Constraction custom parts

[Leewan]

Hello everyone ! Some months ago, I designed several custom parts that could be parts of the current CCBS. Earlier this week, I finally decided to order them. And they arrived today. So, ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to show you the first Hero Factory custom parts !

First of all, here's a render of my parts altogether :

And here are the parts I received this morning :

I ordered them on Shapeways, I chose Frosted Ultra Detail. And the final result is very clean, it almost looks like real Lego parts ! Unfortunately, this material is very fragile, so I won't use them in MOCs, at the moment they are only prototypes, but I hope I will be able to produce those parts in wider quantities within the next twelve months.

Here's a "comparison" with the official "equivalent" parts from Lego :

And here's an example of what can be done with such parts :

I could build more, but sincerely, I'm afraid to break my parts if I stress them too much.

But anyways, this first try is quite concluding, and I hope I will very soon be able to make more of these.

If you want to see more pictures, check the Brickshelf gallery (not public yet).

P.S. : Plus, they smell good. I'm not good at recognizing odors, but I would say it smells like teen spirit almond.

[CM4Sci]

Wow, I like them very much!

Nice work.

-Sci

[Kalhiki]

I was wondering when someone would use Shapeways for custom parts. I've seen Transformers upgrade parts, but never anything Lego.

That being said, these look great. I really wish Lego would put out new bones like these. I'm sure they'd really come in handy.

Kalhiki

[Dorek]

Very cool. We've been seeing the same bone pieces for a while now, so I'm hoping LEGO introduces some new ones like these at some point. These definitely resemble the old BIONICLE pieces more (at least in terms of structure), so that would be nice to see.

[ZORK64]

I think some of these would be also really great to incorporate the older limbs from Bionicle into the current HF system.

Leewan, you really also make me rethink my ways of being a purist.

Let us know once you've got past prototype stage with these things.

[Leewan]

Thanks guys ! :D

I was wondering when someone would use Shapeways for custom parts. I've seen Transformers upgrade parts, but never anything Lego.

Really ? Though, searching Lego gives plenty of results. But I think I'm the first one to make custom for Action Figures. Most vendors do minifigures-compatible items.

I think some of these would be also really great to incorporate the older limbs from Bionicle into the current HF system.

That was my goal. The main idea was to expand the CCBS to make it compatible with the Bionicle system.

Let us know once you've got past prototype stage with these things.

Don't worry, if I get satisfying results, I will tell you. Anyway, I don't think I could keep it for myself.

[The Mugbearer]

That's what I call "any means to an end". :D I am super jealous now.

[Takanuinuva]

These are a lot like the parts Ideas I came up with. You should make a cuusoo project to get these to become real lego parts. I would buy a ton of them.

[ToaJaller78]

Welup.

LEGO has been beaten.

[WARHEAD]

That's some dedication right there, genuinely impressive. These would definitely look like they wouldcome in handy, especially the triple-ball one.

[davidr]

Oh man I just saw these on brickshelf, great job! If you will make them as good as Lego parts, then heck yeah! When I think about it what about sending something like that to customer service or somewhere. :D

Very cool. We've been seeing the same bone pieces for a while now, so I'm hoping LEGO introduces some new ones like these at some point. These definitely resemble the old BIONICLE pieces more (at least in terms of structure), so that would be nice to see.

I'd love to see new armor as well, new shapes, not only these double pin "shoulderpads", I want new shells. These we have now look a bit boring to me already.

[The Mugbearer]

These are a lot like the parts Ideas I came up with. You should make a cuusoo project to get these to become real lego parts. I would buy a ton of them.

Yeah, a CUUSOO project might be a great idea. The question is: will it get the necessary votes? And after all that, project will need TLG's approval.

[Leewan]

These are a lot like the parts Ideas I came up with.

I know, but don't worry, I'm not a thief, I would never use other people ideas without quoting them as original creators. Plus, I had the idea before (don't believe me ?). ;)

You should make a cuusoo project to get these to become real lego parts. I would buy a ton of them.

I don't know, CCBS will be dead before I reach the 10000 votes. It's already difficult for system-based ideas to get this amount of votes, so a Hero Factory project would hardly be possible. But... well, I will think of it. But honestly, I was more thinking of making these parts and sell them myself, rather than wait months and months to discover that my project didn't pass the review stage. And IMO, the DIY method is funnier. Plus, I would be so proud to make my own Lego ! :D

Also, I worked a bit on a custom 2.0 headgear. But proportions were wrong, so I had to redo it from scratch, because the part was poorly conceived (I have still things to learn... ). But I might rework on it. Here's a picture of the original version (which had never been achieved) :

Edited August 17, 2013 by Leewan

[SmoothJazz]

That's some dedication right there, genuinely impressive. These would definitely look like they wouldcome in handy, especially the triple-ball one.

The same effect can be obtained with 3 balljoints on an axle.

Anyway, these look great. Not really anything to say that others haven't said already.

[WARHEAD]

The same effect can be obtained with 3 balljoints on an axle.

Anyway, these look great. Not really anything to say that others haven't said already.

Still a neat thing to have, especially if you're always running out of those balls. (like myself :v)

[Kalhiki]

Really ? Though, searching Lego gives plenty of results. But I think I'm the first one to make custom for Action Figures. Most vendors do minifigures-compatible items.

I don't usually search things on Shapeways. Let's just say I haven't seen many people advertise what they've made (which is the only way I ever see it).

Kalhiki

[Front]

These are some neat parts. At work I always try and persuade the constraction team to introduce more bone pieces. We have been making a lot of prototypes, I myself have been making the two parts furthest left and right in the first picture in original post. But I've had a lot more ideas to bones, as has a lot of the constraction designers.

But there is a limit to what can be introduced each year, and new pieces are required for many other things than just bones.

Feet, armor shells, weapons, decoration pieces etc.

Erland

Part Design

[Infernum]

Good to hear TLG is a least looking into new bones! These look like some great ideas!

[Dorek]

I'd love to see what people can do if they could focus more on introducing new cladding and bones as opposed to weapons, but that's just me.

[Aanchir]

I'd love to see what people can do if they could focus more on introducing new cladding and bones as opposed to weapons, but that's just me.

Well, to be honest, I don't have too much preference what parts TLG makes as long as they continue to make them well. Just compare some of the weapon parts this year, many of which are shared with the Chima constraction sets, to a lot of the 2.0 weapons. This year's newer weapons are much simpler and thus in many cases more effective for making custom weapons, despite having fewer connection points. And thankfully we've moved past BIONICLE's tendency to have a new and specialized weapon piece for each individual character.

Still, I do feel positively giddy every time I see a new bone piece. Waspix's connector piece, XT4's torso beam, and Stormer XL's 3M double ball cup have been far more useful to me than I could have anticipated.

Anyway, back on-topic: these custom beams are quite nice! I notice you avoided parts with ball cups, which is probably for the best... given how long it took TLG to come up with a design that wouldn't break, I can't imagine how hard it might be for a fan to do the same through 3-D printing. They are definitely very BIONICLE-like in that there is a "male" connection at each end rather than one end being "male" and the other being "female". But that doesn't make them any less compatible with Hero Factory's CCBS.

Keep on innovating! I look forward to seeing what other parts you might dream up!

[Infernum]

I was wondering... How much did these cost you to make?

[Leewan]

Thanks for all your comments guys !

But there is a limit to what can be introduced each year, and new pieces are required for many other things than just bones.

Feet, armor shells, weapons, decoration pieces etc.

Is this an hint about what can be expected next year ? Anyway, thanks for your comment, Front.

Anyway, back on-topic: these custom beams are quite nice! I notice you avoided parts with ball cups, which is probably for the best... given how long it took TLG to come up with a design that wouldn't break, I can't imagine how hard it might be for a fan to do the same through 3-D printing.

It's because ball-cups are really hard to design, so I chose to focus on something that would be easier to do first. But I have some more ideas, and I will try to design parts with ball-cups. :)

I was wondering... How much did these cost you to make?

Honestly... about 50€.

Edited August 18, 2013 by Leewan

[ZORK64]

It's because ball-cups are really hard to design, so I chose to focus on something that would be easier to do first. But I have some more ideas, and I will try to design parts with ball-cups. :)

I'm currently trying to make parts to customize a Transformer, and I avoid creating ball joints as far as possible just for that reason - I still haven't figured out how to make cups in the first place.

[Leewan]

There are two important points : friction, and strength. In my case, I also have one more constraint : I must try to replicate as precisely as I can the "real" HF parts. For example on the pivot parts, I made my own design, but I had to make it look like the official parts. Some differences still exist, but I think I found a good compromise between personal design and CCBS shape. So if I don ball-cups, I will have to mimic official style.

Also, I made the parts available for sale on Shapeways. If anyone is interested, ask me the link(s), they are not public because I think 3D-printing is mostly a prototyping technology, and I'd prefer widely selling finalized products than 3D-printed parts (not sure if it's clear ^^).

Edited August 19, 2013 by Leewan

[Mr. Gundam]

Leewan, these pieces are amazing!!! I imagine pieces like these back when 2.0 first came out. Happy to see there could be a way to make them.

Thanks Font for letting us know about that. I always thought how TLG, pick piece to be made every year. I'll cross my fingers on any new bone and feets pieces. Good Luck guys