LEGO!

[Rollo Tomassi]

Well, I did it. I pulled the trigger and got a $150 Fire Brigade set. It was that or the Grand Emporium, and the Brigade set is older, so I forsee that one becoming "unavailable" sooner. Seeing what the older Modular sets are going for makes me want to vomit. The Cafe Corner, Market Street, and Green Grocer are all ridiculous.
Also looking at the Maersk Train, the Emerald Night Train, and the Space Shuttle, each at $99. I figure if I like the Fire Brigade set enough to continue, I can rack up enough VIP points to either get the parts I need to motorize a train, OR I can just put it towards one of those $99 sets.

I feel sick, yet also excited. Time will tell if I regret making the purchase.

[vynsane]

i have emerald night and the original version of the space shuttle ("Shuttle Adventure" - they discontinued that version and put out a modified version dubbed "Shuttle Expedition" due to stability problems with the original design). they're both great sets. i won the emerald night in a contest otherwise i would have never owned it, never got into trains - but now i'm thinking twice since i have EN next to the hogwart's express.

[anarky]

This may be a stupid question, but did you name the ships yourself, vyn?

[Rollo Tomassi]

This may be a stupid question, but did you name the ships yourself, vyn?

Somebody only looks at the pictures.


Hey vyn. On the Emerald Night, do the instructions say how to modify it to the motorized version?

[anarky]

I ask because he keeps referring to corporations and classes of ships. I didn't see where he said whether these are preexisting names from LEGO or he cooked them up.

[vynsane]

I ask because he keeps referring to corporations and classes of ships. I didn't see where he said whether these are preexisting names from LEGO or he cooked them up.

they're not LEGO names:

I'm having a lot of fun coming up with names for these things. The modular nature of the concept makes it hard to pin down actual names, but the idea that certain configurations are popular enough to be 'standard' helped address that. Since the modules can cause the fighters to take on different shapes, I've been playing with shapeshifters of Japanese folklore - "Kitsune" being the Fox, "Mujina" being a type of spirit that can often take the shape of a faceless human (which gave birth to the idea of the droid control module in place of the cockpit). The corporation that builds these is Tanuki, yet another shapeshifter.

i've used 'class' and 'configuration' interchangeably. the "light interceptor" or "heavy interceptor" designations are the influence of 'Homeworld', the 3-d space RTS game, where they have multiple ship sizes ranging from 'scout', 'interceptor', 'light corvette', 'heavy corvette', 'frigate', right through to the super-capital ship classes, etc.

the newest "bakemono" class is named for yet another shapeshifter - bakemono literally meaning "thing that changes". i basically came up with the corporate name 'tanuki' because of the fact that their 'products' can be many different shapes/configurations, then named the 'standard' designs i came up with riffing off that idea. then in a reversal, i was inspired to design the "droid control module" based on the myth of the Mujina. things that are 'non-standard' like the "denublian sunset" don't follow the same naming convention, as they're more like custom configurations.

i just finished designing a new module that adds an additional 'trainer' or 'gunner' position to the fuselage behind the cockpit. if you know of any japanese mythological two-headed creatures, that would help.

i've also got the name 'Ryu' (dragon) saved for some really vicious looking fighter and to celebrate the development of this new class, Tanuki Corp. will release a special limited edition blue and green version called 'Seiryu' (blue-green/azure dragon).

Hey vyn. On the Emerald Night, do the instructions say how to modify it to the motorized version?

yes, the last couple pages of instruction book 2 shows you how to modify the engine and tender to accommodate the Power Functions (PF) motor. brickset has most of the modern LEGO instruction book PDFs linked, it's here, under the 'Instructions' tab. the direct link to the instruction book itself is http://cache.lego.com/bigdownloads/buil ... 581168.pdf

[anarky]

Okay, I missed that somehow. I'd picked up on what the names were, but somehow didn't see where you were mentioning coming up with them.

[Rollo Tomassi]

I went to TRU and got the Bricktober 4th week figure. I'd never got one before. It's a vintage black Spaceman. Kinda disappointed that he's stuck on the magnet. The head and helmet come off but the torso is attached to the legs which are attached to the magnet.

I also got the new Space Shuttle set. Which comes with a coffee mug. So you can drink coffee in space.

[jjreason]

Got 6 sets for Tom today (to be given to him for Christmas by various family members, we don't give him that much for cryin' out loud) due to a bogo sale. Ninjago dojo, earth dragon & blacksmith, star wars clone army tank (battle droid dispersal unit thingy) and the Spninxy thing from the Egyptian line. He will be excited.

[Ran]

I got the UFO Abduction set today along with the Bricktober Spaceman.

[Ran]

The Batcave. The link says it comes out in January.

[Rollo Tomassi]

All those Super-Hero sets are gonna kill me.

[vynsane]

In working with this concept more and more, I've made certain revisions to pre-existing modules in order to make them more useful. The original cockpit module underwent a revision to bring the rear side technic bricks in line with the front ones (there was a one-plate offset initially). Similarly, the two 1x2 technic bricks w/2 holes on the Plasma Cannon (heavy weapons) module have been lined up (they, too, had a one-plate offset.)

• Cockpit module Rev. A
• Heavy Weapons Plasma Cannon module Rev. A

Additionally, I've created three folders on my servers where these files have been uploaded. One folder holds all the individual modules that I've developed thus far, one holds the configurations that I've developed using those modules with each module color-coded for easy selection/manipulation, and one folder that contains all designations, those configurations that have been named and 'painted'.


PLM-T1 "Bakemono" Rev. A by vynsane, on Flickr

This revision of the "Bakemono" class interceptor uses separate weapon and engine modules.

LDD Files

• PLM/e engine module
• PLM/w weapon module
• PLM-T1 "Bakemono" Rev. A (color-coded modules)
• PLM-T1 "Bakemono" Rev. A (painted)

"Kitsune/Hiyakudori" class light interceptor by vynsane, on Flickr

An Alien Defense Unit "Kitsune/Hiyakudori" class light interceptor patrols the airspace of planet Earth for any signs of otherworldly trouble.

To increase the effectiveness of any weapon or sensor modules installed, the addition of a secondary cockpit module can facilitate seating a Combat Systems Officer who would then be responsible for monitoring the systems secondary to piloting the craft.

The fly-by-wire nature of the modular starfighter system allows for transference of duties from one control module to the other, so if something were to happen to the pilot, the Combat Systems Officer could take over control of the craft to land safely in a "limp home feature" capacity.

LDD Files

• Additional cockpit module
• Kitsune/Hiyakudori class configuration (color-coded)
• Kitsune/Hiyakudori class configuration (ADU livery)

While JudahMoTron revealed his 'Trainer' version:


Modular Fighter - Trainer Variant by JudahMoTron, on Flickr

I was also working on a tandem-cockpit variant of the "Kitsune" class light interceptor configuration. Originally I intended to make the additional cockpit module fit between the original cockpit and rear fuselage modules, but for the sake of a smooth appearance ended up incorporating the additional cockpit into a lengthened version of the rear fuselage.

[Rollo Tomassi]

I love the double cockpit design on the ADU version. I wonder if you can flip the back cockpit so he's facing backwards and gives the team a wider field of vision for spotting aliens. And maybe add a turret gun of some kind. Give it a WWI biplane vibe.

[vynsane]

I love the double cockpit design on the ADU version. I wonder if you can flip the back cockpit so he's facing backwards and gives the team a wider field of vision for spotting aliens. And maybe add a turret gun of some kind. Give it a WWI biplane vibe.

i've definitely had that idea in mind, but it's hard to match the shape of that bubble canopy piece to an opening wide enough for a minifigure - you invariably always end up with a bit of a gap, even in official sets! orienting the figure the way it is makes it easier, turning it around and leaving the canopy in the same spot is trickier to do without stupid gaps.