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I was excited about Box Three, and based on what I've seen so far, I was right to be. A few highlights:
I started the same way I've started every section so far; by building a base plate.
Then I sat that aside and started on the delightfully, egregiously elaborate bit I mentioned above. First, I built this rod with four cog wheels on it.
I built a casing for this shaft.
If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm building a motor. It's not a functional motor, but it does rotate freely in the casing, which will be relevant... many stages from now. I will explain in this post, but we're not quite there yet. Next, I added a mounting bar, and placed the motor into the build.
Now, if you're paying attention to the structure of the model, you'll notice that this motor, which really does rotate freely (that's the video I took -- I recommend unmuting; it makes a pleasing sound), is sitting in a place that will be completely enclosed and inaccessible once the build is complete. As I proceed through both this Section and the next one, I'll extend that shaft all the way down to the stern of the ship, where there will be three propellers. Turning the central propeller will turn this engine. There is no practical reason for this; it's an interactive element that is already hidden from view by the cylindrical casing, and will be completely inaccessible in the final build. But I will know it's there, and I will know it's turning, and that is delightful. In a moment I'll add two more shafts that will eventually be connected to the two outer propellers. They won't connect to anything now, but they will also become relevant many stages from now. I'll leave those details as a surprise, though.
Anyway, with the delightfully Extra bit done with, it was time for a trivia break.
Then I added some stabilizing structure for the motor, and the two external shafts I mentioned.
I added some more structural elements.
Then, reminiscent of Box One, I added the ball-and-socket sub-assembly with the clips that will eventually hold the hull walls in place.
Lastly, I added a few final structural pieces.
That's the start of Box Three! Totally unnecessary but absolutely delightful. Speaking of which, there's some bonus pictures and videos in the Google Photos Album, including photos of the trivia at the start of books Two and Three. (I'll make a bonus post at the end of the build with a collection of all the trivia I haven't already posted, but it's available now in the Album if you want to go check it out.) Thanks as always for reading!
Discussion Question: Tell me about a time when you have done something delightfully Extra.
- When I was building the Falcon, most stages had more than one bag. In boxes One and Two of this set, I think there were two total multi-bag stages. (Here I am not counting small-piece bags separately; I'm referring specifically to more than one bag of larger pieces.) In box three, almost every stage has at least two bags.
- Not only are there more pieces per stage, there are also more stages overall. Box One had 12 stages, and Box Two had 16. Box Three has 17. That may not be a huge difference, but combined with the previous point I think it's significant.
- Finally, Stage 29 contains probably the most needlessly complicated but delightful bit of any Lego build I have ever seen. It was good enough that I had to take a video to show you.
I started the same way I've started every section so far; by building a base plate.
Then I sat that aside and started on the delightfully, egregiously elaborate bit I mentioned above. First, I built this rod with four cog wheels on it.
I built a casing for this shaft.
If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm building a motor. It's not a functional motor, but it does rotate freely in the casing, which will be relevant... many stages from now. I will explain in this post, but we're not quite there yet. Next, I added a mounting bar, and placed the motor into the build.
Now, if you're paying attention to the structure of the model, you'll notice that this motor, which really does rotate freely (that's the video I took -- I recommend unmuting; it makes a pleasing sound), is sitting in a place that will be completely enclosed and inaccessible once the build is complete. As I proceed through both this Section and the next one, I'll extend that shaft all the way down to the stern of the ship, where there will be three propellers. Turning the central propeller will turn this engine. There is no practical reason for this; it's an interactive element that is already hidden from view by the cylindrical casing, and will be completely inaccessible in the final build. But I will know it's there, and I will know it's turning, and that is delightful. In a moment I'll add two more shafts that will eventually be connected to the two outer propellers. They won't connect to anything now, but they will also become relevant many stages from now. I'll leave those details as a surprise, though.
Anyway, with the delightfully Extra bit done with, it was time for a trivia break.
Then I added some stabilizing structure for the motor, and the two external shafts I mentioned.
I added some more structural elements.
Then, reminiscent of Box One, I added the ball-and-socket sub-assembly with the clips that will eventually hold the hull walls in place.
Lastly, I added a few final structural pieces.
That's the start of Box Three! Totally unnecessary but absolutely delightful. Speaking of which, there's some bonus pictures and videos in the Google Photos Album, including photos of the trivia at the start of books Two and Three. (I'll make a bonus post at the end of the build with a collection of all the trivia I haven't already posted, but it's available now in the Album if you want to go check it out.) Thanks as always for reading!
Discussion Question: Tell me about a time when you have done something delightfully Extra.