Dynamic Subspace

Category: Science Fiction

  • LEGO MOC Return of the Jedi Scene of the Desert Skiff (9496) at the Sarlacc Pit

    Desert Skiff rescue scene from Return of the Jedi created with LEGO.

    Following some of my recent LEGO MOC and MOD posts here, here, and here, this LEGO scene of the Desert Skiff rescue above the Sarlacc Pit from Return of the Jedi (1983) is another pre-pandemic build of mine. The desert skiff is an unmodified 9496 set from LEGO. However, I added more minifigures (Han and Chewbacca), and I recreated the scene as it roughly appears in the film when Lando Calrissian falls overboard with one of Jabba’s henchmen who is devoured by the Sarlacc. The base of the build is the high walls of sand surrounding the Sarlacc’s maw with a toothed opening and digestive tract beneath the sand full of bones and skulls of its past meals.

    Two wooden shelves of LEGO sets from LOTR, Avengers, and Star Wars.

    Before building this version of the scene, I had constructed a wider base and used the Sarlacc Pit monster build that came with 9496 as shown on the top shelf in the photo above. Also, Lando was holding onto the Desert Skiff by a whip instead of a chain, which I used on the newer diorama shown in more detail below. Pity the poor bastards who get slowly digested over a thousand years–that is, until Boba Fett took care of the buried beast!

    I’ll note that when I was a kid, the Power of the Force Tatooine Skiff by Kenner was one of my favorite vehicles next to the Millennium Falcon, not only because it had a lot of playability and features packed into but also because I recognized the engineering and craftsmanship that went into its design, including retractable skids, extending/dropping plank, and a sideboard action figure launcher.

  • Star Wars LEGO MOC of Kyle Katarn’s Moldy Crow HWK-290 Light Freighter from Dark Forces

    Moldy Crow LEGO MOC in front of Dark Forces video game screen.

    One of my favorite mid-1990s video games is Star Wars: Dark Forces for PC. In the game, you play as Kyle Katarn, a mercenary employed by the Rebel Alliance, who stumbles on the Dark Trooper project through one of his missions (none of Dark Forces is considered canon, but the Dark Troopers were brought into canon via the second season of The Mandalorian). I played Dark Forces often on my 486DX2/66MHz machine, but I was unable to beat it back then (the video game Force is weak in this one). Thanks to DOSBox, I finally beat it about 25 years after I first played it!

    The Star Wars universe created by George Lucas is, like his earlier film American Graffiti (1973), about motion, movement, travel, and vehicles. The importance of movement in Star Wars is what elevates vehicles like Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon to be a character in their own right. The same is true for Katarn’s HWK-290 light freighter named The Moldy Crow. I liked its angular, bird-like appearance. It reminded me also of He-Man’s Talon Fighter from 1983’s Point Dread and Talon Fighter playset. The image of the Moldy Crow stuck with me, and when I was building with LEGO in Atlanta in 2014, I thought of a way to capture the Crow’s design in a LEGO MOC (my own creation).

    Rotational Side Views

    Top Views

    Bottom Views

    Crew Compartment

    Details

    Reflection

    Unfortunately, I sold my LEGO Moldy Crow on eBay before Y and I moved to Brooklyn (along with a boatload of other LEGOs). I wonder if the buyer still has it or modified it in some way.

    A lot of the bricks that I used in the build were older style dark grey, which I don’t have many of any more. I would like to take another stab at The Moldy Crow with my newer bricks and use techniques that I’ve learned over the years since then. Another project added to an already long list!

  • Star Wars LEGO MOC Diorama of the Millennium Falcon Hold Scene from The Force Awakens

    Finn, Rey, BB-8, Han, and Chewy in the main hold of the Millennium Falcon, a LEGO diorama.

    I built this 18 x 18 stud diorama of the Millennium Falcon’s main hold that depicts when Han Solo and Chewbacca get to talk with Rey, Finn, and BB-8 in The Force Awakens (2015). I made it sometime before The Last Jedi (2017) premiered. It isn’t 100% accurate due to my wanting the round passage way to create flow for the model (they should be on perpendicular walls). Nevertheless, I fit in important elements of the scene: the seating for the Dejarik table, the Nav computer, the pipes and tanks, Ben Kenobi’s seat while Luke is training, the in-floor repair access, and other equipment seen in the background of the Falcon in the various Star Wars films.

    Finn, Rey, BB-8, Han Solo, and Chewbacca standing in the hold of the Millennium Falcon (LEGO MOC).

  • LEGO Star Wars Tantive IV 10198 Displayed on a Custom Stand

    LEGO Star Wars Tantive IV on a dynamic display stand.

    Thanks to the design of LEGO’s Tantive IV (10198) from Star Wars (1977) and Rogue One (2016), I was able to create a lightweight display stand for it that gives the large set a dynamic, mid-launch appearance.

    Of all of the Star Wars LEGO sets, the Tantive IV is my favorite next to the System-scale Millennium Falcons. It has cool greebling, a nice assortment of minifigures, and escape pods!

    I wanted the display stand to make the otherwise static Tantive IV model look as exciting as it does in the film in its attempted escape from Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer. To achieve that, I made the display stand hold the ship at about 45 degrees from horizontal using Technic supports tied to rotating Technic bricks that attach to the bottom of the Tantive IV. The finished display holding the ship aloft is surprisingly stable, but museum wax or a non-slip material under the stand is suggested to avoid having the whole thing accidentally pushed off a smooth table or shelf.

  • Display Stand for LEGO Star Wars Slave I – 20th Anniversary Edition 75243

    LEGO Boba Fett's Slave I on display stand.

    This is a display stand that I built to display a stock LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary Boba Fett’s Slave I 75243 model. I didn’t want to make any modifications to Slave I–including its fold-up “flight” handle on the back. Also, I wanted it to appear mid-flight, which simultaneously gave it a good pose and provided a stable center of gravity. The gallery of images below gives more detail about how it was designed.

    You can see some of my other LEGO MOCs and MODs here.