LiLmeFromDaFuture

Curiosity Broke Its Neck by LiLmeFromDaFuture, on Flickr

(The Means to a Solution)

I designed my AT-AT as a homage to build style of LEGO sets, and many aspects of this project reflect the engineering of official walker sets.  The neck, for example, featured a similar yet improved design of the recent AT-M6 (75189) and its predecessors.  To compensate for the larger scale, I used a Technic 1 x 15 liftarm (32278) as the base for the neck.  Yes, the longest and just one, but with several other Technic elements structured around it, to likewise compensate for the load it will bear.  Counteracting the stress, ideally meant to preserve the mold of the liftarm, by minimizing the chance of it flexing as best possible. The objective found its solution in the form of a sandwiching-technique with half liftarms around the middle of the 1 x 15 liftarm, between a box made of Technic bricks, pinned together with a length 4 axle and stop (87083).

(Learn by Playing)
So far, it looked adequate and integrated well between the connections to the head and infrastructure planned for the body.  Though, I always held doubts about how well the design will perform in the long term.  Since I needed space to install the access tube design (built similar like the sets), a few gaps existed where I could not extend the reach of the Technic-sandwich.  Then recently, I fiddled with a 1 x 15 liftarm and observed its durability between my hands.  To my surprise, I notice the face (the side with pinholes) bends to the power of the force more so than its sides.  I do not know if any of you already knew this, but ever since I committed to building like LEGO, I learned so much about engineering this toy into impressive structures.

(Drop the Sandwich)
The Technic-sandwich idea worked logically and even looked appealing in a structural kind of way.  However, committing to this LEGO standard of building also bears dilemmas, when doing it the "right way" must precede the "cool way."  This applies better to other aspects of the project, but since the Technic-sandwich could not work so effectively as planned, I completely redesigned the neck with the liftarms in the direction consistent with the whole build.  I did the new design in LDD first (not fully weened off yet) and will replicate the changes in STUD.io, then share them later.