Confessions Of A LEGO Addict

My name is Eric and I have a massive addiction to LEGO. This blog is for my own Lego Digital Designer creations ("MOCs" as they are apparently known). I may be way too into LEGO Classic Space. 

[legoaddiction]

LMR 221 “ATLAS”

The “Atlas” was a mainstay of the 2250s "Frontiers of Knowledge” initiative—a long range vessel equipped with high-resolution scanning devices, autonomous survey drones, and long range communications apparatus. ATLAS missions typically lasted as long as 10 months, and only the most hardy candidates were considered for these long range solo-crew operations. 

The Atlas models were equipped with a sophisticated AI, designed to provide companionship for the pilot; Atlas pilots often formed close friendships with their digital “colleagues,” and—after landmark court decisions in 2257—after three missions together, Atlas pilots were allowed to transfer their companion AIs to home computer systems. 

[legoaddiction]

LL22012 SHORT RANGE FIGHTER

(aka “Bulldog”)

A special project of Fleet Marine, the Bulldog is designed for close-air support, and eschews speed in favor of armor, maneuverability and firepower. 

Unpopular with many Fleet pilots, Marine aviators adore their Bulldogs, as do the ground troops they support. 

[legoaddiction]

LEGO CLASSIC SPACE LLG-10X-C Pursuit Ship

(aka “ARCHER”)

The Archer, an older model first introduced in 2160 by Karvax Ship Design off Procyon, is a heavy-duty starfighter, intended for combat air patrol over colony sites or space stations.

Heavily armored, the Archer can withstand several hits from light weaponry, and even hits—at distance—from capital-scale blasts.

The Archer is fast—propelled by a C10 Pulse Drive—but not as agile as other fighters; The -C and -D models feature added maneuvering thrusters to offset this deficit.

Finally, the Archer is armed with twin L911 Twin Cannons, which draw additional power from the engines in an “overclock” mode—in this configuration, the pilot can use the cannons 10 times, with enough power to cut through dreadnaught-class armor plating.  

[legoaddiction]

LEGO CLASSIC SPACE L101-G Point Defense Fighter

(aka “DRAGONFLY”)

During the 2275 Pirate Wars in the Vathkrii Cluster, Fleet needed highly maneuverable fighter craft that could operate inside the asteroid belts and ion storms of the region. The alliance of hundreds of small pirate gangs led to a massive (albeit somewhat threadbare) fleet that struck dozens of worlds before fleeing back into the Cluster’s stormy space.

Fleet pulled together several shipwrights, and presented them with the design spec: carrier-based (so no FTL drives would be needed on each fighter), fast, with enhanced sensors, inexpensive, and armed to the teeth. The result: the Dragonfly.

The folding wings allowed for extra fighters aboard each carrier; the upper wing pylons allowed for the mounting of medium-range sensor dishes (to penetrate the chaos of the Vathkrii Cluster, as well as enhanced targeting solutions in combat). The lower wing pilots and snub nose house anti-fighter laser cannons. The -D Variant can be retrofitted to carry EMP bombs or ship-to-shop missiles; the -X variant is a stealth/surveillance mission, eschewing weaponry in favor of extra sensors and recording gear and a one-use emergency FTL drive.

Fleet combat pilots adore the design, though some lament the lack of armor. An experimental version, with particle shielding, is in development at Fleet Yard Europa, but power consumption problems have delayed the project.

[legoaddiction]

The Crystal Voyager

Though most drivers just call them crystal balls : D [DAMN! I need a light tent or at least some decent light diffusers, those flash spots look so ugly]

WOW. 

Terrific idea, very retro.

[legoaddiction]

Work in progress—a pursuit/law-enforcement “sky cycle.” 

[legoaddiction]

LCV-888 LONG RANGE SALVAGE CRAFT

(aka “PALOMINO”)

With the rise of pirate gangs and the dangers of traveling at the fringes of known space, Fleet was forced to contend with a number of salvage operations to recover wrecked spacecraft. 

Building from the surplus fleet of outdated “Cheetah” class interceptors, Fleet Shipwrights at the Copernicus XIII yards stripped out the Cheetah’s heavy weaponry (replacing it with civilian grade defensive systems—TVX 6 cannons on the wings, Firelance short-range cannons on the nose) and added multiphase Koenig subluminal thrusters and six civilian FTL drives. Finally, the engineers stripped out the missile racks and bomb bays along the ventral fuselage and replaced them with a cargo claw. 

The newly-dubbed “Palomino’s” long-range detection gear helps pilot/navs plot locations of damaged or wrecked craft, and the ventral claw is employed to hook up the vessels for tow back to salvage yards. 

[legoaddiction]

LCS 6651C MEDIUM RANGE CARGO HAULER

(aka “JOHN HENRY”)

The workhorse of Fleet logistics, the John Henry medium range cargo hauler is dependable and durable (though not universally beloved; neither particularly fast nor maneuverable, the Henry has earned derisive nicknames like “Space Cow”). Port and Starboard cargo racks hold Fleet-approved shipping containers (maglocked into place); up to four additional  racks can be “stacked” as needed, giving the John Henry a great deal of carrying capacity with minimal equipment. 

Deployed in convoys of five to eight ships (with occasional fighter escort), colonies view the John Henry as a lifeline. Outlying System pirate groups view them as a fancy banquet—hard to get in, but rewarding. 

Private concerns have started purchasing John Henry models for commercial shipping, as well, and there are rumors that Vergeer Systems are arming a few ships with capital ship cannons—seeding them into shipping convoys as bait for pirates, and catching them by surprise when one of the target “freighters” packs an unexpected punch. 

[legoaddiction]

LL-361536 Heavy Fighter

(aka “TRIDENT”)

With the rise of the Dogstar Pirate Gangs (notably, the Sirius-based Skywolves), Fleet required ships that could root out pirates holed up in asteroid bases, which meant plenty of firepower as well as ample armor and maneuverability; many fighter craft were nimble enough to thread their way into a pirate base’s defensive cordon, but had sacrificed armor for agility. 

The Trident’s heavier armor, and three-jump FTL engines—which made pursuit of fleeing criminals considerably easier—made it an ideal anti-piracy heavy fighter. 

One unique feature is the ship’s command module and defensive platform configuration; a combat AI can pilot the engine and weapon array allowing the command module to detach and engage ground defenses or fighter cover. 

Fleet doctrine calls for Tridents to deploy in multiples of three, using the defense platforms to link targeting data and create a perimeter, and the command modules mopping up defenses. 

[legoaddiction]

LTX-941: THE VALIANT.

Built shortly after the first FTL probe launches returned successfully, LTX-940 (Stalwart), -941 (Valiant) and -942 (Tireless) launched simultaneously on Dec. 25th, 2204, from the Pluto Experimental Systems Launch Platform. 

The first Fleet Capital Ships, the vessels (nicknamed “the Trio,” but designated Fortress-class ships by Fleet Logistics) were designed for long-range patrol, pirate suppression, and rescue operations. Each ship had an additional specialty: Stalwart was augmented with additional cargo space and was a colony tender, bringing medicine, food and other supplies to distant colonies; Tireless was equipped with additional sensing and mapping gear and flagged navigational hazards; Valiant was tasked with anti-piracy operations and was equipped with two quad-laser turrets and power units as well as three shield projectors. (The other ships only carried a pair of twin lasers and one shield projector each.) 

Each vessel carries a primary and secondary crew, working in opposing 15 hour shifts; on Valiant, the primary is Red Crew, the secondary is Blue Crew. Valiant also carries a robotic assistant—TLR, nicknamed “Teller”—which handles critical repairs, most EVA activity, and mans the science analysis computer bay.

The Fortress-class remained in production for nearly forty years, and ultimately a fleet of 30 were launched. These vessels are the smallest of Fleet’s capital ships; the Rampart-class (which lifted from spacedock in 2216) were nearly double the size, range, and crew). 

---

Other notes:

This is the most complicated “MOC” I’ve attempted, coming in at 2400 pieces give or take. The window and roof sections over the living quarters are hinged to allow the addition or removal of minifigs; the airlocks on the flight deck/bridge rotate to allow ingress/egress; there are beds, storage lockers, weapon racks, personal computer stations, a science/medical station, and engineering station; the conning tower rotates, as do the quad-guns (which also have barrels that elevate, too). 

I’m about halfway through the Rampart-class, which will carry support ships, a Fleet Marine squad, among other things. 

[legoaddiction]

LCS-9910 SHORT-RANGE SHUTTLE

aka “Cricket”

Crickets are found near starbases, lunar colonies and as support craft for capital ships and long-range convoys. 

Though they have only moderate acceleration, they are highly maneuverable making them ideal for negotiating the cramped landing bays of carrier craft or commercial traffic over a colony or starbase. 

Built in bulk near the Procyon Foundries, the Cricket is a popular craft among Fleet rank officers who use them as personal runabouts. Decommissioned Crickets are also popular among civilians, who frequently modify them for asteroid prospecting and occasionally sport/racing craft. 

Fleet models have a basic armor package and twin lasers best suited for dealing with space debris. 

[legoaddiction]

Work deadlines have kept me from posting much here for the last couple months, but now that I have a little free time, you can expect semi-semi-regular updates—I have six or seven MOCs to get prepped and written up.

In the interim, here’s a quick review of a couple of recent builds—the STAR WARS REBELS ships, the Ghost and the Phantom.

THE GHOST

Overall, a really fun build that suffers a bit from some dodgy instructions (a number of spots where the instructions call for you to place pieces behind other pieces so you can’t really see exactly where it goes—a little more trial and error than I like).

The upper turret has a lot of gaps in it as well, which irks me a bit—it’s a half-cylinder that free rotates on top. Also, the nose turret is loose fitting so you can’t position it  and have it maintain that position—it spins pretty freely.

Finally, I know they need to sell kits, but it’s somewhat problematic that you can buy both of these kits (which combine to form a single unit, with the Phantom acting as it does on the cartoon—as a detachable runabout and support craft) and still not get the entire crew; the Mandalorian bomb-expert/graffiti artist Sabine Wren is absent, and I presume is part of a third kit. I would’ve happily sacrificed the dime-a-dozen stormtrooper minifig for a Sabine.

Grade: A-

THE PHANTOM

A very quick, very fun build; not much to report—good instructions, solid design and the ability to plug it into the larger Ghost made it quite enjoyable.

Grade: A

[legoaddiction]

LLm-101 Short Range Asteroid Skater

(aka “Iacchus”)

Short-range, unarmed, and lacking FTL drives, the Iacchus-class “Asteroid Skater” makes up for it’s relatively low speed by being highly agile. The finicky craft was originally designed for civilian use as a scouting/survey/prospecting ship for us in asteroid fields; Fleet adopted the design to help ferret out pirate/smuggler bases in 2213, commissioning Shephard Shipworks to design military sensor and armament packages. 

The Iacchus is popular among Rock Racers, who modify the ships for use in competitive slaloms through asteroid fields, a dangerous sport that has gained in popularity since 2220. 

[legoaddiction]

Awesome Classic Space freighter build

http://www.hafhead.com/lego/myspace/melpo/ext03.html

[minotaursauce]

Introducing the LLS 504: Galactic Trekker!

Well, after a lengthy time developing, and also some purchases along the way, it’s finally done. My first, genuine CS ship! More photos can be seen in the Flickr set!

[legoaddiction]

Another fan-made Classic Space build.

Nice job on the engine and the overall lines. Very sleek.

[cooperdiem]

LEGO has officially announced their newest line of sets, Nexo Knights. Basically a super crazy mashup of space and castle, the initial launch will consist of 14 sets ranging from $9.99-$99.99 including the above Fortrex 70317 (1140 pieces and $99.99) and Jestro’s Evil Mobile 70316 (658 pieces and $59.99). There will also be a 20 episode TV series premiering in December and a companion app. Check out the press release after the break.

Keep reading

[legoaddiction]

Huh. Not sure how I feel about this one, but the robot steed and cyber knight are kinda great.

[legocentrism]

Benny’s MECH! MECH! MECH! Kind of.

Via BrickNerd

[legoaddiction]

WOW. Well done. Very well done.