[MOC] Droideka Minifig

[Sylyphics]

Updated to v3, redesigned the head for the premiere of Episode I 25 years ago and for the May the 4th contest (free instructions on my Rebrickable):

 

Updated Droideka Minifig

 

Original post:

Droideka Minifig by

 

While making my first sizable MOC, felt the urge to try my hand at a minifig-scale droideka. The other examples I could find online were too large, as the droideka is supposed to be 6 feet tall, so same height as a clone trooper.

 

Droideka Minifig Side Views

Edited May 17, 2024 by Sylyphics

[Falcrum]

Fantastic job! A bit bulky (but come on, it has to be in this scale), but accurate and scales to the minifig correctly - and remember, that in MOCs "size matters not"!

[Sylyphics]

Thank you! I tried to preserve some of the more skeletal-like nature of the droideka via a few design choices aimed at it, in particular mixing in the dark bluish grey to de-emphasis the size of some components visually and add more of an empty appearance to those areas. Hopefully the lower "spine" and front "rib cage" being only a single stud wide and the gaps in the "hood" likewise help reduce the feeling of bulk. The arms/shoulders can also be posed lower, increasing the air space between the hood and the shoulders. I also think that the proportions of the minifigs themselves, compared to say the proportion of actual clone troopers, set a kind of bulkier chibi aesthetic in which a bit of extra bulk is somewhat in line with the overall design language.

Edited March 5, 2023 by Sylyphics

[Sylyphics]

Updated to v2, improved the look and accuracy of the design:

 

Droideka v2

[Shiva]

Thumbs up.

[Guybrush]

Looks good! The round bottom plate under his butt is a nice touch that would have been easily missed!

[Iperial_Fleet_Commander]

Can it roll up?

[Sylyphics]

Thanks for the comments! It can sort of roll up, but it requires turning parts in a way that is almost partial (but quick) disassembly, and the arms still stick out, so it's probably better to just replace a few parts and have that be the "ball" form. At this scale any dedicated transformation would heavily take away from the accuracy and isn't worth the trade-off in my opinion.

[Sylyphics]

Updated my minifig-scale droideka for the premiere of Episode I 25 years ago, May 16th, in Los Angeles and for Eurobrick's May the 4th contest.

 

Updated Droideka Minifig

 

I redesigned the head, which was the weakest element of the previous design; its eye-sensors are more accurate now. I also found the new version can be rebuilt into a ball, which while not a perfect sphere, will roll on a carpet just fine. It's a tad taller, but same height as the B2 so still perfectly minifig-scale and it also fits in the shield I designed for them. I'll be including them in a scene for the contest entry, but felt like just the updated version itself may be of interest to some. Free instructions on my Rebrickable

[MKJoshA]

Thanks for sharing your updates. Your design is excellent.

[Shiva]

Even better :)