[MOD] Imperial Assault Carrier 75106 - Need advice

[ArchieNov]

Hi. Despite some of the negative reviews I've read on the Imperial Assault Carrier, I thought it was pretty neat. I didn't share most of the criticisms on the price, size, or scale that people had, but instead found the play features pretty nifty and worth a purchase. But one thing did bug me though, it was the front cockpit windshield.

Out of box shot (Before modification)

The windshield was too large and made the Carrier seem a lot smaller in scale than I thought it should be. I've always wanted to modify it to look more intimidating and more representative of the ship's scale. But I'm not very good at MOCs or modding, and I also have a VERY limited set of parts and parts knowledge. I would sometimes see some AMAZING MOCs of the Carrier on this forum, but would have no idea how to replicate it.

So this is the best I could come up with.

After modifications (I forgot to replace the 2x2 plate on top)

I know it's not very good, but at least it doesn't require many parts, very minimal modification and still retains the opening cockpit functionality. Plus I think the Carrier looks a lot more awesome now (at least for me hehe). However, it's not that accurate to the CG model and I'm sure that many people on this board can come up with a much better solution to what I did. If so, can you share some tips on how to mod the front cockpit of the Carrier so it's more screen accurate? Preferably one that won't require a massive overhaul or parts count?

Thanks in advance!

[GuyDudeMan27]

I actually love this! It's super simple, but it gets the job done. I'm not a huge fan of the assault carrier, and if I ever did get it, I'd probably just drive myself mad with practically tearing it all apart to make it look better. I'm already seeing improvements I could make I'll wrap this up so I don't end up Mocing myself one I already fell victim to Moding (Really just Mocing now) a B-Wing and Kylo's shuttle But great Mod!

Edited October 31, 2015 by GuyDudeMan27

[TheWolffe]

So simple yet so effective, this makes it look much more in scale with its size. Well done!

[Finnmoses]

Yeah! That mod does the trick! I like the set as an effective playset, but I mainly bought it for lots of grey parts and for Sabine... Plus I scored it at a pawn shop for $90.

Thanks for posting. I hope you eventually are able to make this a larger MOC

[YellowCorvette]

Nice MOD, but the windscreen seems to be tiny and didn't match the scale of the mini TIE Fighters well. It will be better if you increase the height of the windscreen by more 1 plate.

[ArchieNov]

Thanks for the feedback!

Yeah, I tried making it 2 plates tall at first, but it didn't look quite right because it didn't blend in well with the curve of the nose. You might also notice that I moved the tip of the nose up one stud in my mod compared to the default build, making the slope much more coherent, but only leaving enough space for a 1 plate tall windscreen. If I made it 2 plates tall, the top of the nose would cover part of it.

Of course if you have a technique you can share to make it 2 plates tall and still have a smooth curve at the nose, please let me know :)

[Vectormatic]

Looks pretty good, much better proportions then the stock windscreen

Im currently debating picking the carrier up myself, part of me says "nah, just get the falcon", but im a big fan of the Empire (and Rebels), and not much of a falcon fan at all

[Raskolnikov]

I like this set as well, although it was initially overpriced. You can find it for <$100, now, which I think is fair.

In terms of scale, I think the TIE pilots are intended to be seated at the computer terminals, which suggests that the TIEs on the bottom are -- for "system scale" and play purposes -- supposed to be treated as "remote-controlled TIE drones" or something. So the scale never bothered me. If I were a kid playing with the ship, I'd treat it as a ship that's about as long as the Falcon. You sort of have to do that if you intend to have it fight other "system scale" ships. So I was always OK with throwing the "true" scale out the window, so long as the model is attractive and roughly proportional to itself. Your mod is definitely a more accurate representation of the exterior of the ship at its "true" scale, though -- looks good.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Raskolnikov

[Junior Shark]

Hey, don't sell yourself short! This mod is actually really awesome and effective at bringing a correct sense of scale to the model. Brilliant!

[Veynom]

A nice little MOD. Simple and effective, indeed.

[Darth Dino]

Hi

with the two mini TIEs(as wheels) it looks ven more like a bus. Relly, its a grey space shzttle and a bus combined by a 7yo.

Archie, im not offending you, of course. Its just that you improovement doesnt make this a beatifuly set in my eyes.

Dino

[ArchieNov]

Yeah, understood. No offense taken. Again I'm not good at doing mods, and I have no skill for MOCs. This personal effort was only to modify the Carrier's cockpit just enough with minimal parts/revisions to get rid of the default windshield (which I agree makes it look like a bus) and make it look like a bigger ship.

Though I'm not seeing how my mod makes it look even more like a bus than it did out of the box. As for the TIEs looking like wheels, I haven't changed that from the default set's design.

Edited November 3, 2015 by ArchieNov

[rollermonkey]

Since it cannot land with the TIEs attached, it ought to be displayed elevated... It would look less bus-like then, too.

(But I'm glad the TIE are strong enough to support the whole ship. That's impressive to me, since they are so small.

Edited November 4, 2015 by rollermonkey

[Vectormatic]

Since it cannot land with the TIEs attached, it ought to be displayed elevated... It would look less bus-like then, too.

(But I'm glad the TIE are strong enough to support the whole ship. That's impressive to me, since they are so small.

A display stand would be a bit odd in a playset, but i fully agree, ill be making a stand for mine when i get it at christmas (HYPE)

[ArchieNov]

I did a few more slight modifications to the set:

• Increased size of the TIE fighters
  
• Rearranged the positioning of the docking bays to be closer together
  
• Added some slopes to the underside (not screen accurate)
  

I think these help reduce the appearance of the TIE fighters looking like wheels. Although now it does remind me more of a fish haha. But at least it's better than a bus IMO. All of the playable functions are still intact (like the TIE deployment feature). Of course, these are again just a few simple/slight changes with a minimum of parts swapping/rearrangement. I'm not out to do a complete remodel of the set.

Edited November 6, 2015 by ArchieNov

[Vectormatic]

I did a few more slight modifications to the set:

• Increased size of the TIE fighters
  
• Rearranged the positioning of the docking bays to be closer together
  
• Added some slopes to the underside (not screen accurate)
  

I think these help reduce the appearance of the TIE fighters looking like wheels. Although now it does remind me more of a fish haha. But at least it's better than a bus IMO. All of the playable functions are still intact (like the TIE deployment feature). Of course, these are again just a few simple/slight changes with a minimum of parts swapping/rearrangement. I'm not out to do a complete remodel of the set.

Looks awesome, ill have to do the MOD on the position of the docking clamps as well, much better!

It does look a bit fishy (hah), but that is pretty much the design of the ship, the gozanti variant in the last Rebels ep also had a good deal of Fish-look going on.

[rojover]

I did a few more slight modifications to the set:

• Increased size of the TIE fighters
  
• Rearranged the positioning of the docking bays to be closer together
  
• Added some slopes to the underside (not screen accurate)
  

Archie, i've just joined the AFOL family by getting this set, and I have to say your mods really fix most of my issues with it. Great work!

Since I'm a total newbie, would you mind walking me thru the Tie fighter mod? I will leave the cabin as is cause kids would surely prefer it (not me though :) but I think the tie fighter enlargement and repositioning does really work. I can figure out which pieces you've used to enlarge the "wings", but I'm having a hard time with the tie cockpit and its connection to the wings.

Many many thanks!

[Zaael]

I like the mod! Now it looks a lot better in perspective. I am still finding it funny to look at it from the side, it looks like a futuristic car. Your last mod fixed that! Haha.

[ArchieNov]

Archie, i've just joined the AFOL family by getting this set, and I have to say your mods really fix most of my issues with it. Great work!

Since I'm a total newbie, would you mind walking me thru the Tie fighter mod? I will leave the cabin as is cause kids would surely prefer it (not me though :) but I think the tie fighter enlargement and repositioning does really work. I can figure out which pieces you've used to enlarge the "wings", but I'm having a hard time with the tie cockpit and its connection to the wings.

Many many thanks!

Hey, I'm a total newbie too and a recent AFOL just like you! Anyway, I hope the pics below will better illustrate how I did the mod for the TIE fighter itself. You don't have to use the same parts as I did (I just used/reused the parts I had available/could get), I'm sure there are other parts that can do the same job or better.

I used a Technic Axle 8 (8 studs long) to attach the "wings" to the cockpit.

Please be reminded that if you do enlarge your TIEs, you will need to make modifications to the attachment point on the carrier. I've taken some close-up pictures of what I did on mine:

I added those 2 DBG parts on each side of the trans-red plate. Those will keep the TIEs from swaying side to side while attached to the carrier.

I modified the "hook" by using a smaller 1x1 slope and a 1x1 plate under it. The trans-yellow circular tile is just there for my personal preference and is not needed.

Hope that helps explain things! I'm sure there are much better ways to MOD this set, so feel free to change it up as you like :)

Edited December 8, 2015 by ArchieNov

[rojover]

Many thanks Archie!!