[MOC] CCBS Rock Band (WIP title)

[TheOneVeyronian]

This is an MOC which I've been working on for the past few days. I wasn't sure where to put it, but considering the System-built instruments being showcased are being built for and in the scale of CCBS action figures (these will also be MOC's, though they'll change as I make the transition from LDD to real life), I thought it'd best go here.

Anyway, given my love of rock music, I really wanted to MOC a rock band, but loads of people have done minifig ones. So to be a bit different,I thought I'd do one in CCBS Action Figure scale, which I have assigned the provisional name "CCBS Rock Band" (it'll get a better name I promise ).

CCBS Rock Band (WIP title) by TheOneVeyronian, on Flickr

The guitar is definitely still WIP as it needs some final touches that I can only apply in real life, such as a shoulder strap and strings. The CCBS figures used here in the LDD render are MOC's of mine also, however they're stand-ins to show off how they fit with the instruments (once I build this IRL, the figures will be almost completely diifferent, I'm yet to decide whether to use the models from the project indicated in my signature, or go with completely new models), that's why they have non-existent part colour combos.

I will post more pictures and pictures of the individual instruments either once I've got the parts to build them in real life, or if I can find the time to render them individually at several angles.

Positive comments and maybe even requests for other instruments are welcome

Thanks, I hope you enjoyed looking at this MOC!

EDIT: Fixed a typo I only just noticed...

Edited February 16, 2015 by TheOneVeyronian

[Bigger Fish]

They kinda look like Power Rangers.

[Voxovan]

I cannot unsee it... That's Five Nights at Freddy's Band ;_;

All jokes aside tho, this is a really cool looking band. The only thing that I'd change are the instruments - I think you could use more CCBS and/or technic pieces to build them (it's really easy to make a guitar with HF 2.0 shield piecem like I did here, and those big turbine-pieces from Jetrax are good for drums).

[TheOneVeyronian]

They kinda look like Power Rangers.

I can't unsee that now I never actually gave much thought to the colour schemes but now I'm tempted to call this band "The Power Rangers"...

I cannot unsee it... That's Five Nights at Freddy's Band ;_;

All jokes aside tho, this is a really cool looking band. The only thing that I'd change are the instruments - I think you could use more CCBS and/or technic pieces to build them (it's really easy to make a guitar with HF 2.0 shield piecem like I did here, and those big turbine-pieces from Jetrax are good for drums).

The reason I went with System is that I've tried all Technic/all CCBS instruments before and I never really liked their overall look, plus I intend to string the guitar, which I think is actually easier to implement in System than CCBS/Technic. I was going for really realistic details on the instruments. But I am considering making a bass guitarist thanks to some feedback on Flickr and I might make that out of Technic/CCBS.

Also, nice idea for using the turbine. Don't think I considered it since I don't think it's in LDD.

I'm about to start making some more renders to give more views of the instruments, I'll upload those when I'm done. I also have the LDD's if anybody is interested in taking a look at them.

[DraikNova]

Nice! I can understand why you wouldn't use the 2.0 shield for a guitar; LEGO used that themselves for Breakout Stringer, after all. Can you show pictures of the band members please? They seem rather interesting themselves.

[TheOneVeyronian]

Nice! I can understand why you wouldn't use the 2.0 shield for a guitar; LEGO used that themselves for Breakout Stringer, after all. Can you show pictures of the band members please? They seem rather interesting themselves.

Thanks! I'll try to make a render of just them once I've finished the renders of the keyboard and drum kit, though the picture of the character that will be shown below has almost exactly the same build (it's just spruced up with custom armour and such)

After a bit of playing, I actually found that the 2.0 shield was far too small for the characters. Might be okay for something small like a ukulele, but I'm going for full-size acousto-electric and bass guitars here.

Speaking of which, I just made a quick mock-up of a bass guitar after somebody on Flickr said the band isn't complete without a bassist (excuse me if 've got the number of strings confused with that of an electric guitar, I'm sure it's 4 but might be 6) using mostly Technic and CCBS to see if it could be done. I'm glad to say I succeeded using a large chestplate which seemed to make an ideal guitar shape:

CCBS and Technic bass guitar by TheOneVeyronian, on Flickr

My sigfig demonstrating the guitar:

CCBS and Technic bass guitar by TheOneVeyronian, on Flickr

In case you ask, the random-looking bit in the middle is just something that keeps the strings taut and in place. Any suggestions on what other Technic piece to put there are welcome.

Edited February 16, 2015 by TheOneVeyronian

[DraikNova]

Awesome bass guitar! If I remember correctly, though, the number of strings should be 5.

[TheOneVeyronian]

Awesome bass guitar! If I remember correctly, though, the number of strings should be 5.

I don't know where I recall 4 from then if that's the case! To be fair though, stringing that MOC guitar wiith 5 strings and ensuring they're nicely spaced and that is extremely difficult (the looping technique only really works for multiples of 2) so it'll probably stay as a 4 stringed one. I'll pretend it lost a string

[Voxovan]

I don't know where I recall 4 from then if that's the case! To be fair though, stringing that MOC guitar wiith 5 strings and ensuring they're nicely spaced and that is extremely difficult (the looping technique only really works for multiples of 2) so it'll probably stay as a 4 stringed one. I'll pretend it lost a string

Bass guitars usually have 4 strings. Mine has 4, so yeah.

[TheOneVeyronian]

So while I wait for the parts to build the drum kit, guitar and microphone to arrive (for all I know it could take a couple of weeks as some of it's ordered via Bricks and Pieces), I'll show some renders of just the drum kit and just the keyboard, so you can get a better view of them:

Drum kit (Constraction figure scale) by TheOneVeyronian, on Flickr

Keyboard (Constraction figure scale) by TheOneVeyronian, on Flickr

[Darking]

This is really nice, although all the characters seem to have the same armor placement, just with different colors. To me that is a little boring, but they look good as a group so keep it like that if you want to.

Now, about the instruments, most guitars have 6 strings, whereas basses usually have between 4 (the most common) and 6 strings. Also keep in mind that basses are longer, and have wider strings.

The placement of your plates and drums in the drum-kit is rather strange, I recommend you to look up some pictures to get a better idea of what elements make up a drum kit. But I can already give you some help:

-First of all, the bass drum (the one you hit using a foot pedal) should be longer, like four times the length you used.

-You should a have a snare drum at one side of the bass drum, and just next to it, a hit-hat (it consists on two plates, one on top of the other, that can be closed using another foot pedal).

-At the other side of the bass drum, a floor tom-tom should be placed, and at least one high tom-tom should be on top of the bass drums (look up pictures of these).

-Also, plates normaly are fixed to the floor, not to the drum kit itself.

[TheOneVeyronian]

This is really nice, although all the characters seem to have the same armor placement, just with different colors. To me that is a little boring, but they look good as a group so keep it like that if you want to.

The characters in the main render are nothing more than stand-ins to demonstrate the instruments, partly due to making CCBS characters on LDD is fiddly business and is not the whole focus of this MOC anyway. They'll almost certainly be different when I've built this MOC in real life.

And thanks for the drum advice - it's not based on any one drum setup, and it's a real faff to include all of it in LDD (what with all the collision errors I kept getting). I'll likely change things around, make the bass drum larger (maybe not 4 times larger though as the macaroni pieces aren't exactly common as muck unfortunately) and fix the plates to the floor when I have the model physically built. The LDD model is literally a base to expand on. Thanks though - I'm making more BL orders for the keyboard and speakers right now so I'll also include more parts to improve the drum kit.