Thursday, August 1, 2019

LEGO Triple Changer Broadside v2 Part 1 of 2: Ship (aircraft carrier) and Fighter Jet Modes


Broadside is a triple changer from G1 Transformers cartoon series in the 1980's. He transform into an aircraft carrier and also a fighter jet.

This is my second attempt in building Broadside. My first attempt (v1) was in the year 2010. Click the link below for photos of Broadside v1:


Aircraft Carrier Mode


I took inspiration from  USS Nimitz, an actual aircraft carrier that appeared in my collection of "Trump Cards" back in the late 80s.


Compared to v1 that's laden with a row of turrets... my Broadside v2 is unarmed in his ship mode. This is a nod to G1 Broadside's bio describing him as "vulnerable and must rely on his passengers to protect him" in this mode.


The most challenging part was "sculpting' the runway lines on the deck using LEGO plates.




Since the back of the ship will form the robot legs, I must ensure adequate symmetry there, compared to the non-symmetrical back of a typical aircraft carrier.









Introducing Titanicus!


Titanicus is a Transformer that turns into RMS Titanic, the tragic ship that sank more than 100 years ago. (Click here to view his robot mode)


Both ships are almost the same length (almost 40 LEGO studs)



Transformation to Jet Mode


Hiding the command center/tower first, since initial transformation require the ship to be upside down flat.


The Axe, named "Hull-Raiser" is hidden inside the uhmmm... hull. Let's extract it.





Yellow arrows denote the peg points.


Forming the tailfins 


Wings formed from 2 halves of the ship front deck. Circled is the connection to secure the front and back of the jet mode.



Unravel the jet engines from under the ship.


Fold the robot arms neatly underneath the wings. Yellow arrow is where the wing will be secured to prevent wobbling.

Fighter Jet Mode




The grayish kibble below the nosecone is the robot head. Initially it was white but sticks out like a sore thumb.  











"Ready for take-off. Over and out!"







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