Kage Goomba

The Vendor I bought my decal from wants to see about making a version of it for this design. So we'll have to see what they come up with. :)

going to build yourself a TIE/d ?:)

And done - changes posted/updated. Phew.....now to wait for feedback. And to find a spot to park this beauty - tempted to Light it up too.

Instructions almost done - up to 526 pages out of 713. Updated original post.

(these events just happened) <Standing next to roommate with TIE Defender on display - nervously looks at him - he nervously looks at me> <stomps foot hard> <stomps it again> IT WORKS! Finally - its stable. the extra hinge parts resolved the problem. I'll start cleaning up instructions and parts lists. Finally - reached a good release point. Cant thank you guys enough for your help. :)

(these events just happened) <Standing next to roommate with TIE Defender on display - nervously looks at him - he nervously looks at me> <stomps foot hard> <stomps it again> IT WORKS! Finally - its stable. the extra hinge parts resolved the problem. I'll start cleaning up instructions and parts lists. Finally - reached a good release point.

Starting to think I want to build one of these....it's so very sexy.

Parts arrived - here's hoping they work out - ill try to get them installed tomorrow.

Parts arrived - ill try to get the hinges swapped out tomorrow and hopefully have good news to share.

Feel free to request the file(s)/more info etc. The only concern I have is someone hijacking the design and charging for it....just want to make sure credit is given to the folks who solved the "impossible" problems and made it possible and make sure no one gets hurt by the original design I started with. The biggest annoyances right now is the leading edge of the panels - Id love to get rid of that or at least make it less likely to fall apart. The other issue would be some weakness in the cockpit design - the rest is more or less solid - maybe some dressing elsewhere. Even then - its gotten so much better than before - You should go grab the original instructions (not sure if i put them there or not) you'd scream if you saw what I had to deal with (laughs) Should still have pictures of the old design or what I call the "1.0" version. The saddest thing is - all the guy had to do was come to a community like this and swallow his pride/ego and just simply ask for help. He really had no idea what he was doing at all - which is why I think it was just a cheap cash grab. Not to mention Mocopolis didn't bother asking for real photos and testing the design which lead to fraud situations - hence why I'm not charging for instructions. At least they yanked the design off their store. Frankly there are no "real good" TIE Defender designs out there - and this one is the best one thus far (personal pride not withstanding) - Lego's own model is very....trashy honestly - very spindly - I'm, hoping that if I nail this hinge problem and couple other issues I can submit it to Lego Group for review. TIE Defender is a very difficult design overall by its nature so its nice to know when this thing is "released" - it will be a nice addition to the MOC Family. That and its my Favorite TIE Fighter Design overall. In the end - this community is a godsend - just coming here asking for suggestions has helped me so much. I look forward to getting the Otana built as I'll have all the help I can get here. :) I really can't be thankful enough for all the help/support/suggestions.

Project is more or less "finished" in terms of overall design - it would be improvements to ensure stability and better structure from here on out. (IE Panel design/Cockpit structure streghtening, an attempt to make it LED friendly?) Instructions will be free due to the fact the original design was a total fraud/rip off - in which I reported the original seller and got his megablocks thrown out. - took it over to recoup and here we are. I can't be the only one who got suckered by this - it wouldn't be right to charge for instructions. (Stupid me should have bothered to build it digitally and check for issues - good Lord the list was massive) I'll accept donations as I have to find a way to fund the 7000+ part project the "Otana" (see link below in my signature) which makes this design look like a rubber duck in terms of complexities. As for your suggestions in warning? Oh yeah - count on it - I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I designed something this awesome only to overlook hazards of the design. Hopefully with this new iteration the panels will be harder to "drop suddenly" and I can confidently say that the model is more or less stable and will improve over time. with the latest stand changes - its stable and holding up - so long as I don't stomp my foot into the floor o.o;;;;

Interesting - but gives me an idea for struts with the current design.

It's a possibility - but stud distance can be a bit of a problem - not to mention added weight. If this new iteration holds- won't be a terrible need at least - but its something to consider.

Going to try the simplest solution and see if it will hold. Stupid me - thanks to someone pointing this out earlier in this thread - should have tried using single stud hinges instead of the crap the original designer who made the "1.0 fraudulent" version of this. This new iteration will be double the grip - hopefully it will hold.

So going to need more time before I wrap up instructions/design. Thanks to the fella's at the Technic boards - someone pointed out (stupid me) that the hinges I'm using (well technically there from that idiot who designed this fraudulent model in the first place) - that there are single stud width variation of it. So I just removed them and replaced them with those and now its gone from 7 fingers to 14 fingers....effectively doubling the hinge grip/friction on each panel. Going to order the parts and pray freverently that this will solidify the structure that it will hold and not just "collapse/give" on a minor quake like a kid or a pet running by.

While the joint would be strong - the part would slip off the axle/linker due to the weight unless its stacked up - and that bumps up the thickness to more than 1 brick's worth at the end - so while its a good idea conceptually - likely not really an option here. Already tried messing with with liftarms and the wedge plates are not available in the colors/parts I need for this. :/ Ugh.

Don't suppose you could diagram/show me an example of your ideas? As for the single stud hinges - ill look into that.

Yeah I see that - entertainingly its never that simple when it comes to the sheer size/weight - but its an option to consider to be sure - and a clever technique.

they are in line - but weight may cause shifting by a hair - or as they are used parts. Def. food for thought - much appreciated.

It's a consideration - but the angle/stud placement kind of presents a problem there.

Up isn't the issue - its the Down part that's a problem. (perspective isn't as it seems - check photos in first post ;) ) One good foot stomp and you'll have pieces falling off all over lol. Ill sneak some photos into the first thread as I suspect people aren't looking at the source thread XD

You seriously going to attempt this beast? XD

Very nice design - great UCS take on it. :)

It should NOT move once its in place - preferably. This looks good - only problem is assembly may be a bit of a problem. Also wondering about friction strength as well. Also not sure about Stud placement there - may not line up. Don't suppose you could do a more detailed example?

This is an very intriguing idea. I'll have to mess with it to see if I can come up with a way to do that. If you want I can throw you a copy of the Stud.IO file to mess with if it will help brain storm - course that will be tomorrow - headed to bed atm.