20feet

Thanks! It's gratifying that others like these mods as much as I do I did try angling the wing bricks slightly, but I couldn't get it to work. I might try that again, but at the moment I've taken the wings apart to attempt another mod! I did! The center bit of the handlebars has an irregular shape, so it doesn't really work to attach a clip there, unless you want it to stick straight out. I do suspect that a smoother cone shape is possible, but it might be up to someone else to figure it out. That's a very interesting idea! I think I'll give that a try (although I shudder to think what 4 LBG capes would cost).

I'd be delighted to see some of my ideas incorporated into the "official" MOC! I can provide more pictures if that's helpful. I'm excited to see the update! Thanks Alex! I was very pleased when that worked out. I've seen a lot of different attempts to show vertical lines in TIE wings – grille bricks, grille plates, tiles – but I prefer this style. I will admit, I've considered replacing the bar holder guns with lipstick (I think Inthert was the first to do this) but I enjoy being able to stick those silly flick missiles in the front. My 5-year-old likes this too!

I've made a lot of special modifications myself. Hi, this is my first real post here. Let me know what I'm doing wrong! I built @Jerac's TIE Fighter a couple years ago, and I've been tinkering with it off and on ever since. This was the first MOC I bought and built, and I remain very impressed by the strength, elegance, and ingenuity of the design. I've seen a lot of TIE MOCs since, and Jerac's is probably still my favourite. I wanted to say that clearly at the start, before getting into the nit-picking! Here's what I changed: Wing Gaps I always found the holes in the wings very distracting. They're easy enough to fill with 1x4 tiles, if you remove a plate from the base of the horizontal spokes. The result not only looks better, but holds the spokes in place more securely. I added 1x1 plates to the top and bottom corners to fill another gap. Canopy/Gun Mount I was also dissatisfied with the canopy/guns/controls assembly, which is a precarious stack of rods and clips. It's fiddly and fragile, and leaves extraneous T-pieces sticking out the front. Why did Jerac build it this way? I think because the cockpit's top, front and bottom dishes wrap around the quarter domes and they need to fit snugly to approximate a sphere, so the space available to mount the canopy and guns is incredibly tight. My solution was to mount the canopy on old robot arms. They're the right length, and they have a squared off neck where I've attached the gun mounts, which helps hold the guns in position (at least on 1 axis). Top Hatch Mount The top hatch in Jerac's model sits noticeably to the rear of centre. It's a bit tricky to fix because the hatch mount connects to the top of the central hexagon, which also needs to be positioned precisely. I had to rework my initial solution when I redid the rear - more on that below. Wing Construction I love Jerac's smooth stacked-brick wings, but they give the impression of subtle stripes running parallel to the wings edges, like concentric hexagons, whereas the real TIEs have prominent ridges perpendicular to the edges. It occurred to me that I could suggest these by using tall 1x1 bricks instead of long bricks. Stacked 1x1s do not make a strong wall, but because the hub/spokes/rim design is so secure, the finished wings are plenty solid. The main drawback of this design is that light can shine through the tall seams when you look straight on, lessening the sense of solidity. But I find the overall effect delightful. I used 1x8 tiles for all the spokes, to clear some extraneous studs off the wings. Interior I spent a lot of time trying to mimic the cockpit's triangular panels in some way, but couldn't find a solution at this scale. So I went for a looser interpretation, inspired by the beautiful Inthert version and Jerac's TIE Defender. The interior space in this model is very limited (even the Defender has an extra stud of depth) but I was able to include a lot of detail. I also made space for the newer, oversized TIE pilot helmets. I borrowed the control design from the Bricks Feeder/Inthert interior. I'm disappointed that LEGO has never printed the TIE Fighter targeting display. I may print my own sticker for that. The top hatch isn't functional, but it does need to swing up for cockpit access, so I added some simple details underneath. The scale is way off, but I like the way the 1x2 grills evoke the skylight pattern on the hatch. Cockpit Side Greebling I wanted to include the little dark grey bow ties on either side of the canopy. This was challenging for a few reasons: They should be centred, which means holding a small piece in the middle of a 2-stud space and minimizing the gaps around it. Everything should be curved to match the quarter domes. I also wanted to accommodate interior detailing in this space. Finally, there's an identical pattern in the rear, around the engines. These areas should look similar in front and back (see below). I'm quite satisfied with this solution: Wing Spars The arms (technically "spars") attaching the cockpit to the wings are full of Lego-unfriendly details: cylinders, thin rings and fins, and the notched plates next to the cockpit that slope in like 4 directions at once. Their diameter is small and they need to be strong. I did my best to imitate the details while sticking with Jerac's sturdy plate-based design. I swapped the 1x4 brackets for 1x2s to clear a couple studs off the front. There are more brackets inside to add strength and attach interior details. I tried a lot of different pieces for the bent T detail next to the wings. Pneumatic t-pieces seemed to best capture the shape. I'm dissatisfied with basically every part of these arms, but I haven't seen other versions at this scale that I prefer. Most of the key details are at least present, although crudely represented. Rear The central rear ring is the last piece of the original that I altered (so far). I'd done earlier revisions of the engines and hatch mount that retained the quarter ring tiles. I appreciate their smoothness even though they're too flat, and sink the central hexagon behind a circular cutout. I finally noticed that the outer diameter of this ring should match the top hatch and front canopy – it should be 5 studs (scaled to the overall model) or 6 (matching the canopy and hatch). That pushed me to build a custom ring with the key features of: 6 stud diameter Outer cone shape Inner inverted cone, and Prominent central hexagon with slightly recessed black interior. Drawbacks: I couldn't find a way to keep the red engine centers with this design I also couldn't include the bump on the top of the cone. The top hatch sits ~1mm too far forward (but closer to centre than the original) The outer diameter is 6 studs, but only at the points where the handlebars attach The handlebars aren't angled quite right, so the clips that form the ring are a bit skewed The inner inverted cone is too deep And of course this segmented design is not as smooth as the rest of the model. In spite of all that, I think the shapes are quite accurate for this scale, and I'm satisfied with the result. A Note on Scale The cockpit is about 9 studs tall, including the top hatch and bottom dish. At that scale the front canopy, top hatch and rear cone should all be 5 studs in diameter. It would be interesting to see a TIE MOC scaled up to fit the 6x6 dish – a cockpit diameter of ~11 studs. Conclusion I've changed most of the pieces and the details in this model, without changing much about the structure or general appearance. I'm still tinkering with it. I've got some ideas to rework the wings and spars, but that's quite a big project. Some of these modifications are a matter of taste, but I'm quite pleased with the results. I'm interested to hear others' opinions. Credits In addition to Jerac, I appreciated and drew inspiration from: Inthert and Bricks Feeder: Beautiful interiors Koen Zwanenburg: Clever cockpit side details, more accurate shape of the wing hubs (although I stuck with Jerac's for now) Fuku Saku: Nice front and back cockpit details. The rear cone piece is clean and accurate, but loses the center details. Force of Bricks: Interesting arm details and rear shape. If I do a more thorough redesign I'll likely borrow a lot from this model. Pasq67: Impressive details at a smaller scale. Cereal Eating Builder: Incredible accuracy at a much larger scale. Reference Photos The EFX prop replica seems to be the most accurate model available. This gallery is my main resource. For proportions I referred to this blueprint from the Tie Fighter Owners' Workshop Manual Some pictures of original props here A discussion of TIE Fighter scale

I'm from Canada, and I'm interested in vintage Lego (the stuff I wanted as a child – mostly post-classic Space), mods to classic sets, Technic cars, Star Wars, and all kinds of MOCs. My favourite set is the 8880 Supercar. I've become an AFOL in the past few years, buying some used sets and building with my kids. My main project has been modifying Jerac's TIE Fighter. I hope to share that with you soon!

I'm very late to this party, but I finally purchased and built the Bugatti, after waiting to see if I'd prefer its successor. Aside from the lack of stickers (and a couple mechanical improvements which this thread addresses) the only thing I envy about the Lamborghini is the transmission being visible from below. It seems like a shame to build such a complex mechanism and then have it almost invisible in the final product. It should be quite feasible to build the bottom frame with a Sian-style window. I'll take a crack at it as some point, but thought I'd ask if anyone more talented was interested. Anyway @jb70, that would be my suggestion for 1.6, if there ever is one. But I imagine a lot of folks in this thread have moved on to the new hotness.

Ya, I’ve noticed there isn’t space on the standard TIE for this style of mount. I’ll let you know if I figure out a better solution ?

Jerac, I'm curious why you built the guns/window attachment/controls differently for Vader's tie than your regular tie fighter. They're basically identical in the movies, right? I've built your standard TF, and I wasn't satisfied with the solidness of the front bits, or the T-pieces sticking out next to the guns. I was thinking of trying to copy the lower front from your Vader tie. Is this a new and improved version, in your mind?

I purchased an 8880 a couple years ago and tinker with it every now and then. I hope to incorporate the mods above, but am most interested in adding a working hood and doors (without using newer pieces, and preserving the original look as much as possible). I'd love to see a more experienced builder's take on these mods. Not to take anything away from the original set, or Kumbbl's excellent mods, but I'd say a model car can hardly be called "full featured" if it doesn't have working doors! Cheers