Finally, after starting from scratch about 3 months ago, my largest MOC to date is finished: the Explorien Starship, Symphonic!
About this creation
Backstory:
After the destruction of the battle cruiser Nimrod in a bizarre bathroom related accident - the official investigation identified a takeout dinner from Arcturus IV as the main catalyst that caused gastric distress in all crew members which in turn lead to a catastrophic blowout in the ship's main septic tank - the Explorien High Command commissioned a brand new starship to replace its former flagship in intergalactic exploration.
After several budget overruns, an extended strike from the M:Tron engineering union, a batch of malfunctioning flux capacitors (bought at a "special price" from a shady looking Insectoid...) and a few last minute "modifications" that caused further delays, the project is finally complete, and I am proud to present: the Starship Symphonic!
At 138 studs in length, it is by far my largest creation to date.
It has a crew of 30: 4 senior officers, 8 pilots, 15 crew members and 3 droids.
The hull is divided into an upper deck and a lower deck, with a stairway in the engine room providing access from one deck to the next. On the lower deck is the bridge, main exterior airlock, a hangar with 4 Interceptor-class fighters for defensive purposes, crew living quarters, the engine room and another external access ramp for a planetary rover used for collecting minerals and artifacts on new worlds.
On the upper deck is the main lab where Explorien scientists do research on alien cultures and artifacts, a max security prison cell with 4 prison pods for transporting dangerous criminals from one star system to the next, the sickbay, main reactor room containing the flux capacitors, lavatory (dual-action with supercharged waste removal to avoid another gastric disaster), shower and the war room where gunners operate the ship's defensive laser turrets.
The following pictures provide a more detailed overview:
I'd like to credit Thomas Grassmann for the design of the landing gear:
The flux capacitors generate the power for the ship:
Below you can see one of 2 external airlocks with access ladder extended. An Explorien crew member is standing in the doorway, surveying the scene:
The ship has 4 hangar doors, housing the Interceptor fighters:
Below you can see an Interceptor with its wings folded up in order to save room during storage:
An access ramp in the rear of the ship provides access for the planetary rover that the Exploriens use to collect mineral samples and artifacts on new planets:
For defensive purposes, the Symphonic has 4 laser turrets - each with independent tracking - to take care of unfriendly visitors:
Below you can see the upper deck exposed, as the roof sections have been removed:
There are several sliding doors throughout the ship - each a different color - controlling access from one room to the next:
Showers...
...and toilets. After the Nimrod-disaster, Exploriens take lavatories very seriously!
A crew member heading for the loo. If they're out of paper again, he'll just have to boldly go where no man has gone before!
Sickbay, where the ship's doctor takes care of the crew's ailments. The oxygen chamber is used to cure prolonged exposure to hostile environments - such as the ship's lavatory after a takeout dinner on Arcturus IV. Some people just never learn...
One has to wonder what the good doctor is capable of with those medieval-looking surgical instruments:
In the picture below, I removed a section of the lab wall so we can peek inside. You can see a lab technician working on some analysis, while the ship's captain watches everything from his platform above:
The captain at his station. He is itching to pull that blue lever which will crank up the flux capacitors and send the Symphonic into lightspeed!
The Exploriens partnered with the Space Police to provide max security transportation to some of the galaxy's most wanted criminals. The red laser beams you see below indicate "Don't touch!":
Below you can see a Blacktron renegade looking really unhappy inside his vault:
Removing the sections of the upper deck one by one...
...exposing the lower deck below:
The bridge:
A few closeup shots of the main hangar, housing the 4 Interceptors:
An Interceptor with it's wings deployed, ready to engage the enemy:
The crew quarters has 6 bunk beds (the crew work in shifts, so they take turns to rest and eat) and an espresso-matic coffee machine. A good old fashioned broom (made from the hair of a genuine Arcturan Megadonkey) is handy for keeping the deck clean:
The engine room:
The chief engineer in his seat:
A charging station for the ship's droids - their batteries don't last forever:
Reactors:
Stairway to the upper deck:
Planetary rover deployed:
The crew posing for a shot before the Symphonic's maiden voyage:
Below is a picture of the Symphonic next to all my other MOCs that I haven't taken apart, so you can get a sense of scale:
Builder's notes:
Since this was the biggest project I've undertaken to date, I thought I'd share a few thoughts about the build process and lessons learned along the way.
My initial goals were simple: build something large, using a consistent color scheme, that doesn't end up looking like a big box. I feel I've succeeded in these goals.
I started by building a Technic chassis that extended the length of the ship, and then added some plates to form a solid platform upon which I could build. I realized early on that if I don't make the base strong enough the ship will simply break apart under its own weight later, so this was really important.
Next, I started with the lower deck, building front to back. I basically added one "room" at a time - first the bridge, then the fighter bays, then the crew quarters and then finally the engine room in the back.
I then build the upper deck, starting at the back, building my way back to the front.
Since I don't use any CAD software in my designs, the build process is slow. I would sometimes sit for several days to "think" about certain design aspects, and often I have to rebuild sections once I discover design flaws.
I also had to wait for Bricklink orders in between. By the way, I found out that you can never have too many white slope bricks...
In the end, everything came together nicely. I'm not a big "greeble" person, but I like some of the goodies I was able to work into the roof, especially some of those yellow and blue colored parts to provide some color.
So, this was a fun build, I hope you like the pictures.
Comments always welcome!
Live long and prosper!
Robert
Comments
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I made it |
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August 18, 2012 |
Quoting Tim C
Goodness, this is amazing. First off, the colors are a win here. Your exterior greebles are indeed very well done. Not bad at all for someone who isn't much for greebles. The bridge is very well done, but all of your interior is so well thought out. The laser beams in the doorway especially caught my attention there. This reminds me of a SHIP I've seen called the Pathfinder. Did you find some inspiration with that one? If you haven't seen it, check it out. http://retardmedia.com/2007/10/16/old-school-lego-spaceship/
Thanks for the comments! I haven't seen the Pathfinder before, thanks for the link it looks like a great ship too! |
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Awe struck, this is a stunning ship. From the control deck to the toilets amazing. 23 likes, this deserves so much more praise! |
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I like it |
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August 17, 2012 |
Goodness, this is amazing. First off, the colors are a win here. Your exterior greebles are indeed very well done. Not bad at all for someone who isn't much for greebles. The bridge is very well done, but all of your interior is so well thought out. The laser beams in the doorway especially caught my attention there. This reminds me of a SHIP I've seen called the Pathfinder. Did you find some inspiration with that one? If you haven't seen it, check it out. http://retardmedia.com/2007/10/16/old-school-lego-spaceship/ |
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I like it |
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June 30, 2012 |
WOW |
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I like it |
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June 22, 2012 |
Absolutely NEEDS to be a set! |
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I like it |
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June 21, 2012 |
This is the most kickass playset I have ever seen. The kid in me would gladly slaughter thousands to have it. |
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I like it |
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June 20, 2012 |
This is epic! This could be my favorite creation of yours. The ship is just enormous! |
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I like it |
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Chris Melby June 19, 2012 |
Awesome! |
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I made it |
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June 19, 2012 |
Quoting David Clarke
Stunning work! Love the scope and execution of this vessel. All the little details are great. Yours is probably my favourite blog on MOCpages. :)
Some questions:
Is there any special mechanism for the sliding doors?
How many pieces do you estimate were used?
What do you think was the approximate amount of money you spent on this behemoth?
Thanks Dave, that's high praise indeed! No special technique needed for the sliding doors, I just build a "wall" 6 studs wide and 6 rows high, then place it between 2 additional walls with room for it to slide to one side - you're going to need some tiles (i.e. studless plates) to get the sliding effect. Don't know the exact piece count, I can tell you I pretty much exhausted my white brick collection - I needed several Bricklink orders to complete the project. If I have to guess, probably around 10,000 pieces. Money spent - probably close to $150 in additional Bricklink orders on top of my existing collection. Thanks for looking!
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I like it |
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June 19, 2012 |
This is pretty cool dude. I like the collection there. |
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I like it |
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June 19, 2012 |
Holy wow, you really outdid yourself with this one! It's about as complete and livable as one could hope; from bunks to lavatories, engines to doors, and everything in-between. Beautiful job! Hope you take it to a con or something someday! |
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I like it |
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June 19, 2012 |
Lovely exploration of this wonderful theme. It reminds me so much of the ships I would build back in the day - all those great play features! Nice work,
~Dave |
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I like it |
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June 19, 2012 |
Epic!!! :DDDDD |
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I like it |
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June 19, 2012 |
wow i wish i had pieces to make something like that |
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I like it |
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June 19, 2012 |
So cool!!! |
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I like it |
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June 19, 2012 |
This is fantastic!! A complete ship, full equiped. I really like the capability of the four smaller ships and thei folding wings! 5/5 |
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I like it |
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June 19, 2012 |
The Explorien and Blacktron themes were both my favorite themes and the sets I bought the most of at any time in the past. Nice grouping of ships! |
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I like it |
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June 19, 2012 |
Wow! That thing is huge! I like the attentionto detail that really makes The Symphonic come alive. |
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I like it |
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June 19, 2012 |
Stunning work! Love the scope and execution of this vessel. All the little details are great. Yours is probably my favourite blog on MOCpages. :)
Some questions:
Is there any special mechanism for the sliding doors?
How many pieces do you estimate were used?
What do you think was the approximate amount of money you spent on this behemoth?
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