Swatch

Update: Yesterday I completed the build (mostly) with my sadly sick kid. There's a few missing pieces from my orders or from one of the kids walking off with them, but overall it came together nicely in the end. Looking forward to physically de-building now so that I can really dig into the details of how to assemble it properly. Thank you again Lipko, it really is a fantastic model.

Update: The structure is together from tip to tail and all control linkages are now in place. Tightened up the structure of the wings above and everything is much sturdier now. Built up the engine & propeller with my boys... LOVED this. Very satisfying and an excellent facsimile. The boys built the seats and enjoyed it a lot. (but I ended up with non-matching coloring on the tan/nougat/sand colors) I've been cleaning up the instructions v1 and started on the outer skin instructions. Once done with the instructions and the build, I'll post the v1 instructions, flaws and all. They will be a framework if anyone wants to imitate, but there will be plenty of 'impossible' assemblies that require some de-build/re-build along the way. I'll move toward a new design first by dismantling the plane in a logical order and then reworking the model divisions to make more sense. I know for sure that I have not followed a clean build for the main structure as there have been a number of de-build/re-build steps to integrate things such as the forward landing gear, engine, wing center box, and aileron linkages.

Got the wings on today... another bit of fussy assembling. But I do think I had a couple minor realizations around how Lipko did the center section that might better inform my build order. I do have a question for Nerdz or Lipko though... When I installed my wings, they are very floppy and I'm concerned I may be missing something. Is there supposed to be some sort of connection between the LtGrey T-shaped technic and the white wing panel? (see attached) To orient, that orange bit on the right is the propeller drive 'nipple' and the you're looking from the port/aft above toward the center section.

Update: Today I tackled building the center section for the first time and oh boy, it was as much a doozy as I thought it might be. I know once I put it all together, I'll learn a lot about building it by taking it apart. Definitely a few moments where I felt like I needed an extra set of hands. It did result in a couple rearrangements in the order of operations, so I've been working on revising the instruction set. If you guys can see the photo album, keep checking back there, as I'm uploading as I go. Lipko, I see what you mean that there's some room for improvement in this area using the new pieces. Still, a very impressive bit of building by you.

LSA Technic with Functions: A Lipko MOC Link to Google Shared Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mJvHQNExrX3hzWXm9 Progress so far... Imported LDD into Stud.io, broke into components, arranged rough build order. (Completed, took about 10 days) All known parts ordered and in hand. (Completed, took about 2 weeks through bricklink) Rough instruction set created (currently at 344 pages, 549 steps, but I haven't tackled the outer skin quite yet) Areas I struggled so far... Breaking out the wings from the fuselage structure Figuring out the order that the center section is assembled Determining when to add the nose landing gear to the fuselage structure None of the above appear to be showstoppers once I broke them down in the instructions, but they required a lot of small one or two part steps instead of larger assemblies. But as I put it together, I might have a few 'eureka' moments once I'm holding the pieces together.

Thanks Lipko, I think I'll use this thread for my build documentation of the aircraft as you've designed it and if I decide to pursue modifications, redesign, or significant refinement I'll create a new thread to document that work. As long as I'm building the MOC you've created, I'll keep it here in one place as I feel it is a useful resource for anyone else who is interested in building it. Once I've completed the model as you've designed it, I'll assess whether I want to do a redesign, and if I do, I'll take ownership of that effort and start a new thread to avoid confusion while attributing the inspiration appropriately back to this thread. As an aerospace nerd, I just love this build.

tl;dr: I have a preliminary set of instructions for this MOC for personal use and if Lipko is still around monitoring this thread, I wanted to see if he was interested in working together to move them along and make them available, as well as highjacking this thread a bit for a build-log. Hello everyone... like many in this thread, I created this account specifically because of this thread. I'm a recovering aerospace engineer, and Private Pilot in training who stumbled across this amazing MOC. Previously I've dabbled in the MOC world with the large scale Apollo CSM/LM by FreakCube, so I'm no stranger to a big MOC build, but this one certainly added a couple new twists. Obviously it's missing a completed instruction set, but also it's Technic, which while I love it conceptually, I've spent very little time in, so it's a bit foreign to me. To add to this, I wanted to build this with my 5 and 7 year old, who are fantastic at reading LEGO constructions (their word for the instruction booklet that I totally 100% support and reinforce!), but have not quite made the jump to reverse engineering and custom construction. In any case, I decided this was exactly the kind of set I wanted to put my energy into, so I set about decoding the LDD that was posted above. After placing an order for the parts and while waiting for them to arrive, I started breaking the model into component parts to make sense of it. I figured if I could break them into enough components, I'd be able to work with my boys to build it and teach them how to use Stud.io. Well, then came the obsession. I've never really used Stud.io much, but I love picking up new computer programs through just diving in, so as I got deeper into the program, the scope of my work increased until next thing I know, I'm working on page 227, step 354 with half a plane still to go. In any case, I now find myself with a first pass set of instructions, a bag with 4000+ pieces and the start to an impressively designed GA aircraft model with more functions than an algebra test. Lipko, if you're around and still invested in this model/design, I would love to hijack this thread to document my build and further develop the constructions (focusing on ease of build, replacement of rare/costly aftermarket bricks, and maybe smoothing any rough edges found along the way). Alternatively, I'm happy to keep this work to myself and my kids if you want to maintain control of it. Just let me know, and if you want me to send you what I have so far (the stud.io file), PM me.