SXJ

[Toa_Of_Justice]

I was inspired to build the SXJ based off the racing ships in WipEout HD Fury. I've had this MOC on Brickshelf for a while, but when I read about Design byME closing, I decided to spruce it up and share it with everyone here. I plan to buy this model from Design byME soon, so real photos of the SXJ may come when I get a chance to photograph it.

UPDATE - Dec. 10, 2011: Real pictures are now available--go to the post!

Originally, I never intended for the letters SXJ to stand for anything, but for those who want to know, SXJ now stands for Supersonic Experimental Joyrider.

Click any image to enlarge it.

LXF File - Brickshelf Gallery - Brickshelf Gallery (Original Version)

Number of Pieces: 143

Design byME Price (USD): $43.29

If anyone has any suggestions to make before I buy this model, please let me know.

(UPDATE: I bought my model on November 19, 2011. I'll let everyone know when real pictures are up.)

-Toa Of Justice

EDIT: After completing

for one of my college classes, I figured out how to make a basic flight animation using the techniques in the tutorial (plus some advice from eHow.com). To start the animation, right-click it and select Play from the pop-up menu.

EDIT 2: I have made one final change to my model before ordering it--I added retractable landing gear!

LXF File

I also made this display stand for it. Although I plan to include it in my photos, it won't be visible on the box because I plan to make my ship look like it's flying, and the stand would look awkward.

LXF File

EDIT 3: Here's a box preview:

Edited December 10, 2011 by Toa_Of_Justice

[FishHead]

Looks cool.

I like the brake light. =)

[Hollander]

Pretty cool, reminds me of Zam Wessels' airspeeder. Interesting are the two bley pieces at the back, the exhaust (I assume it's one) and the curved piece behind it, they really work well together. I don't know if you're a fan of SNOT, but I would really love to see the wings being SNOT'ed.

Edited November 19, 2011 by Hollander

[Toa_Of_Justice]

Pretty cool, reminds me of Zam Wessels' airspeeder. Interesting are the two bley pieces at the back, the exhaust (I assume it's one) and the curved piece behind it, they really work well together. I don't know if you're a fan of SNOT, but I would really love to see the wings being SNOT'ed.

I can see the resemblance to Zam's airspeeder, but I didn't necessarily intend it. It was only after I added the front headlights that I was reminded of that ship. I just hope LEGO doesn't think it's too similar, otherwise my model might not go through Design byME.

The whole back section is the engine (bley), thrusters (dark bley and trans-red [excluding the roof--that's a brake light]), and exhaust (black). If you've ever played WipEout HD Fury (or at least seen pictures of the ships in that game), you may notice similar engine designs.

Thanks for the idea about SNOT. However, I have concerns about it:

• SNOT could potentially ruin my wing design (the details I worked hard on, such as patterning, headlights, and red/green lights would be lost).
  
• I don't know whether appropriate click hinge elements for supporting a SNOT design are available through Design byME.
  
• I feel the stacked plates of my current design are more sturdy than SNOT wings would be.
  
• My skills with SNOT are limited, and all I think I could do is stack slopes to emulate my wedge shape, which would result in jagged edges.
  

-Toa Of Justice

[Toa_Of_Justice]

At last, I have real pictures! Click any picture (except the front and back views of the model itself) to enlarge it.

Box Front

Box Back (the arrows are a little off from where I put them in the Box Designer)

Here's the bottom. Notice the landing gear.

The pilot poses with her craft. (Note: Although her head is the correct piece in this picture, LEGO originally sent me a different head. Thankfully, I happened to pick up the correct head at LEGOLAND Florida's Minifigure Market, so I don't have to contact Customer Service.)

Here's the SXJ on a display stand I made for it.

The rear and side flaps can move. (The main wings can also tilt up and down due to being on hinges, but they aren't meant to.)

Here is the SXJ in its designated display space on my shelf.

I apologize for some of these pictures being a little out of focus. For some reason, this model was very hard to photograph. I'm not sure whether to blame myself or the model. For clearer LDD pictures (and the LXF file), you can check out the first post of this topic.

-Toa Of Justice

EDIT: I fixed the out-of-focus pictures.

Edited December 13, 2011 by Toa_Of_Justice

[Henchmen4Hire]

Some of the pictures are a little out of focus probably because the f-stop on your camera was low (lower f-stop means a narrower area is in focus). Also, mostly white things can confuse the auto-focus on cameras. The solution to both is to use manual settings but I don't think anyone should take a photography class just to share their cool stuff haha

I think LEGO will send you a free replacement head if you just ask.

I like the wings on this, they have a neat pattern

[Toa_Of_Justice]

Some of the pictures are a little out of focus probably because the f-stop on your camera was low (lower f-stop means a narrower area is in focus). Also, mostly white things can confuse the auto-focus on cameras. The solution to both is to use manual settings but I don't think anyone should take a photography class just to share their cool stuff haha

Thanks for the tip. I used auto-focus for some photos and manual settings on others. I might try re-taking some of the photos tomorrow.

I think LEGO will send you a free replacement head if you just ask.

I'm not sure I can get them to send the right one though, especially if the one I received is supposed to be the next version of the one I didn't get. But like I said earlier, I got the right head at LEGOLAND Florida, so I was able to swap heads.

I like the wings on this, they have a neat pattern

Thank you.

-Toa Of Justice