azanderk Posted August 4, 2020 Posted August 4, 2020 Hello everyone! I've recently got back into LEGO as an adult after a 20 year hiatus. My last LEGO sets purchased were the initial 1999 wave of Star Wars sets and with the 20th Anniversary sets released last year I was pulled back in by nostalgia. Sets today are so much more complex and well thought out and the ideas and building techniques that the community come up with are really inspiring. I am an engineer by trade and work with 3D software frequently, I credit many of the skills I've developed over my life due to the foundation that LEGO provided during childhood. I really enjoy having to solve problems using the limited catalog of parts that LEGO currently provides, it really fosters creativity in an aging brain. I decided to jump headfirst into Mortesv's Nebulon-B MOC in February and I was hooked by the complex construction methods and thought I'd give it a try myself. Rogue One is my favorite Star Wars movie and when looking online, I hadn't seen too many Hammerhead Corvette MOC's at UCS "scale" and thought I would start there. Here is the 97% completed model, there a few pieces missing that I am still needing to source but its almost completely done. I tried to make it in the similar 1/250ish scale that the Nebulon-B is in, but it looks to be ever too slightly larger. Trying to find reference photos that show each angle were challenging and many photos show the ship with completely different features. I tried to match the movie model, but alas there are some creative liberties made. Without an exact 3D model, its hard to get every detail just right. The model is almost completely solid, save the front and rear which are shells. All of the engines and center section are modular and completely removable. The entire model is "swooshable" but at 9lbs its really heavy! I haven't worked with LDD or Stud.io, but I plan to make a digital version as well and possibly release instructions if there is enough interest. I welcome any and all feedback, that's how we improve and make things better! More photos on Imgur, I can only get one photo on here due to file size. https://imgur.com/gallery/iObPOEH Quote
TeddytheSpoon Posted August 4, 2020 Posted August 4, 2020 I'm always interested to meet fellow engineer AFOLs, I certainly share your feelings on 3D software and the problem-solving aspect! Fantastic MOC, certainly a terrific effort if you've only just got back into the hobby!! I love this ship so I'll be the first to express interest in instructions. Quote
azanderk Posted August 4, 2020 Author Posted August 4, 2020 1 hour ago, TeddytheSpoon said: I'm always interested to meet fellow engineer AFOLs, I certainly share your feelings on 3D software and the problem-solving aspect! Fantastic MOC, certainly a terrific effort if you've only just got back into the hobby!! I love this ship so I'll be the first to express interest in instructions. It's definitely fun coming full circle and using my engineering skills to design my LEGO ideas! Quote
Mandalorianknight Posted August 5, 2020 Posted August 5, 2020 That's a very good-looking build, It's very smooth, I especially like the front "battering ram" part. Also, those little x-wings add to the scene well, I love thier inclusion. Quote
karmajay Posted August 5, 2020 Posted August 5, 2020 Wow that looks great! I'd love to build a Hammerhead one day! Quote
Denal31 Posted August 5, 2020 Posted August 5, 2020 The shaping on this is fantastic. Great job! Quote
n1majneb Posted August 5, 2020 Posted August 5, 2020 A really, really great build here. Fantastic detailing on the engines and throughout - do you have more images of this? Quote
azanderk Posted August 7, 2020 Author Posted August 7, 2020 On 8/5/2020 at 10:33 AM, n1majneb said: A really, really great build here. Fantastic detailing on the engines and throughout - do you have more images of this? Does the Imgur link in the main post not show up? I’m new to this forum and couldn’t figure out how to size images to fit more than one upload due to file size. Quote
n1majneb Posted August 7, 2020 Posted August 7, 2020 2 hours ago, azanderk said: Does the Imgur link in the main post not show up? I’m new to this forum and couldn’t figure out how to size images to fit more than one upload due to file size. Yep it shows, completely missed it initially! Quote
Cjd223 Posted August 7, 2020 Posted August 7, 2020 I love the way you incorporated a lot of different building techniques in you build. It's great! The detail feels incredibly balanced between the high levels in certain areas and the more basic levels in other. It honestly gives it a studio model type of look from the Original Trilogy. Well done. Quote
azanderk Posted August 7, 2020 Author Posted August 7, 2020 3 hours ago, Cjd223 said: I love the way you incorporated a lot of different building techniques in you build. It's great! The detail feels incredibly balanced between the high levels in certain areas and the more basic levels in other. It honestly gives it a studio model type of look from the Original Trilogy. Well done. Appreciate the compliments! I struggled over how much greebling to add, coming off the Nebulon-B it had so much. Some shots of the Lightbringer have very little, while others have more. Unfortunately it’s hard to see the detail in screenshots of the darker recesses of the ship on screen, so I took some liberties with my creativity in those areas. Quote
Csaba Posted August 9, 2020 Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) Really nice model. I would be interested in instructions depending on how many pieces are in the set and how much it would cost to acquire them. Would it be possible to modify the stand so that there is a place for a UCS sticker? Edited August 9, 2020 by Csaba Quote
Cygma Posted August 9, 2020 Posted August 9, 2020 This looks great. Nice way to make your return to Lego. Quote
azanderk Posted August 10, 2020 Author Posted August 10, 2020 On 8/9/2020 at 3:16 AM, Csaba said: Really nice model. I would be interested in instructions depending on how many pieces are in the set and how much it would cost to acquire them. Would it be possible to modify the stand so that there is a place for a UCS sticker? I will definitely modify the stand so that it incorporates a UCS style plate/sticker, I’ve already got a few ideas for that. Quote
azanderk Posted August 13, 2020 Author Posted August 13, 2020 Well I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but were already at 2170 parts! At this rate, I think I'm going to be north of 4k. I'm trying to simplify the build and reduce piece count as much as possible, but I could probably benefit from a second set of eyes. Another change that I've made is making any parts that are not visible from the exterior black, that way once the part list is available one can source any color part for those pieces and save a ton of money. I'll be able to check the model once its complete for any black pieces sticking through and change the color of the part accordingly. This is my progress after two evenings of working on converting the model to digital in Stud.io. I've never worked with it before but I really like this software, its pretty straightforward especially if you have other CAD type experience. I'm very happy I went with a modular approach when building the initial model, its made it very easy to deconstruct to reverse engineer. Because of the modular nature, I might undertake an alternate build of the three engine Sphyrna-class at a later time. Quote
azanderk Posted August 28, 2020 Author Posted August 28, 2020 (edited) Thought I'd challenge myself to redesign the stand so that it was all one piece and that the model could be lifted off of it without having to physically remove any parts. I've been watching The Clone Wars while I've been working on the model and happened to see the episode where the three corvettes land to provide supplies. That got me thinking how I could incorporate landing gear and if they would be stable enough to support the model as an alternate build. This is what I can up with, let me know what you think. If the rear landing feet do not support enough, its possible to build trans-clear 2x2 round brick "rods" that can take almost all of the weigh, while the legs provide horizontal stability. I also redesigned the front of the bottom engine, its about half a stud too long in my opinion, but I think it looks much better. I'm trying to make all of these changes before finalizing the instructions, so please let me know if you think there's anything that could be improved! Edited November 19, 2020 by azanderk Quote
Mandalorianknight Posted August 29, 2020 Posted August 29, 2020 The physical build was impressive enough, but the changes like the landing gear improve it vastly. This is one of the best MOCs of any capital ship I've ever seen. I agree about stud.io too, it's similar enough to CAD programs that it's easy to understand. Quote
sandtrooper Posted August 29, 2020 Posted August 29, 2020 You did a fantastic job on this MOC! The landing gear adds another level to an already superb project. I am half way through watching Rebels so the arrival of this MOC makes it more special. Do you think the landing gear will be able to hold up the ship without any other support in real bricks? Quote
azanderk Posted August 29, 2020 Author Posted August 29, 2020 56 minutes ago, sandtrooper said: You did a fantastic job on this MOC! The landing gear adds another level to an already superb project. I am half way through watching Rebels so the arrival of this MOC makes it more special. Do you think the landing gear will be able to hold up the ship without any other support in real bricks? The front, yes, I'm 95% confident. The rear, probably not. I wouldn't want to stress any of the parts too much anyways, the model is 9lbs. That much weight on cantilever legs is a lot of strain for plastic, especially with the quick change design to go between landed craft and the in flight display. The bottom interior mount points for the stand can support all of the weight with only a single 2x2 trans-clear cylinder showing, but even that will be obscured by the landing gear themselves. Quote
ShaBaNakk Posted August 30, 2020 Posted August 30, 2020 I love the landing gear. Your MOC is absolutely stunning! Quote
azanderk Posted November 19, 2020 Author Posted November 19, 2020 (edited) Instructions are complete. 4900 pieces, 681 pages, 1053 steps, $25. I'm uploading them to Rebrickable and waiting for them to be approved, but I can also send the instructions and parts list direct if needed. I've modelled every part that is internal in red, so that the builder can use any color part to reduce costs. The Bricklink part list will list those parts as color not applicable. Hope that helps! Edited November 19, 2020 by azanderk Quote
karmajay Posted November 20, 2020 Posted November 20, 2020 Great job I'll definitely be purchasing the instructions! Quote
azanderk Posted November 20, 2020 Author Posted November 20, 2020 Instructions are live! https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-57343/azanderk/ucs-hammerhead-corvette-lightmaker/#details Quote
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