Neophyte_brickie

Kudos to you and your collaborators, you did an amazing job! Seriously, Lego should hire you. I do think Lego needs to rethink their approach to some of the UCS sets; building your mod I got to thinking about why Lego would put out the piece of shite that is the original 75355 rather than produce something more like the GoTB version. It can’t be lack of access to talent. Part of it I think is feeling they need to avoid buiilds that are too difficult - GoTB’s S-foil mechanism really is a very challenging builld experience - more difficult than I think I’ve encountered in any UCS set - and I think Lego doesn’t want to risk bad reviews from people who just don’t have the focus and patience for such a complex thing. But then I think, these are supposed to be 18+ sets, right? And the target market is hardcore SW fans - the people who really care about having something that looks movie-accurate despite being made of Lego. And I guess another part of it is the piece count. They’re trying to keep the cost down to something that buyers will be comfortable to pay for a set of this size. But again, the demographic is collectors who are already willing to drop hundreds of dollars on a set (and more for sets like the AT-AT & Millennium Falcon). To compromise so badly on a set like this makes no sense - because now I’ve seen what the set could have been, I’m just pissed off with Lego that I dropped Au$369 on something that looks like crap after a year on display (and if I’m being honest didn’t look that great even when first built). I would gladly have paid an extra $100 for something that looks as good as GoTB’s version.

It's finally done! What a transformation. This MOD/MOC turns 75355 into the set it really should have been all along, and resolves all of the important problems (they are many and significant) with the original UCS set. The mechanism that controls the S-foils and its attachment to the wings is the most egregious design problem with the original set. It really never should have passed quality control. The basic problem is that each wing connects to the concealed mechanism via a single 1x12 technic brick. The entire weight of each wing is suspended from this one long skinny part - it is hopelessly under-engineered. Now a model like this is always going to suffer from some wing droop - the wings are a considerable size for a thickness of only two plates, and carry not only their own weight but that of the wingtip cannons and the engine assemblies. But putting all that force through a single technic brick is madness - the technic brick will inevitably deform. Not only does it guarantee a truly ugly degree of wing droop, the orientation of the set on the stand (ie, with the nose tilted upward at an angle) combined with the lack of support ensures that the wings are permitted to flex in other unwanted ways - namely, toward the back of the ship, and around the long axis of the wing. Over time, this leads to a very noticeable loss of alignment of the wings themselves and everything that is attached to them (the cannons and the engines). In the case of my set, it also led to the mechanism failing to function as it should - it would open the S-foils, but then the mechanism would jam in the open position. The original S-foil mechanism and wing design introduced some additional serious cosmetic problems - when closed, the wings don't come together completely but are separated by a gap; there are additional gaps between the fuselage and the engine housings (most obvious with the S-foils closed); the underside of each engine housing, where the wing attaches to the inner mechanism (achieved via 4 technic axle 3L with stop and 4 technic brick 1x2 with hole and dual liftarm extensions) is unsightly and looks nothing like that part of the wing is supposed to; and the control for the mechanism, in the form of a Hero Factory Weapon Barrel, sits smack-bang in the middle of the top side of the fuselage, creating a very conspicuous "hey, look at me, I'm a play feature!" that looks very out of place on a UCS set. GoTB's MOD/MOC utilises a completely different S-foil mechanism that is quite simply brilliant engineering. Based around a series of technic gears and technic liftarms, it is much more robust and supports the wings much more securely. It also incorporates a realistic-looking underside to the engine housing that simultaneously provides additional attachment points to the wing itself, an example of inspired design that satisfies the demands of form and function. When closed, the wings come together with no gap; the engine housings are shifted inward toward the body of the ship, reducing the gaps there; and the control knob for the mechanism is moved to the panel on the ship's rear end, utilising a much more subtle round tile that blends in seamlessly. The greebling on the top panel behind the cockpit, now free of that horrible Hero Factory Weapon Barrel, is completely reworked and looks absolutely fantastic. The changes don't stop there - the astromech socket has been adjusted to provide R2 with a higher and more realistic vantage point, the cockpit itself has been given a substantial upgrade, with additional control panels (complete with custom stickers) flanking the pilot's seat, which itself has been completely redesigned for greater accuracy, and the addition of a couple of black hoses and metallic silver accents behind the pilot's seat. The nose of the ship has been redesigned to incorporate a smoothly tiled, gentle slope down from the front of the cockpit to the nose-cone, eliminating a lot of the gaps along the way that marred the appearance of original set's forward section. The nose cone itself is also masterfully re-worked to be one brick slimmer, more aesthetically pleasing, and to fit more closely to the front of the X-wing. It is still too broad compared with the source material, but I think probably as good as it's possible to get without narrowing the entire nose of the ship itself, which would require a completely new cockpit canopy part (and we know that ain't gonna happen any time soon!) The improved support and method of attachment for the wings have allowed the wings to be lengthened, making the overall proportions much more realistic and pleasing to the eye. Everything feels substantially more secure, and as you can see in the before and after comparison shots below, the wings, cannons and engines are now all perfectly aligned, with the wing-droop problem much improved. The most remarkable thing about this MOD/MOC is that its DNA is still unmistakably that of Henrik Andersen's creation, the original 75355, it's just better in every conceivable way; it's 75355, 2.0. The GoTB team has gone to extraordinary lengths to re-use as many parts as possible from the original set. Although 75% of the original parts are used in the upgrade, you do need to deconstruct the set almost in its entirety - the only elements completely unchanged are the four 'fusial thrust engines'. 1252 additional parts are required, but I can confirm these are all easy to source and none is particularly rare. Furthermore, the designers supply a series of inventories that make the process of working out which parts from the original set are required and what part of the build they are used in, as painless as possible. The instructions are not exactly cheap, but they are exceedingly well-done and absolutely worth it for the cost. If you own 75355, I can highly recommend investing in GoTB's MOD/MOC; it elevates the set to another level entirely. It really is so disappointing that Lego put out a UCS set with so many faults that a mod like this was needed! Now, for the photos: Untitled Untitled The sexy cockpit upgrade: Untitled The rear panel. The central round tile is the control for the S-foil mechanism: Untitled Detail of the inner wing surface, showing the representation of the engine internals. A very clever design element that looks fantastic and adds to the stability of the wing: Untitled Looking straight down the barrel, S-foils in attack configuration, before (above) and after; from this angle the faults of the original aren't too noticeable: Untitled S-foils closed, before and after - notice the terrible wing droop and unsightly gap between the wings in the original build: Untitled From above, S-foils closed. Note the gap between the wings and the fuselage, the much improved execution of the greebling, and the fact that the wing on the left on the original (above) bends toward the rear: Untitled View from the left. Note again how poorly the wings are aligned on the original set: Untitled And the view from the right side: Untitled

I’ve had a bit of a frustrating time acquiring the additional parts for this mod, but I finally have them all! My last shipment arrived this morning (after more than 3 weeks apparently lost in the wilderness - gotta love Australia Post!) The shipment that was delayed includes two of the five different types of Technic gears required for the wing opening mechanism - the part of the build I’ve been most looking forward to - but in the meantime I’ve been able to build most of the parts forward of the wings, and the stand. I have to say the attention to detail that’s gone into this thing is really impressive, and the instructions and various inventories provided with the purchase are extremely well done. It really drives home how disappointing the original UCS set is by comparison. I can’t wait to finish it!

Ok @Aeroeza, I have more questions! In the changelog on Rebrickable you mention you've substituted a 2x3 plate for two 1x3 plates at steps 357 & 358. As it happens I had downloaded instructions before the change was made so I am comparing before and after. I'm curious why you made the change? It doesn't appear to have been necessary. I suppose the one major feature of the 'real' X-Wing design you and your team haven't replicated in your mod is the way the canopy kind of slopes down from front to back (ie the base of the canopy isn't horizontal). I'm assuming you must have attempted it, but not found a satisfactory solution, given the attention to detail that is evident throughout the rest of the mod! Did you look at whether that was achievable? I'm moving toward doing the mod myself - have purchased the instructions and been through my own lego pieces to find I already have 20% of the required parts! (on top of the actual UCS 75355 previously built). It looks like I will be able to get the remainder (almost all new parts) through Bricklink for about AU$200 including shipping - not bad at all!

Waiting in anticipation for a link to instructions from your website! Have spent a fair bit of time looking at the photos and renders; as I said earlier, the work you’ve done on improving the look of the nose cone is particularly impressive, however the edge of the nose cone where it joins the fuselage along the side of the vehicle doesn’t look quite right to me. I know it doesn’t help that there are differences between the various models that ILM used for filming, and as with all Lego sets the medium itself imposes constraints. It’s something I think I’ll need to see in the flesh, but I wonder if the use of the 2x2 half wedge tiles in the original set achieves a better shape here? Be interested to hear your thoughts - it’s clear this is a detail you put a lot of thought into!

I am so glad you said that - all the people on here losing their shit over the size of the R2 minifig in proportion to the set (ie saying it looks ridiculously small, replacing it with a 4x4 R2 dome (!!!!!!)) and I'm here like the monkey puppet meme with the side-eye thinking "what the f*&k am I missing here? Looks about right to me". I thought I was going crazy!

This is just outstanding - I love the way you have slimmed down the nose cone (probably the ugliest part of the set) and tapered the fuselage forward of the cockpit whilst avoiding gaps, but managed to retain the essence of the official UCS set. It really is the UCS set Lego should have released. I think I will almost certainly execute this mod, although I don't relish the idea of Bricklinking well over 1000 parts - that's going to cost a bit! (I say this acknowledging the irony that I have recently Bricklinked 80% of the parts for the UCS B-wing 10227, roughly the same number of parts). Thanks to the three of you for making the instructions available. Edit: Link to the free PDF instructions appears to be broken

Starting to think about modding this set. @JabbaTheHatt replaced the artoo minifig with an led key chain version that has a 3 stud diameter dome (I think); does anyone know if other iterations of R2-D2 key chains are the same size as the led ones? Specifically, the version that has a part number of 853470? I can't seem to find any information about the size of this particular variant. Also, how difficult is it to remove the metal bit that connects the chain to the top of the head?

@Johbarr Do you mean this? (back on page 41 of this thread?) I had removed the link to the instructions to save space in my drop box, but have restored it here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/q64hfhvqu4njitdhwzvtg/btwn_mandibles_mf_mod_2.pdf?rlkey=zomvdcn45k6mpm8cocvgrwdtp&dl=0

My four latest acquisitions, with the most recent first: 75351 Princess Leia (Boushh) Helmet 75308 R2-D2 75331 UCS Razor Crest 75355 UCS X Wing (with the May 4th bonuses - Death Star 2 and X Wing polybag) All were purchased substantially below RRP - combination of Lego VIP points, May 4 promo, and retail on-sale. The top 3 are yet to be built!

I seem to recall that someone calculated the correct scale for R2's dome based on the size of the set, and from memory the canonically accurate size is something like 2.5 stud diameter. Obviously impossible in Lego, but the point is 2x2 is no less accurate than 3x3. I agree though, slightly too large is probably going to look better than slightly too small.

This is amazing - fantastic work!

That looks like it! Thanks.

@Brickdoctor, what part have you used for the tip of the laser cannons? It looks like a different part than the 1 x 1 cone that's shown in your 'exploded' render. Beautiful moc, btw!

Ooooh - are you able to elaborate on how you achieved this wondrous feat???? I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one interested!