UCS A-wing v3 (it's my favorite ship and I haven't revisited it for *checks* FIFTEEN YEARS!?!?)

[Guybrush]

In which Guybrush rambles for a long time.

So a lot of new curvy pieces came out since I built my 1/12th (ish) scale A-wing back in 2009 and oh God I'm old! 

So it was time for an update, and here it is:

The primary goal was to make it look properly roundy. My old one had the overall shape right, but read as flat a lot of the time. The official one it too chunky, the shape should be more oval like this. This is also the first time I feel like I've been able to properly capture the rocket slit without compromising the shape.

I don't even wanna tell you how long I spent on those hatches with the triangular tops. Two studs wide? Too small. Four studs wide? Too big. So the triangular tile is actually mounted at a 45 degree angle to everything while still having to line up. One of the more complicated things on here actually. You can also see here I got the engine taper right this time.

Also the first time I've attempted to render the slope of the back section between the engines. 

Another thing I wanted to improve was making it look like a big model of a small ship, as opposed to just a big ship, which can be tricky, but part of the solution was actually the seat. I ditched my old dark grey one in favor of tan, so it would always be visible through the canopy. I think it really helps make it look... liveable, useable? While also making it clear this is a really small ship.

Are you ready for another really anal detail? Okay, so the awing's central red wedge.... viewed from the side, the official has a rectangular core to the front of the cockpit, then a wedge. My v2 had the whole section in a triangle from back of canopy to tip of nose. Neither is really correct. What I did here was very slightly angle the cockpit area, the tape it down, using 1x12 curved slopes to disguise the change in angle. It's subtle but it makes a big difference over v2.

The pointy white things up front I borrowed from Anio's version. See how roundy it is? This pleases me, and again, you can clearly see the headrest, making it look like the small ship it is. I know the red wedges seem a strange choice in the nose section, but the studio model has panel lines that about match that shape.

The frame around the windscreen was just sort of a happy accident to make it the right dimensions, but I like how it looks, especially hinged open from the front like this.

Thanks to the new 4x4 macaroni bricks I was able to proper engine detail this time. I showed this to my nephew out of context and he said "You made an Arc reactor!"

Interior shot in which you can almost but not quite make out the joystick.

 

Detail shot. I will confess I only found one model source that showed the silver pipes, but I really liked them and I happened to have four, so here they are. I found the best way to make the round slope look continuous was to turn the 2x2s around backward. Not sure why but it doesn't look right the other way.

The underside, which I put way too much work into for the bit most people won't see. I'm actually holding it upside-down here. Normally the stand attaches her and blocks the intake vents so this was the only way to show them.

I know the old 4x8 space wings aren't popular any more but they really are the perfect angle for the a-wing.

Bricklink gallery for when it eventually gets moderated. Yes, I know, I should switch to flickr. Let an old man have his antiquated site.

Thanks for checking it out and reading my blathering!

[jamie75]

Great job as always. I like the mix of old and new pieces. Those old hinge pieces take me back to the first couple of years of Star Wars..... even back to Classic Space. Nice to see you back... again!

 

[TeddytheSpoon]

I love the tan fence parts for the seat cushion. They look perfect.

Why red over dark red, if I may ask? Parts availability?

[Max_Lego]

The A-wing is my favourite Rebel ship, and I am looking forward to building the ROTJ version in addition to my early production one. This build is awesome and without any doubt much better than the official set - additional praise for being an improved version of a 2009 MOC. The amount of detail is tremendous, and the shape is very beautiful and streamlined. You perfectly captured the simultaneous sleeknes and chubbiness of the original. Great work!

[FullBrickDev]

Now that is some commitment to the craft at 15 years! It's beautifully done, I love the pilot's chair.

[Guybrush]

19 hours ago, jamie75 said:

Great job as always. I like the mix of old and new pieces. Those old hinge pieces take me back to the first couple of years of Star Wars..... even back to Classic Space. Nice to see you back... again!

 

Yeah, I do like my classic space wings. Actually I don't, they're quite inconvenient to build with, but they're the perfect angle for the awing. Which hinges did you mean?

13 hours ago, TeddytheSpoon said:

I love the tan fence parts for the seat cushion. They look perfect.

Why red over dark red, if I may ask? Parts availability?

Thanks! I also tried the same parts in brown which looked a little more like leather seats, but wasn't as visible through the canopy.

Parts availability is a factor, but alot of shots of the awing are dark, cuz they're in space. And if you lighten them enough that the grey areas look white, then the red areas are closer to a desaturated lego red than to dark red. Basically the lego red is better at getting across the weathered look of the red on the model. The dark red just looks too... snazzy? Especially contrasting with the white. There's a frumpiness to the red that better suits a worn-down rebel beater. 

12 hours ago, Max_Lego said:

The A-wing is my favourite Rebel ship, and I am looking forward to building the ROTJ version in addition to my early production one. This build is awesome and without any doubt much better than the official set - additional praise for being an improved version of a 2009 MOC. The amount of detail is tremendous, and the shape is very beautiful and streamlined. You perfectly captured the simultaneous sleeknes and chubbiness of the original. Great work!

Oh that's nice, we actually had some similar ideas here. Sleek yet chubby, yes, that's it exactly, thanks!

5 hours ago, FullBrickDev said:

Now that is some commitment to the craft at 15 years! It's beautifully done, I love the pilot's chair.

Well there's just so many new roundy bits and my old awing looked so flat....

[Anio]

Good to know you are still creating Lego stuff. :p

I am glad my model could give you some inspiration.

I do not agree with your statement about dark red though. Accuracy is one thing. But when the choice of a color, or a part, or a shape, is not quite clear according to various sources, the best choice is often the one that looks better. It is a simple as that.
Hence dark red.

[BarfolomewMog]

That was a really interesting read, thanks for sharing. I'm glad you included the underside shot, it highlights the really nice jigsaw fit of the side modules to the main hull.

[lowlead]

Whoa!  I haven't felt a presence like this since....

So who's next - Brian Tobin?  Cello Colin maybe?

Great to see you're back in the saddle - your A-wing is fantastic!  The official UCS version looks too chunky and is disappointing to me.  It's the only UCS set I ever gave an immediate pass.  The top and underside 'texture' achieved with the various plates and bows is a great effect.  Great detail at the engine thrusters - especially in between the main thrusters.  I like the chrome elbows as well.  It's the overall slimmer wedge shape of this version that makes this model far superior to LEGO's UCS - nicely done!  And way to make a re-entry, thanks for posting this.

[Guybrush]

On 10/15/2024 at 12:08 PM, Anio said:

when the choice of a color, or a part, or a shape, is not quite clear according to various sources, the best choice is often the one that looks better. It is a simple as that.
Hence dark red.

If we were just trying to build the prettiest sports car, I'd agree, but this is a beatup old spaceship. Maybe it's just my hangup thinking of the newer colors as being fancier. All things weren't equal though. Using dark red would have required some sacrifices of shape and detail that I didn't want to make. Plus I already owned most of the red.

 

On 10/16/2024 at 12:49 AM, BarfolomewMog said:

That was a really interesting read, thanks for sharing. I'm glad you included the underside shot, it highlights the really nice jigsaw fit of the side modules to the main hull.

Thanks for reading the whole ramble, I appreciate it! Are you referring to how the angled portion snugs up against those 2x2x2 slopes that are essentially masquerading as "wedge tiles"? That was a last minute addition I'll be honest. I built most of the thing not quite knowing how I was going to marry those sections up! 

 

On 10/17/2024 at 7:35 AM, lowlead said:

Whoa!  I haven't felt a presence like this since....

So who's next - Brian Tobin?  Cello Colin maybe?

Great to see you're back in the saddle - your A-wing is fantastic!  The official UCS version looks too chunky and is disappointing to me.  It's the only UCS set I ever gave an immediate pass.  The top and underside 'texture' achieved with the various plates and bows is a great effect.  Great detail at the engine thrusters - especially in between the main thrusters.  I like the chrome elbows as well.  It's the overall slimmer wedge shape of this version that makes this model far superior to LEGO's UCS - nicely done!  And way to make a re-entry, thanks for posting this.

Good to see you're still around too, but this isn't the first thing I posted recently. I did an updated cloud car... *checks* A YEAR AND A HALF AGO!?!? I'd give you the BL folder but they're seemingly still moderating submissions from JUNE, so here's the EB post about it. I agree regarding the official A-wing. Too much chunky, not enough sleek. Also the windscreen off it costs $120 on bricklink, which I know I shouldn't hold against the set but I do.