20feet
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Everything posted by 20feet
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Yep, just waiting for some rare pieces to arrive. Then I think I'll be done. But you know how that goes.
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Thanks! Can’t wait to share - I’m (still) almost done
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I have a teaser to share for my upcoming all-new TIE Fighter MOC, which I've been working on for the past 6+ months: When I finished my mod of Jerac's TIE Fighter in February, I kept the original wing shape and structure. I wanted to build my own version, but I knew it would take some work. Once I figured out the wing hub, I wanted to rebuild everything else with the same level of accuracy and detail. I'm almost done.
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[MOC] TIE Fighter - Minifig Scale [Instructions]
20feet replied to Tom_Brick's topic in LEGO Star Wars
Interesting design! I'm envious of the interior space and the functional hatch. -
Ya, you can come up with convoluted rationalizations for the inconsistencies, but the truth is the set/prop designers just weren't very concerned about getting the details right. And arguments about what the greebles on these ships "really" are is silly, because what they are is plastic props from an old movie. Mind you, I am obsessed with accurately modelling the minutest details of these plastic props. But I try not to take it too seriously
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You can click through the gallery for the whole story, but the TL;DR is that TIE Fighters (including Vader's!) have rear windows... on the inside. But the layout of the TIE interior set is inconsistent with the exterior models.
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Wow, 11/10! I wouldn't expect that for a system with just a few lights. I guess getting the wires where you want them would be tricky. I was thinking of trying to light the TIE I'm (still) building, but even their small battery pack wouldn't fit inside.
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It's still funny to me that you have to manage the global supply of TIE Fighter parts via your design decisions. Hey, at one point you'd shared a version of this TIE with lighting, but it didn't make the release version. What's the story on that?
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Nice work @Frenk512 These mods are always harder than you'd expect. I do think it looks better this way. @Jerac perhaps this could be an official variant? But the mod is easy enough to follow for those who have a large hatch.
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Thanks, that's very kind! Of course you don't need to design custom stickers to my exact specifications! But if you did... The targeting computer is my top priority. I've settled on black 1x1 quarter round tiles to represent the red glowing panels in the TIE cockpit. If I include the light grey triangular panels they would probably just be plain LBG quarter tiles, not stickers. I was thinking of including the hexagonal rear "window" (see set photo above) in my TIE interior - maybe just as a plain black hexagonal sticker (a bit narrower than 2 studs). But you could design something with the surrounding greebles if you wanted If anyone's interested in an in-depth investigation of the TIE's rear "window", I've done that here. If I went all in on stickers, I might put some on the sides of the 3x3 quarter domes that make up my cockpit (old version here). Also, the TF wings I'm building have very detailed hexagonal hubs, which look great, but they make the tiled LBG spokes around them look very flat and plain. I'm considering using stickers to give the spokes some detail. Maybe not this much detail, but just the main ridge down the centre?
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I'm slowly working on a major update to this model. In the meantime I investigated the purpose of the black hexagon on the rear of the TIE Fighter and made AN UNSETTLING DISCOVERY. May be of interest to other TIE builders.
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Ok, here goes! https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/b/bc/TIE_target_FF7.png/revision/latest?cb=20130311051338 TIE Targeting computer from A New Hope. 1x2, I think DBG background. Triangular panels - the black ones with red pattered lights, and the light grey ones in a diamond pattern. I think I'd do the light grey diamond to fit on a 2x2 round tile? Could do a square tile on an angle, but I wouldn't be able to fit that in my interior. I'd ignore the skewed, Pac Man-ish shape - I chalk that up to sloppy set design. The black panels with the lights I might design to fit on a 1x1 tile, maybe a 1x1 quarter round? TBH I haven't quite figured out how all this would go together. A couple stills from ANH: They used the same set for Vader's TIE and the regular ones BTW - they didn't decide to give Vader a special ship until later! Here's a fan-made physical version if that's helpful: Finally, the LEGO printed tile for the wing hub is nice, EXCEPT that the spokes go off at 45 degrees instead of 60. And the outer bits are misaligned. They fudged it to make the best of their inaccurately angled wings, but my (upcoming) wings are hella accurate!
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The gaps show when you look from the side, especially with a light background. You can see the effect here (with the old shape wings). The correct diameter for the top hatch at this scale would be 5 studs, so the 4 stud dish isn't that bad. But the hatch should be the same size as the front window - that's what makes it look weird to me. It makes sense for new builders to use the small hatch because the big one is so expensive, but I imagine a lot of builders who are upgrading an older TIE would prefer to keep the big one. This is really the only area where the old version looks better to my eyes. It would take some work to swap it, but if you find a good solution I think a lot of people would appreciate it!
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These look great! I'd be tempted to try decals for my Tie Fighter, if available: the targeting computer, the triangular panels in the cockpit, and a wing hub like this print, but more accurate/symmetrical?
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Ok, this is new to me but I'm looking at a bunch of .fbx files, none of which seem totally accurate. The general proportions are probably accurate but some of the details are poorly rendered. Amusingly, the cockpit interior does show the rear hexagon as a window, but it's positioned way too high up - in reality would be directly behind the pilot's seat so not very useful.
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That does look better Are the Squadrons models freely available? I’m curious how well they match with the TF Owner’s Manual. I’ve been working off this image but I don’t have good top/bottom/rear views. https://images.app.goo.gl/tnpDmZnfGkEWe6D27
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It's a great update, even in the places where you didn't take my advice By my measure the top and bottom edges are about 1 stud too wide. That's a reasonable compromise for people who like the grille bricks. It's a nice texture, but it bothers me that the lines run the wrong way on one side, and the different texture of the non-grilled pieces is a bit messy. Something I realized too late with my own model is that wear is quite noticeable on the black wing bricks. I didn't want to shell out for all new bricks, but seeing how shiny your wings are I wish I had. I'd recommend buying new to anyone planning to build that version. I made an effort to stagger the horizontal breaks in my wings to keep the emphasis on the vertical lines, but I see you lined up all the 1x1x5s from the outside edge. It looks quite good in this photo, but I wonder if having the shorter bricks at the centre is a bit distracting from the side?
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My favourite part is the functional top hatch! Leaving space for that is the main advantage of these round corners vs the quarter domes IMO. But it must have been tricky to make it strong with the open top and front.
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Impressive model. I don't particularly like the ship it's based on, but this is a really good representation. The rotating gun mechanism is excellent. I also like the smooth spokes on the wings. Most TIE MOCs go with the stepped plate approach, but the smoothness of these spokes is worth a bit of extra thickness IMO. And I've seen the grille brick style of TIE wings before, but I like it more here. Maybe it's the lighting? I still prefer the tall brick style in my TIE, but MOC design is all about priorities and tradeoffs. I'm looking forward to seeing more!
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Ya, I also like to top right best. I am worried that none of this will fit next to the quarter dome pieces. I'll have to figure out how my spars attach to the cockpit first. I've stuck with LBG and DBG (where appropriate). I think color accuracy is more important than getting the best possible shape, especially for something as clean and uniformly colored as an Imperial TIE Fighter. (You can get away with more in an Rebel ship.) But I often wish I were building a First Order TIE instead - so many more possibilities in black!
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How so?
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I'm working on a major update to this mod with new wings and spars. In the meantime, here's a couple pieces I'm tinkering with: I wanted to try for a smoother rear ring, using the handlebars as the outer edge. The angles aren't quite right, and I don't have space to attach them properly. I also couldn't think of a good way to shape the outer and inner cone, so I gave up on this method. Some prototypes for the stupid plates next to the cockpit. I find handlebars useful for curves and angles, but I wish there were other options. Alas, no LBG hot dogs. Are there any other small curved or angled pieces I could try here?
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Thanks LadyTano. I certainly didn't have those skills when I started – that's why it's taken me 2 years to make these mods!
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Thanks Csaba. It looks like Jerac has fixed both those issues in the forthcoming update. But I'm glad they were present in the first version – they spurred me to make my own modifications! The nice thing about this model is it's composed of a lot of little discreet chunks mounted to a strong frame, so it's not too difficult to take a bit that bugs you and start fiddling with it. It was a great way to cut my teeth. If I'd built Jerac's X-wing first I think I would have been too intimidated to try any mods. Even now, the thought is daunting. Tom_Brick: Thanks. I see you're a prolific TIE builder yourself! I enjoyed your Classic Space/Star Wars mash-ups.
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Thanks macaron35. The hatch and canopy are too big, but not by a lot. I considered trying to scale the ship up to fit them, but then it would be out of scale with my X-wing. At least the pieces are the right shape, unlike the cursed X-wing canopy. The wings are maybe a stud too close together (measuring from the center of each wing) but because the wing hub/spoke details are inevitably thicker in Lego, the overall width is about right. In any case, I haven't altered the outside dimensions of the model (yet!) – that part's all Jerac. The main inaccuracy in the dimensions is that the tops and bottoms of the wings are a bit short.