Superbird: The Revengeance

[Henchmen4Hire]

Recently found out about Speed Champions, so I downloaded Stud.io and overhauled my old Superbird with new parts, build techniques and improved proportions.

Superbird by Henchmen4Hire, on Flickr

The pics show the major beats; doors and trunk open, there's space for a brickbuilt engine, adjustable steering wheel, door handle/keyhole/speakers detail, etc. And yes, a minfigure figure will fit, there's even room in the backseat for 1 more.

I think I spent over half the time just working on the rear. Specifically, I wanted to recess the tail lights and add the little raised black section between them, as well as work in a 180 SNOT flip so I could attach exhaust pipes to the bottom. Damn, that thing was complicated, but I managed to get everything connected (and hopefully kept it sturdy). Building for real may be a test of patience and dexterity. lol

Odd Connections
•I saw those axle pieces and really liked them, but they don't mesh with the Speed Champions wheels. So, the wheels connect to the axles with a bar, you'll have to snip one to size. If you use rigid hoses instead, I think you would get a suspension and steering effect since the tires will have some "give".

•I wanted to recreate the steering column from a Roadrunner/Satellite, which meant I had to work in the gear shifter and blinker lever. My usual brute force building habits weren't working so I had to get more creative! To create that assembly, you need a bar running through it all, snipped to size.

•The rear is ridiculous, there are headlight bricks in all directions, 4-stud snot bricks, clip tiles with a bar for support, jumpers, inverted brackets, cripes! Working out the minute offsets was a nightmare.

•Really happy with the nose, it's easily removable via pins so technically I could pull it off and build a standard Roadrunner nose/face. I managed to create natural attachment points for the black wedges, something I failed to do in the old model. Some headlight bricks and 1x1 light clip plates (thick version this time) get the job done, it was just a matter of getting all the pieces oriented properly.

Questions, comments, hatemail welcome.

Alright, that's enough, now more pics:

Superbird 2 by Henchmen4Hire, on Flickr

Superbird 3 by Henchmen4Hire, on Flickr

Edited July 22, 2017 by Henchmen4Hire

[Henchmen4Hire]

Who's fender do I gotta polish to get some remarks around here

[GallardoLU]

15 hours ago, Henchmen4Hire said:

Who's fender do I gotta polish to get some remarks around here

you can start with mine, but only if you want to, I keep my car clean anyway ;)  you'll find cars in this forum don't generate a whole lot of attention even the spectacular ones only get a fraction of a comparable modular MOC.

your Superbird though is quite amazing, I love the tilt steering, and the exhaust that was a great use of both types of binoculars. the hidden engine is a neat touch too though an opening hood would have made it more appealing. the only real flaw I can see is the wing, that 6W to 1W is a bit jarring and impractical for a brick build. overall though this is an excellent build, well done.

[Henchmen4Hire]

On 6/5/2017 at 7:41 AM, GallardoLU said:

you can start with mine, but only if you want to, I keep my car clean anyway ;)  you'll find cars in this forum don't generate a whole lot of attention even the spectacular ones only get a fraction of a comparable modular MOC.

your Superbird though is quite amazing, I love the tilt steering, and the exhaust that was a great use of both types of binoculars. the hidden engine is a neat touch too though an opening hood would have made it more appealing. the only real flaw I can see is the wing, that 6W to 1W is a bit jarring and impractical for a brick build. overall though this is an excellent build, well done.

Eeeeyyyy, thanks lol

I'm sure I could work in an opening hood, I would just have to lower the engine by a plate to accommodate the extra plate needed to hold the tiles.

Any tips for an alternate wing? I'm more worried about stability, but I think it looks fine...if you can ignore the separation in the tiles lol.

I tried holding the wedge plate vertically by wedging it between two studs, but then the spacing of the brackets and tiles is off

Edited June 7, 2017 by Henchmen4Hire

[Henchmen4Hire]

I was just thinking, you know what, this model isn't expensive enough yet, I should add more parts lol

I built some snazzy seats for the Barracuda so I had to make some for the Bird too.

The back and headrest are adjustable, I know they're not supposed to be, but screw it mine are!

Super Seats by Henchmen4Hire, on Flickr