xenologer

Vespid Class Hover Gunships From wikipedia: "The vespidae are a family of wasps, including all social wasps and some solitary wasps." The Vespid series of hover gunships are the natural descendants of the first innovative 'Stealth Wasp' fighter. Do you prefer Firepower, or Speed? (red, white) Overall profile comparisions. Nose comparision: guns and sensors. Canopy differences. I really like how they use similar parts but in slightly different ways -note the curved black pieces common to each. Also the armour plates that were originally on the arms of each mecha are now used identically on each Vespid ('antigravity' propulsion units on the sides of each cockpit) Bottom views. Similar structure, however notable difference in how the sidearm guns are mounted. Mainly due to the Grand Titan's different arm design. Vespids are completely self contained Alternate Models: Red uses set 7701 Grand Titan, White uses set 7700 Stealth Hunter. No extra parts added. On a side note: I built them both more or less at the same time, making design decisions in parrallel to keep each as similar as possible. Yep, I really work out of the boxes like that, they make nice convenient construction trays... If theres enough demand, I'll consider taking instruction photos... Sorry for the funky photos, I dont like using a Flash cause it whites stuff out; so I had to hold the camera steady By Hand while it did the long exposures. Not entirely sharp, but I fixed what I could with Photoshop color adjustment and sharpen filters. Haven't come up with good names just yet, for now I'm just calling them Red Vespid and White Vespid. Note that White Vespid is a Different design from my earlier Nova Wasp

How do you guy's intepret the 'arms' and 'nose' with the black technic pins? (on the bottom of the cockpit) I assumed they were guns at first, but maybe I'm wrong and they're actually just landing gear, or some kind of engine nozzles. Maybe needs a vote?

I'm thinking that a joker in the passenger seat might pull out a fire extinguisher, point it at the ground out the window, and launch us straight up. Should work, since the engine lets it stay hovering at any height and the ship is more or less weightless. Yeah, my friends like to mess around like that.... :)

Thats part of my problem actually, I've studied a little too much physics as well as airplane/helicopter physics, and simple rocketry, that I'm not seeing anything that really works consistently. Basically anything that is strong enough to get the craft more than a few feet off the ground, generally I don't see a good reason why they shouldn't go any higher, but this goes against the concept of hovership. Real hovercraft are limited to the ground by the air pressure bubble they create beneath them, if you're already say 15 feet up though, and don't have a rubber skirt, 'common sense' would seem to say that you probably aren't relying on any ground effects at that point. Which means you're going on pure thrust force (air jets, rockets, or magic esoterice forces) to cancel your weight. This puts our net acceleration as Positive, and as long as its pointed up, we should be able to keep accelerating up into the sky. So really, by my own explanation hoverships can fly just as well as any other aircraft, the limit being only fuel capacity, or possibly air density at higher altitudes. In which case the term hovership doesn't really work, since theres no technological niche for them below other aerospace fliers. This is why I'm asking Other people's opinions, can anyone convince me that there should be a difference between hoverships and any other flier? *shrug* try not to take me too seriously, I guess for my own MOCs and storylines hoverships don't really exist separatly from any other flying vehicle. So I only ask for how your own ideas work out of curiousity, lets not argue over it. On a fun note: check this out, closest thing to the real thing http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/LLRV/Small/index.html EDIT: snefroe1 replied while I was still typing the above up.... You bring up a good point though, perhaps we need to be more specific I think there are several different vehicles mixed up in this discussion that are actually pretty different: hovercraft -modern, Real hovertank/hovercars -same function as hovercraft, but advanced tech used hovership -acts like a helicoptor, flies near ground, by may or may not have upper limits

Yes I know how the real stuff works. I don't have a problem with making up technology, what bother's me is that most of the common imaginary technologies are not internally consistent. It's ok to make up rules, as long as they don't break themselves. For example: Lets invent a magic anti gravity device that makes the hovership weight nothing. Why is the hovership limited to 50ft off the ground? if it weighs nothing, can't it just fly off into space if it wanted? Of all the hovership imaginary technology I've seen, they're always full of holes like that. I'd like to have one theme that at least makes some sense, so I'm wondering if any of you have had good ideas. To be more specific (since the world of MOCS is a bit large I guess), has anyone looked at the ExoForce theme long enough to know what they're explanation is? You've got HoverHawk, which seems to be a hovercar style, and Stealth Wasp, which would seem to be a helicopter gunship type hovership, and there's that scavenger drone combo model thing, that seems to just float...

this is all about imagination of course, but even so I like to think of imaginary technology of being consistent or having sense to it, so I can come up with good backstory and roles for my mocs I was just thinking about hover vehicles Theres the question of, what makes them different from spaceships and aircraft also, what sorts of method they use for propulsion and how to make sense of it I'm thinking that functionally, the main difference between a hovership and other flying craft is that hoverships are limited to being a short distance above the ground. This introduces problems logically though, depending on what propulsion method you're using.... Also consider the modern equivalent to a hovership, the helicoptor, both are generally used in the same role, but heli's aren't limited to staying only a few feet above the ground. Starwars hovercars ?ep3? were also clearly flying regardless of the ground distance.... and does anyone remember the flying taxi in 5th Element? some general themes I see for propulsion: air jets 'repulsors' gravity cancelling other eletromag based propulsion? The problem with those propulsion explanations I see... is that aside from the strange 'repulsor'(how would this work???) they theoretically have no reason to limit the flying height. Harrier jump jets use air jets and they have no height limit, gravity or eletromag methods, shoudlnt either, as long as you keep accelerating why should it stop? So I'm looking for your inputs: Can you come up with a good defenition of a hovership and it's flight abilities? And a good way to explain their technology, that doesn't introduce inconsistencies? At the moment, the only story I'm really happy with is: superscience technology that allows potential energy storage, so that the craft is weightless only for a height limited by it's engine power, kinda like how fish have a special organ that lets them change their density to go up or down

Cornet Espoire from the game 'Puppet Princess' aka 'Rhapsody: a Musical Adventure' then again.... the Archer from Disgaea was really cute..... Cornet's got a personality and story tho

StarTrek is about characterization and story while StarWars is about ... style and licensing rights consequently, StarWars will always win over StarTrek when it comes to LEGOs and other toys

Interesting, I hadn't noticed that there were just two hair types (Lego changed the colors for different characters, fooled me!) I'm not so sure about them being 'common' styles tho; but then again I watch lots of girly shoujo dramas, not action stuff. hmmh, now that I look closer, the hair doesn't really match the character's in the comics....

I was just looking at the Inventory for this set on Peeron, and they seem to list the right pieces (short, not long technic beams) Could it be that just yours had a mistake? Or did they change their minds partway through production so some are different....?

Stealth Hunter, I'm doing another alt conversion into a space fighter. As far as I know all the official designs have enough room to fit the big hair. It's just that for my design I sized the cockpit to be fine for a normal minifig, nice and roomy. But with that big blue hair with spikes coming out the sides, they get in the way of the curved windscreen; vertically theres plenty of room, but with the hair being so wide it hits the curved sides. Someone's using ridiculous amounts of hair gel....

I think he's better of being 'generic soldier' than Genki 'genki' more or less translates from Japanese as meaning 'happy and gay' or 'energetic' I dunno... with a name like that... I'd think he'd be the first one killed off... generic soldier at least has a 50/50 chance

While I really like the mech designs and the technological aspects of the theme. I am suddenly not liking the new minifig hair very much.... As far as how it looks... well I can live with that but the real annoyance was finding that the canopy glass on my newest fighter design doesn't want to close.... hair is just too big. Ugh, time to redesign the otherwise perfect cockpit.... I think a real improvement might be helmets, let Exo Force pilots swap out their hair for helmets when piloting. Makes sense for story practicality too.

Well... this may sound a little odd, but I'm going to post my own opinions on this ship. Its been a day or two since I made it, and I guess I'm seeing it differently... and there's stuff that bugs me now. I'm allowed to be mean with the criticism since I made it, you guys be nice still, k? The canopy windscreen is too weak. It's only held on by 2 studs and the hinge it's attached to (the 'nosecone') is also held on by only 2 studs The under belly guns can't aim straight forward, they are always pointed down at the ground by about 10 degrees because the cockpit blocks them. The 'head' is FAT! in fact it dominates the whole shape. Its basically a pod with wings, a tadpole. The tail and engine really look too small to push that head around. sometimes I look at it, and it looks cool, then the next minute it just looks fat and heavy. -the shape is just too questionable (Nova's head is actually a little larger than Stealth's) Im thinking of re-doing it. shave down the sides and redistribute the bricks to make a more solid tail. Really like the guns and sensors in the nose, but I dont see how I'm going to make a stronger windscreen hinge with those taking up so much room.... Not sure if it's still going to be a 'Wasp' after that kind of change what do you think are the defining characteristics of Wasp series fighters?

Its a fighter/scout like the original Stealth Wasp The landing gear are non-retractable, can't see in most photos(I think one in my brickshelf might show it) but two technic beams, and that 'hinge' piece that was on the back of Stealth Hunter support the body on the ground when the fins and side guns are folded out of the way. The blades are just tailfins. They're positioned in the path of the rear engine exhaust would be, so I think they help with directing thrust and stabalization. Yeah, cockpit could use some nice controls, at the moment all I can really do is make little control sticks(the gray things attached to the windscreen); since there weren't any nice control panels in the set. Thats got to by my one big complaint about the Exo Force theme, none of the mech's have any nice printed computer panel pieces. I guess we could assume that on Nova Wasp, the technic pin sticking out behind the headrest is actually some kind of brain scanner, and lets the pilot fly just by thinking.

I think most will agree, the best ExoForce alternate model belongs to Stealth Hunter 7700: the Stealth Wasp However the Stealth Wasp has one major flaw, the construction is incredibly fragile. Any attempts to pick it up and 'Swoosh!' will result in the cockpit falling right off, its only held on by 4 studs.... This I could not stand for, we must have SWOOSHING! Nova Wasp is the result. Represents the next generation in Exo Force Wasp series fighter craft. Completely restructured for strength, while maintaining similar (but not exact) look and feel of the original Stealth Wasp. (nova means new in Latin) Nova Wasp uses only parts from set 7700. the standard 'Wasp' pose new tail design, note the visible booster engine, lack of dorsal fins wings and fins folded for landing and storage, in this form I can put it in my bag and carry it around with no falling apart 'hover mode' -those arent just wings, theyre Electrostatic Propulsion surfaces (as modern UFOs are believed to use) Nova features an upgraded cockpit, with legroom and controls. just behind the cockpit you can see an auxiliary manuvering thruster sticking out Here you can get a taste of the structural overhaul. the main body no longer has movable 'waist' or 'neck' joints, for strength note the technic beam crossbracing, the beam extends below the body to double as a landing support(no more using guns as legs like the Stealth) also, each side of the cockpit is held on by: 2 SNOT brackets, and a technic friction pin(it fits through the hole in the black rounded piece) Brickshelf

Thanks for the compliments! Here's an exploded view so you can see how to build it: Note that the antenna is connected using the 'extra' connector pin, that wasn't used by the original Sentry model, So I'm not sure if every set will have it or not... P.S. For other ExoForce Moc/Alternate models, is it more appropriate to put them in the MOC forum, or here with the official ExoForce sets?

After seeing how cool the Uplink Speeder alternate model was, compared to the Sentry 2 laser platform thing, I decided that the Robots deserved to have a hoverbike vehicle too. So I came up with the Sentry Speeder, it can be built using the parts from set 7711 Sentry. I think it actually looks better than the human version....

Meca (?Mecha?) One is gold and brown? I like the gold, but not sure brown is the best combo with it. Makes him look rusted to me... Put it this way: gold and trans yellow, how neat would that look? or gold and trans red... Is it just me or are the Robots the good guys? From the character profiles, it seems implied that they used to be some kind of slaves that rebelled against their human masters....

Am I the only one who looks at Stealth Hunter, and sees a Bunny Rabbit? Its white and has big floppy ears on top of its head.....

Very Pretty but judging from the instructions, as you say it is very flimsy, quite a shame considering how much I like to 'swoooosh!' my lego spaceships Looks to me like the main weak point is the stack of bricks at the rear of the cockpit. Any chance of using the technic beams from the set to crossbrace them? And I think that there are lots of Snot brackets from the legs on the mech, maybe some more of those could be added to help hold the cockpit sides on?

Hello hello, I just registered 30seconds ago and I'm already allowed to say HI! This is great, tried registering at bzpower forum and they still wont let me post after 3weeks So You guys definetly WIN! I already feel welcome! anyhow, I'm hoping the mods here aren't as uptight and condescending as what i've witnessed at Bzpower tell me the rule please! Anyhow, I'm really into the new ExoForce theme, or at least half of it; the Robot half. And my favorite thing to do with legos is invent 'alternate' models that use Only parts from one official set.