Mataroa

I refer to no theme, section, or author in particular. I browsed pages 1-5 in a few areas, and anything tagged with [LDD] seemed buried among the real builds. It didn't matter that the creator spent anywhere from a week to a few months building it, and that's the problem child. There is absolutely no difference between virtual and real when you get past as to how the build is presented, and that point is lost when the two are compared. One of my two points, exactly. It's great when I can copy a build and modify it, and compare the two. When I have a version I like over another, I export it to the relevant project. Can't do that with real bricks. Okay, fine. I see that point. But is there more to it than visual representation? (Hint, there is.) As I said above, fantastic builds (in my eyes) that were built with LDD bit the dust simply because they used the white backgrounds. I'm guilty of that, laziness on my part. But that's only the background! Your attention should be focused on the build! Some of the most famous art pieces have white canvas, and while Lego is something less than fine art, it should still apply.

I get what you mean, props for being nice, but what I read was: "If you don't have the cash to shell out for bricks, you'll meet a closed door here at Eurobricks." That's a shame. Understandable, but still.

Do you, dear reader, have a preference as to how MOCs are presented? Looking around the forums, it's sorely obvious that MOCs built on the computer (with programs like LDD) don't get nearly as much attention or love as MOCs that are built in real life, with a few rare exceptions. So, why is this? Respond in 3... 2... 1...

I'd buy it just for that giant Spartan. The creator of all this is the pinnacle of Lego builders. I put no shame in saying that I envy you, good sir.

Wonderful design! Very neat, sir.

" # bricks were placed incorrectly and have been removed. " *Clicks OK button* " ...You didn't tell me WHICH PART got removed?!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Surely I'm not the only one bugged by the above. Here's an idea. Instead of REMOVING the part, highlight it in an outline similar to the outlines when individual bricks are selected. Except, using a different color of course. I don't know, could it be yellow? This outline would be visible through all bricks and barriers (Perhaps the misplaced brick is hidden under others?), and the outline wouldn't go away until the model is reassembled correctly.

My only encounter with these was the Shadow Crawler and the Mobile Defense Tank from Exo-Force. Each set came with about ten disks (smaller than a dime), and could only load about as many in the stack. Pulling the arm back and releasing quickly would force the disk out. These didn't travel very far, there was no spring behind the arm to help out. Pretty much, it was a nice concept that fell flat. I don't think it got the same love that Bionicle's various Zamor launchers got.

I've been busy with this for the last 9 days, and am proud to say it's done! Featuring 2 vehicles, 27 minifigures (if you count the stone angels), and OVER 3000 BRICKS, this is by far the most time and detail I've spent on a LDD MOC. The whole thing fits on (4) 48x48 base plates, in a square. (The number says 3332 pieces exactly, but if I really wanted to I could pick through the model and cut down that number by 100 or 200...) Overall [Pictures deleted] Plots [Pictures deleted] Points of Interest: [Pictures deleted]

Give it a shot! There's no reason why you can't.

Took quite a bit, but I like the end result! RS-2 features landing gear and storage in the cockpit! SVA-3 features fold-out weaponry! RS-2 [Pictures deleted] SVA-3 [Pictures deleted] Misc. [Pictures deleted]

Absolutely wonderful. The tail boom design brings the word "fragile" to my mind, but this build is great in all aspects! Job well done!

Never really thought of it like that, but it could be. I was thinking something similar, but different to the Vahki when building. Yeah, 'Toa' was a primary building goal for Jolin and Kaoli. 'Glatorian' might have had a hand, since neither use elemental powers here. Actually, no. Never noticed the similarites in the build but WOW. Totally unintentional right there..... The design of the sand blue character started as an olive character. But, after the Clone, I changed the color and modified the head a bit. Thanks for the feedback, everyone! It helps a lot with future projects.

The "Tank design" well dried up. So, I tried using Bionicle/HF parts for a change. It was VERY fustrating. The lack of parts left me starving for armor, heads, headgear, and weapons. Only the most basic of parts were there for use. But I'm glad to say I like the final product. As annoying as part availability was, the end result wasn't that bad for a first try. [Pictures removed] Do let me know what you think!

Wonderful! You've hit the nail on the head with this.

R2D2 dome sticks out to me, but you know what? This is a neat little build. Thumbs up! How many parts are there?

I don't necessarily play with Technic a lot, but between aesthetics and playability, I like to change it between models. What I like to do is make a base model in LDD, then Clone it and change the clone as I see fit. This leads to a huge mess in a single LDD save, but seeing differences between models lets me gauge what I like, what I don't like, and what I should try to incorporate later. My first model made was hardly beautiful, but had a LOT of features that you didn't see with other MOCs. My second model made was a lot better looking, but didn't have many other features and in some ways used unconventional means of building. If I were to take a screenshot of the current save file of my second MOC, you'd see a couple of almost-identical hulks littered throughout. Some with new features, others removed, etc. I don't get much inspiration from the outside world, but that's what LEGO's about. Letting your creativity run wild. I'll reference something else from time to time, but otherwise I like to try my own ideas and see how they would play out.

Looks nice, but the fact that you can't build the creation that's advertised on the box is unusual, if not a deal breaker. 4/5. Nicely done, Jim!

Absolutely beautiful. The last part should be awesome, given the detail you have for the landscape.

Nice model! It's great to be getting nostalgic.

I won't lie, it was time-consuming since this was the first time for me doing it. It'll get better with time. 1. You have to get the tank propped off the ground. Put plates on the underside and let it be raised off the ground by one plate (1/3 of a block) 2. Make a line of tracks off to the side. These can be any length, you can put more later. 3. Drag the tank over the tracks. Try to make the gap between the wheel and the tracks as minimal as possible by removing the plates you put earlier. 4. Use the Hinge tool repeatedly on each individual track link to go up. (I used smaller angles on the front to make it as though the tracks were loose-fitting, hence the curve.) 5. Once you reach a higher wheel and you want to bend around it, keep using the Hinge tool to make the tracks hug the wheel. THANKFULLY, LDD will ignore the teeth on the driver gears. 6. Clone the tracks and make your way around all the wheels. Since my tracks had some slack, I took the time to add the effect of each track contouring to the wheel - this is NOT necessary, especially if you have smaller wheels above the road wheels. 7. Eventually you'll make it around. Don't worry about making the two ends connect. That'll only get you fustrated and waste your time, Just make them as close as possible... 8. To save time, all you have to do is clone the tracks and place them across to the other side. If your tank fits with the grid, it will work. Make sure you delete the wheels you cloned accidentally. This gentleman did a nice job of the process, click here: (Skip to about 10:00)

I woke up early, got bored quickly. So I went to LDD to try an idea, and it turned into this. (The way the turret mounts is NOT my idea. I borrowed it from this brilliant lad, give his tank a look by clicking the link below!) (http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=84058) -Crew of 3 -Gun elevates to 34 degrees and depresses to -13 degrees -550 bricks total, including tank, crew, and decorations. [Pictures deleted]

Update #1! New: - Raised floor around the gun module, allows for additional 4 shells in the floor. A new hatch in the floor covers the shells to allow minifigs to walk along it, as well! (Picture 4) - Thinner walls, with 2 new ammo racks per wall. 4 wall shells total. (Pictures 4 and 5) Changed: - No roof! (Various) - MG turret lowered slightly to quit collisions when the gun turns right (Picture 2) - Recoil gun modified to be smaller, allows for more crew space (Picture 1) - Walls thinned and angled! (Various) - Gun module base changed slightly (Was 6x6, now 6x4) (Picture 4) - Upper IR piece removed. No roof, no need. (Various) [Pictures deleted]

Thanks, 'Dutchy' and 'Leo'! @Duchy I haven't given battlefield scenes a try yet... I'd love to try! @Leo Thanks for the info, it's very helpful!

Heyo, my name's Mataroa! Please feel free to call me Mata or Mat for short, those shortenings of my nickname have been given over time and I'll respond to them all the same. I live in Ohio of the United States, and I focus on military models, namely tanks. Most of the time, I work in Lego Digital Designer, but I'd love to shift to an alternate program later on. I try to incorporate a new idea into a new model, or maybe reinnovate an old project with what I'm trying out. The end results often look awkward, but I just don't have the heart to delete them. I like to think that I could possibly make them better-looking later on, and I jump back to old projects once in a while with new ideas and try to fix what didn't work on the outside. I'm not afraid to say that I'm no master builder, though. I hope that when I present what I have here, the community might have some ideas on how to make these projects more visually appealing! (I've already got a post, check it out and leave some feedback if you're in the mood: www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=84370 ). But most importantly, I'd like to meet some nice people on here, and possibly other military enthusiasts. Feel free to reach out! P.S. I can't visit my own profile or others. Do I have to post/comment a certain amount, or should I contact an admin? -Mataroa

Welcome! I'm posting here to receive critique on a project I've been working on in LDD for the last two weeks. I'll be the first to say it's not the most beautiful. The only real objective for this tank was functionality and features, and because of that I added... - A cannon with recoil, at the cost of height of the overall module. - A small machine gun turret, with 3 variants. - Engine and crew compartments. - Additional sloped armor, mainly to fix the look. It's a bit boxy now without this new armor, fixing that's on a to-do list. - Intentionally-removable pieces near crew hatches for easy removal of crew members. (We'll call them IR parts) [Pictures deleted]