Other Pete J's thread of Lego building (last project: Kawasaki Ninja)

Please feel free to post your own Lego shenanigans in this thread too!



This thread started back in 2019, with me owning about 4-5 large scale Technic models and taking the decision to tackle the above 15,000 piece MOC Star Destroyer. Since then, my collection and knowledge of Lego has grown considerably! Below is the original post, bar some touch ups to get around a 25,000 character limit for a single post.

I'm doing this log so that in the years to come, I can look back and remember the whole adventure of making this build happen - from the first choice of going 'ah sod it, I'll have a work of art to be fond of for a long time', through to deciding where to put it. The thing is, I'm not a Star Wars fan! That's not to say I don't like Star Wars (clearly not, otherwise why would I be attempting to make a huge themed Lego model?) and I certainly appreciate the films for what they are, but I'm more interested in their cultural significance and impact. For the record, Rogue One is the best film - I prefer the darker tone and the Star Destroyer features quite prominently in it.

I was considering buying the Lego set 75252 but I was a little disappointed when it was unveiled - I was hoping it would be like the Millennium Falcon 75192 in that there would be a detailed interior. I was already aware of MOCs and was thinking that they actually tend to be more impressive. After a while I gave in to the urge and bought the instructions, then...

The model's creator actually has an even larger model (the legendary ISD Tyrant) that he's made, but due to the complexity will not be releasing instructions. A good thing, as I may have tried to build it! To be fair, it's also his creation and I think he deserves to have it as his own masterpiece; and unless I'm willing to use the dining table as a permanent display surface, I'd have nowhere to put it! The biggest purchasable Lego Star Destroy MOC is the ISD Intimidator, which comes in at five foot long, ~20,000 pieces and ~20kg: however, it lacks interior details and if I can't fit the Tyrant anywhere, there's no way this can either.

The instructions are worth buying just to look through. There are 1290 pages which are divided up into eight sections. The quality is equal to that of any flagship Lego set, though there are some helpful additional comments in some places as well as a link to an unlisted Youtube video for one particular difficult bit. The creator really went out of his way to make the model accessible and focussed on using more readily available parts. There's also a sense of humour around the model - if I say 'Eddie Izzard', those in the know will know what I mean.

The overall plan was to also have a few little mini scale ships to accompany the model - a few TIE fighters, bombers and Darth Vader's infamous advanced variant, as well as some rebel ships. . The thing is that if everything were done to scale, a TIE fighter would be half a stud, an X-Wing a whole stud and the Millennium Falcon three studs. I'd love to get a Trench Run or Hoth diorama in too.

On a side note - unfortunately I seem to have the world's greasiest hands, which winds my brother up no end when using his iPad (which as a result of his moaning, I try and use as much as possible when I visit him). To this end, I've bought some cotton gloves to keep things grease free - in the past, I simply used to wipe each brick/sub assembly clean with some kitchen roll after putting a model together.

STATUS OF PROJECTS

MOCs (designed by other people)

Star Wars

• Star Destroyer: COMPLETE!
• UCS Falcon MKII: Instructions acquired, ongoing part ordering
• Mini CR-90 Corellian Corvette Tantive IV Blockade Runner: COMPLETE!
• EF76 Nebulon-B Escort Frigate: COMPLETE!
• Plus-Size AT-AT: COMPLETE!
• Articulated SW AT-ST ("Chicken Walker") v3.0: COMPLETE!
• Snowspeeder - Minifig Scale: COMPLETE!
• RZ-1 A-wing Starfighter - Minifig Scale: COMPLETE!
• B-wing Starfighter - Minifig Scale: COMPLETE!
• X-wing Starfighter - Minifig Scale: COMPLETE!
• Y-wing Starfighter - Minifig Scale: COMPLETE!
• TIE Fighter: COMPLETE!
• TIE Advanced: COMPLETE!
• TIE Interceptor: COMPLETE!
• TIE Bomber: COMPLETE!
• Darth Vader's Light Sabre: COMPLETE!
• Luke Skywalker's Light Sabre: COMPLETE!
• Han Solo's Blaster: COMPLETE!
• Stormtrooper Blaster: COMPLETE!
• Trench Run Pursuit: COMPLETE!
• Palpatine's Throne Room: COMPLETE!
• Death Star II midi-scale: COMPLETE!
• Hoth Turrets & Radar Cannon: COMPLETE!
• Millennium Falcon (1:125 Scale): COMPLETE! (dismantled)
• Luke's Landspeeder - Minifig Scale: Instructions bought, ongoing part ordering
• Mini dalek: COMPLETE!

Aliens

• Chestburster: COMPLETE!
• Alien Xenomorph: COMPLETE!
• UCS Aliens Power Loader P-5000: COMPLETE!
• M41A Pulse Rifle: COMPLETE!
• Aliens APC M557: COMPLETE!

Avengers

• AOU Mark 44 Hulkbuster 76031 + 76105 Combination: COMPLETE!
• Minifig Scale Hulkbuster: COMPLETE!
• Iron Man Helmet: COMPLETE!
• Iron Man minifig collection: COMPLETE!
• Avengers Endgame minifig collection: COMPLETE!
• Thor's Hammer - Mjolnir: COMPLETE!
• Iron Man Mark 43: COMPLETE!
• 76210 Iron Man Mark 44 Hulkbuster - Alternate Build: COMPLETE!

Realistic

• Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: COMPLETE!
• Lamborghini Centenario 1:8 hypercar: COMPLETE!
• McLaren 720S: COMPLETE!
• Ferrari F40 1:10: Instructions bought, part purchase ongoing
• Pagani Huayra: Instruction purchased, part ordering ongoing
• 42009 Mobile Crane with new gearbox: extra parts ready, awaiting disassembly
• 42056 Pimp up my Porsche: extra parts ready, awaiting disassembly
• 42083 Pimp up my Bugatti: extra parts ready, awaiting disassembly
• 42107 DUCATI Panigale upgrade: COMPLETE!
• 42142 Pimp up my Ferrari: COMPLETE!
• 42115 Cosmetic changes for Lamborghini Sian: COMPLETE!

Miscellaneous

• Space Marine Dreadnought: COMPLETE!
• The Motorized Tumbler Batmobile: COMPLETE!
• Robocop: COMPLETE!
• ED-209: COMPLETE!
• RoboCop 2 Robo CAIN: COMPLETE!
• Metal Gear Rex (Minifig scale): ~40-50% built, ongoing part ordering
• Sauron: COMPLETE!
• New Minas Anor: 0% built

Official Lego sets

• 8838 Dirt Bike: COMPLETE!
• 10269 Harley-Davidson® Fat Boy®: COMPLETE!
• 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr™: awaiting purchase
• 10338 Bumblebee: awaiting purchase
• 42009 Mobile Crane MK II: awaiting upgrade
• 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS: awaiting upgrade
• 42083 Bugatti Chiron: awaiting upgrade
• 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator: COMPLETE!
• 42107 Ducati Panigale V4 R: UPGRADED!
• 42110 Land Rover Defender: COMPLETE!
• 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37: see MOC "42107 Sian upgrade"
• 42130 BMW M 1000 RR: 0% built
• 42143 Ferrari Daytona SP3: see MOC "Pimp my Ferrari"
• 42146 Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000: COMPLETE!
• 42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP: 0% built
• 42170 Kawasaki Ninja H2R: COMPLETE!
• 42202 Ducati Panigale V4 S: awaiting purchase
• 75060 Slave I UCS: COMPLETE!
• 75313 AT-AT UCS: COMPLETE!
• 75356 Executor Super Star Destroyer: COMPLETE!
• 75379 R2D2: COMPLETE!
• 75398 C3PO: COMPLETE!
• 75531 Stormtrooper Commander: COMPLETE!
• 75532 Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike: COMPLETE!
• 75533 Boba Fett: COMPLETE!
• 75534 Darth Vader: COMPLETE!
• 76190 Iron Monger Mayhem: 0% built
• 76191 Infinity Gauntlet: COMPLETE!
• 76206 Iron Man Figure: COMPLETE!
• 76210 Hulkbuster: see MOC "76210 Iron Man Mark 44 Hulkbuster - Alternate Build"
• 76217 I am Groot: COMPLETE!
• 76223 Nano Gauntlet: 0% built
• 76226 Spider-Man Figure: 0% built
• 76240 Tumbler: see MOC "The Motorized Tumbler Batmobile"
• 76259 Batman Construction Figure: 0% built
• 76262 Captain America's shield: COMPLETE!

My own MOCs (which I will never get around to doing)

• Alien chestburster reveal diorama
• Aliens minifig scale dropship
• Star Citizen minifig scale Avenger

Dioramas

• Battle of Hoth: COMPLETE!
• Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame
  • Heroes: mostly bought
  • Villains: ~80% bought
• Assorted movie minifigs
  • Ongoing

PETE J'S BUILDING RULES

I've never been diagnosed with OCD/autism/aspergers, but if you need proof, this is it!

• Lego plates with the 'Lego' logo facing upwards or downwards shall be placed such that:
  • Primary orientation is to the rear of the model
  • Secondary orientation is to the centre of the model
• Lego plates with the 'Lego' logo facing sideways shall be placed such that:
  • The logo is orientated correctly (i.e. not upside down)
• Liftarms shall be orientated such that:
  • Sprue marks are hidden from normal viewing
• Friction pins shall be orientated such that:
  • 'Gaps' are aligned to the front and rear of the model
• Sprue marks are facing downwards and inwards
• All axles must be adjusted until running as freely as possible
• All parts must be pressed hard together such that no gaps are present
• If possible, a model must be converted to right hand drive (as God intended)
• Only official Lego is allowed (excepting custom minifigs or Buwizz)

LESSONS LEARNT

• Be nice to the Lego community! The majority of them do it as a hobby to help other enthusiasts and are typically counting hundreds, if not thousands of parts: if a mistake is made here and there on the cheap bits, suck it up and put in a new order.
• Always overorder slightly on small parts in case the supplier miscounts.
• Lego minifigs can be expensive to buy separately; lookout for sets that already contain them.
• Some parts may have marks on or be discoloured - overorder to compensate.
• Discoloured white and light grey Lego can be restored by soaking in 12% H2O2 while being exposed to UV (sun) light for 3-6 hours, though need to be agitated every now and again to remove bubbles. Light grey parts need to be carefully laid out as shadows will mar the effect, as will focused light; white parts just need to be stirred once in a while.
• Don't order immediately! Lego prices and availability can fluctuate to a surprising degree (it is common to see 20% cost variation in a matter of hours), so watch for a few days before committing.
• The more parts you buy at once, the cheaper the per brick cost will be. Some of the best value sellers will only accept orders over £200 or more and as a bonus also tend to have access to rare parts at more reasonable prices. Rather than order on a model by model basis, wait until you know if you want to build more models or not.
• Be aware of part versions. Some more complex models can require older versions of parts to use unofficial building techniques; electronic parts (IR receivers for example) can also significantly affect performance.
• Tweezers are a great way to apply stickers with good alignment.
• MOC instructions are prone to having 'misordered' construction. Always read and plan ahead, especially for large MOCs, where it may be better to prepare as many sub-assemblies as possible before putting the model together.
• Lepin and other knockoff companies are the devil incarnate. Not only are the part tolerances off, they shamelessly take MOC designs and sell them as their own. While it is not up to me to decide whether or not you care, don't be surprised when your fake Lego doesn't clip together or work properly. And you'll always know that the model you have sitting on display is a shoddy parody of something that could've been great .

Updates will be as and when.

 

Oooohhh. Postman hurry up.

 

Whelp, confirmed the first delivery (Kendal Bricks) was all present and correct. Had a 'fun' moment when chucking the little ziplock bags back into the box and one was not quite done up - typically it was one with lots of little parts in. Queue lots of swearing and a few minutes of having to search on the floor for that final piece.

Got the Kepes Bricks order to check next. Unfortunately the supplier didn't include a parts list like the last one, so I'll have to have the tablet next to me while checking.

I've also realised that none of the orders include any figures! I'll have to sort that out.

I am dreading 'THE BIG ORDER' turning up...

 

Checked through the Kepes Bricks order today and found a tiny little part missing, specifically:



Sent an email to the shop asking to send it to me. To be honest, missing this little bit from an 858 part order is very forgivable!

 

Lego will send out bits to replace wrong colours, free of charge... for kits you order from their store.

 

Well, that'd be great, if it was an official Lego model .

Kepes Bricks has responded and the missing part will be sent out soon. So, lesson learnt: buy additional parts just in case the order comes up short. I think I'll start a 'Lessons Learnt' section.

Also, the last order has shipped. Almost there...

 

Kepes Bricks has sent the last bit of the order, so I've left positive feedback for the supplier as well. Now waiting for the other deliveries to turn up.

In the meantime, the release date of the new Technic 42100 and 42110 sets draws closer. I think I'll build the Defender whilst waiting for the deliveries and build the Leibherr over Christmas.

 

That looks like a beast & a half... and seemingly to scale, too.

 

That Landy Lego looks like a cracking set. I may consider getting one for my old man, who is deeply into Landies.

 

Misha's Store delivery turned up today! Hopefully this week will see everything else turning up too...

I've decided that I'm going to accompany the Star Destroyer with some minifig scale fighters. I gave some serious thought over the weekend to buying the Lego Millennium Falcon 75192 UCS (Smyths toy store had a deal on until yesterday which meant it could've been had for £130 off) but again, having viewed some of the MOCs out there, leaves me a little unimpressed. Also, at the risk of being hounded to the end of time by die hard Star Wars fans, I don't like the design of the ship - but I suppose that's the whole point! However, I managed to snatch up the following at a price only a little higher than it was released:



I'll do the other starfighters MOC - the Slave 1 was the only one where the UCS was better than existing MOCs. Plus getting the minifigures included would've cost a fair bit in themselves.

Oh, And I'll be ordering the Landy tomorrow to build at Christmas. Leibherr can wait until my birthday next year as I imagine it'll get quite a bit cheaper!

 

Well, that's ruined any scene ever involving the Slave 1

The www.budgetbricks.nl order turned up today too, albeit in a very beaten up box. At least it had a decent amount of bubble wrap. I've yet to go through Misha's Store delivery but it did come with a Director Krennic minifig keyring, which is a lovely little touch.

 

Don't you think that might be a bit big?

 

Not compared to one of these...

 

Such awesome vehicles.

Checked the www.budgetbricks.nl order and it was missing one bit (another part was accidentally included in its place):



Email sent, asking for the missing bit and also saying that I'd return the erroneous part free of charge.

Now to check the other order...

 

We need a bigger boat

 

Lego™ don't make one of those... yet. They do, however make a 9800.

Probably be the first MRRP £1000+ LEGO™ kit, if they did.

 

*AHEM*

 

OK, they 'used to make one'; now we need a new one on the same scale as this...

 

Might need an extra dozen or so bricks to finish the Star Destroyer