"Prepare for war, but strive for peace"
RECAP
LEGO set 10338: Bumblebee is slowly gaining ground in becoming my favorite set to build Transformers ever! I've made more than 5 of them with this set, and the most recent one was a "Jetfire" (video below)
I actually once wished I have 2 copies of this set so that I can concurrently start two projects using it!
ABOUT FORTRESS MAXIMUS
Fortress Maximus aka Fort Max is one of the biggest Transformer from G1 Transformers cartoon series. He turns into a base and spaceship. I've made a few LEGO Fort Max the past 20 odd years of varying scales. (see below)
Before you continue, click here to visit a page focusing my earlier LEGO Fort Maxes. Only then you might fully appreciate this latest version 4 here.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
I actually had the idea to build Fort Max using LEGO Bee after seeing the many big plate pieces found from the set. And since I managed to build Metroplex using the same set a year before (also a base mode Transformer), then I thought,,,, Fort Max wouldn't be that hard at all!
SPACESHIP MODE
Allow me to apply some creative license by retracting the ramps to the shuttle when in uhmmm shuttle mode.
The official Fort Max spaceship mode has extended platforms on the rear, which I didn't prefer. So I have them folded up instead.
In the original toy of Fort Max, the hollowed space on the front fits 2 vehicles. I've decided to implement 2 cannons on them instead
One of my proudest engineering techniques is how I built the sloped robot feet/ spaceship front using hinged plates. Something wedge plates could easily achieve but in limited numbers from this Bee set. (just 2 I think!)
TRANSFORM TO BASE MODE
Initially my main intention for these spurs are to stabilize the robot mode through wider footprint, and tucked in nicely underneath the spaceship mode. They accidentally make themselves useful by propping up the base mode as well.
This is reverse Murphy's Law here in action, "where when things go right, they will!"
BASE MODE
BASE MODE B
HEADMASTER HEAD
Fort Max is a Headmaster in the original toy. This means his head separates and turn into an individual robot called Celebros.
What's further mind boggling is that.... Celebros himself is also a Headmaster, where his head separates and become an smaller character this time, a mechsuit worn by a a humanoid looking alien species called Nebulan.
Obviously the Headmaster feature is impossible for me to implement here. The best I can do is built the head and it separates and be connected to other parts of the alternate mode.
TRANSFORM FROM BASE TO ROBOT MODE
Connect the heel spur to the back of the leg .
At this point where these photos were taken, I noticed a design flaw preventing the tower halves from folding to the back of the body neatly. I quickly redesigned and fixed this problem. The old photos of the base mode and spaceship mode still remain though coz I am lazy to snap new ones!
The head (and neck joint) is connected to the body via 1 stud only. This is a deliberate design choice because clutch strength of 2 studs makes it hard to detach the head later on to form alternate modes.
ROBOT MODE
"Sculpting" his boxy chest is probably my most fun part I had throughout this project.
Last minute enhancement was made to the heel to stabilize the robot mode: Slighty longer dark gray spurs .
. My choice of parts to build the arm , happened to have holes on them. I discovered during photoshoot , the guns can be mounted there! This feature is not official in the original Fort Max toy.
GUN WIELDING POSES
Not forgetting the waist cannons!
I must confess that I have used an illegal building technique here: Sliding technic pins into bars to build the waist cannon barrels. Gulps!
WITH MY EARLIER FORT MAX CREATION
Comparison shot with my previous LEGO Fort Max
VIDEO!
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