Walter Kovacs

I'm back, with my latest completed model, my UCS scale TIE Clutch. I first saw this ship on Dark Saber's X-Wing Alliance site (which is where I first saw images of a lot of TIE Variants). I only had the one image to work from, so I had to make some assumptions on the wing length, but it looks from the image that the TIE Clutch is a stubby little fighter. That's what I went with, anyway. First, a 3/4 View: As you can see, the ship is quite small, one of my smaller UCS models. It ended up being 750 pieces or so, including the display stand. The design of the display stand is complete crap, by the way. It works, but not in the way I had originally intended. I'll have to fix that in the near future. You can see behind the cockpit ball the key to this model. The hexagonal shape is formed by six of these Bionicle parts, six of these connectors, and a few of these in the center. The reult is surprisingly stable, once a few axles are connected to the center. Close up: The greebles on the sides of the hull really came out well. It is one of the areas I am most pleased with. Ths photo also shows the Bionicle pieces, about as well as your going to get without disassembling the model. Back View: The back is pretty unremarkable overall. If you look closely at where the wings attach to the cockpit, you'll see a major interference that I found in my instructions. I had to remove one 2 x 2 plate with hole from each wing to avoid the interference. I'd be willing to bet you wouldn't even notice it if I hadn't told you. Cockpit: The cockpit is my favorite part of this model. I think it is probably the best layout I've come up with for a cockpit ball, and really looks sharp. What you can't see are the two Inverted 2 x 2 slopes with computer screen patterns that are above that Light Gray 1 x 6 Arch. It might be the best cockpit I've done to date. (Though my Scimitar cockpit is very good, too. More on that in a few weeks.) I have lots more photos to share in the gallery, which you will be able to see when moderated. From what I've seen, the cockpit ball and hull of the TIE Shadow are almost identical to the TIE Clutch. So that will be the next model that I present. As always, Constructive Comments and Criticism are welcomed and encouraged.

I try never to double up on sets if I can help it. I have trouble finding the cash for one copy as it is. If I happen to get an extra copy via gifts, well, I can't help that. The exception are the Battle Packs, as my 12 Walker BPs can atttest to. I mean, I need some extra clones to pack into my AT-TEs and RGSs, don't I?

Huh. Now that I look closer, I see that they are in fact straight, and not swept back. Well, that makes things considerably easier. Now I have to work out making the S-Foils work correctly. Yeah, this was the first time I have used my new Lego photo studio (also known as three desk lamps and a white sheet). I need to do a little experimentation with the light placement yet to get it perfect, but it is a signigficant improvement over my dining room table.

I'm certain that this is not the site where I got the inspirtion from, but it has the most complete backstory on the TIE Torpedo Launcher (they call it the Torpedo Bomber . I've also seen it called the TIE Lancer, but that name is too close to the TIE Lancet). It looks like it might be a fan creation, as I don't recall any references anywhere to a video game or comic book. The original source didn't matter too much to me. It was an interesting design, and offered a lot of opportunities for greebs and details. The real key to the design was the strut that connects the wing to the cockpit. It might not look like much, but it was a technique I had never used, nor had I seen it used before (I'm sure I'm not the first to use it, though. I refuse to take credit for it). I'll use the same technique when I try the TIE Hunter to get the swept back pylons. The tough part will be getting the wing angle right on that one (which is why I haven't tried it yet). Thanks for the comments, guys.

Last year I posted all of my UCS scale TIEs as MLCad renderings. Finally I am starting to build those models in actual bricks. I'll be posting them as I get them photographed (at my current building rate, it will be a couple of months.) I decided to start with the Torpedo Launcher for one simple reason. The stand for all the other models resembles the TIE Interceptor/X-Wing UCS stand, while the Torpedo Launcher is unique. For those who aren't familiar with the TIE Torpedo Launcher, here is the source material I used. A Front View, Bottom View, Top View and Back View. And now I give you my version of the TIE Torpedo Launcher. First, a Front View: I'm sure you can see what I mean about the stand. Because of the bulkiness of the stand, I took most of the photos with the model on its back. I had to change some things around during the build that differ from the instructions I had previously posted on Brickshelf. One of them are those 4 x 9 wings I used on the sloped portion of the, err..., wing. For some reason I neglected to remember that they had no stud notches. The final design will use a pair of 3 x 8 wings with 1 x 6 plate. Most of the other modifications were structural in nature and hidden from the camera, to keep the massive wing together before all the greebling on top and bottom were complete. That was the biggest challenge during the build: keeping the darn thing from collapsing under it's own weight. Once assembled, it is suprisingly very sturdy. It even can stand without the base, though not very well, and the Weapons Batteries are pushed out of position. Here's the Back view: With so little source material to work with, I really had a tough time figuring out just what the model was supposed to look like. While that gave me quite a bit of freedom, it also limited me to some extent. Top View: Cockpit: The cockpit turned out pretty well I thought. The only thing I don't like is how far back the control stick is compared to the pilot's chair. I probably won't change it in the designs I've completed thusfar, but will keep it in mind on future projects. After all, I do have at least 35 TIE Alts to go. I have a few more photos I feel must be included. The first is the front underside of the wing. The source material showed some interesting structure there, and I worked hard to capture it as best I could. The last is a photo of the rear underside. I thought it important to highlight the greebs in that section. There are many, many more photos in the gallery, which can be viewed when it is made public. As always, Questions, Comments and Criticism are much appreciated. Next up, the TIE Clutch (probably by the end of April).

I like the idea of having all three (OT, PT and CW) included in future polls. I also like the idea of having two polls per year. Which gives the PT/CW lovers a chance against the OT majority. TLC could have a poll for a January release with three choices, one each from the OT, PT and CW. The two losers (PT and CW; OT forever!) could make up the poll for the August/September/October release. That way the PTers won't keep ctying foul when the OT fans win. CW fans are out of luck. Probably.

Santa was good to me this year. My wife and Mother-in-law fed my LEGO obsession well. The haul: from my wife: The Twilight Magnaguard Starfighter UCS Death Star II some tighty whities GameStop giftcard from my Mother-in-law: UCS TIE Advanced Republic Fighter Tank LEGO Indiana Jones (DS) a jar of cashews (mmm, cashews) from my Parents: Mitre Saw Two books on Bridge defense (the card game, not the roadway) a pair of Khakis from my brother: GameStop Giftcard Overall, a pretty good haul. The Twilight set is much better than I had originally thought. The TX-130 and Magnaguard look fantastic, and the two UCS sets are incredible (well, the DS II isn't assembled yet, but the TIE Advanced certainly is incredible). The GameStop giftcards are destined to become Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced 2 and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, with SW: TFU if there is anything left over. Not sure when I'll use the Mitre Saw yet. It'll come in handy someday. My father buys me power tools every year, and I always find a use for them. My son also made a LEGO haul. He got all four of the impulse Racers sets, the Coast Guard set with the truck and motorboat and an Education set with 30 standard yellow smiley minifigs, with accessories. I didn't even know a set like that existed.

I think this set redefines what a BP should be: a decent vehicle and a good selection of minifigs. I plan on buying many (read: 6) to fill some empty spaces in my RGS (and , perhaps, AT-TE). The one question that springs to mind is this: do we need to have the clone gear included in every CW set? I thought the pauldrons and skirt were only for the captains and/or commanders. And I can't imagine many clones wielded the dual pistols. The headgear would be rather common, though. Just my two cents.

It seems my opinion of this set hasn't changed from when I saw the first leaked pictures. For a change, the vehicle in the BP is better than the figs. I just don't understand why I would need more than 5 assassin droids. The speeder looks as solid as I thought on my first glance. Too bad the figs are disappointing (to me). I'll buy one to satisfy my collection itch, but only one.

I have two children, ages 5 and 20 months. The five year old has a few LEGO sets of his own, but he prefers to snitch my pieces and build his own creations with them. I usually allow him to take them, he treats the parts with respect, so I don't fear breakage. He knows that if daddy needs the pieces, his creation WILL be taken apart, and he is fine with this. He is getting a small assortment of minifigs for Christmas, since they are what he truly enjoys playing with. I hope he likes them enough to leave mine alone. The 20 month old has recently taken a liking to daddy's bricks as well. She needs to be watched more closely. She will put small pieces in her mouth. She has already crushed a Technic Pin. I usually let her take one or two large, easily findable parts, e.g. 6 x 6 plates. She'll try and put them together just like daddy does, but she hasn't succeded yet.

I voted for the RGS. I never owned the original (and I still don't own either version of the AT-TE), and this version is really incredible. Honorable mentions have to go to the V-19 and Republic Tank. I don't own the Tank (yet), but I absolutely love my V-19. Fall of '08 has turned out some very, very good sets.

It should be noted that the Hailfire set was a Technic set, not a System set. I like the amount of Technic use in system sets. It allows greater flexibility in design. The results have been stunning. The latest AT-AT is probably the one set that goes overboard with Technic (never owned the original), but I can't imagine geting that shape without it. Plus, we get the motorized function, which is pretty cool.

KmT - I've uploaded instruction .PDFs for all of my MINI TIEs. Most of the folders are not yet public, but I uploaded them Friday morning, so they should be good to go fairly soon. Here's the link to the main folder: Walter Kovac's MINI TIEs (now with instructions) Thanks a bunch. Ilove having all the available instructions in one topic.

Somewhere in that neighborhood. Not terribly expensive, but not exactly cheap, either. I've been lumping them in with larger orders, so the price sort of evens out.

Very, very nice! I just received 6 new white 6 x 8 slopes, knowing that there were people creating new nose art for the RGS. Looks like I know what one of these pairs is going to look like. Now I just have to figure out how to physically make the decal...

EDIT: UCS Scale Ties by Walter Kovacs KimT I have instructions for most of my UCS scale TIE variants, in their respective folders. Here's a link to my TIE Variants: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=305481 I can easily add instructions for my MINI TIE variants, as well. I'll post in this topic again when I get them uploaded.

LEGO Star Wars? Count me in!

Thanks for the review, simonjedi. This just re-affirms that the V-19 is my highest priority this fall. Behind the RGS, of course. Is that new printed piece a 2 x 2 Tile? It looks like an excellent detail part for MOCing. Those black pieces used on the landing gear look very Bionicle-like. If they haven't been used before, I'd suspect they will be. Not that I'm a Bionicle expert or anything. It is a shame that this set only includes one clone. That seems to be the only drawback to the set. Everything else looks spot on.

I've added some new images to the gallery. Included in these images is an overall shot with Updated Colors. Most noticable are the Shield generators on the sides of the cockpit, which are only available in Dark Bley. I've also included an image of the Model on it's Stand. This model is so different from the others I've done in that the Cockpit actually hangs from the Wing above, as opposed to supporting the wings. The Stand reflects this, and was interesting enough to show to everyone. There are also a few images of the Cockpit Interior. It's always interesting to see the greebs inside the cockpit. In the Gallery, I've also uploaded the Instructions, should anyone care to take a gander. It's in two files this time, due to the amount of steps needed. @ Snake: The Hammer is certainly an interesting variant, but will have to wait. I've already started a TIE Clutch/ Shadow / Phantom design. All three follow the same basic wing design, so I should be able to make all three with the same core. The Clutch is about 60% finished right now. Expect their debut in 2-3 weeks.

I have mixed feelings about this set. It's one of the sets that sent my into a dark age (the birth of my son contributed heavily). When I first saw this set I was convinced that the earlier Snowspeeder (7130) was superior in every way. I liked the look of the 7130 version better, I liked the coloration of it better. The turret was better (it used a webbed 6 x 6 dish). After seeing this review, I realize I was wrong on some accounts. The cockpit is much more movie accurate. The 7130 version had two separate compartments. This version also came with a tow cable, something that was lacking from the previous set. While I still am unimpressed with the overall look of this set, it is much less blocky, which is always a good thing. Overall, I still prefer 7130 to the 4500 version. But the 4500 isn't nearly as bad as I first assumed, and I regret never buying one of these when I had my chance.

I have to admit, the Death Star is incredible. But it is too expensive to get my vote. The new RGS is almost as good. But in the end my vote went to the V-19 Torrent. Mostly because it is more swooshable than the RGS. The RGS is a very close second, though. I can't fault anyone for voting for it.

And on S@H. The Droid Gunship is available anywhere. I've seen it at TRU, Target and Wal-Mart. The Republic Tank that is due out in October is probably going to be a Target Exclusive. The same thing happened last year with the Sith Infiltrator (Wal-Mart only?) and the Hoth Base and Republic Cruiser (TRU exclusives).

Pins with Friction are pretty much the standard in LEGO sets nowadays. If you have a black technic pin, and it has slots in it, it's a pin with friction. I'm not sure when they started doing this, but I'd guess at least 8 years, give or take a few. Any Gray pins that you get in recent sets will be frictionless. LEGO generally puts the black pins in sets unless there's a reason for having the frictionless pins.

Nice review. I picked one of these up on Monday, so I have just a few thoughts to add. The entire droid was fairly wobbly, in my opinion. I've already exchanged the 16 blay Technic Pins with 16 black Pins with Friction. The legs end up MUCH more posable. I highly suggest this mod for anyone that buys this set. Black pins with friction are one of the most common extra pieces, so chances are most of you have enough spares lying around. The Clones are rather nice. Commander Fox looks especially good. I'm hoping a Phase I clone battle pack, or else Fox (and the other commanders) are going to have squads of one. Those four 1 x 2 Plates with Handle are not spares. They go on the feet, opposite the other four 1 x 2 Plates with Handle. Did you leave them off for aestheetics, or just miss the step? Just curious.

Well, scratch this one off the list of future MOCs. I doubt I could ever create a Lambda class shuttle as stunning as this one is. Absolutely brilliant. And I second the request for instructions. This shuttle would look awesome in my UCS display.