VK-318

Um ... Hate to correct a moderator, but there is actually a Single Frame Star Wars Funnies thread (http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=30749&st=3125); is that where these should be going?

It definitely looks Star Wars enough for a film appearance, though I'm sure they've already got most of the props made for that. Looks like a bit of a step up from the Imperial ones, but with all that horsepower and weight in the front, I bet it would be a beast to maneuver. I think it could use a touch more yellow, at the back. Maybe replace those 2x2 dark bley tiles on the ... stabilizer fins (?) with yellow ones, to even it out a bit?

Bit off topic, but the reason they almost always print on slopes rather than using stickers is because of the texture of Lego slope bricks. Stickers don't apply to it as well as to smooth bricks, and they tend to get air bubbles and peel off. They do it from time to time - the Imperial Dropship from a year or two back is one example that I'm aware of - but it's hardly common.

Wow! I like the wall. I think you will be ranking up pretty fast, Commander Beltar! This is a very high-quality set of builds you have presented here. The only thing I can suggest is to have an Imperial-looking droid, whether astromech, mouse, or, if you're so lucky as to have one, a black protocol droid, walking by the table during the present scene, to make it a little less static.

Sorry, guys, I may not be able to help. Fall semester this year is a beast. I'll be with you eventually, and I may be able to help this time, but I only want to contribute if what I have is worthy of showing you, and I'm nowhere near ready yet.

I wonder if it isn't because the current Lego model designers think the old, brightly colored canopies are kind of garish, not to mention hard to see through. Imagine trying to see through the dark green canopies from older Space Police sets! Still, I am also fond of the colored canopies; that's part of why I've picked up so many Galaxy Squad alien vehicles: they've got lots of nice trans-red canopies.

I am reminded of the Iron Man Mark I. Very, very, good work. Nice parts use to build and attach the arms.

The Dark Side is all about choices. But my next story arc is getting more and more complicated every time somebody starts another build! That speeder is great. I think it's just a bit too square along the sides, but otherwise it's a very nice little purple machine.

Just be careful about the lightsaber. They're highly illegal, you know. Not to say that having one couldn't be explained somehow, but it's sure to be tricky. Same here. I've got a storyline in the wings, complete with a sidekick (romantic interest?) and a new outfit, but I'll probably have to do a bit of tweaking if I want to get everything built before the episode is over.

If you follow the Flickr link, there are some shots from behind that are either pictures of a physical build or the new gold standard in rendering. I'm pretty sure this is a real, physical build.

Color me impressed, laddie! This is really a brilliant piece of work. Since everybody else has already said just about all there is to be said about the interior, I'll talk about the hull itself. The front of the "saucer" - the round part of the ship that everything else attaches to, and for which I can't find a really appropriate word - looks a little too angular on top. Not sure if that can be fixed with some kind of curved plates (I'd suspect not, but I may be wrong). And the docking rings on either side are pretty bland. They could use a little sprucing up, and maybe the 4x4 round plate could be replaced with two of part 51739 for that hexagon shape. And that's about the only flaws I can spot! The way you've done the discoloration of the hull is excellent, with that stone blue color. But the finishing touch is that cockpit design. That weird piece is the perfect shape for that scale model (which may be deliberate; I have a sneaking suspicion that that piece was first introduced as the cockpit of the original Lego Millennium Falcon). The minifig doors you use for the sides of the cockpit are a very creative parts selection, and also kinda funny since they are, after all, on either side of the cab of the Falcon - maybe Han has installed a more convenient way to get in and out of the cockpit to the ground? Well done! What a way to introduce yourself to the Eurobricks community! Now, one question, and it's kind of a burning one in my mind. Why minifig trophies?

I understood that reference!

I don't know, but I for one hope it waits up a little while. I've got a freebuild or two to build before that episode, for crying out loud!

My apologies for necro-commenting, but when I found this review I just had to add my thoughts. Vakama was the second Lego set I ever owned, and not only do I have a lot of nostalgia for this set, but I really agree about the quality of the design and aesthetics. To me, this has always been what a Toa looks like: though I do appreciate the use of metallic trim colors as in Iruini and Norik, the single-color scheme of the Toa Metru gives them a very businesslike, no-nonsense look that really suits the character of the team. I still have my 8601, and it is one of the handful of sets I will never, ever get rid of. My only gripe is with the geared arms. They make posing difficult, because whenever one arm reaches forward, the other has to go back, and they don't hold their positions without your hand on the axle. I devised a mod using technic bushing pegs and 2-stud-long axles to make them independently poseable, but I do kind of miss that little white highlight in the middle of the chest.

Looks terrific! Might be a bit cramped in the cockpit, though.

I have several of the new orange brick separators. While I wish they attached a little tighter, I think they are a significant improvement over the old design, since they are smaller, with a little ... chisel-like spot to remove tiles and an axle-remover. And I do appreciate having a lot of them. After all, they're just another piece, and far from the most space-eating piece in my collection.

Actually, somebody at my house has that hot dog cart, and I know we have the hair around here somewhere. It may take me a while to work you into my current storyline, but I look forward to trying. I don't know about others, but I for one enjoy most the builds that feature more than one SoNE character.

Looks like I'm a little late to the party; all the important stuff has already been said. I really like the way you did the heavy weapons fire. The trans light blue for turret and that explosion for the tank are quite creative, and the little blue bits on the wall - bits of Chima crystals, I think - really make the scene look more like a still from an action movie than a static build. By the way, I had never found your Episode II build before, and I just looked it up now. I have to say, your character and mine seem to think in very similar ways, except one. "The Thin White Line" gave me a bit of a shock. Maybe I'll explore that later ... H'm. I'd better start collecting parts for your sigfig quick! (Who does your head come from?)

Thank you. After my first freebuild waited almost two months, I figured out how overworked the judging system is, and I'm comfortable with waiting as long as is necessary to get a high score for my freebuild. The high word count was sort of the point of the build. I wanted to say something to explain how troopers like myself and many of the other Imperials are not bloody-minded savages, but people making a difficult choice, as a response to arguments advanced by BEAVeR. And I didn't want to dilute a freebuild or episode build with unrelated commentary. And besides all that, I'd threatened to do this one since my first episode, and I had to do it while BEAVeR's character was still at an appropriate moment in his character progression for it to be plausible. This build was all about the words, which I'm afraid shows in the quality of the build itself. Oh, well. It accomplished its purpose.

I love a bad pun. Cheers for the third one, Oky!

Wow, I haven't seen Sarge in a while. Great freebuild, and terrific photography. Rebel scum!

And don't let's us forget Artizan! His builds for previous episodes have been truly incredible. You're quite welcome, private. Somebody has to have read the briefing before the mission, so it might as well be me. (Part of the reason in-character talk has diminished is because it's an awful lot of work to make some kinds of comments in-character while keeping them comprehensible. ) As to earlier comments about WIP posting, I think posting our WIP's, in the topic for the actual entry, is a good thing. I used it to make improvements to my episode builds, though unfortunately, due to my lack of skill and parts it doesn't seem to have made much difference. My strategy to avoid confusing people was to note in the main post and make a comment whenever I updated the entry, and to put each stage of the build in its own spoiler tags, so the current build was there but the old builds could be located. Given my lack of skill, and my tendency to overlook issues with the build in my pride at having completed it, I for one value the ability to get feedback while I have time to update, whether it be a detailed analysis like BEAVeR's or the view from 3,000 feet like MstrOfPppts. And I value Rebel feedback, too; they've got as many good builders as we do, if not more. For those reasons, I'll probably continue to share WIP's in place.

I prefer the first one, it seems more proportional to the original.

Ouch. Well, at least I got enough personal XP to start my next storyline. But loosing BEAVeR is really going to hurt. I hope he keeps building enough to finish his character's story (unless he's already done that? Delivery, Deliverance could be a conclusion, or it could not; hard for me to tell).

Hear, hear! I'd love something like that. Except that it should include Agent Kallus as well.