[M4-23 - Imperial Ship] - Nimbus II

[thomas_jenkins_bricks]

My entry into the ‘Imperial Ship’ category: the NImbus II.

Nimbus II by Thomas  Jenkins, on Flickr

I’ve wanted to build one of ECHenry’s designs for some time and the build prompt from the contest provided the perfect excuse! Likewise, I often lurk among these forums so this contest provided the impetus to finally sign up.

Nimbus II by Thomas  Jenkins, on Flickr

This MOC is based on EC Henry’s idea for a ship that bridges the design between the Republic Nimbus-class V-wing and the Imperial TIE fighter. EC Henry writes:

“This fighter was the successor to the Nimbus-class V-wing. Most notably, the Nimbus II lacked the shield projector nose of the earlier V-wing. This left the Nimbus II almost completely unshielded, but it significantly improved speed, maneuverability, and power efficiency. The Nimbus II would be a common sight for the first several years of Imperial rule, before it was largely replaced by the more robust and more maintenance-friendly TIE fighter.”

As soon as I got my hands on the new Pagani windscreen elements, I wanted to give this cockpit combo a try. It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine how this design might later morph into that of the iconic TIE fighter.

Nimbus II by Thomas  Jenkins, on Flickr

There are a few details that I’m rather pleased with: the little greebles in the engines which are I think I made pretty accurate to EC Henry’s original design, as well as the wings which have the black panels reminiscent of the TIE solar panels on one side and flat grey on the other.

Finally, I squeezed a little functionality into the model: turning the gear between the thrusters at the back of the craft will rotate the wings into flight or landing position. Luckily, there’s just enough friction in the mechanism to keep the wings vertical when they need to be.

Nimbus II by Thomas  Jenkins, on Flickr

I really enjoyed putting this together, thanks to the organizers for running this contest. I’m looking forward to perusing all the entries once the deadline closes.

Edited June 5, 2023 by thomas_jenkins_bricks
names of files, title, insert GIF

[ForgedInLego]

Wow, those wings are impressive! Amazing how you can switch stud directions so many times in such a small space

[jp-30]

Gorgeous, and I love the rotating wing feature! 

[MKJoshA]

Those wings are an amazing feat of engineering! And I love that they move into a landing position.

[thomas_jenkins_bricks]

On 6/5/2023 at 8:59 AM, ForgedInLego said:

Wow, those wings are impressive! Amazing how you can switch stud directions so many times in such a small space

Thank you! SNOT mosaics are always a fun puzzle to solve!

On 6/5/2023 at 3:29 PM, jp-30 said:

Gorgeous, and I love the rotating wing feature! 

Thanks! It's something that I guessed EC Henry intended in his original design, though he didn't show it: it has these protrusions behind the wings that definitely look like landing gear. I didn't plan to put in a mechanism at the beginning of the build, but luckily there was enough space in the model to add it in later. This was one of those models that came together really nicely with minimal headaches!

10 hours ago, MKJoshA said:

Those wings are an amazing feat of engineering! And I love that they move into a landing position.

Thank you very much! A lot of old retired elements came in useful for those wings- you can tell by the different shades of Grey. I'd wanted to build this for a while, so I'm glad this contest came along to give me that inspiration!

[peterlin]

marvelous！ will there be a chance to see or purchase this moc instruction？