BrickMonkeyMOCs

Nice guesses everyone! I can definitely see the resemblance to a droid tank and K2SO. Another hint is that, as keen eyes may have noticed, it isn't entirely symmetrical. This relates to its function. An anagram of SAD ANDY SPLIT will also get you most of the way to the answer.

Just for a bit of fun, here's a MOC I recently came up with. But what is it? Can you figure it out? The forum it's posted in should give you a clue, but that's the only hint you'll get to start with. To make it more interesting I can offer a free download of any model from my website for the first person to correctly guess what it is.

Nice design, and well photographed too. Eight-wide really works well for the LMP shape, even if it ends up a little large for city-scale. Really like the all-black colour scheme and the parts used for the nose. I don't mind the absent shark fin, but a front splitter plate would be a nice addition. Impressive first post. Hope we'll see more in the future!

The great thing about stickers is that they're optional. I haven't used any stickers any all on mine, and it still looks fine. I replaced all the internal cockpit stickered parts with printed tiles to good effect, and also reversed the direction of the rear controls so they turn in the correct (even if non-canon) direction with the rear blaster. The pilot does have a joystick for flight control - two in fact - one on each side of the seat.

Fair enough. The set is definitely a bit over-priced, and I didn't get 75150 so I wouldn't know how the two compare. My last A-Wing was 75003, and the new set is definitely a step up from that version.

I was impressed enough by the new 75175 A-Wing set enough to buy it, but there are several flaws that can be addressed resulting in a much improved model. One aesthetic issue that stood out even from the earliest released images is the stepped transition of the curved slopes on the top of the hull. And while I really like the new fin parts and the attempt to angle them inwards, the official set's solution results in too much angle, a flimsy connection, and rather odd-looking brick-built engines. The landing gear is also less than ideal, with rear struts that don't fully retract and a front strut mounted higher than the rear, resulting in the model sitting very nose-down when landed. So I've addressed all of these points and included a few extra improvements to produce the version below. Features: Removed slope transition on top hull Brick-built engines replaced with cylinder bricks Engines/fins connected securely at corrected angle Fully retractable rear landing gear Front landing gear lowers to same height as rear Wider mounting of laser cannons Engine detail included under rear cover FREE LDraw instructions HERE.

Here's the LDraw file I just finished for anyone interested in modding their set to this version.

Oh, and here's the shot of the model alongside Hoffman's Swordfish II and Hachiroku's Kaneda's Bike.

The ultimate version of this vehicle, fought by Major Motoko Kusanagi in the 1995 anime film Ghost in the Shell, is now and always will be Cole Blaq's magnificent creation. But what I wanted was something a little smaller that I could display alongside my copies of Chris Hoffman's Swordfish II (from Cowboy Bebop) and Hachiroku24's Kaneda's Bike (from Akira). So for this build I worked at microscale and initially produced a couple of prototype designs in LDraw. From here I chose to develop the right-hand model further, replacing the eyes and redesigning the rear shell/body section so that it would be connected to the turning head instead of the chassis. The end result is a model that I think adequately captures the look of the iconic Think Tank and includes a nice amount of articulation and pose-ability. The head and shell rotate around a central pivot, the legs are fully pose-able, the chin-mounted belt-fed cannons can tilt and swivel, shoulder-mounted guns are included, and the retractable manipulator arms serve to clasp a statuette-scale Major by the skull. If you'd like to make your own copy, free instructions are available from my website (click link in my signature below).

A couple of weeks ago I found time between other projects to design a couple of small MOCs. This one began with a custom redesign of the 60145 Buggy set, which involved streamlining and lowering the chassis, as well as adding more details such as front suspension struts and more lights. From the moment I first saw the set I thought it was just begging to be militarized, so once I had an upgraded buggy design I was happy with I knew this would be the next step. The military version features a tan or DBG colour scheme, a .50cal MG mounted at the top of the opening cockpit frame, a gunner seated above the engine within an opening protective frame, a spare wheel and radio antenna, and hardpoints on either side of the driver for stowing individual weapons. One of my oldest and most requested designs is the Desert Patrol Vehicle (shown below for comparison), and this new LSV design provides a lighter, faster, and more compact alternative for spec ops insertion and light strike missions. Instructions are available through my website (click link in signature below). Weapons are from BrickArms and balaclava heads are from EclipseGrafx.

Finally, an affordable way to start building up my collection of blaster pistols!

Ah, I see. I would just raise the hinge parts by one plate, but you might find a better solution.

What's your concern with the boot lid? The version I built seemed to work fine.

Thanks for sharing your pics, Seasider. My only suggestion would be that the rollbar hoops could be a little higher, but I really like the look of your metallic engine block. If you're interested I have substantially modified my Caterham model (here), and can share LDraw file with you once I get around to making it.

Don't get me wrong, I think this is a beautiful set and I look forward to building it, but the promotional blurb/feature list has me baffled. Am I supposed to be excited by the inclusion of minifigures here? But there are two of them! With blasters! Ooh! And binocs! And, wait for it... even helmets! And there is space for them in the cockpit!?! Huh? What? Are we meant to stick them in a glove compartment or something? Still, a very nice model (despite the stickers). :)

The nice new cockpit print for the latest Y-Wing left me thinking that a few of my other SW sets could use a cockpit upgrade. The worst offender being the 75049 snowspeeder, which still uses the same windscreen used in the first snowspeeder set released nearly two decades ago. I fully realize there are better snowspeeder MOCs out there, but this is a nice easy fix to make the current official set look a little bit more like the actual movie model. It retains the two-stage opening mechanism of the original set, and is both robust and easy to open. Getting rid of the old snowspeeder cockpit also had me wondering whether the 9493 X-Wing, which uses the same piece, might look better with the new cockpit part used on the more recent resistance X-Wings. I've opted for the trans-black unprinted version, which also happens to match the substitution I've made on my UCS X-Wing (switching from the stickered trans-white to a plain trans-black 12x6x2 piece). Let me know what you think, or post and discuss your own cockpit mods and solutions.

This model has been sitting proudly on display next to Chris Hoffman's brilliant Swordfish II at my work desk for some time now, but I recently revisited it to see if grip-able handlebars could be added. It required reversing the stud-direction on the forwards section of the model, but the result is quite good. LDraw instructions

Recolouring the body but not cabin interior looks possible. The trunk interior is fully separate from the cabin, however the technic frame (step 4) is visible in the cabin, engine bay, and from the underside. Some parts in the dashboard/firewall are visible in both the cabin and engine bay, but only just. Several parts I've used in black are also less available in other colours - see these BrickLink links for availability: 24201, 26047, 99206, 99207, 99780, 23443, 11476. And yes, the turntable tops are used to connect or reinforce without using a full plate's thickness.

You're welcome. That sounds great. I hope you will be able to share pictures when it's done, as I'd love to see the end result.

Hi Ian. Thanks for your interest. You should now have received the access code for downloading instructions. Overall, yellow should be much easier than blue. Part 32028 (1x2 plate w/ door rail) was rare and expensive in blue, but is widely available in yellow. You can also use 93606 (curved slope 2x4) instead of 61678 (curved slope 1x4) on the front hood, as 93606 is available in yellow but not blue. The only part I know you won't get in yellow is 98138 (1x1 round tile) used for the fuel filler cap, but you can easily substitute a flat silver part instead.

Just a brief bump to mention that I've finally finished instructions for this model which are now available through my website for a modest fee. Instructions are available in both LDraw and PDF format (99 pages).

Thank you all for your comments. The exhaust and transmission were fun elements to include, and made the build much more interesting than the standard flat plated floor. A few useful new(ish) parts found their way into this build, including the Bar Tube w/ Handle (23443) used inside the doors and on the wing mirrors, the 1x1 Round Plate w/ Handle on Side (26047) used to mount the front bonnet hinges, and the 1x2 Inverted Curved Slope (24201) used on the rear underside. External shaping was aided by working digitally in LDraw, as this allows the unsupported floating of external parts during shaping, before working inwards to support the desired shape and functions.

I have a new car model to share. Designed on commission in December, parts for this first generation MX5 arrived over the last couple of weeks and it has come together nicely. Less exotic than my last vehicle at this scale (Ferrari LMP1), it nevertheless features lots of pleasing functions and detail. (Click any image for the full Flickr set.) The doors open, as does the rear boot and front bonnet, and the pop-up headlights can be raised and lowered. Fitting in the functioning headlights was particularly challenging given the limited space between the hood, front wheels, radiator, and angled front bumper. Under the hood is the 1.6L four cylinder engine, which can be removed with a little effort (i.e. after detaching the radiator and front bumper). The most challenging aspect of the build though, and the most satisfying to see in the brick, is the detailed transmission running from the engine through the center of the chassis to the rear axle. Also included is an exhaust line running from the engine to the muffler at the rear. There is only one plate thickness between the top of the center console inside the car, and the transmission line underneath, so connecting the two halves of the chassis in a sturdy manner around this cavity was critical. Inside the car are the two seats, which can be tilted forwards to access the limited luggage space behind; a center console with handbrake and gear lever; and the dashboard with radio, air vents, and adjustable steering column. The windshield is attached by mixel ball joints, which, with the inwards angle set on the A-pillars, limits the rearwards tilt to the desired angle. One other detail worth mentioning is the iconic tail-light design, which uses 1x1 taps to angle out the outer set of lights. Although built to commission, the design is not exclusive to the customer, so I will be able to offer instructions through my website (www.bm-mocs.com) just as soon as I can find time to make them. (I will be rather busy for the next few weeks with another commissioned project). This particular model was based on a specific MX5, but it should not be hard to modify to different colours and configurations. Anyway, let me know what you think.

I've just finished an LDraw instruction file for the above AT-ST mod (mainly for my own benefit in case I ever need to disassemble and rebuild the model), and thought it would be worth sharing here. It includes the two-man cockpit conversion, destickerization (with printed parts used instead), directional correction of the head-turning knob, corrected viewports & covers, rebuilt chin turret, and shortened legs (by one stud, not shown above). DOWNLOAD LINK

The Lamborghini Huracan GT3 is now built. The only change I've made is to the side air intakes, which looked a little messy in the brick as initially designed. The new solution uses the back of a headlight brick as the intake, which allows a cheese slope to be used on the other side to fill the gap to the wheel arch. There is no Lamborghini minifig available yet, so I have made do with a lime green torso and black helmet. ETA: I've made another change to the side vent area, which I think improves the overall look. Instructions are also updated. Click an image for the Flickr gallery. Instructions available at www.bm-mocs.com.