ummester

Very nice review/comparison - thanks. Like the reviewer, I prefer to MOC/MOD - 8097 is the closest Star Wars set I have on display to the original TLG build. The only major change I have made is cockpit detail. I remember a lot of Star Wars fans not getting it at the time because they thought is was just a recolored 6209, which it kind of is, with some subtle differences only. Not having 6209, I had no choice in which one to buy. Whilst I do think that the USC Slave 1 is a more accurate shape, I feel 8097 is a more accurate size. For some reason TLG overestimates size for minifig scale UCS sets, as if they are basing dimensions on minifig width, rather than height. End result is next to UCS Slave 1 or USC Falcon, mifigs look 4 ft versions of the 6ft characters they are supposed to represent.

Had stressful/sad April 1st, needed a good laugh and this thread provided it. Guess we'll have DisneyLink soon also and each store will have to add a further 3% to prices to accommodate the takeover :P

Nice how you've curved the coaches up from the bottom. Am interested to see the photos of the brick build. I find when taking screenshots in LDD it looks better to have the outlines turned on - I also find it easier to work with the outlines on, now I have gotten used to them. Of course a render looks better than anything - but if you don't have the time or PC power, outlines on is generally better than outlines off in LDD.

Amazing, looks fantastic.

Dig the images showing design progression, they make it seem really fun. The door and windows look great. Does the crane car have trouble on corners with the wheels close together like that?

Sticker Questions, drawing attention to the reference pic for this loco again: I could do the white strips with cuts from a LEGO sticker sheet and the designation with a clear tape in a label maker. The only thing I can't work out how to make sticky is the WA railways logo. I could replicate this easy enough in Photoshop - I just don't know how to get it on a small transparent sticker. Anyone have any ideas?

LEGO is an expensive hobby whichever way you slice it - I had to stop smoking to play with plastic trains :D

You mean this one jtlan? http://railbricks.com/instructions/three-axle-truck/ That design, like the one I was using initially, has the wheels too close together to corner well. The only other 3 axle design I can see on Railbricks is this one http://railbricks.com/instructions/3-axle-shared-passenger-truck/ The only way this could be powered is with a motor inside the loco and gears. EDIT - just found the actual magazine, Railbricks #6 and saw the 3 axle design in it. Again, it is a truck that needs to be gear driven and powered by a motor other than the PF train motor. From what Legoman666 posted, a single small motor will not compete with the PF train motor. The original issue still stands - there is no close to perfect way to power a 3 axle truck with the PF train motor or in a less than 7 wide loco design.

can you make your own somehow, from LDD models, for moc trains?

Great use of brick types to create texture - it's something I really appreciate with LEGO building.

Very nice train collection - though I agree with jamesed in that i prefer to design my own. Any official set I put together I either mod or sell. If I did get something like the EN or Shed in a mint looking box now, I would be hesitant to open it. I have a mate who has a UCS Falcon mint in the box, which he is too scared to open and build now - he said if he really wants to build it it's wiser to sell the box version to an investor/collector and purchase a used set for building.

Does anyone else see the humor in the concept that a discussion regarding whether or not LEGO should make a military or conflict based theme becomes heated and very conflicted?

I've made one fake truck - with the wrong colors - and it runs very smoothly, a bit smoother than the passenger train, because this loco is fair bit heavier. From a distance the fake trucks look fine, as it is quite dark under the loco and the brick work hides where the wheels hit the tracks - the only time where the illusion fails is around corners, which is where the running for different truck models fails. Man, I'm starting to dislike LEGO corner tracks - but the flip side is the gauge of the trains is so big you need a lot of space to play with layouts, so I can see why they tried to keep the corners tight. I have some Steam drivers on order zephyr, so I am going to take you advice and muck around with a steam train chassis first, before I try and build the whole thing. One thing this diesel loco has taught me, with LEGO trains, is to start from the wheel design, then work out what kind of motor you need, then model the train.

The trucks on the Loco are annoying me - seeing it in bricks, I find everything but them looks close enough to the reference photos. So I have been working on new truck designs. The top design shows trucks with true six axles and gears, aka the type of trucks legoman666 makes. The bottom design is faux truck detail over 2 axles per truck in PF motor configuration (the PF motor is in the front truck). I know the top truck looks better but what I can't decide is whether or not it looks sufficiently better for the internal remodeling required on the loco, not to mention the performance drop that might occur with a single truck running on a single PF technic style motor. I really can't decide which way to proceed? Advice?

I've mucked around with faux trim - the concept of it just niggles at me though :D Petty the M motor isn't powerful enough, it looks easier to position and hide.