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mcphatty

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Everything posted by mcphatty

  1. mcphatty
    I really like Yoda’s little Starfighter in The Clone Wars, but I didn’t like the old set and the new one didn’t do it for me either… so I rebuilt it. This modification/alternate build uses only pieces from 75360 (none of the extras), the cockpit ‘ball’ is bigger and rounder, the wings are shorter lower and set further forward and the spring-loaded shooters don’t work. Or maybe I should say BUT the spring-loaded shooters don’t work? Anyway, I think I’ve improved the proportions a bit and it’s a pretty solid build. If you’re interested free instructions are on Rebrickable
  2. mcphatty
    I got around to taking some photos of the stand last week and have edited them into my original post. Here's my modified UCS X-Wing on it's landing gear stand, pride of place in our living room (for now!). Free instructions for the stand, X-Wing modifications and R2-D2 are on Rebrickable.
  3. mcphatty
    Hi everyone, I've been playing with luminous materials in Studio and have tried to replicate the kind of basic global illumination style HDRI lighting I used to aim for in Cinema 4D. Below is the result, the first render is my lighting with Intensity in Studio's Render menu set to zero and for comparison below that is the standard Mechanic lighting with Intensity 2. I think that by getting rid of the default illumination and effectively turning off the HDR sky in Studio the model looks less overexposed, especially the upward facing surfaces which instantly lose the bright, sterile white reflection. The darker model means the highlights stand out a lot more, and since studs and edges are reflective there are plenty of nice highlights to look at! I also added some illumination in the scene, the white parts around the edge of the landing pad and in the upright light are luminous soft white and there is a bit of glow coming from the engines. I rendered these with transparent background and added a coloured backdrop and some noise in Photoshop. It's not a realistic image by any means but I think it'd a decent improvement, it's certainly helped my renders blend in with my photos on Instagram profile. Here's the Studio file of the lighting arrangement (_HDRI Lights by Ron_McPhatty.io) if you'd like to to give it a try, remember to turn the "Illumination" option in the Render window down to "0" before clicking render. To achieve the lighting effect I arranged a heap of large plate pieces into rings, angled them at downwards to aim at the subject positioned in the centre and positioned a few luminous panel spotlights directly above to give extra shadows and highlights. Other lights can be toggled on and off by Hiding/Showing the parts groups, so it's possible to light objects slightly differently for example all light from one side to give the impression of a bright planet. Here's how it all looks in Studio... Here's a few more examples with different models. I hope the idea is useful, any suggestions to help me improve the set up would be great, and feel free to use and abuse the lighting set up if you like it and I'd love to see other models rendered in this style.
  4. mcphatty
    @JabbaTheHatt Graet mods! That keychain R2 is perfect, thats such a good idea, very well done! The wider wings look noticably better and all your other little additions are very worthwhile, I especially like how you've swapped the wedge brick arrangement on the sides of the nose tip, that looks a lot better. I wanted to add the dual moulded helmet to Luke too, I've been looking for a spare on eBay and Bricklink but the price has shot up astronomically, might have to do a swap with my old 75218 set. Nice mods sir, well done
  5. mcphatty
    I've been working on some modifications to the 2023 UCS X-Wing in Studio. My main aims were to increase the slope angle of the top surface of the nose and to build a stand to display the X-Wing on landing gear, I also swapped the nose tip parts for light blueish grey and got rid of those horrible white flippers on the laser tips. The landing gear feet and doors are built into a a thin flat base which the X-Wing rests on top of, aligned by the rear gear and supported by a column of bricks that poke up into the ship's display stand hole. The X-Wing set doesn't need to be modified to sit on the stand so hopefully it'll be useful to anyone like me who wants to display the under a coffee table. It can also be moved, the UCS plaque positioned on either side (or not at all) and the X-Wing can be lifted away very easily. Free instructions are on Rebrickable I also built a detailed little R2 to display with the X-Wing. Like many others I wanted to reuse the old 30611 polybag head part behind the X-Wing's cockpit, it's slightly too big to be the right scale but personally I prefer it to the too-small minifigure. Big thanks to Jan Woźnica, who goes by john_carter and is the behind the Tale of The Space Age Lego Ideas set, he kindly let me alter and use his very clever R2-D2 design. He brilliantly positioned 1x1 Round Plate with Bar pieces at 45 degrees between two 4x4 Round Plates, taking advantage in the gaps between studs and anti-stud notches underneath round plates, allowing an open stud piece to securely connect to the end bar poking out of the 4x4 circle. You can find his excellent original here and I created a seperate set of instructions for R2 (also on the X-Wing mod Rebrickable page). I'm really pleased with how the mods turned out, it's great (for my marriage) to be able to display such a big set under a coffee table rather than taking up huge amount of space with the s-foils opened. I really like seeing the ship with the wings closed with the added bonus of the weight of the top pair making them appear fully close. I hope the stand proves useful to some of you, thanks for looking!
  6. mcphatty
    @ChemicalWorld I think you might be right about the 2x8 plate everyones moaning about. I've got a few big tiles to try to replace it with but I'm not sure they'll have the strength that the 2x8 plate provides and I don't think theres room to reinforce from behind. We'll see though! Out of curiosity has anyone looked at reducing the height of the top of the back of the fuselage? It should be lower than the top of the cockpit, I'm gonna see what I can remove to shave some height off.
  7. mcphatty
    @ChemicalWorld Good to see that the polybag R2 head looks good on the new X-Wing! You're right the size does work, ideally it would be a little smaller but it gives a much better overall look than the regular minifigure. I had a similar idea, I haven't built the set yet but I've got the R2 head on a new body that I plan to display with the ship and I'm working on a stand with built in landing gear that the X-Wing can rest on top of. I'm also going to angle the top surface of the nose, I'll have to test that on the set as, and I want to make a the nose tip light grey and one brick narrower. Here's a WIP render and some instructions for R2-D2 in case anyone's interested. Huge thanks to john.carter (designer of the Lego Ideas Tales of The Space Age set) for letting me use his R2 body as a starting point, his genius placement of the Bar with Plate 1x1 piece at 45 degrees is what made it all possible, steps 9 to 11 of the instructions show how his clever solution connects the legs.
  8. mcphatty
    And another photo or two. Without intending to I've collected a few Clone Troopers, plus a Command Centre, so I'm putting my minifigures to work. @Chrome Vader Thanks! It seems ridiculous to get hung up on proportions with a build thats more or less chibi, but I definitely did.
  9. mcphatty
    Very impressive! I really like the mostly tiled exterior but with some visible studs and antistuds, the overall look suits the Falcon very well. All the pipes contrasting with the smooth surfaces works beautifully too. The interior is just brilliant, there's so much detail that its hard to take in, just fantastic stuff. It's wonderful to see so much effort go into the underside too, such a shame the Lego sets don't get this kind of attention. I love the way you've photographed and lit the Falcon too, it works really well. I had a look at your photos on Flickr, I'm a complete amateur at photography but if it's of any help to you I was told to try a much smaller aperture, something like f/16 for a hint of depth to f/22 for as much sharpness as possible, and then a much lower shutter speed like 0.5 to 2s. With my Canon 1300D I'm getting much more of the Lego looking sharp, but I still struggle with lighting. Anyway, fantastic job, very well done!!
  10. mcphatty
    A couple of months ago I became unhappy with the long, shoe-like appearance of this ship, the proportions just looked off. After a lot of messing about with different wedge plates and angles I tried reducing the length by 2 studs and having the cockpit about 4 plates higher up, which seemed to look better. I then redid the nose to be more accurately shaped, improved my poorly designed top rocket launchers and reduced the wings by 1 stud each side to correct the overall proportions. The Midi Republic Gunship is now 10% smaller, 10% cheaper and 10% chibbier whilst still having space 6 figures, plus two more with the Bubble Turrets connected. I've updated the instructions to version 2.0, there's also a zip file with extra parts required to upgrade from v1.3 (about £5 worth). Lastly I've redone the 501st and Muunilisnt colour schemes and added a few new ones; the 212th, 33nd and Coruscant Guard. Here's a comparison of v1.3 and v2.0 along with a photo of the new version doing some perimeter creating, plus all those colour schemes. I'd love to hear what you guys think, suggestions are always welcome!
  11. mcphatty
    @Brickshipyard thanks very much! I can’t take any credit for the lasers, I copied the design from that small bit of wing sticking out of the swamp, Lego did a great job with that it’s a very sturdy design. It would be good to see more Lego ships this size, there’s a few sets from recent years like Slave 1, the Dark Knight’s Tumbler and the Lightyear XL15 that are beautifully shaped, compact and dense and I’d love to see more like them. The current X-Wing and TIE Fighter sets are alright but a little bit less sturdy and sleek than they could be. Having said that, the wing mechanism in the X-Wing is a work of pure genius, I imagine that’ll get used in Mocs and sets for decades to come!
  12. mcphatty
    Hi all. I started this little project as soon as I saw pictures of the Dagobah Jedi Training set, already into the swing of sub 30cm builds I thought the little piece of wing protruding from the swamp would be an ideal starting point for an X-Wing. This modification is a combination of a small stand (in the boardered diorama style) with my Midi X-Wing, plus some swampy decoration. The swamp-stand can connect to the Dagobah set by removing one of the silver grill tiles and using the protruding studs for the connection, or the stand can also sit seperately. The Dagobah set's bit of wing can be hidden behind Yoda's hut and the hinge area conveniently disguised with a single piece of foliage. I've put together instructions and parts list for the mod and X-Wing (which can be built as a mod of 75301), they're all in a zip file here. Thanks for looking!
  13. mcphatty
    I've been messing around with my Lego in front of my TV. Lighting these shots from the front is proving to be tricky, I think it might be time to invest in an RGB app-controlled light bulb. I'm having fun learning though and it's nice to be taking a break from Studio.
  14. mcphatty
    This is a gorgeous MOC, you've updated the old set beautifully with some nice contrast between smooth tiled areas and fussy details. Falcrum put it well, fresh and polished. Awesome work and great presentation!
  15. mcphatty
    @Falcrum You’re not wrong. I was comparing the pictures to the original flat light grey MOC, the silver rally stands out and I thought the reflections and bright sunlight helped, but on its own it’s hardly noticeable… maybe like you say a little bit dusty! I’ll have to work on showing the silver off better.
  16. mcphatty
    I've spray painted a couple of my mocs silver and the result has been pretty good, so I thought I'd give it a go on Mando's N-1. I use vinyl dye spray paint, as far as I know it's used for painting synthetic leather and soft plastics, for example car interiors, but it works well on ABS too. The paint soaks slightly into the Lego and offers some scratch resistance, unfortunately it also changes the surface texture making it harder to pull pieces apart. Two coats gives a good finish without adding any thickness, most importantly the Lego logo is still clear! I'm pleased with how this one looks, I'd planned to only paint the light grey pieces but also tried the dark grey cones on the engine intakes and the darker base colour actually gives a better reflection.
  17. mcphatty
    The cockpit windscreen and bubble canopy pieces give these their chibi look, they’re a bit too big but I think the rest of the ships’ proportions are okay. @khatmorg I hadn’t read that article before, thanks for the link! It’s interesting to see which sets are the closest to their chosen minifigure scale. I like the idea of choosing the UCS Falcon as a reference, 1:41 is a good scale for minifigures looking the right size in scenes.
  18. mcphatty
    I've dragged my feet with the Mandalorian version of my N-1, everyone else seemed to get it out there within 24hrs of the episode, but here she is! The structure is essentially the same as my Naboo N-1, still very strong as swooshable, with some hints at exposed structural areas and slightly different engines. I have decided to go with strength and low cost rather than exhastive detail, since the cockpit is oversized anyway I was never going to be able to make this as accurate as some of the other amazing versions out there but there is plenty of detail and the tail and bottom engine definitely won't fall off :) The ship is 28cm long, consists of 331 common pieces and cost around £31 to build. Instructions are free over on Rebrickable... https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-115255/ron_mcphatty/midi-mandalorian-n-1-starfighter/#details
  19. mcphatty
    Hi all. I've done a minor update to the mod to add a point to the tail overhanging the cockpit canopy. I still haven't used any extra pieces, just repurposed the notched-wedges behind the canopy and the yellow quarter tiles underneath the tail fin (such a shame they weren't white!). The new cockpit canopy can still be removed as it's connected under the white hinge plates by a jumper plate, it just can't be hinged open. I've also added new photos to the top post and updated the instructions for the mod on Rebrickable. Here's a couple of pictures to show the change...
  20. mcphatty
    My old 2008 young 'Snips' Ahsoka had cracked feet, I always meant to replace her legs but recently wondered what she'd look like with medium legs, so I gave it a try. The much newer white medium leg pieces fit very stiffly with the old reddish brown hip part but nothing broke when I forced the parts together, phew! think she's the perfect height now, much better for her age. I'm not sure about the cut-down lightsaber I gave her though, might have to go back to a regular piece.
  21. mcphatty
    @Per_SW I did the same, I’ve never done it before and weirdly fun is exactly right! I may try to find a way to easily fit in some plates with rails to fill those gaps but I’m glad you liked the mod.
  22. mcphatty
    Here's my own modified set and landing pad. It's a great little set and the Taun We figure is really special, I'm very pleased with how the modification turned out too... and slightly relieved that it worked! Free instructions for the mod and landing pad are on my Rebrickable page... https://rebrickable.com/users/ron_mcphatty/mocs/
  23. mcphatty
    I can't stop staring at your Razor Crest, I'm not the biggest fan of SNOT but the textures and lines you've managed to create really draw the eye in and add a lot to the ship, it really does look like a model. How's the strength and what does it weigh?
  24. mcphatty
    These Home One pictures are without a doubt some of my favourite shots of yours so far! It's great watching the story unfold in your mocs, there aren't many long-term big scale projects like this. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Battle of Endor unfold!
  25. mcphatty
    It’s out of stock on the UK site, maybe briefly available overnight. the problem in the UK is that Lego of all themes is inconsistently stocked, my local independent toy store get what they can but regularly aren’t able to get Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel sets on release. Demand is also very high, our online retailers like Zavvi and Amazon sell out of preorders quickly so if you aren’t putting some effort in it’s easy to miss out. Our supermarkets and other big name high street stores have some stock but are more likely to be selling discounted old sets than recently released ones. We’re also experiencing high inflation and poor supply chain for all sorts of things, not sure if Lego gets caught up in that but recently heavily discounted May releases show that could be the case. Lastly, there is very good availability for all sets if you’re willing to buy from a scalper and pay double or more. The Clone Trooper Command Station has been available on eBay for £17-30 (plus postage) since release. Whatever the problem is with stock, shipping and supply from Lego the scalpers are making it worse. I played their game, set up stock alerts from several sources and bought my friend and I a Clone Trooper Command Station each at 4:30am on the 12th June from the Lego website, they were out of stock when I checked again at 10am. Did the same for the Ahsoka Brickhead a while ago, so it’s possible to get these sets but only if you put in effort and patience.
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