can use a better looking cone on the front of the ship.