ESB Imperial Probe Droid - Empire Needs Your Support Now

[icemann]

hey everyone =)

my name's clement, from singapore.

i'm very pleased to have the chance to get to know fellow lego fans from all over the world. Lego and Star Wars are my joys from young.

Bought so many UCS and haven't actually built them, and then suddenly there was this ridiculous TRU sale in one of the malls, and so I bought a few of the mini SW ships and had a go.

After that, it was no turning back, and I have been building day and night, much to the irritation of the other half... lol

The Imperial Probe droid to me, is one of the coolest ever created in the entire series. It set the tone for the dark ESB chapter, and the scene of the droid emerging from the crash, legs dangling and head spinning menancingly still holds me in awe till this day. But I just thought it doesn't get enough attention, and so I set out to build my own. =)

The final lego droid is made up of 550++ pieces and stands about 40cm tall (including base). Here it is, placed next to a 12inch "SIDESHOW" battle droid, for scale comparison.

Here's another angle, next to a full size stormtrooper, for scale comparison as well lol

The toughest challenge in this project, has to be that head, which has details on a 360 degree basis. I honestly sprained my brain on this one.

In the photo below, different views of the head is presented, to illustrate the different eyes and snouts that I tried my best to replicate. Using different sizes of s, m and L, I tried in my purist mode, to differentiate all the variants and to keep them as close to the movie as possible.

The legs provided the most fun of the build. Achieving full posability was a challenge I set myself, while attempting to get the unique claws to mirror the ones in the movie. Here's an R&D concept shot, before I finally arrived at the final profiles which I am contented with.

I hope fellow fans will approve of this Probeject.=)

I have also submitted the project to the Lego Ideas platform. If you also think this is a pretty okay project, which you would like LEGO to consider turning into a real project, please do hop over to the link below to support=).

I'm honestly quite embarrassed to be canvassing for support here, but the Lego Ideas platform require creators to promote their projects to create awareness, with the hope that it will pull in support.

If you would like to back this uo, please click here to go to the website, to give your support >> https://ideas.lego.com/projects/92233

FInally, design really never ends, thats what I learnt in school. If you have comments and ideas to help further improve on this project, I look forward to hearing from everyone =)

With that, I thank you for reading and supporting.

I hope this is a Droid you are looking for! =)

regards

dark grey matters

https://www.flickr.c...57650561075318/

Edited April 3, 2015 by icemann

[Azrielsc]

Love the details and the effort put in!! :)

And what a way to introduce yourself to EB!

Edited April 1, 2015 by Azrielsc

[icemann]

thanks sc!

Love the details and the effort put in!! :)

And what a way to introduce yourself to EB!

[Terrasher]

I've seen a lot of Probe Droid MOCs but this one is most likely the one with the design I like the most

Supporter #923

[H_Solo]

Supported! I love the Probedroid, and yours really is dead on!

[Anio]

I am not a big fan of the probe droid. And in fact, I don't really understand how that many people can be. I mean, a probe droid is just a ugly gray thing that we hardly see in the SW movies.

Whatever.

You did a great job. You captured the shape and the details very well. You model seems also cleverly built. ;)

Supported (something that I rarely do :p ).

[deanorth]

really nice, supported this project too!

[Fuppylodders]

While I haven't seen many probe droid mocs as the probe droid isn't something that really interests me, I can certainly see that you have captured it very well and it is highly detailed to a really good level!

[Kelso]

That looks very good, supported!

[icemann]

hey there terrasher,

thank you very much for your very generous compliment =)

every vote counts, and I am really very very grateful to everyone who voted.

Also very encouraging to hear your comment =)

I've seen a lot of Probe Droid MOCs but this one is most likely the one with the design I like the most

Supporter #923

[icemann]

Some Crazy Legwork

Following the overview above, I thought it would be fun to talk about the Legwork that went into the development of the droid. One detail I learnt whilst researching the droid, is that it had different leg profiles that ended in specialised claw designs.I wouldn't bore you with the functional purpose of each claw (this being a Lego forum =)), but do let me go into the details of the Lego MOC.

This first photo shows how the Movie version looks (using a "SIDESHOW" model as reference).

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These second and third photos shows my interpretation and study concept respectively. Extra care and attention went into trying to capture the "cutting incisor" or "grabbing" or "pinching" feel of the claws. Pistons were also added in to complete the look. AT this scale, they had to be manually adjusted to accomodate the desired tilt of the legs

Besides the claws and piston details, attention was needed to achieve versatility of the joints. Rachet hinges are used to provide posability. There are also the "axle caps" which are a distinct feature in the Movie Droid. The photo belows shows the different circular cappings used which allowed me to respect the hierachy found in the Movie version.

Note : these photos were taken during development process, and therefore the legs look somewhat stumpy. They were lengthened in the final version to better reflect the slender legs of the actual movie version.

Thanks for reading =)

Edited April 3, 2015 by icemann

[icemann]

Hey H_solo

thanks for the support!

thanks for comment, it's very humbling to get compliments from fellow lego fans =)

I hope Lego is listening too =P

Supported! I love the Probedroid, and yours really is dead on!

Edited April 3, 2015 by icemann

[icemann]

good day anio!

yap, i know what you mean about the obscurity of the droid! lol. It really only appeared for a brief few minutes...hahahaha. But for some strange reason, the product/ industrial design of it captivated my attention for over 3 decades, and with lego already churning out most of the iconic ships, I knew I wanted to challenge myself with something fresh and relatively undone, so that i won't be influenced by the build techniques of those already done

which brings me to your comments.. thank you thank you very very much!

to know that you rarely jump in to support a project, wow, it means, I am very very honoured by your decision to do so. The support means alot and the encouragement goes a long way.

And and as rightly picked out, the fun thing about taking a stab at lesser built objects, means I literally had to crack my head to devise good techniques to pull this droid together, and I hope I did so.

once again, thank you for your very kind comments and support

sincerely

icemann

I am not a big fan of the probe droid. And in fact, I don't really understand how that many people can be. I mean, a probe droid is just a ugly gray thing that we hardly see in the SW movies.

Whatever.

You did a great job. You captured the shape and the details very well. You model seems also cleverly built. ;)

Supported (something that I rarely do :p ).

Edited April 4, 2015 by icemann

[icemann]

BODY PARTS

Having dedicated a section on the legs, I would like to share on the development of body details.

The Movie Droid has an assortment of surface treatment that looks kit-bashed from plastic model kits. This first photo highlights various surface details, which I gathered from internet searches.

This next photo shows the R&D studies on how to best capture the profile and scale in Lego form.

Finally, these last set of photos show the final Lego design found in the MOC Droid.

When it comes to Lego design, I take a purist approach. This section of the MOC build was possibly one of the most intense but fun. Building at this scale, the exciting part must be trying to find that unique Lego piece that can perfectly, if not, best represent the actual detail. And after all the searching and comparing, when you finally find that detail, the efforts are well worth it and the eureka moment is well rewarded with a nifty looking finish.

Thanks again for reading.

Edited April 4, 2015 by icemann

[H_Solo]

Fantastic! I really appreciate your perfectly movie acurate details... This is some awesome work!

[icemann]

thanks again H_solo!

I do my best...do or do not.. there is no try

Fantastic! I really appreciate your perfectly movie acurate details... This is some awesome work!

[icemann]

hi deanorth!

sincere apologies for this delayed thank you!

thanks for the compliments, and of cos, a huge big thank you for the support!!

i know it can be a pain to have to do that lego account.. i am very very grateful =)

really nice, supported this project too!

[ballerexpress]

A UCS set that costs less than my paycheck is a friendly sight! and the model of course looks wonderful!

[icemann]

hello fuppylodders =)

apologies for my belated words of appreciation of your very supportive comments!

and yes.. i gotta agree with u,.. the probot aint exactly the most iconic kid around the block...hehehe =P

but in a way, that set out the purpose of my decision to take a whack at this octopus looking thing.. so that i wont be helmed in preconceived notions from pre-built models=)

and being the anal and banal me.. .. i actually went into a whole deal of theorical study to capture it as close as i could... lol

so, thanks again man!

much much appreciated!

btw.. gotta ask.. what is the meaning of fuppylodders? my mind keeps seeing.. fuddyloppers... lol

While I haven't seen many probe droid mocs as the probe droid isn't something that really interests me, I can certainly see that you have captured it very well and it is highly detailed to a really good level!

[icemann]

hey kelso

thanks for the support

sincerely

icemann aka dark grey matters aka clement =)

That looks very good, supported!

[Ax_Rex]

AMAZING Build!!!!

[icemann]

hey there baller express!!

actually.. when i started out.. i didnt set a piece count limit.. but simply tried to cap[ture the droid as best as possible.. only after that i realised , yeah, the piece count actually is very ideal for a Lego Ideas submission.. since the count number means LEgo bears less risk if they were to implement this...

and yes, hooray for all.. it translates to a more affordable set..

less is more! =)

and a huge thanks for the encouragement! =)

A UCS set that costs less than my paycheck is a friendly sight! and the model of course looks wonderful!

[icemann]

hey there ax_rex

thax for the compliment!

hope u find the build rexcitingly awesome & cool! =)

AMAZING Build!!!!

[icemann]

I Spy With My Little Eye , the one about the triangle in a square

One of the biggest technical challenges faced, was the creation of 3 different "faces" within a circular framework made up of 4 quadrant corner pieces.In a nutshell, how do you fit a triangle in a square evenly? The solution is the skewing of each "Big Eye" off the main axis, such that they distract the viewer from the 4 inherent corners.

.

Each "face" is anchored by its own "big eye", and the following are some comparison photos of a "Sideshow model" with the Lego build.

Big Eye Facade #1

Detail "A" had me tearing at my hair. Detail "D" was almost a perfect fit for size and scale. Working on the project to try to light up Details "C" & "D". To be updated if successful.

Big Eye Facade #2

Big Eye Facade #3

Rather disappointed that I couldnt achieve the tapering feel of detail "K". Compromised with the use of a gear wheel to minimally get the ribbed texture of the eye rim. The reverse stud feel is a strategy used to capture the rivet marks evident in the Droid metal body. Could be seen in the detail next to "K" .

thanks for reading! =)

Edited April 13, 2015 by icemann

[jamilion]

Signed up in order to support! Great design, I agree with your view of the Probe Droid. I saw a moving and blinking model at Celebration today, that's two Probe Droid guaranteed sales in 12 hours!