LEGO!

[Rollo Tomassi]

Criminy! That thing is HUGE!! Look at it next to the Pet Shop and Emporium!!

[vynsane]

yeah, i'm willing to bet it will not be $150.

[anarky]

So, like Rollo, I had some Rewards credits at TRU that expire tomorrow. The fucking bastards just said it was 10% back, and neglected to mention it was in the form of several certificates with different effective dates, and that they weren't good on pretty much anything in the store, or that TRU's company policy would be to not restock at all until the certificates expired. (I'm guessing on that last one. But, really, it's more barren than Sarai at the beginning of the biblical story of Abraham.)

I did notice it did not, for once, exclude Lego. And they had a "$10 off $50 Lego purchase" going on, along with the SW Advent Calendar being on clearance. (Sure, it was $40, which was a few bucks more than the cheapest price I saw it at Target before they all went bye-bye. But the credits and $10 off more than outweighed that.) So I got that, along with two cheap basic sets to just barely push it over $50.

When I got home, my daughter was asleep, though it was early. Tomorrow is a teacher workday, though, so she should awake to a bit of a surprise.

[Rollo Tomassi]

I decided to open the Imperial Flagship today. I started it at the beginning of the Saints/Niners game and finished it right before the end of the Pats stomping of the Broncos. It's HUGE. Its 2 ft tall and almost 3 ft long. I love it.

[Rollo Tomassi]

I put together the Grand Emporium and Mideval Market Village with my kids this weekend.
The MMV was fun, but it suffers from looking less stellar than it does on the box because the box has a lot of 'box art' like cobblestones and a stream and hills in the background that aren't there on the finished product.

The GE was even funner than the Fire Brigade set and they look awesome next to each other. I can't wait to get the Pet Shop and Town Hall. (And the older sets if they ever aren't $1000.)

I have $100 GC for Lego.com I'm still debating what to get with it. I'm thinking Shuttle Expedition.

[Rollo Tomassi]

I built the Queen Anne's Revenge yesterday and today. Not quite as big as the Imperial Flagship, but they look nice next to each other. I want more sailing ships now.

[vynsane]

i have the Black Pearl waiting for me to pick up site-to-store at my local walmart. they had it for $80 online - still do, in fact... i'd like to get QAR as well, but i don't see the funds coming any time soon...

[vynsane]

So, yeah... wow, it's been a long time since I came up with something new in the "Modular Starfighter" series... That said, I have now!


"Oni" Class Defense Starfighter by vynsane, on Flickr

Contracted by the Classic Space Agency to design a high-speed defense starfighter intended to patrol large expanses of unexplored regions, Tanuki Corp. decided to go back to the drawing board and develop a new high-output engine module to be paired with the "Kitsune" Class Interceptor fuselage.

With lessons learned during the development of the PLM-T1 "Bakemono", Tanuki Corp. was able to keep development in-house, reducing the overall cost and exerting tighter control on engineering tolerances and aesthetic concerns.

Mating the standard Blaster Cannons mounted to the fuselage with a pair of newly-developed wing-mounted Heavy Pulse Cannons met the firepower requirements set forth by CSA, while the new "Firedemon" engine modules exceeded benchmark requirements for both thrust and handling.

Prototype "Kitsune" interceptors mounting "Firedemon" engine modules in a fastpack configuration are currently in the development stage.

LDD Files

• "Oni" Class Defense Starfighter (Classic Space Livery)
• "Oni" Class configuration modules (exploded view)

Surprise! Lightbrick! by vynsane, on Flickr

Lightbrick: It's in there!

Each "Firedemon" engine module for the "Oni" Class Defense Starfighter contains a lightbrick in the rear, activated by pressing back on the 1x2 cheese graters.

This is something I've wanted to do since the original "Kitsune" interceptor, but I just didn't have the chops at the time. Apparently, now I do...

[Rollo Tomassi]

Classic Space Agency.

Bitchin'.

[vynsane]

just realized i got the bee stripes backwards

[vynsane]

i got really inspired by finishing that one...


"Ryu" Class Space Superiority Fighter, Space Police Livery by vynsane, on Flickr

With the breakout success of the "Oni" Class Defender, Space Police Command requested a new Space Superiority Fighter to directly counter the threat posed by the Blacktron "Transgressor". Since the agency's investigation into the theft of the original prototype vehicle that would become the Transgressor implicated Tanuki Corp. for gross negligence in the background check practices for office maintenance and janitorial personnel, the company was more than happy to oblige the request - and at only a 10% markup on R&D and materials costs.

The resultant starfighter paired the same "Firedemon" engine modules from the "Oni" Defender with an extended fuselage via a newly-developed wing module. The enhanced power output provided by the fuselage extender module coupled with the already impressive "Firedemon" power consumption/output ratio provided a 50% increase in top-speed and 75% increase in acceleration.

The new wing module, separating the engines from the fuselage, also afforded the opportunity to develop a new high-power energy cannon module on either side of the cockpit, increasing the firing accuracy benchmark by 40% compared to the "Oni" Defender.

The next phase of development for this platform is the addition of at least one pair of second-generation StarDrive modules, to not only meet Transgressor attacks at the point of engagement, but to follow them home (and, possibly, arrive before them).

LDD Files

• "Ryu" Class Strike Fighter (color-coded modules)
• "Ryu" Class Space Superiority Fighter (Space Police Livery)

[Rollo Tomassi]

Those new 1x1 discs w/o studs are pretty sweet.
I also like the Red Translucent Cockpit.

Are you going to design an M-Tron version and work magnets into the design?

[vynsane]

Those new 1x1 discs w/o studs are pretty sweet.

oh, yeah!

I also like the Red Translucent Cockpit.

yeah, if only it actually existed. the yellow one on the "Oni" defender doesn't exist in the real world, either. almost everything else, though, should exist in the color it's "painted".

Are you going to design an M-Tron version and work magnets into the design?

idk, i was never into M-Tron. maybe.

[vynsane]

"Ryu/Tokkan" Class Pursuit Special, Space Police Livery by vynsane, on Flickr

"Ryu/Tokkan" Class Pursuit Special, Space Police Livery

Phase II of the development of the "Ryu" Class Space Superiority Fighter was the introduction of a variant including FTL capabilities using the previously-developed (and, subsequently stolen) StarDrive module.

Tanuki Corp. was behind the 8-ball, developing new prototype StarDrive modules from schematics and raw data alone, since the original physical prototype was commandeered by Blacktron agents.

After a short development and shake-down period, the newly-christened "Gen 2 StarDrive" modules were unveiled. Lessons learned in the development of the first version led to breakthroughs in energy conservation leading to a 50% gain in FTL speed. Coupled with the extra power output generated by the extended fuselage on the "Ryu" Class SSF, this meant for an over-all 75% increase in top-speed.

Other than the addition of these four Gen-2 StarDrive modules, the configuration remains the same as the "Ryu" Class. The new configuration, dubbed the "Ryu/Tokkan" Class Pursuit Special has already had success in defeating it's primary target: The Blacktron "Transgressor".

Since the "Transgressor" relies on StarDrive modules for both conventional and FTL spaceflight, it is no match for the velocity and handling capabilities of the "Ryu/Tokkan's" "Firedemon" engine modules during conventional spaceflight, and the "Transgressor's" first-gen, barely tested, glitch-prone StarDrive modules are not nearly as powerful as the more durable and efficient gen-two StarDrive modules mated to the "Ryu/Tokkan".

SOP for the Pursuit Specials is to arrive at the scene of any "Transgressor" engagement through the use of FTL flight. Once there, they can out-maneuver the attackers during the primary engagement until such time as the "Transgressor" activates its StarDrive. Once the "Transgressor" has jumped, the "Ryu/Tokkan" will plot out the trajectory and projected endpoint of the jump, activate its own StarDrive, and beat the "Transgressor" to its final destination, where it can re-engage and disable it. In the short time it has been in service, this tactic has led to the "Ryu/Tokkan" brining no less than twelve "Transgressors" and their pilots to justice.

LDD Files

• "Ryu/Tokkan" Class Pursuit Special, Space Police Livery

"Seiryu" Class Superfighter, Special Edition by vynsane, on Flickr

"Seiryu" Class Superfighter, Special Edition

Tanuki Corp. introduces its fastest-ever (conventional propulsion) production starfighter, the "Seiryu" Class Superfighter. Featuring four "firedemon" engine modules mated to the longest fuselage extender/power generator module available, benchmark testing reveals 400% thrust output compared to the base model "Oni" Class Defender that first introduced this engine.

To commemorate this momentous occasion, Tanuki Corp. has produced a scant 100 of these "Special Edition" fighters featuring the unique blue and green color scheme inspired by its namesake (Seiryu being the Japanese word for Azure, or Blue-green, Dragon).

Production models will be available in the standard array of colors, and can be painted to specification for a nominal fee dependent on quantity ordered.

LDD Files

• "Seiryu" Class Superfighter, Special Edition (Blue/Green color scheme)
• "Seiryu" Class Superfighter (Color-coded modules)

[Rollo Tomassi]

Dude, I love how the 'stud orientation' on the four engine modules changes from the front to the rear. It's like I'm looking at an MC Escher design. And having four engines all offset at an angle from the cockpit module helps even more. Wicked.

I feel like you could remove a couple of the discs behind the cockpit and put in some engine tchotchke instead.