[MOC] HWK-290 - The Moldy Crow

[PixelProtectors]

Hello everyone!

This is my first submission to showcase one of my first MOCs I ever worked on a few years ago of the HWK-290, The Moldy Crow, from the video game series Dark Forces / Jedi Knight. I noticed that another user has recently posted their own MOC, @millenniumf and has done a fantastic job with theirs. Some aspects of their creation have me itching to revisit this design and make some modifications. You can find their MOC of the Moldy Crow here.

My model is pulled straight from the design of someone named Suboken, that can be seen here on previous 2015 EuroBricks post. More images of his Moldy Crow MOC can be found here on Flickr. My version was a little modified on the outside appearance. I chose to go with a dark tan instead of dark orange as the pieces were much more accessible in that color. I modified the exterior with small panels to make it look quite a bit more rough instead of the smooth exterior of the original design. I also made the model a bit more functional by adding a few features. I hollowed out the tops for some small storage room. Then I installed a slide-out panel from the side that holds several tools / accessories for our heroes. And on the opposite side I installed a launcher that pops out. None of these things are from the actual ship... I just wanted something a bit more unique and detailed and fun.

I hope you all enjoy my MOC! Would love some constructive criticism and suggestions. Sorry the images aren't exactly the best - just taken with a mobile phone camera. But hopefully this gives you an idea of what I've created. I am considering fixing the angled windows on the sides. I first was thinking to use stickers but had NO IDEA how to do that. One of the worst features of my version is the windows are boxy haha. ENJOY!  

My custom Kyle Katarn minifig I purchased from here at Firestar Toys.

My custom MOC Weegee droid from the video game, Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. Belonged to Kyle's father, Morgan Katarn.

[jimmynick]

The shape is good (engines are great!) but the windscreen around the cockpit is a bit dodgy. Maybe if you built the cockpit studs-out (like the other recent Moldy Crow MOC) you'd be able to capture the shape of the cockpit glass better.

Thanks for sharing, and welcome to Eurobricks!

[Cylo]

Nice build! This sure is one unique looking ship!

[millenniumf]

Looks pretty great, dude! :D I do think the engines tilt down and out too far, and I agree with Jimminynick about the studs out method (maybe I'm a little biased, heh!). But the color does look great! I might need to do a complete rebuild of my MOC with dark tan sometime, though I think red looks better to my eye than dark red, compared to screencaps. The fine manipulator on Wee-Gee looks like it might work better with a battle droid arm, but again, fantastic work! I might have to steal the design and display it with my Crow!

[PixelProtectors]

Thanks for the input... I believe I'll revisit this soon and try to work on the windows. I've been meaning to do that for a while now. It's one of the biggest things bothering me about my MOC. The windows are obviously a huge part of the look of this ship and if those aren't correct, then it looks all wrong.

Thanks again!

[BEAVeR]

Welcome to the forum, PixelProtectors: great to see you already have a great time with showing your first MOC here. I like how you managed to build on top of another creator's MOC but managed to give it your own distinct spin, inspired by that really cool miniature model you display next to its LEGO cousin. The addition of all the textured bricks and those extra panels really gives the ship that used Star Wars look without making it too messy. Maybe now it even looks cleaner because those ridges of the 45° slope bricks on the nose don't look out of place anymore! You also did well not to go overboard with the panels and to keep them mostly to a horizontal orientation which emphasizes the lines of the ship. Maybe it would also be cool to add a tile with a 45° cutout somewhere for some extra interesting detailling that reflects some of the angles in the ship?

While the panels are great, I think they would look even better if they were a bit more subtle. Now you seem to mostly have used bracket plates to fix the tile panels on. That makes them stick out by half a plate extra compared to the case where you would use bricks with studs on the sides instead of plates with brackets. If you would use headlight bricks, you could even inset the tiles by half a plate to make them look more part of the ship instead of extra parts glued on after the fact. But still, the effect is already really nice as is.

As for getting the shape of the cockpit window right, I have some ideas too . Maybe the easiest way would be to attach some wedge plates in the right spots, just like you did with the panels, or to stick some tiles with a single stud connection to the side and angle them to define the right shape. So you would just be covering the corners of the transparent bricks then. Another way to do it would be to forget about using transparent bricks and just leave the window portion open. That makes it way more doable to build the shape of the hull around it with slope bricks.

I hope all of that makes some sense. But whatever the case, know that I really like this debut MOC of yours! I hope many more follow and I'm already looking forward to your update on this one!

[millenniumf]

Looking at your MOC again, I realized something was bothering me about the taper of the nose. It feels far too blunt, especially when compared to this screenshot: 

I think if you moved the hinges back and widened the nose by one stud it would have the more gentle slope of the ship in the game.

[PixelProtectors]

My version was a mixture of the PC game's version with the X-wing tabletop game's model and art as the PC game version is VERY limited on the textures and detail they could pull off. But I totally see what you're saying here.

Let me start with fixing the windows and then I'll reconsider the nose hahaha