1.2.11: Elegantly simple
Nov. 28th, 2021 06:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jae_buildsLet's talk about contrasts. 1.2.10 was an incredibly exciting build. There was some really cool and unexpected tech, the two most satisfying moments of the build so far, and lots of really neat details. This build had none of that; I made a side plate for each side of the ship, put them on, and I was done. But it was still just as exciting. I don't know how well photos can capture this, but the build was perfectly engineered and incredibly exciting precisely because it was so simple.
After the final satisfying moment of 1.2.10, when I connected the two halves (or sixths, I guess, if we're talking about the full ship), I was unsurprised to note that the build was fragile at that point. Each sixth was very sturdy, even moreso than I was expecting, especially given my experience with the Falcon. (The Falcon was great to build, and is very well constructed, but it isn't the sturdiest build, and I worry every time I need to move it. This feels much sturdier in comparison, or at least I think it will when it's complete.) So, as I was saying, each individual section was very sturdy, but at the joint, it tended to come apart if I looked at it sharply. This makes some sense; there wasn't actually much holding it together. It only connected at three technic pins, and only one of those is actually friction fit; the other two are just references to ensure that it's aligned properly. So over the course of this build, I realized that the plates that cover the holes aren't just cosmetic; they're structural. They're constructed in such a way that:
a) they're sturdier than I'd expect thin 30x8 Lego panels to be, on their own;
b) they're clipped into the build in a way that makes that connection point decently strong; and
c) they make the whole structure much more stable.
None of that is a surprise, exactly, but it's still delightful. I can't promise these photos will be very interesting; a lot of the delight was in feeling the stability throughout the process, but I've done my best to at least walk you through how the build works.
But anyway, enough of me rambling. Let's get on with the build. We start as always with the mise-en-place.
One of the things I liked about 1.2.10 was all the tiny details. This set of parts makes it obvious that there won't be any of those this time around, but having a bunch of larger structural pieces was already exciting. And yes, I did knoll the small piece plates more carefully than I have done before; I guess I do have the patience for it after all.
I started by making this plate. Fairly straightforward, but already the placement of the joints on the upper layer is designed to overlap with the joints in the bottom layer as little as possible.
Then I flipped it over and added some supports. The specific layout was a bit confusing, as they don't appear to be adding much strength to the structure, but it will make sense as we go on.
I flipped it right-side up again and added more tiles.
The I flipped it upside down again and added these three panels with bars.
I then clipped those bars into these three sets of clips on the main build.
I did the same thing on the other side (which I don't have separate pictures for; it's a mirror image of this build with no other changes), and that was it. Here's the other side covered up.
So yeah. This was a short, beautifully simple build, and I continue to be impressed with the cleverness of Lego designers. Thanks as always for reading!
Discussion prompt: Tell me about two contrasting things that you appreciate both of.
After the final satisfying moment of 1.2.10, when I connected the two halves (or sixths, I guess, if we're talking about the full ship), I was unsurprised to note that the build was fragile at that point. Each sixth was very sturdy, even moreso than I was expecting, especially given my experience with the Falcon. (The Falcon was great to build, and is very well constructed, but it isn't the sturdiest build, and I worry every time I need to move it. This feels much sturdier in comparison, or at least I think it will when it's complete.) So, as I was saying, each individual section was very sturdy, but at the joint, it tended to come apart if I looked at it sharply. This makes some sense; there wasn't actually much holding it together. It only connected at three technic pins, and only one of those is actually friction fit; the other two are just references to ensure that it's aligned properly. So over the course of this build, I realized that the plates that cover the holes aren't just cosmetic; they're structural. They're constructed in such a way that:
a) they're sturdier than I'd expect thin 30x8 Lego panels to be, on their own;
b) they're clipped into the build in a way that makes that connection point decently strong; and
c) they make the whole structure much more stable.
None of that is a surprise, exactly, but it's still delightful. I can't promise these photos will be very interesting; a lot of the delight was in feeling the stability throughout the process, but I've done my best to at least walk you through how the build works.
But anyway, enough of me rambling. Let's get on with the build. We start as always with the mise-en-place.
One of the things I liked about 1.2.10 was all the tiny details. This set of parts makes it obvious that there won't be any of those this time around, but having a bunch of larger structural pieces was already exciting. And yes, I did knoll the small piece plates more carefully than I have done before; I guess I do have the patience for it after all.
I started by making this plate. Fairly straightforward, but already the placement of the joints on the upper layer is designed to overlap with the joints in the bottom layer as little as possible.
Then I flipped it over and added some supports. The specific layout was a bit confusing, as they don't appear to be adding much strength to the structure, but it will make sense as we go on.
I flipped it right-side up again and added more tiles.
The I flipped it upside down again and added these three panels with bars.
I then clipped those bars into these three sets of clips on the main build.
I did the same thing on the other side (which I don't have separate pictures for; it's a mirror image of this build with no other changes), and that was it. Here's the other side covered up.
So yeah. This was a short, beautifully simple build, and I continue to be impressed with the cleverness of Lego designers. Thanks as always for reading!
Discussion prompt: Tell me about two contrasting things that you appreciate both of.