Traditional A Sort Of Boat-y Thingy

[aidenpons]

Yah, so I couldn't think up a title. 'Sea Destroyer,' although being accurate, was just too cheesy.

So without further ado:

 

 

It's a large speedboat, as you can see. I would have used black hulls and light green cockpits but we didn't have either. (Lego only made 1 Neon Green cockpit like that, right? In the Sea Scorpion?)

Also, the cockpits are a) scratched and thus slightly opaque, and b) not fitting together because they're warped. Not too badly, mind you.

You're probably first wondering what those black thingies up the front are. Let me explain:

 

 

They're claws.

They're controlled by a gear, which you can see me turning. This turns another gear inside there, which turns another gear which turns the... ratchet? Spiky bar, whatever it is, which moves the top claw backwards and forward.

Stuff it, I'll show you this picture.

 

 

You see? A gear that you turn turns another gear (not visible) which turns a visible gear which turns the grey spiky thingy which moves the claw.

This is it open:

 

 

And this is it shut.

 

 

Elastic bands provide the snap-back force so all you do is roll a gear, the top claw rotates back, and then let go and it snaps down. You're probably thinking 'why the other gears? Why not have that one just turn it immediately?' There are two reasons: Firstly, the gear which you turn is the comfiest. It also doesn't like to be jammed in by bricks: when I was making this mechanism it was jamming because the gear was slightly too large.

Plus, doing that makes it turn far too quickly. And it's a pain to reach that far forward.

 

Here's a nice top view of the entire model.

 

 

Rhotuka spinners you ask? On the back you say? Indeed.

 

 

As you can see, the spinners are stored near them. They're stored quite cunningly, if I may say so myself.

A rocket launcher holds them in place, which needs to be taken off in order to get the spinners off.

 

 

 

 

And in that last image you can see the holder. I couldn't attach a third pin because the spinners wouldn't fit, as you can see in the second picture.

 

In that last image you also can see the winch, which I added because WHY NOT? That horrible bar is there (it doesn't look too bad from Top View) in order so that you can actually launch the spinners. If I just had the tower of bricks, when you pull the ripcord the entire thing just comes with it. I also added other reinforcing.

 

Anyway, onto the main bit.

 

The top can fold out.

 

 

What's that big stick poking out the top you ask?

This:

 

 

 

As you can see, it's very, very large. It's designed to be held by two people.

(And yes, that is the best minifigure model of me I could make )

 

Inside, we are treated to a culinary achievement a bunch of stuff.

 

 

A large control panel, two normal-size laz0rs (the things in the direct center, a safe (which won't open fully due to things in the way), and a computer. This space inside does indeed connect to the cockpit, but it is too small to fit a minifigure inside. You can see that in this picture (a bit):

 

 

Here's the side.

 

 

As you can see, I stuck a ripcord there (and on the other side too) so I didn't have to rummage around for one, and because it adds a little bit of touch to the model.

 

And here's the bottom.

 

 

You should be able to attach the motor that came from the same set as the hulls: but the problem is that it's generally pretty useless as I'm pretty sure the boat will sink. Yes, it's watertight, but as soon as you get to the cockpit it isn't watertight.

And we ALL know how long Lego takes to dry, especially if you don't take it apart.

 

 

 

This is my largest MOC I've ever made, and probably the heaviest and the most complicated (those gear systems were painful with the size just being a little TOO big). And now I'm running rather low on decent black bricks, as the Dol Guldur Gate is still standing.

 

 

P.S. No, not all my MOCs have a description this long.

OOOOOOOOOOOOPS

[lol username]

That's neat. Very... LEGO-y. I like the old cockpit pieces there.

[Cyrem]

This is like Agents meets jungle meets City meets RR.

[aidenpons]

This is like Agents meets jungle meets City meets RR.

No other colour scheme would cut the mustard.

 

I've always liked neon green for highlights... It's just a nice colour (though Neon Green + Camera Flash != Good picture )

 

And something about Lego sets: I've always disliked the armoury they come with. Only one set (from Galaxy Squad, that big blue rover (BIG)) has had two cannons on it. The Rhotuka spinners were limited to Bionicle (and Bionicle related Lego sets), and nothing ever has enough lazers.

 

The original plan for this was to have a spinning drill on the front that could move in and move out, but the mechanism for providing the distance required turned out to be impossible to build (I have two mechanical engineers in my family: we'd covered every option ) so I scrapped that.

 

Very... LEGO-y.

WHAT SO YOU MEAN I CAN MAKE A MOC THAT ISN'T LEGO-Y??

[Jimbob]

I really like it, I could imagine Robin (the DC character) riding something akin to that, although Batman would have to get a bigger boat as a result. The claws are nifty, and I love the catamaran-like appearance of the whole thing.