John Carstairs

I've had this one sitting half-finished for a week or so until a bricklink order arrived today. It was based on the Kentrosaurus toy from the original toy line and started as yet another Triceratops MOC, but I stuck it on the T-Rex for whatever reason and liked the look of it. I needed a Valorian T-Rex anyway... The weapons include the two dual lasers mounted up top and the heavy single lasers mounted on the bottom in addition two the twin lasers mounted on both of the pilot chairs. That, of course, means it is a two-seater like the Rulon version. The back view shows off the rear-mounted lasers which protect against attacks from behind. The pilot chairs rotate well over 180 degrees to defend against attacks from most angles, including the ones the fixed armaments cannot reach. A slightly better shot of the rear guns. A profile shot.

Eh, found pictures of two more I made last week-ish I believe. Both based on toys from the original line. Part the First: This one was based on the Styracosaurus, which was definitely one of my favorite toys from the series (Although the Deinonychus was definitely my favorite dinosaur featured). I mostly liked the asymmetrical design and overall balance of weapons to dinosaur. It was built when I came of with the laser design while screwing around with some leftover parts. and realized it would look pretty good in a recreation of this toy. A shot from behind. And the other side, where the rider sits. There's that asymmetry I was talking about. I now actually believe I built this one before the one in the post above, because this harness design became the basis for it and the one to follow. The back from that side. Part the Second: This one was based on my absolute favorite of the toys as a child (That I actually owned anyway...) the Monoclonius. It had the same sort of balance between lasers and dinosaur as the Styracosaurus, but had the advantage of being a bad guy set, which made it much cooler. Its most striking features were the beefy pilot's seat up top and the two different styles of guns it used, both of which I tried to recreate here. It turns out finding a new brain box design that worked was the biggest challenge in making this one. Back from that side. And the other side. The gun is basically the same as the one used on the MOC in the previous post because I built it with the intention of using it on this one. I did, however, modify it a bit in the interest of not being quite so lazy. Back view from that side. And I later found out that, with only slight modifications, it was pretty easy to fit a Friends minidoll in the pilot's chair. ...if only I had more bricks in the new colors... Bonus images: Each reconfigured into the other's layout.

I bought the sets themselves, as there were some of my most anticipated sets in a long time. The Dino Defense HQ, Triceratops Tracker, and Ambush Assault are, to me at least, definitely worth it, although you may want to wait on a sale. Edit: And if you only want to buy one to MOC with, I might suggest the Triceratops. It's probably the most fun to build on. You've got more room to work with than the smaller ones, and it doesn't have the T-Rex's problem of being high off the ground. ...although the Raptors are pretty fun to screw around with as well. Now, back to the dinosaurs: This one was based on the Triceratops from the original toy line, which I believe was always a crowd pleaser. I believe it's got all the main features from the original: the two side turrets, the radar dish, and the two lasers on both the seats. The brain box was an alternate version of the one I made for my very first Dino-Riders MOC. The back view gives you a decent look at the passenger's seat. It was a bit of a challenge to get on there, as the Lego Triceratops's tail is much straighter than the one from the original toy. Once again, the Space Police III alien stands in for a Rulon because I didn't want to have two brick-built antmen in the same shot. And much like the original toy, the pilot's seat and radar dish rotate 360 degrees.

Wow, you really nailed the "sinister" part. This is easily the most evil-looking building I've personally seen in Lego form.

I just realized I never posted these here, probably because the replies dropped pretty drastically... A Rulon version of the Pteranodon. I tried to find a different way to attach the wing guns so it wouldn't be too similar to the first one. The brain box was also a fun little problem. ...that's a hatchet holding it together. And the back. Imagine those round bits as thrusters to help with the extra weight or something. And an improved Valorian raptor. The original version looked a little under-powered compared to the Rulon version, so I gave it an upgrade. The double-lasers are a bit more faithful to the original toy anyway. The back. ...astute observers may have noticed the two longer guns are different lengths. I fixed this in the current version up on my shelf, but haven't gotten around to taking new pictures (since that's the only thing that changed...). More to come later...

So maybe the T-Rex didn't take as long as I thought: This one has a little more armor than most of the others to go with the extra weapons. Our old friend Antor makes his comeback as the main pilot. The back view makes it more obvious that it's also the first two-seater. The rear gunner has two medium blasters that rotate vertically in addition to the heavy turret up top with which to defend the dinosaur's backside. Once again using that Space Police III alien as a stand-in for a Rulon. ...I really need to get some of those Ninjago snakemen... A close-up of the brain box. I kept it pretty close to the design from the original toy line because it was pretty awesome. The lasers on it are, of course, aimed by the dinosaur's head movements. I wanted to do something with the underside this time, so I went with a little automated anti-personnel turret to keep lighter enemies at bay. Both the command chair and rear turret rotate horizontally to take care of threats approaching from the sides. The thing between them was meant to be the main power supply for all those weapons, hence the vents to keep it from overheating. And a profile shot to finish things off. In addition to the parts I used in the other MOCs, this one was made possible by the noble sacrifices of two Spyrius Recon Robots and part of a Galactic Enforcer (Which is probably also where I got the alien's head...).

Made a couple more. I've been planning to make a Rulon version of the Raptor one since I started, but it took a while to get a design I liked that was distinct enough from the Valorian one. The vent thingies on the sides were inspired directly by the Deinonychus figure from the original toy line. The whole thing looks a little beefier because of them. I'm not a very big fan of what I ended up doing for the brain box, but, as I've mentioned before, I've got a really limited selection of parts. I think it looks slightly less ridiculous in person. Because I was too impatient to wait for one of the Ninjago snake men, I used one of the Space Police III aliens as a stand-in for the baddie. The view from the back. A view without the minifigure. It also took me a while to decide what to do with the Coelophysis, but I still wanted to include it for completion's sake. After a couple of attempts, I gave up on having a rider on the dinosaur itself and made it into a sort of unmanned scout dino. I don't feel this is cheating too much, as there were a couple of smaller figures in the Dino-Riders line in which the "pilots" didn't actually ride the dinosaurs. Besides the two light blasters, I like to imagine the backpack as containing sensors and such which gather data as the Coelophysis darts around the battlefield... ...and transmits it via the antenna back to base, where the communications officer can relay it to her fellow Valorians. With no dinosaur to protect her, she is forced to defend herself with that oversized pistol if any Rulons happen to slip past their defenses. The T-Rex may take a while. I need to brainstorm on it so it isn't too similar to the things I've already done, but I also may need some more bricks before building it at all...

I agree with this opinion. Also, nice integration of the Jedi cockpit. I haven't seen it used on many MOCs, and it looks great here. I especially like the cockpit to nosecone transition.

Hikaro Takayama already figured it out, actually. It was a modified 1 x 1 tile with clip slid inwards along the ridge on the front side of the wing until it held. Like I said before, it's actually a lot more secure than it sounds.

Honestly, the only complaint I can think of, and it's a pretty minor one, is that the raised bit behind the cab looks a little empty. I'm not very familiar with the crane it's based on, however, so maybe that's how it actually looks. Having said that, the whole things looks great. (Especially the part you edited out to keep it in the town forum.)

I'm pretty pleased that my two favorites, Blacktron I and Ice Planet 2002, are currently leading. I think my love of both stems from their distinctive color schemes, awesome minifigures, and excellent capital ships. The Renegade and Deep Freeze Defender are still two of my favorite sets of all time. Spyrius was a distant third, and mostly on the strength of two sets: the Recon Robot and Saucer Scout. The other sets in the line were decent enough, I suppose, but these were the only ones I ever actually bought... two of each, in fact. Like the other two lines, Spyrius had a nice, distinctive color scheme, excellent minifigs (especially the androids), and a couple of really nicely designed sets to pull me in. After Spyrius, I kind of lost interest in the space sets, barring one or two, until the Space Police III line drew me back in with some of its great designs.

Forgive the double post, but I made another one: ...or reworked the Triceratops one into a mobile sniper platform. The main idea was to only give it exactly what it needed to do its job. It needed a power source, rifle, and somewhere for the sniper to sit. The chair can be elevated, rotated 360 degrees horizontally, and tilted vertically. A closer shot of the rifle. Like all the others, this was made almost entirely of parts from the previous ones.

Nothing new to add, but I also think these are great. Especially the Deep Sea Predator... and the cute little shark. Aquasharks was one of the lines I always wished got more sets, if only just a proper base.

That is, in fact, the secret. It doesn't seem like a very secure connection, but my roommate knocked it off my desk and only the stand popped off.

Ha, thanks. And I agree on the minifig. I'm already looking through the Ninjago stuff to find the one that fits best. Some of the Atlantis baddies might work as well. I seem to remember there being some sharkmen in the Dino-Riders line... Here's another while I'm at it: Another lightly armed one. Don't want to weigh it down too much. Back view. Don't look too closely or you will notice it was made with parts pulled off the other two. I don't have many bricks with me at the moment.