Legos, anyone?

[M'Kyuun]

In regards to LEGO's Saturn V and Cobi's, due to the differing parts and techniques they use, both are unique building experiences with little in common. Cobi's is very much a studs up stacking build, whereas the majority of LEGO's was heavy use of SNOT building techniques. The latter is one of the coolest LEGO sets I have ever built, and I've built quite a few.

Cobi: https://www.amazon.com/COBI-S-T-E-M-Collection-Saturn-V/dp/B079K7KLL2

LEGO: https://bricktasticblog.com/blog/21309-nasa-apollo-saturn-v-review/

[technoblue]

The AT-AT is a win for me. A few of the play features make it seem like the LEGO designers were inspired by the plus-sized AT-AT MOC.

I'm also tickled by General Veers' new helmet and that we finally have that lower-level hatch for Luke to toss in his thermal detonator. Even though Luke didn't bomb Veers' walker in the movie, it's still a nice addition.

Edited May 2, 2020 by technoblue

[M'Kyuun]

Yeah, in terms of features, this outshines all previous AT-AT sets. The skinny legs and lack of printing on the leg joints are the only detractors. The original AT-AT, 4483, is still the best, IMHO, for creating a balanced look and having those printed dishes.  The upper joint, where it connects to the body, should be slightly greater in diameter than the knee joints, but on the last few AT-ATs, they've used the 4-wide dishes for both. The original set got it right in that regard- 6 wide at the body, and 4 wide at the knees, not to mention the legs were 4 stud wide plates rather than the three-wide LEGO's been using of late. As I said, a little modding of the legs and it'll be right as rain.

[David Hingtgen]

Hmmmn.  That new Cobi catalog seems to show revised versions of some sets---printed instead of stickers, coming this summer.  That makes the "new" Bismarck very tempting.  (I feel they'll never revise the Tirpitz, it'd require an insane amount of printing----though if they just did a non-camo version...)  

[Scyla]

I‘m super excited for the AT-AT. It is of the

few things that is missing from my OT collection. 
 

I also hope we see images of the new Technic Lamborghini Super Car soon. 

[David Hingtgen]

The lack of pics/leaks for the Lambo is surprising, considering how close it is to release date.  If it's green--definitely pass.  Orange/yellow--pass.  Blue--maybe.  Red/purple/white--definitely. 

[Dobber]

I’m tempted to buy the new A-Wing but that canopy join/lip is just HORRIBLE. It completely ruins an otherwise decent model IMO. Any of you LEGO experts see a fix for that?

Chris

[M'Kyuun]

I'm assuming you're talking about the black bits at the forward tip of the canopy. AFAIK, there are no parts in the palette currently whose shape would allow for a seamless continuation of the canopy's curvature, let alone in clear. The canopy is a new piece, but quite reminiscent of this cone , so I can see the potential for it's showing up in future rocket sets. TBH, I never noticed the front of that thing until you mentioned it, Dobber. It's not the most elegant solution, but it doesn't really bother me, either. I'm not getting the set, as I've always seen the A-Wing as a rather uninteresting design. I have a number of the System sets, including the dark green one from 2019, so I'm good. It might be a good parts set, but I haven't even looked to see if there's an inventory posted yet.

I've been wishing for years that they'd make an inverted boat stud that could round off the tip of a 4x4 cone. Something like that would fix your issue, I think.

Edited May 4, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[Chronocidal]

The problem with the canopy is that they literally added a frame underneath it, making it just way too thick.  remove that, and it'll fix a lot of the profile.

I'm planning to grab it, but I might wait a while.  I've spent too much on flight sim hardware in the past month to justify it.  

[Dobber]

Yes, I referring to the vertical lip on the bottom of the canopy. It’s unfortunate LEGO couldn’t either find a better solution or just make a custom part. Let’s face it canopies are always the difficult/weak part for LEGO aircraft and spacecraft.
It looks like even when the canopy is closed the front is still off of the fuselage as the latter starts to slope down while the canopy remains horizontal.

Chris

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

The kind of thing LEGO doesn't want kids to build:

That being said, I totally want one!

[technoblue]

Leaks of the box for the LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sián have been making the rounds today.

Here's the speculation thread over on eurobricks:

https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/175542-42115-lamborghini-speculation-topic/

I do like the wheels and those red brake calipers, and the Technic model does a good job preserving the curves of the real-life super car. It's interesting that the hood has a triangle indent rather than trapezoid indent and I'm curious about how the headlights will come together. Special pieces? Technic framing? The low-res image isn't giving much away on my screen. Will need to see some hi-res pictures before I can think about adding this one to my order list, and then it looks like I will need to save up for it.

Rumor is it's going to be expensive.

[Scyla]

The image of the Technic Lamborghini looks super odd.

Probably because the lighting swallows all the areas where the real car has black parts (like the head lights).

I hope Lego put some details there into the model and they are not just empty spots of void.

Need to see it in person or at least better images.

Edited May 17, 2020 by Scyla

[M'Kyuun]

The overall shaping looks better on this than most of their Technic cars, but any number of details are off, especially the triangle instead of a trapezoid on the hood, which is rather iconic to the look of the real car. I haven't bought one of these large Technic car models in well over a decade, well before they started producing licensed cars, and I'll probably skip this one, too. I do have to say, though, I like the look of Lamborghini more than Porsche and Bugatti. I'm not crazy about lime green, but if they reissued this in black or red....

Funny that they didn't use olive green, as it would've been more accurate to the actual car's color. Must've been too expensive.

I hope the next Expert Creator car is a Lambo; if they get Mike Psiaki, the designer of the Ford Mustang kit, to design it, I think it'd be pretty close to the money. 

I hope they reveal the Technic Osprey set soon- if it's evenly remotely good, it's a must-buy.  Love the Osprey.

In other LEGO news, in a move to appeal to the Chinese market, LEGO just released their Monkie Kid theme, which takes its inspiration from the sixteenth century Chinese novel Journey to the West chronicling the adventures of Sun Mukong, the Monkey King. If you're familiar with Ninjago, the aesthetics aren't far off. Most of the sets, admittedly, are so-so to me, but the level of detail is nigh on par with the excellent Ninjago Movie sets. I especially like a lot of the little store/shop side builds that come in a few of these sets. I'd buy those by themselves if they offered a set with Asian styled buildings. The LEGO Ninjago City set is one of the most impressive I've ever owned; it was a joy to build, and a joy to display, and I welcome more of the same. Unlike Ninjago, Monkie Kid benefits from the input of Chinese LEGO designers/artists, and the promos of the toys feature Chinese children playing with them, so there's a very deliberate effort by LEGO to endear themselves to that demographic. There's also going to be a hand-drawn animated show to go with it. I hope it skews more in the Ninjago direction than Chima so far as the writing goes. Chima was a cool concept, had a lot of cool sets, but the show was subpar, unfortunately. Anyway, I look forward to seeing how this line progresses. I'm hoping to snag the HQ set and the Bull Mech for starters just to get a feel. FYI, if you like gold drum laquered parts, the Monkey King Mech pictured here has the most of any set ever.

Edited May 17, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[Scyla]

Well the Lego Technic Super Car 8880 is my far my most liked set. Which neither the Porsche nor the Bughatti came close. Let’s see if the Lamborghini will change that. 

 I’m curious how the door mechanism will work. 

[M'Kyuun]

1 minute ago, Scyla said:

Well the Lego Technic Super Car 8880 is my far my most liked set. Which neither the Porsche nor the Bughatti came close. Let’s see if the Lamborghini will change that. 

 I’m curious how the door mechanism will work. 

Wow, that's a blast from the past. I bought that set second-hand back in the 90's from one of my military buds. It was a cool model for sure, especially for the time. I loved the four wheel steering- not sure they've done that in another car since. Unfortunately, mine's been parted out over the last decades or so, so I'll likely never rebuild it. But it was cool. The last 'super car' set I bought was the 8448 Super Street Sensation, which was a pretty impressive set from a technical standpoint- fully functional transmission with reverse, spring-loaded gull wing doors, independent suspension, 8 cylinder engine with rear drive via differential, and of course, working steering via the steering wheel. I still have it in storage. AFAIK, it's not based on any specific car, but it always reminds me of the Pontiac Fiero. 

[Scyla]

I had no idea that this set exists. Must be from a time when I was too cool for toys.
Clearly these times are long gone. 

I might try to get this in order to complete the collection. Prices on bricklink don’t seem too bad.

Yeah, the four wheel steering on the 8880 was awesome. I’m still a bit bummed that they didn’t manage to include doors though. 

[M'Kyuun]

8880 was one of the last Technic cars to be built almost entirely from Technic bricks rather than all the axle connectors and panels that are used now. The latter allows for lighter models and better shaping, but there was something cool about the heft of 8880. I'm honestly surprised they don't make more of these large cars remote controlled; they're nice tech demonstrators, but it seems to me a lot of the realistic functions are wasted in what boils down to a slightly playable display model. 

I tend more towards the construction sets, and the occasional aircraft set; the 42025 Cargo Plane is the most recent I've bought, and it was a blast to build and to play with. I love all the realistic functions of that set; reminds me of my C-130 days. The pneumatic Volvo EW160E (set 42053) was pretty neat, too.  The old pneumatic Front End Loader is still one of my favorite sets. The steering is controlled by a knob behind the cab, but the steering wheel is linked to the steering system and rotates accordingly. I love that bit of unnecessary detail. So much goodness!

[Beltane70]

I love the 8880 car! Believe it or not, I learned about the set from a Japanese TV commercial that was on one of the anime tapes that I used to get from the Mitsuwa in my area. If I remember correctly, the CM was played in Blue Seed’s mid-episode CM. 

[sh9000]

Awesome.

[M'Kyuun]

Wow, that's an investment.  That's like 3 3/4 inch figure scale. It's a shame that LEGO retired their old Technic maxifigs; those things were really poseable, especially for 80's standards. Imagine if they'd kept them around until '99 when they got the Star Wars license. Ah, what could have been. sigh

 

[Scyla]

The Technic Lamborghini Sian was officially revealed: https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/lamborghini-sian-fkp-37-42115

From these pictures I like it much more. I have a few gift cards lying around for exactly that set (and the AT-AT) so hopefully I can visit stores again once the AT-AT is out.

[M'Kyuun]

It's an impressive model, but I stopped collecting Technic cars about a decade ago. I'm anxiously awaiting the announcement for the upcoming Osprey, though. I've heard they did it in orange and black. Yuck- orange and yellow are two of my least favorite colors. But, I love the Osprey, so I intend to get it. I'm also planning on getting a couple of the new AT-ATs when they release. I think I'm going to have to mod the legs, though; they look too skinny to me, and the hip joints should be wider than the knees. No matter how many of these things they release, somehow I always come back to good ole 4483, as it just seemed to have the right look externally, overall. It's definitely not perfect (what LEGO set is?), but it's still my favorite of the AT-AT releases.

[Dobber]

So it looks like the black areas on the hood are in fact just open areas. 
 

Chris

Edited May 29, 2020 by Dobber

[anime52k8]

I still have my 8880 all modded to hell from when I was a kid on a shelf in my room. Loved that kit.

[David Hingtgen]

Why on earth would they make the Osprey orange and black?  Or is it not actually an Osprey, and just very Osprey-esque? 

[M'Kyuun]

I've looked about on Instagram for LEGO leaks showing pics to no avail. However, I believe it was on the Eurobricks forums that someone commented about the Osprey's color scheme being orange and black. The tone of the comment made it seem as if they'd seen pics of the thing, so I'm assuming it's correct until official pics are finally revealed, which will probably be a couple weeks prior to release so the set can't be copied by Chinese KOs. It makes sense, though, as it's a real military aircraft, so to distance it from military association, I'm assuming the orange and black will be indicative of some sort of rescue livery.

LEGO already made an Osprey inspired City set a few years back: #60021 Cargo Heliplane.

I used the cockpit as the base for my VV-1 Samson

[technoblue]

Impressive. 

[Bobby]

That is soooooooo cool!

[M'Kyuun]

Huge thanks, guys. He was a long time dream project, and after many years of trial and error, mostly error, those cockpit parts gave me a nexus around which to design his look. I've taken him to LEGO conventions, and he's almost invariably people's favorite of my variable mecha, which is very personally satisfying, as of my four variable models, he's my own design. The other three are based on Macross designs. My VF-4 is my avatar.

Edited May 30, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[danth]

13 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I used the cockpit as the base for my VV-1 Samson

My gawd! That is awesome!

[technoblue]

Sharing Brickvault's review of the Swordfish II MOC by Marshal Banana—one of my favorite fictional spacecraft in minifig scale.

Actual minifig review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAbB9gwENUA

Oopsie microscale review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYVRhSTWpEo

Looks to be using some fun techniques too, and the completed set accomplishes gimmicks that are similar to what's found on Sentinel's 1:48 scale release. Work like this and the MOCs shared by are own @M'Kyuun are just so artistic. I'm amazed when other LEGO fans can create organic designs out of these bricks. 

Edited June 1, 2020 by technoblue
updated with correct video

[M'Kyuun]

First, thanks Danth and Technoblue for your kind comments. means a lot to me.

Second, that Swordfish is a neat little build. I've no interest in miroscale, per se, at least as something that I want to build personally, but builds like this are amazing for how much detail is captured accurately with an economical use of parts. It's a lovely little model, instantly recognizable. The use of the Technic figs' visors (and minifig visors in other MOCs I've seen) always floor me, as, due to their design, have no apparent method for affixing them in place, and yet folks figure it out somehow. I'm just not that inventive, which makes me appreciate the technique and use of those parts all the more. Thanks for sharing, Technoblue. Gotta go listen to some Tank! now. 

Edit: here's another Cowboy Bebop inspired build: Red Tail

Edited June 1, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[technoblue]

Woops! That was awkward. It looks like I copied the wrong link in my message above. 

But the microscale one is no less impressive to me. My understanding is that it was an earlier iteration? Not sure.

Here's the minifig scale one for comparison. I also added the link to my original post above to give my comments more context. I was wowed by how the minifig version had the same landing gear and foldable wing gimmick as Sentinel's 1:48 Swordfish II which Goodsmile released.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAbB9gwENUA

Thanks for the link to the Red Tail MOC. @M'Kyuun It look very nice, and I was wondering if someone had tried their hand at Faye's ship after seeing the Swordfish II review. Now I know.  It would be fun to have both ships on display.

Edited June 1, 2020 by technoblue

[M'Kyuun]

That minifig scale Swordfish is awesome. Best I've seen, and I've seen a few.