[MOD] 10134 UCS Y-Wing refresh

[NathanR]

This is the start of a very ambitious project for me - I intend to bricklink all of the UCS sets, buying all new parts.  However, since every UCS set has at least one unique part/colour combination and many key parts in the older UCS sets are long out of production, I intend to “refresh” each one in the same way Lego did when they updated and rereleased the 10188/75159 Death Star playset.  My goal is to change as little as possible on each model, preserve the original design and construction techniques, but replace all the hard-to-get parts with more readily available (and cheaper!) ones.

I’ve been working in Lego Digital Designer, and the first set on my list is now complete: 10134 Y-wing Attack Starfighter

 

The original model had over a dozen unique or rare pieces which have been replaced with parts that have featured in sets released within the last two years.  Minor changes include replacing the unique copper hoses with reddish brown 6L and 4L bars and recolouring the dark orange parts to bright orange (the 1x2 brick with handle is now a 1x2 plate with handle sandwiched between two 1x2 plates).  More major changes include the 6x6x3 domes on the front of the engine struts, which only appeared in white in one other set, and have been replaced with a set of 3x3x2 white round corner bricks mounted on white 6x6 plates and held in place using concealed SNOT bricks.  The original engine pylons were constructed from technic axles covered with 7mm ribbed hoses that are now insanely expensive, so I’ve rebuilt the whole assembly using the 3L driving ring axle connector and white pin connectors (the current version has a slot in it, which is annoying but can’t really be helped). The overall length of the starfighter remains the same, but the sizes of the axles used have been altered.

 

One part which perhaps should have been replaced is the 30359b “Bar 1 x 8 with Brick 1 x 2 Curved Top End”, which only appeared in white in 2 sets but is relatively plentiful on bricklink (I was surprised to find one German seller with over 1500 of them in stock).

However, the most significant change to the model is the replacement of the white wheels forming the engine nozzle (part 32077, unique to the set) with a brick built structure that adds some extra detail

Here, some bricks have been removed to better show off it’s construction:
 

I made it as lightweight as I could, but it is still twice the weight of the original wheels .  I suspect it will cause the pylons to droop over time, and I’m worried it might be enough to throw the model off balance on its stand.  I also hate the way it’s mounted on a single axle, allowing it to spin almost freely, but the distance to the central turbine is 3 technic half-bushes so a pin is incompatible.  I'd be curious to hear suggestions for a better version.

Full details of the part changes under the spoiler tag.

Spoiler

2x2 slope with Black and Yellow Danger Stripes pattern replaced with unprinted brick
30647 White Vehicle, Fairing 1 x 4 Side Flaring Intake with Two Pins replaced with brick built construct based on 61678 Slope, Curved 4 x 1 No Studs
32077 White Wheel 70 x 28 mm Futuristic replaced with complex brick built structure
41855 Light Bluish Gray Brick, Modified 2 x 2 x 2/3 Two Studs, Lip End replaced with 47457 Brick, Modified 2 x 2 x 2/3 Two Studs, Curved Slope End

30236 Dark Orange Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Handle replaced with Bright Orange 1x2 plates and 1x2 plate with handle
4592c05 Light Bluish Gray Lever Small Base with Light Bluish Gray Lever replaced with more common variant with grey base and black lever
30155 Light Bluish Gray Wheel Spoked 2 x 2 with Pin Hole replaced with 2x2 plate, 2x2 round plate and 2x2 printed tile (as wheel is long out of production)
44126 Yellow Slope, Curved 6 x 2 replaced with 2x 42022 Yellow Slope, Curved 6 x 1
4161 Yellow Slope 33 3 x 3 replaced with 3x 4286 Slope 33 3 x 1

30083 White Windscreen 6 x 6 x 3 Canopy Half Sphere with Hinge replaced with 88293 Brick, Round Corner 3 x 3 x 2 Dome Top and 2x white 11213 6x6 round plates, mounted on hidden SNOT bricks
Copper hoses (75c06, 75c08) replaced with 63965 Reddish Brown Bar 6L with Stop Ring, or 30374 Reddish Brown Bar 4L (Lightsaber Blade / Wand) as appropriate
Dark Bluish Gray Hose, Rigid 3mm D. 14L / 11.2cm replaced with mix of  63965 Bar 6L with Stop Ring and 30374 Bar 4L (Lightsaber Blade / Wand) 

2412b Dark Orange Tile, Modified 1 x 2 Grille with Bottom Groove / Lip    colour changed to bright orange
3849 Dark Bluish Gray Minifig, Weapon Lance                colour changed to Silver Metallic (close colour match and in current production)

4150px19 Tile, Round 2 x 2 with SW Radial Machinery Pattern        discarded

Engine pylons completely redesigned:
6538b White Technic, Axle Connector with Axle Hole is rare/expensive in white, the modern version of the part has never been made in white.  
78c02 White Hose, Ribbed 7mm D. 2L is also rare
New pylons constructed out of     18948 Technic, Driving Ring Connector and 62462 Technic, Pin Connector Round 2L with Slot (Pin Joiner Round)

Added a couple of 93273 Slope, Curved 4 x 1 Double No Studs in White and Yellow near the engine nacelle, to make it look a little better

All (3794) 1x2 plate with centre stud replaced with the current 15573 grooved version.

 

 

 

I've got LDD and LDraw files prepared, you can access them on bricksafe.  You can also view the model on mecabricks here.

Any comments on the model, my CGI images, or suggestions for improvements would be much appreciated!

 

Edit 9/7/17: Migrated all photos from photobucket to bricksafe.  I am never using photobucket again...

 

Edited July 9, 2017 by NathanR

[Hold0511]

Good set of update/changes.  I like the mods to the engine rings, they look excellent.

If they are twice the weight though then sagging will be an issue.   I had sagging on my UCS build after a few months with the standard wheels, hence why I swapped them out for the thinner/lighter wheels (as per the various BL'ing 10134 topics).

I might give the white corner bricks approach for the engine fronts a bash on my Clone Wars UCS 10134 MOC and see if I like them better as the original hinge does bug me...

[Umbra-Manis]

Well done! I originally saw this over on mecabricks, so it's nice to know more about the process!

[manglegrat]

Nice project - looks very good in digital form! Well done. 

Everything looks great - particularly the struts & pylons. The weight of the engine rings in-the-brick would be the only possible problem, though as others have said there are some decent options using motorcycle wheels on the forum if those don't work out.

I haven't had the guts to take on a project this size myself yet, so I'm super impressed with you and the other guys' ideas and execution. I'll certainly be one of the folks who'll happily grab an LDD file if/when you get round to sharing it. 

[NathanR]

Thanks guys!

Basically I just built the model in LDD checking each brick as it went on to make sure it was either common on bricklink or available through Lego Bricks and Pieces.

I did consider the thinner motorbike wheels (2903) for the ends of the pylons, but those are also out of production (at least in white) and don't quite capture the engine profile either.  I found some reference images like this one where you can see the rings at the end of the pylon are very chunky, tapering slightly, and with inner rings.  

Even the original 32077 wheel isn't particularly good on the model, but it did allow the 2x2 dome brick to be recessed into it.

Quote

 I'll certainly be one of the folks who'll happily grab an LDD file if/when you get round to sharing it. 

Oh I'm happy to share now, I'm just not sure where/how to upload it.  What do you guys typically use?

[Hold0511]

I use http://www.brickshelf.com/ for my lego images etc - a lot of people load up their LDD / inventory / XML type files on there as well.

[Anio]

Smart substitutes...

[manglegrat]

10 hours ago, NathanR said:

Oh I'm happy to share now, I'm just not sure where/how to upload it.  What do you guys typically use?

At the moment I just use the (small) webspace my ISP provides - the only thing on it is LXF files. But I've only shared 3! 

If I was a more prolific MOCer I'd probably look into using BrickShelf or Bricksafe to share more. 

[Umbra-Manis]

I use Bricksafe, it works great, and it doesn't have the downtimes of brickshelf.

[broomhandle]

I like your update.  I am not 100% sure on the rear engine. It looks like a lot of weight. The rear engine never looked right to me with the wheel anyways...

 

as for these parts, do you have part numbers? I don't know what part you used for the orange/handle.

 

"dark orange parts to bright orange (the 1x2 brick with handle is now a 1x2 plate with handle sandwiched between two 1x2 plates). "

 

And...

"The original engine pylons were constructed from technic axles covered with 7mm ribbed hoses that are now insanely expensive, so I’ve rebuilt the whole assembly using the 3L driving ring axle connector and white pin connectors"

Edited November 1, 2016 by broomhandle

[NathanR]

Quote

I use http://www.brickshelf.com/ for my lego images etc

Quote

At the moment I just use the (small) webspace my ISP provides - the only thing on it is LXF files. But I've only shared 3! 

Quote

 I use Bricksafe, it works great, and it doesn't have the downtimes of brickshelf.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I tried brickshelf but the signup seems broken (at least, I never got the email with confirmation).  I went with bricksafe in the end, and you can access the models here:

http://bricksafe.com/pages/NathanR/ucs-y-wing

I include the original LDD file (note, 4x 2L axles are out of place because the pylon is not allowed to flex outwards to mount the engine nozzle), together with an LDraw file that is organised into steps and subassemblies as per the original instructions.

 

Quote

I am not 100% sure on the rear engine. It looks like a lot of weight. The rear engine never looked right to me with the wheel anyways...

Yes, it is way too much weight, according to bricklink the parts are just over twice as heavy as the original wheel.  I keep trying to come up with a better way of mounting the engine nozzle on the pylon, but this is the least bad that I've found. 

I will try and tidy up the list of part substitutions later, but to answer your questions:

Quote

dark orange parts to bright orange (the 1x2 brick with handle is now a 1x2 plate with handle sandwiched between two 1x2 plates).

I use 2540 Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with Handle on Side with a 3023 Plate 1 x 2 above and below, all three parts in orange.  This exactly matches the shape of the original part 30236 Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Handle, and is the closest colour match.

Quote

the original engine pylons were constructed from technic axles covered with 7mm ribbed hoses that are now insanely expensive, so I’ve rebuilt the whole assembly using the 3L driving ring axle connector and white pin connectors

the pylon arms use 8L, 10L and 12L technic axles.  The axles are held together by 18948 Technic, Driving Ring Connector in white, and the axles are covered by 62462 Technic, Pin Connector Round 2L with Slot (Pin Joiner Round) in white.

[Captain_Quinn]

Recently joined after seeing some great MOC's and MOD's... and have to say seeing this has made my day.

Last year I managed to acquire about 20kg of random LEGO that I've been slowly sorting through to see what I've got. Many of the parts for the 10134 Y-Wing were in that acquisition... the domes for the front of the engine, a few of the printed tiles and parts, and a cracked/broken cockpit. I've been able to build the majority of this set replacing some of the parts. For example, the Futuristic Wheels at the rear of the engines have been replaced with 2903 Motorcycle wheel in white (link) and a few of the copper and dark orange parts with the same replacements that you've used.

I really like the mods that you've done with the colours and replacement for expensive parts and that engine mode instead of the wheels looks great.

[broomhandle]

great idea. I did not think about:

now, orange or reddish brown....  :)

 

are you going to build this? I have started on a Brinklink 10134... with a few slight mods... but keeping to original.

[Leonardo da Bricki]

This is a great improvement! Thanks so much for the list of part changes, that is very helpful. I like the additional engine mods as well, very accurate.

[manglegrat]

Thanks for sharing the file! Much appreciated. 

[VuHoang96]

Hello, can anyone here please show me how to get the part list from the LDD file? Thank you guys so much!

[NorvernRob]

30 minutes ago, VuHoang96 said:

Hello, can anyone here please show me how to get the part list from the LDD file? Thank you guys so much!

 You can upload an LDD file directly to Bricklink to generate a list.

[Hold0511]

Or in LDD you select File > Export BOM (bill of materials) and then you get a list of parts and images in excel format.

[VuHoang96]

1 hour ago, NorvernRob said:

 You can upload an LDD file directly to Bricklink to generate a list.

Wow, that's so convenient. Thank you so much. I'm new to this so sorry for asking such a "basic" question. 

Again, really appreciate your help :) 

[NathanR]

One thing to keep in mind, don't just blindly use the LDD file to generate your Bricklink wanted list.  Most of the time you'll be fine, but LDD doesn't distinguish between part mould variations, while Bricklink does.  For example, LDD part 3678 (the 2x2x2 slope brick) won't appear at all if you do a search for it on Bricklink, because it's listed as 3678b or 3678a for with/without a bottom tube.  The "a" variant has been out of production for nearly 10 years and will therefore be harder to get hold of, so you have to make sure your wanted list goes for the "b" variant.  It's worth checking each brick type you're ordering to make sure you get the most common variant.

It's also worth having a look at Lego Bricks and Pieces, as occasionally they sell parts cheaper than most or all bricklink stores (especially useful if you are buying bulk)

 

[Hold0511]

Brickstock can help with both filtering out the older / funny parts as flagged by NathanR and also with the actual buying - large scale orders which need multiple BL shops are far easier to manage through a tool like this (there are others available so see which works best for you).

Although Bricklinks Wanted List functionality is much better now in that regard, tools like Brockstock are still better at the efficient/cheaper ordering side of things. 

It's certainly worth balancing out BnP / BL orders as I have found the trade off on postage and packing, and hitting minimum store orders can dramatically change pricing of bigger builds.  Equally its sometimes a funny one to find you can buy pre-owned sets which include a certain part cheaper than buying the part by itself!

 

 

[manglegrat]

Good advice from the guys above! BrickLink's import does have some issues, and isn't great with the variants, as discussed above.

I've recently been using ReBrickable for this, uploading LXF files into a private MOC. The import process maps part IDs from LDD to current BrickLink IDs, and identifies rare parts or ones with colour issues, so you can swap them out, etc. It's not perfect but you can check the ones it has availability concerns about and change or keep them.

When I've found major issues (several parts unavailable in my selected colour), I rework the LXF, check what it looks like there with the available colours, then re-upload and check again. 

You can export to BrickLink (or BrickStore) wanted/parts lists from there once you've validated the parts & colours. I also print off the parts list to help me visually track & identify what I need for each MOC. My last Bricklink binge had 3 MOCs bundled together over 8-10 orders... I still missed a few things, though that may have been pilot error! 

I just uploaded NathanR's LXF file to Rebrickable and it shows 3 part/colour combinations it thinks are "unused" in official sets, but two of those are 30359 variants you can swap-in without any material visual impact (30359/30359a/30359b - check which variant is more available) and the third is the R2 head, which I'm sure most folks aren't too concerned about... all are easy enough to correct with some research, I'm sure.

Good job, NathanR! 

[VuHoang96]

I tried uploading the LDD file to Bricklink but failed so I went with the Export BOM instead. It worked out well and now I'm half way done ordering for this amazing model. 

The biggest question now for me is that to use the piece 2540 plate 1 x 2 with handle in Orange or Reddish Brown to keep the "original look". I even considered getting all of them in DBG after using the paint tool in LDD and see that the vehicle looks a lot slicker. The reddish brown 6L bars still keep the rugged look of the starfighter.

Any advice guys? I appreciate any helpful comments. Thanks! 

[Hold0511]

If you get them in DBG you can always swap them out later if you so wish at a low cost... 

[NathanR]

1 hour ago, VuHoang96 said:

I tried uploading the LDD file to Bricklink but failed so I went with the Export BOM instead. It worked out well and now I'm half way done ordering for this amazing model. 

Ooh, please post some photos when you've finished building it!  I haven't had a chance to buy the bricks for this myself yet, so I'm restricted to CGI renders for now. 

1 hour ago, VuHoang96 said:

The biggest question now for me is that to use the piece 2540 plate 1 x 2 with handle in Orange or Reddish Brown to keep the "original look". I even considered getting all of them in DBG after using the paint tool in LDD and see that the vehicle looks a lot slicker. The reddish brown 6L bars still keep the rugged look of the starfighter.

The original dark orange handle bricks added a nice rusty feel, but are unavailable.  Reddish brown is a match for the piping and looks too similar, and the bright orange is a little too vibrant.  DBG could be quite nice too though...  I guess it's just up to you, with what you feel looks better