Raskolnikov

Very interesting post, thank you. I never noticed that vehicle before (although Lego evidently did). I'll have to make one of those things, now.

Looks good to me -- the system scale venator set was always way too small.

Well, yeah, in terms of playability, it's certainly too large to be moved around. There is no swooshability. But that's pretty unavoidable with something of this size and weight, so I'm trying to make it playable within that constraint. That includes typical play features: turn one of the engines and it turns the gun turrets, for example. The ship also has a complement of vehicles that fit in the interior and can fit through the hangar bay opening, so you can land a ground party and deploy fighters. The ship will have an interior for minifigures that will be modular and pretty accessible (although you will have to just play around certain technic beams). That was a challenge, since the stronger you make something the harder it is to take apart, sometimes. To make the interior available for play, you can slide off the top panels in less than sixty seconds (it's never going to be instant, since the top panels come off in eight different sections right now, and there are some "locks" that keep that panels in place). Also, while the ship should not be picked up when assembled, it can be rotated easily. The back is not on a stand, it just rests on the "reactor bulge," which is very sturdy. Almost no weight rests on the front stand, so if you gently lift the front you can rotate the whole ship. The ship also can rest on the ground without any stands (it just won't be parallel with the floor since the front would tip forward). So yeah, it's meant to be a UCS "plus" model in size and accuracy -- but I'm going to try to include all the playability that I can.

Thanks for the encouragment everyone. Here's a picture from about a week ago: http://imgur.com/w17Ui8K I'm testing a few things in this picture, so those parts aren't final, of course. Overall, it's really moving along now. I think a lot of the required effort was towards the beginning, when I had to come up with an overall design that would probably work. Now, it's mostly a matter of adding bricks and filling in detail. As of last night, the engine section is essentially complete. If you turn one of the engines on either side, it rotates the gun turrets in unison. When it's done, I'll probably make a video to show features like that and how it comes apart.

I like this set as well, although it was initially overpriced. You can find it for <$100, now, which I think is fair. In terms of scale, I think the TIE pilots are intended to be seated at the computer terminals, which suggests that the TIEs on the bottom are -- for "system scale" and play purposes -- supposed to be treated as "remote-controlled TIE drones" or something. So the scale never bothered me. If I were a kid playing with the ship, I'd treat it as a ship that's about as long as the Falcon. You sort of have to do that if you intend to have it fight other "system scale" ships. So I was always OK with throwing the "true" scale out the window, so long as the model is attractive and roughly proportional to itself. Your mod is definitely a more accurate representation of the exterior of the ship at its "true" scale, though -- looks good.

Thanks, Lobot, I'm glad you like it! It's about 140 cm long, and I think the weight will be about 20.5 kg in the end. I think the frame will be alright, since a lot of weight is distributed over the back half of the ship. There's not one beam down the center holding the weight -- it's more like a big truss bridge. So if you were to push down at the very back, it wouldn't just stress one beam downward, it'd also "pull" on the dark bluish gray beams that you can see in the pictures, exposed at the back. Those beams, in turn, are connected with vertical and diagonal supports to a set of beams that go along the bottom, as well as to the sides of the ship.

It's about 31 or 32 lbs, at the moment (like 14 kg?). I expect it to top out at about 45 lbs or so. It's very dense. But the support frame is solid as a rock, at least in the back half of the ship, where it has two layers of "ribs" and lots of beams that make right triangles. The front is supported only by the sides of ship, so it will "flex" somewhat when it moved. That seems unavoidable if you want to leave a large hangar space up front. In any event, most of the weight is situated on top of the reactor bulge, so not much weight rests on the front stand. When the bridge goes up, it might even balance on the reactor bulge without a stand, I dunno. That'd be neat.

I've completed the basic structure of an Imperial Star Destroyer MoC that I've been working on. Figuring out the overall shape and how to support so much weight was a big issue. Now, all I have to do is "fill it in." So I thought I'd ask for some feedback at this point, before I finish it up. I use imgur, so here's the album: http://imgur.com/a/skees There's more detail in the descriptions. The model is intended to be playable, with a full interior and a large complement of vehicles. I also want the exterior to be as accurate as possible, while not sacrificing much in the way of durability or playability. So feedback that furthers those goals would be especially appreciated.

Hey, that's me. Still workin' on it, here's a progress picture from a few weeks ago: http://imgur.com/gallery/nSSaKHP There are sections of it removed in this picture, and it's upside down. I ended up going quite a bit larger than the 10030, though, and I'm sure I've spent way more on parts than just the 75055s that I've scrapped, at this point. The project keeps growing in size or detail. On topic, though, I'd say that the 75055 is a great value and has a lot of useful parts for MOCs. I don't know exactly how useful it'd be for the 10030, since the internal structure of mine is very different. Designing a new Star Destroyer has been extremely difficult and I've had quite a time of it. There's a problem that crops up every step of the way, it seems. I will eventually complete it, and I think the major issues have been worked out, but I would say that it's an enormous time investment. I don't know for sure, but I think it'd be doable to build something based on the UCS Star Destroyer's directions and mod sections with expensive parts, as other posters have suggested. Also, the UCS Star Destroyer was limited by the wedge plates that were available at that time, and some simple mods could probably improve it quite a bit. I think there are a few threads with modded versions of the bridge, etc., which I think looks particularly out of date on the original model. I think that such a project would be a lot more rewarding than spending $2000 on a 10030, or whatever it costs now.

I hope that the Toys R Us information suggests that those sets will be released sooner rather than later. After all, I think Battlefront is scheduled for a November release, so it'd make sense to get the battle packs tied to the game in stores as soon as possible. I can't wait to start stocking up on black Imperial officer caps.

Well, it's certainly interesting to see what the white version would look like, so I appreciate you making this. My vote goes to the gray version, though.

Nice, I like it better than the original. Not that the original's bad -- it's just your mod is a more traditionally "Star Wars" coloration, I think.

I have noticed that the central "seam" of the ship tends to get wider towards the back, as the back halves sag a little bit. So it's a good idea fo sho.

Looks good, and the proportions are right on. I don't suppose you're able to take any comparison shots next to the newest shuttle set? I'd be interested to see the size difference. If I had a suggestion, it'd be to try something with wedge plates on the sides of the cockpit --- might close that gap at the hinge. It might also result in some exposed studs, though.

Thanks for posting those directions. I just flipped through the HTML ones, very accessible. I wish we got such good directions for all the great MOCs that people have posted. I will definitely be building one of these. I have a lot of the pieces in stock, so I may just see what happens and substitute or modify whenever I don't have something. I've been wanting a new AT-ST for ages. Thanks again.

Thanks, glad you like them. I also was inspired by Vader's TIE in the Death Star. And yeah, I ended up buying four of those mini-interceptors for parts, I think. Not only do you get the cockpit screens, but you get a good looking pilot and other goodies. Thanks for linking Dark Zion's work, too. I've never seen so many creations in this scale. There are a ton of great ideas there. Now I feel the itch to build some X-wings in the same scale. Also, his Lambda-class shuttle is very compact but still recognizable. I might look into building one of those, as well. A small black sticker for a windscreen would improve it a lot, too. I suppose I could make a topic for my TIEs -- might take some new pictures. And I'm still not sure they're the final versions. I'd like to make them studier if I can. I had to scrap the one on the back right because it was too large and flimsy. But I built a second TIE exactly like the one at the front left, so it's a pair now. They used the same cockpit design, just had different wings and pylons. The Star Destroyer mothership also is coming along well. Another two months of grueling labor and it might be done.

Very interesting. That's a simple but sturdy cockpit design. Adding another dish piece on top adds some extra room for a minifigure. I'm particularly interested in your design choices since I recently built my own TIE Interceptors in exactly the same scale (i.e., as small as possible but still able to fit a minifigure pilot). Here's the album: http://imgur.com/a/mmFp5 I don't think I thought of using a dish on top, so I ended up making a very complex but flimsier design. I also wanted the hatch to open. What do you think? Also, is there any particular reason you wanted to use this scale? My eventual plan is to launch these TIEs from the hangar of a massive, minifigure-oriented Star Destroyer MOC -- so I had to make them very compact.

I like how you made one of the commandos black -- very movie accurate. I did the same thing. I can't recall if he has any scenes in the theatrical version of Return of the Jedi but there's definitely a black Rebel commando in the deleted scene where the commandos storm the Imperial bunker on Endor.

Disney films are competently made just about every time. For that reason, I honestly think there is a 100% chance that the next film will be better than Episodes I, II, and III. It is essentially impossible that it could be worse precisely because Disney is a large, competently run business. There will be many producers and focus groups and talented people involved at all levels, checking to make sure the product is appealing, competently made, and finished. Maybe that sucks some of the soul out of the process, but it completely fixes the source of the problems with the prequels. The only way those movies could have been made in such an amateurish manner is if one person with limited abilities, surrounded by yes men, had nearly complete control. And to bring this on topic, is it really appropriate to complain about Disney seeking profits because they are not giving us enough information about what toys they're going to be selling? I mean, I check this topic for leaks just like everyone else, but I've never once felt entitled to any leaks or information leaks about the upcoming movie. In fact, it boggles my mind that anyone could angry about Disney trying to keep things secret, in advance of a movie that most people want to be shrouded in secrecy so that their viewing experience is not spoiled.

I'd love to see a set like this, or get directions from you, if possible. It looks fantastic. I think the ankle joint issue is likely solvable as well -- it's probably just a question of how much aesthetics you sacrifice for stability. Either way, the "head" and legs look innovative, solid, and really good looking.

Fun fact, the ISD Tyrant switches from an ISD I to an ISD II from scene to scene since they used both models for it. The first time you see it, it's the old model, so wookiepedia calls it an ISD I. But in the scenes where it's actually hit by the ion cannon, it's clearly an ISD II. The last scene where you see it, you can even see the engines, which is the easiest way to tell. So, the only possible canonical explanation is that the scene is actually showing two different star destroyers at different times and that the Tyrant is an ISD II (if it indeed was the one that got hit by the ion cannon in that scene, anyway). Such are the problems faced by nerds who try to resolve the ambiguities created by the fact that the special effects guys were probably just filming something else with the new ISD model that day so they used the old model as a stand in for one scene. But yes, I also liked the sticker showing a Star Destroyer being targeted.

I'm very pleased with the overall design of the Hoth base. It's how I would have done it: Include an ion cannon, shield generator, some gun turrets, and a large hangar/control room. I really hope it doesn't come with a snowspeeder, as everyone has said, but whatever. I guess they'd find it difficult to include a large hangar with moving doors without putting anything in it.

I'm a big fan of the new ones, and I ordered a few online since they're not overly expensive. I like the skirt cloth piece a lot. Although, I have seen a lot of pictures where people do not attach it correctly, so opinions on that may be unfairly divided. It should look like it does here: http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/Snowtrooper It should cover part of the front of the legs and be flush with the sides of the legs. I think the backpack is alright. I always like to see big, one-piece molds divided into smaller, more commonly used pieces so long as it still looks alright. The snowtrooper commander is great. He is the only figure, so far as I know, that has an Imperial Lieutenant's rank insignia. If only they came out with an Imperial Officer with that insignia, I'd be all over that. Apart from the above, they are very similar to the old ones, which were pretty good looking figures when they came out. So, up to you.

Regardless of whether "everyone" thinks the new Sith Infiltrator is "fine," it's factually true that there was a very negative initial reaction when the set was leaked. When final images came out, there was a much more positive reaction (from a lot of people, anyway, if not you personally). In general, I think we can agree that things can change from between preliminary leaks and final products, so it's best to be cautiously critical or cautiously optimistic. Comments based on preliminary images that are overly negative, or that claim that there has been a general decline in Lego quality, etc., are jumping the gun at best.

That's my current project. I'm working on a MOC Star Destroyer that's larger than the UCS but I keep running into problems. The UCS Star Destroyer seems to have been a revolutionary set when it came out but I can't help thinking that with new pieces and better building techniques someone could do a lot better, today. The mods to the UCS in this thread do look great, though, and correct some of the most important issues with the set. The angles of the bridge on the set always stuck out to me, and the OP's mods fix that quite well.