Buzzetta

Thanks, I also added a ladder but represented it with the grill pieces using a snot overhang as I wanted as much room as possible in the interior cargo hold so I could fit a speeder bike and some crates. I also added an Ugnaught because... well, because. I definitely like the red circular headlights but may change them to a yellow color or clear.

The most glaring thing to me was the hole in the top of the escape pod... here was my fix... two pieces... that was it... It was so easy I let the classic train guys take care of it. It raised the level of the escape pod by a barely noticeable single plate and preserved the design of the ship quite nicely.

My preordered Razor Crest arrived and has already been built. Added two pieces to the escape pod to fully enclose it and just finished building a speeder bike for the cargo hold.

Been lurking for years and I rarely post... but figured what the heck... For this set the golden rule for me is not to take away any original parts from the set. Anything that I do I want to be able to take away at a moments notice if I needed to pack up the set and archive it in a bin somewhere. That way if I ever wanted to sell it in order to trade up, everything is already there. The first fix I needed to do was to fill in the gaps of the frame. If you notice by the circles I used 1x2 inverted slope bricks on the port and starboard side of the vessel. Those are the upper two yellow circled areas... More on that in a second. The lower fix was easy using two more of the 1x2 inverted slopes and a 1x3. Those really eliminated a lot of the gaps in the shell area of the falcon. The port and starboard sides though needed a bit more of a fix. I did not like how floppy the back shells came away. Move the ship, and they flop upward. So... placing a 4x8 gray plate on either side gives the back shells something to bump into and allows space for that 1x2 inverted brick to attach itself. I then placed the original 'wing' plates right over it. This made sure that no interior space was taken up and the exterior shape of the ship's shell also goes unchanged. So... gaps fixed and shell stays in place when the ship is moved. The rear shells stay locked due to 1/16 of an inch difference. Pleasant surprise that worked very well. The next fix was easy. It needed a forward storage unit. I unpinned and lifted up the mandibles to turn the two sloping bricks to the side then framed it across using 1x1 bricks and a clasping grip to hold another tool, and a container door. I plated up the gap underneath so nothing falls through and used smooth grates so a small container can slide in and out. For this container I figured that they are still smuggling hyperdrive fuel / crystals like they were in solo. I used 'L shaped' plates on the corners to make sure nothing falls apart. On the other side I used a gray 1x1 headlight holder instead of a basic 1x1 so that i could attach a 1x1 printed lever piece I found in the goodwill / ebay lot. More to come... as I get the time... I am now looking at a way to modify the back pins leading to the gunner ports.

I just opened and built the set. To tell the truth, I see why the designers did what they did and I believe it is in better shape and closer to the source than other Lego SW sets. For example, they have yet to release a falcon that allows (by design) a walkway from the main cargo hold to the cockpit or a cockpit that fits four. I am looking it over and here is my want list for the set: A two seated side by side cockpit. Access from the troop bay to the cockpit. Deeper and extended troop bay with seats. I think that once those are figured out the rest will take care of itself. What I am looking at is using that UCS X-Wing Canopy for the top and then building the cockpit first. Once that is done I would build the troop bay off of it and then let everything else figure itself out.

Many thanks for the response. That's next in the Lego queue. There were so many Amazon black Friday deals this past weekend it has to take a backseat until the day after Christmas.

Just ordered one today for $11.99 from Amazon based on this review and the obvious discount from Amazon... With tax it came to $13.02 and free shipping. Figured it was a nice little set for my desk at work. Amazon is currently backordered but will fulfill their orders as they become available.

Sooo... I have a value question... I am looking to try out the power functions thing as I was still a 9v guy. According to the LEGO site here is what I am looking at in order to power a train using the current tech: 8878: Power Functions Rechargeable Battery Box: $49.99 8884: Power Functions IR Receiver $14.99 8879: Power Functions IR Speed Remote Control: $12.99 88002: Power Functions Train Motor: $13.99 45517: Tranformer 10v DC: $29.99 This comes to $121.95. Am I better off value wise just buying one of the Power Functions train sets on Amazon? Maybe I am missing something... Any insight is appreciated in advance. - Andrew

As far as whether or not it will be a very good set... I see this set attracting a lot of desirability outside the Lego collecting circles. I believe that this will be a sought after Disney set long after it is retired by the Disneyanna collectors.

These are some excellent ideas. I want to mention that my absence does not mean I am not monitoring what you have all written. It is hard to get over here during the work week. I was toying around with a design similar to this but thinking of offsetting the doors with jumper bricks and build the doors as it gives the appearance of a sliding door. The wheel arraignment may pose problematic using a 9V motor. (I do not have a 12v motor or track but may consider buying my first power systems set as I am still a holdout) As an easy solution to the 2:4:2, I was thinking of a non powered engine and placing a motor in rolling stock or a passenger unit. I will have to make a few concessions though due to part availability, design and my building ability when it comes to the details around the wheels.

Long time reader... very long time... I finally joined earlier this year, and I know this is my second post but I figured I would throw this out to you all. Going to attempt a build of this engine. The best representation I could find was from the Lionel model that was offered a few years ago. The closest I found of an official Lego representation was from the old red engine from the 7720 set. (Which was my first Lego train). Any suggestions? I am looking at attempting this in a six wide so I realize that it will have to express a degree of a minimalist design but would still like to maximize the space I have to work with. I have done an extensive search to see if anyone else had built one before but could not find anything (unless I overlooked something) Anyway... thoughts? 7720 in case someone is unfamilar:

I just want to offer a thanks. If not for this thread I would not have been able to get my Batman Tumbler. I order the bricks over bricklink along with some other odds and ends and it was still cheaper than buying the set used. Again thank you... OK ... back to lurking.