[MOC] UCS Medical Frigate - Further Improvements and INSTRUCTIONS

[mortesv]

This thread is about the ongoing tweaks to the Nebulon B I posted a few weeks back – and, more importantly, the instructions how to build it yourself!

Here is the original post:

http://www.eurobrick...pic=129607&st=0

Before we delve into the improvements there is a message from the instructions master himself:

“To everyone who is interested in this absolutely gorgeous model, I am sure that you have heard the rumors of a professional grade instruction manual, and in the words of Han Solo, "It's true, all of it".

It is indeed true that a manual will release, and I am currently working on it as I type! Along with the manual will be some awesome content, but we will save that surprise for later. Obviously the biggest thing in your mind is "When will it be done?"

To answer that question, I am pushing myself to get this done 100% ready for release on June 1. What is keeping me from making the release date sooner is the fact that there is one tricky thing for me to do in terms of reverse engineering this model, but once that part is done, it will be very easy to finish the manual up. It is very possible that I can get the manual done before then, but let's keep it as June 1 for now in order to avoid pushing the date back at all.”

I can’t wait for these instructions and will probably have to build it again :)

Now to the tweaking

After making the original post I looked at the pictures and I though that the model looked pretty good. However a few areas still stood out to me. In some places I simply discovered a better brick to convey something and in other places I found a bit more detail to put in.

For example, I have changed a few bricks and added a few details to the top pod. The “gold bar” brick in lbg has come in quite handy. The overall detailing on the green pod is also better, but I am still considering a few bricks changes for some of the finer details.

There are several tweaks like these, but there was one place in particular that still bugged me - the long subdivided pod near the bottom of the stalactite. Even when designing the first iteration of the ship I wasn’t completed satisfied with it. Back then it had been a little too small and I wanted more detail on it. During the rebuilding process I had gotten used to – even though now it was clearly too small and compared to the rest of the ship it lacked detail.

Besides the size discrepancy, the pod on the film model consists of 82 narrow sections from one end to the other. My original version consists of 27, not so narrow sections, and that kept being an eyesore to me. So as an experiment I did this:

Just by changing the small slopes with grilles I got the look of the sectioned pod. The way the old pod is built meant that the spacing between each of the grille bricks matches the width of each individual grille-legs. Thus each leg of each grille looks like a separate subsection.

By tilting the core of the original pod the shape of the pod began to emerge. Now I just had to mirror this and put the detailing back on.

Now the pod consists of 27 x 3 = 81 sections, just one from the studio model, and lives much better up to the detailing of the rest of the ship. In the picture above you can also see that the section below the long pod had been updated and made wider. This is the sections that among other things uses a racecar on the studio model :)

I have also added more detail more piping and detailing elsewhere – and removed a bunch of studs. The backside has also gotten an overhaul especially the back of the fin, but I forgot to take the picture of the back before the model was put back on display. The antenna placement was also tweaked :)

I hope you like the changes. They will make it in to the instructions as well. Any further changes will be updated in this thread. Next up: putting in lights ;)

Lastly, I have gotten a few question about the stand. It is pretty stable also compared to some of the standard UCS stands. It just takes a little help from a friend to set it up. You hold the model while your friend places the legs - 20 seconds and you are set :)

Watch this space for updates on the INSTRUCTIONS!

Now with X-wings:

More changes:

Edited May 17, 2016 by mortesv

[scythelt]

I don't suppose there's any chance we could get a parts list before the instructions are made available? I can see it's going to take me many months to acquire the bricks required to build this, so a head start on the instructions being made available would be good...

[Cjd223]

I don't suppose there's any chance we could get a parts list before the instructions are made available? I can see it's going to take me many months to acquire the bricks required to build this, so a head start on the instructions being made available would be good...

Unfortunately it is not possible because I am making adjustments and such while making the manual to colors on the interior and an occasional exterior here and there so it is not possible to do until I am sure all adjustments are made

[scythelt]

Unfortunately it is not possible because I am making adjustments and such while making the manual to colors on the interior and an occasional exterior here and there so it is not possible to do until I am sure all adjustments are made

No problems. Thanks for your and mortesv's hard work.

[Sethra]

Tweaked version looks indeed much better, can't wait for the instructions !

Quick question: will these updates already be included in the manual and parts list, or was the model of the previous thread frozen for this? Guess you have to draw a line somewhere ;).

[Pobster]

Any idea of costs for bricklink files, LDD, parts list and cjd's instructions yet? I want to save my pennies!

Also, how much are your Cavegod AT-AT instructions cjd?

[mortesv]

Tweaked version looks indeed much better, can't wait for the instructions !

Quick question: will these updates already be included in the manual and parts list, or was the model of the previous thread frozen for this? Guess you have to draw a line somewhere ;).

All tweaks will make it into the instructions :)

[Azrielsc]

Bet BrickLink will go into meltdown once the instructions are released!! :P

Can't wait!

[phaelon]

Bet BrickLink will go into meltdown once the instructions are released!! :P

Can't wait!

Yeah, I have that same feeling...

[cavegod]

If it helps it's 5k + parts in 529 brick types

[phaelon]

If it helps it's 5k + parts in 529 brick types

No, that's not helpful CG. That's PAINFUL.

[marook]

The storemanager in the CPH LEGO Store hinted that i might be on display 4th of may.. any news on that? :-)

[mortesv]

More like 6k bricks actually :)

Brick type count will be optimzed. Right now the model uses old and new versions of the same brick in several instances. This will be ironed out - except in cases where different molds contribute to the organic look of the model :)

The Lego store in CPH wants to display it, however they did not have an area that it could fit in though :/

Edited May 2, 2016 by mortesv

[ecmo47]

Like many others, I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to build this magnificent ship. Selfishly, I'm hoping that the plans do not come available until mid-summer when I have other projects and activities behind me. One thing that I am wondering is if it is possible to publish the plans for just the Millennium Falcon. Mostly this would be to get a good idea of the scale so that I could work on some same-scale fighters to recreate the closing scene of ESB. Again, thanks for creating this opportunity for those of us with limited creativity.

[mortesv]

The falcon is based on Tim Goddards design which you can find on his flickr - Those are the plans I used :) Just add the cockpit from the microfighters set and make the cockpit tube a bit longer.

An X-wing should be about 6-7 studs long/wide. Please post your creations here :)

[Schneeds]

Do you put the length at about 115cm, Mortesv? Do you happen to recall the height?

[ecmo47]

6 or 7 studs? That sounds like one of the planet sets or a poly-bag set of the X-wing. Will have to come up with my own mini A, B and Y wing. Ill check out the Goddard MF design. Thanks!

[mortesv]

Do you put the length at about 115cm, Mortesv? Do you happen to recall the height?

The old one was about 110, this one is 120.

Don't recall exact height - not home right now :)

[mortesv]

Working on an x-wing design:

Comparison with the advent calendar X-wing.

[droid747]

This looks amazing. I would love to bricklink one but at 6,000 pieces I will probably have to pass.

[phaelon]

This looks amazing. I would love to bricklink one but at 6,000 pieces I will probably have to pass.

That's the great thing about this place, there are other options available! Take a look at Dranac's build. It's smaller but still has some great detail. This Mortesv design is the top end of cost, detail, and size.

[ecmo47]

Hey, now! I thought the x-wings were my job! Your supposed to be working on instructions!

[mortesv]

Hey, now! I thought the x-wings were my job! Your supposed to be working on instructions!

I am just fooling around - please go ahead and make some awesome xwings - and other fighters :)

Hey, now! I thought the x-wings were my job! Your supposed to be working on instructions!

I am just fooling around - please go ahead and make some awesome xwings - and other fighters :)

[phaelon]

I am just fooling around - please go ahead and make some awesome xwings - and other fighters :)

... y-wings, b-wings... yes please.

Edited May 3, 2016 by phaelon

[ecmo47]

DSC01539 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

DSC01537 by Scott Roys, on Flickr

Both of these models are Lego produced. The X-wing is polybag #30051 and is about 10 studs long. The Y-wing came as a bonus with 4 of the mini-building kits (4488-4491) that came out on 2003. You got one section of the Y-wing in each of the 4 sets. It's about 15 studs long. Surprisingly, this is the only Y-wing offering and the B-Wing and A-Wing have never had the poly treatment. Both models are a tad big but serve as a good starting point for editing.

Edited May 4, 2016 by ecmo47