Recap

You can skip this if you have read the previous post.

In yesterday’s post, I started making an alternative build ( alt build ) for the VTOL Heavy cargo spaceship LT81, and I decided to explain how I think making an alt build starts. It maybe helpful for those who do not know how to start, and it helps me reflecting on how I work and hopefully improve, perhaps with your comments. You can follow the steps and the thinking even if you are not interested in Technic or spaceships. That is just the example.

The take away from the last post is that you need to compare your idea(s) for an alt build with the limited supply of bricks that are available in the set that you are making the alt build from. This may be a simple job, but for bigger or more complex MOCs it may not be so. You may even have to build essential features of your idea in order to find out.

In the case of my example, I found out that I indeed had to build one of the essential features, which is a folding mechanism, so that the ship can fold itself over its cargo.

 

First step

Okay, yesterday, I wrote that my first next step would be to see if I can make a folding mechanism in three or four copies, so that the cargo ship could fold itself over the cargo. Today, I got distracted a bit. That is, I started with the simplest and quickest design for the engine pods and the engines, and from there it was just a little extra to make a first ‘sketch’. And then I got a cool idea for the cockpits.

 

Engine pods

I started with the engine pods, because I needed to have an idea of how big they would be. At least, that is what I told myself. Since the original set had 16 corner panels, the easiest would be to take four and clamp them together into a cylinder. They need a top, which was also easy with the clunky 2x3x5 curved panels, and they need an exhaust. Also easy. There was a small puzzle to get the exhausts in the center of the cylinder because the cylinders have an odd diameter of 5 studs and the exhaust cones an even one of 4.

 

Merely the first version

For those that are interested in building these, here is an ‘exploded’ view of one of the pods.

 

Since this is only the very beginning of the MOC, it is close to certain that this design will change. There are two reasons for this.

Firstly, parts may later on be needed more urgently elsewhere. For example, yesterday, I mentioned that I want to have a container included in the MOC. Most likely that will be a variant of the one of the original set. For this, I will likely need the white corner panels. Perhaps I will find a way to improvise something else, either for the engine pods or for the container. Perhaps, I will not be able to do either and have to switch to a three engine version of my MOC.

Secondly, more details will likely be added to each pod, and this may cause the entire thing to be redesigned a couple of times.

 

First overview sketches

Since I had made four pods, it was only a small step to stick them to the big frame of the original set.

 

The pods are hardly connected to the frame and can turn in two directions, which means one cannot easily pick it up and move it around. So, it really is just a sketch. Other designers draw their design first. I draw with bricks since I am not good at drawing and I like to build with my hands. However, if the MOC would be a lot bigger, perhaps drawing does go faster.

As you can see, the frame with the cockpit is mounted towards the tips of the engine pods. Since i had thought of the cargo to be inside of the spaceship, the frame should be mounted lower, and the cockpit higher on the frame. This got me sketch v2

 

New feature: auto tilting cockpit windows

When fiddling with sketch v2, I tilted the cockpit windows somewhat. Which gave me a great idea, partly inspired by the original set. In the original set, the cockpit swings from left to right if the spaceship rolls. It keeps the cockpit more or less horizontal when the ship banks left or right. Cool, but it only makes sense when the spaceship flies in gravity. In space, it does not really matter.

What if the cockpit windows in my MOC would tilt upwards and downwards together with the folding mechanism. When the spaceship lands and folds over the cargo, the cockpits swing down for good visibility to the floor. And when the spaceship takes off and the engine pods fold back, the cockpit windows swing upwards towards flight direction. That would be a cool extra feature!

 

Concluding

Today, I started getting sidetracked. It started innocently enough, I thought that to make the folding mechanism, I need the pods first. Well, that is not entirely true. I only needed to know how how big they would become and I already knew that: about the size of the pods in the original set.

In terms of following my own method, I already failed. But is that so bad? I guess not. At some point things need to come together, and it is good to have an idea how. Also, it is rewarding to see the entire MOC for the first time, even though it is only the very first version.

Moreover, I got an idea for an additional feature, that is worth the while as well! In itself but also because adding that feature means an additional mechanism. It is good to be aware of that while the MOC is still in a sketch phase.