Legostein

Hello dear folks! After we saw the Separatists' fleet and their capital combat starships, it's now time to look at the counterparts of the Old Republic. Hence, I'd like to present capital ships of the Old Republic to you today. Capital ships in mini form have an even smaller scale than for example airspeeders and starfighters. This means you have to shrink them down to a higher degree, and thus it's even more difficult to get the shape in my eyes. We'll start with the usual summary picture and then go through the ships chronologically by appearance in the movies. All images provided below, as well as their name descriptions (bold) are links to the related galleries with more images and building instructions. -------------------- The first things you see in a Star Wars movie is always a planet with a starship above it. In The Phantom Menace it's the Radiant VII, a Consular-class Cruiser in the typical red/white painting for a diplomatic vessel. This colour resembled neutrality. However this changed with the beginning of the Clone Wars where the Republic forces used the same colours for their warships. Several of these formerly unarmed vessels were equipped with weapons as well. The cokpit section was most difficult as I find, and took quite some time until the final version was bricked. A detail image is inclueded below. Towards the end of the same movie, there's another diplomatic starship of the Old Republic, the so called "Corellian Star Shuttle". This ship has an extended bottom lip around the entire hull. The sides were pretty simple by using door rail plates, but the rounded front bottom lip was trickier. In the end, a 3x3 round corner plate did the job. Have a look in the instructions to see how it's attached. -------------------- Let's continue with Attack of the Clones and the Acclamator-class Assault Ship. It did not yet have the red marks of the later versions, and was nicely grey like a Star Destroyer. A difficult part of capital ships are the engines. I always want to do them as exact as possible because they are an important point of recognition. The Acclamator has ttwo big and two a little less big engines. And also a huge back fin. It's a really snotty engine block. -------------------- In the first "2D" Clone Wars TV series a nice red/white carrier appeared, the CR-20 Troop Carrier. It comes complete with the cannons on the underside, and a front hatch which you really can open. I used a slope in combination with a hinge as front section. In the second wave of the first tv series there alreay appeared Venator-class Attack Cruisers, as well as in the second "3D" animated tv series. But I guess most people saw it in Episode III, and hence we'll discuss it there. But there's one new ship in the animated series, the Pelta-class Frigate. It's nice modular mid-sized capital ship in the typical Republic Navy colours but with some nice little yellow hull plates extra. The shape is special somehow, especially the rounded "Corellian-Corvette-Like" front facade. The construction of the main body is basically one stud in width only but with studs on all sides to be able to attach the slopes without a remaining gap. For the paddles/fins I used those strange hinge bricks which have the perfect shape for that. You can also fold them back into docking position like in the TV series. -------------------- Let's close with the beginning scene of Revenge of the Sith and the popular Venator-class Assault Cruiser. The trapezoid gap between front and rear section is probably the most unique part of this ship. It uses many wedge plates but turned out nicely. It also has an adeuate engine block with again a fin in the middle. The construction is gap-less and features some nice techniques. -------------------- With that I am done for today. I thank you for your time and interest. Have a nice week-end! ~ Christopher

Hello! Interesting find! Thanks for posting that! The X-Wing is quite nice, although I can't see why there are Clonetroopers on the box/polybag cover. But that's maybe only their general new set art. People seem to buy anything with Clonetroopers anyway. Now that Nu-Shuttle, well. I am not surprised there would be an official mini version of it. But I think that mini set is poor. That cockpit with the wedge plates on the side looks quite ugly. Especially with that 1x1 stud suddenly coming out it looks quite bulky. And those wings are almost an offense. At this large scale I would have expected them to come up with something more accurate or at least proper wing connection to the body. But, in the end that's just my opinion which does not count anything. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello and thank you for the replies! I did not know about those new mini models yet. While the X-Wing looks not too bad, that Nu-Shuttle is, well, hmmm, err, it's not good. The wings are really lousy and that cockpit is too fat. But I should discuss this in the appropriate topic. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello and good morning! Thanks for even more nice comments! The DC0052, together with the Magnaline Airbus, was completely redesigned for this topic. The older version of the airspeeder still used the 3x3 round corner plates as the more accurate 4x4 round corners were not available in white those days. But now they're officially in production, the slightly wider version looks a lot better than the old one. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! I am always amazed by those huge Model Team creations. They're so full of details although being very big. Yours is no exception. A lot of love for detail went into it as you can see. And even if you're not familiar with the typical shape of a Renault Truck you will instantly recognize it as such, but the simple but brilliant Renault logo. This little piece add really much to its authentic look. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! First, I am not a system scale building expert, so my suggestion might looks a bit primitive, but nonetheless, here's what came to my mind. Relatively new there are now wheels which can be attached by a TECHNIC pin: Wheel 11 x 8 mm with Center Groove There are two types of tyres matching these wheels, depending if you want it bigger like a truck or smaller like a normal car: Tire 14mm D. x 6mm Solid Smooth Tire 17.5mm D. x 6mm with Shallow Staggered Treads These can be attached via TECHNIC pins on standard 1x2 bricks with pin hole. I agree, the resulting chasis is very low, but it does not touch the ground, and the car can roll unhindered. All the best and happy building, ~ Christopher

Hello! A nice compact concept! The cockpit folds up really originally. But in what way are the guns able to rotate? Do you mean they can rotate to enhance the fire arc (which is not shown) or do you mean they hypothetically rotate around their shaft only? I furthermore would enlarge the "three small boosters" to justify for its "incredible fast" speed. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! The Brawler is a really nice creation, as it features many unusual parts. The self-made exoskeleton is very original, as well as the ski and the helmets at the shoulders. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello dear community! First, my excuses if you have the feeling I flood you with mini models. Let me explain what's going on. My holidays are over very soon and then the final phase of my current job is beginning. This means that when I don't share these models with you now, it'll probably take several months until I get the chance to do this. So I thought, better now than too late. From the science fiction / horror thriller "Event Horizon" (1997) I'd like to show you the main ship - the Event Horizon. It is a quite unusual shape. There's the bridge section, and after a very looong central tube there is the engine section. The gravity drive is resembled by the printed with an droid eye technic ball piece of the "Jabba's Palace" set. Although the model is pretty small, it tunred out nicely, including the double-angled wings. It uses many technic pieces in the inner construction. >>> Click here for all images and building instructions <<< Thanks for your time and interest! ~ Yours Christopher

Heya, no, no problem, no offense taken. There are many more programs I don't know at all. It's good we know what "preview" can do as many people only know it as pdf previewer such as Adobe Reader. The reason why I talked about MAC users was simply that I looked for some free tool independent from the OS. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! This is very impressive with many stunning details. However, the dimensions seem to be not quite correct (yet). It's looks too wide from the pictures you showed us. But you're quite skilled, so it shouldn't be difficult for you to reduce the width of the wings by two studs on each side. I know references are difficult to find on this ship, but the flat wing part between central tube and outer engines is definitely more narrow. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! Well researched! The size looks correct and those 1x2 grill slopes suit the tower really well. Also it features the needed 3-man crew. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! The tank in the middle is a great example that old-styled hinges and new clicky hinges can go hand in hand, instead of using either one or the other. Very well done! Also the display in real snow is pretty nice, although it could need some more light. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello again! Now here's the shortcut in case you used the zoom function of your camera to only take on the picture what you want. Again, before we start, the stats: Image to be optimized: - file name: IMG_9238.jpg (typical name given by cameras) - file size: approx. 1 MB (1000 kB) - image dimensions: 2592x1944 pixels Optimzed image: - file name: rsz_img_9238.jpg (name given to optimized file by the tool) - file size: approx. 60 kB (0.06 MB) - image dimensions: 640x480 pixels Now let's start once more. 1. Open the tool We open the web browser and enter http://www.picresize.com in the adress bar. 2. Choose your image file We come to the following screen and press "Browse" (red oval) to choose the file we wish to optimize. 3. Use the shortcut. We again see the path and file name of our image in the field. However, this time we don't press "Continue" but instead click on the little "+" for "Quick Resize". 4. Enter your specifications Once you clicked the "+" the window expands to let you enter your desired image specifications. Choose again "Custom Size" and enter the values for "Width" and "Height". Again, a value for the height is not needed as the width/height ration will remain the same. If you need to sharpen the image you just activate the related checkbox, otherwise just select "None" for the category "Special Effect". Select "JPG" as image type and press "Resize Pic". 5. Be patient (again) Please take some moments to let the tool upload your file and perform the operations you chose. The dizzy-making loading bar tells you it's in progress. 6. Safe your image You can now safe your image. Therefore press "Save to Disk". A new window opens again and you can choose the direction to safe your image. Press "Safe". 7. You're done once more! You did an image optimization in one simple operation. Well done! Now I am done with my quick guide. Of course there are many more of these free online tools. They all work in a similar way, however. I hope this is of some help. All the best, yours Christopher.

Hello dear people! Recently I read about a MAC user who didn't have the possibility to resize his images by the easy methods available for Windows users. I thought of how to manage this, and searched a bit on the internet for so-called online image resizers. Of course there are also special programs for each operation systems (OS). But a free online tool has the advantage of being independent of the OS. There are vast amounts of such programs available. Out of these I picked a more popular one with some special features and would like to give a short guide on how to use this online tool. The web adress of the free online tool is: http://www.picresize.com Before we start, here's some data and results: Image to be optimized: - file name: IMG_9233.jpg (typical name given by cameras) - file size: approx. 1 MB (1000 kB) - image dimensions: 2592x1944 pixels Optimzed image: - file name: rsz_img_9233.jpg (name given to optimized file by the tool) - file size: approx. 60 kB (0.06 MB) - image dimensions: 640x442 pixels Now let's start. 1. Open the tool We open the web browser and enter http://www.picresize.com in the adress bar. 2. Choose your image file We come to the following screen and press "Browse" (red oval) to choose the file we wish to optimize. 3. Update your image file We see the file name and directory of the chose file in the "Select Picture" field. Then we press "Continue". 4. Be patient The horizontal blue/white spiral bar indicates we have to wait a few moments until our image has uploaded into the online tool. 5. Crop your image The image is now uploaded and ready to be optimized. You see its thumbnail in the upper right corner. You notice that there is a lot of free space around the actual objects. With this tool you can also get rid of unnecessary free space surrounding your models. This is called "cropping". Following the instructions on the left side you can draw a dotted rectangle around your models (see thumbnail image). Then press "Crop Selection" to remove the unused space around your selection. 6. Choose the dimensions of your image You will see that the thumbnail in the upper right corner has changed after successfully cropping your image. It now shows your selection. Now it's time to set the dimensions of the image (width and height in pixels). It's best to choose "Custom Size" and enter the desired width (640 pixels in width is usually enough). Be sure that you choose "Pixels" and not "Percent"! It is not necessary to enter a value for the height. The width/height ratio of your selection will be maintained. 7. Sharpen your image (optional) and confirm "Resize" a) If your light source was not sufficent or if you had shaky handswhile you took the picture, it might be a bit blurry. Here you have the possibility to mark the box "Sharpen". Usually you'll simply take another picture that is not blurry and does not need further sharpening. In this case you just check the box "None". b) Now scroll down a bit and seletc "JPG" as desired file type. Then click the field "Resize Pic". 8. Safe your image You can now safe your image. Therefore press "Save to Disk". A new window opens and you can choose the direction to safe your image. Press "Safe". 9. You're done! You cropped it, (sharpened it), resized it, and reduced its file size. Well done! That's it! There's even a quicker way in case you don't need to crop your image first. I will add this in a moment. For now let me quickly safe the written words above. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! Thank you for the comments! I'd love to do that space-maid starship of the Spaceballs, but it would have to be able to transform between its two forms. Otherwise I would not be satisfied. It could take some time until I'll be able to come up with something adequate. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! It looks very agile and thus perfect for even difficult terrain. Good alternate build! Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! These are some great improvements over the original sets! Reagrding the Astro fighter, those wing guns are excellently attached, but I especially like the printed round tiles as engines. I can't say much about the pick-up sace truck, but I somehow feel that blue technic pin should be replaced by a light or dark grey one. The dropship again looks very nice, and proves that dark bluish grey is an excellent colour for space creations. Well done! Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! A great addition to the line of modular buildings! I find that entrance most impressive! All those 1x2 curved bricks pointing in two different directions give it a unique look I have not seen before. Excellent! Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello everybody! It's my pleasure to share a rather unconventional space vehicle with you today. It's the Eagle V of the science fiction parody Spaceballs from 1987. Here's a little dialogue to remember the scene of first appearance: Princess Vespa (speaks in microphone) after having been rescued by Lone Starr: "Now you hear this, whoever you are, you will not touch that luggage, and furthermore, I want this pig-sty cleaned up. I will not be rescued in such filth!" Lone Starr (speaks in microphone) to princess Vespa: "Listen. On this ship, I don't take orders, I give 'em. This is my dream boat, sweetheart." And now the mini model. It's very small. Most difficult part was the position of the front wheels for a typical camper van. They are at the very front but needed some cover from the front. I took minifigure neck brackets which also have the function to close the gap to the SNOT windscreen attached on the side of a TECHNIC brick. All images and instructions can be found here. Have a great day! Yours Christopher

Hello! You might want to read this similar topic: Sets can't escape Technic? It's about the presence of TECHNIC pieces in non-TECHNIC sets. Many people agree that with TECHNIC pieces the functions of sets are better, and that without TECHNIC many things would not work at all. I can only repeat what I said there. TECHNIC pieces are important to me. Although I don't build or collect TECHNIC, I appreciate the variety and specification of many of these pieces. Some of them are essential for my models even. So I wouldn't be so harsh and think people hate TECHNIC like poison. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Heya, here I compiled a list of more formal and elegant looking torsos of newer age: Images taken from the BrickLink Catalogue. Your choice. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Well, there are over one thousand torso assemblies available on BrickLink, and you can't decide? Or don't have the time to browse them all? I guess that every more formal dressed torso would do fine for the job. But something in tan colour would be also adequate, one would think. There is a pretty good minifigure already which comes quite close to Sherlock Holmes himself. It's Dr. Henry Jones from the Indiana Jones theme. Image taken from BrickLink. The torso itself has no skin colour, so you're free to use yellow or flesh head and hands. EDIT: As I just saw, your Avatar Figure has exactly that torso. Maybe the choice was too obvious? Anyway I still think it would make an excellent Holmes. Cheers, ~ Christopher

Hello! I agree, colour terms can be quite confusing, especially since the grey shades changed 6 years ago in 2004. TLC uses different names than they're common on BrickLink or Peeron for example. I can recommend the following compilation of colors: http://www.peeron.com/inv/colors It contains all name variations of the same colour used on different sites and systems. This can be extremely useful when you need to define one of the newer colours in MLCAD for example. Medium blue or the stone grey series is not included there, and thus has to be defined first. You'll also find the medium blue in the list, a really beautiful colour if this side note is allowed. Light blue is a more rare colour that is discontinued since 2007. It could mainly be found in the Belville theme. Although BrickLink lists several more items in light blue than there should be, it is very probable that these are listed wrong and are instead medium blue. Many times I already received wrong coloured pieces from BrickLink sellers who mixed them up. But that's a different story to tell. If you want to see examples of the real colours and the pieces it comes in, have a look at the BrickLink colour catalogue with thumbnails: Thumbnail Colour Catalogue on BL Let me close with a little hint: If you see a piece in unusual colour on BL, it's worth the time to send the seller an email to make sure it's not a listing error. All the best, ~ Christopher

Hello! Using the old styled 1x4 car roof hinge pieces for a mower is an excellent idea! You could, however, resize those huge images which take ages to load. Then you also could post the images or their thumbnails directly in this thread which makes it more attractive. Cheers, ~ Christopher