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.
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.
Continuing my backlog of LEGO mods and MOCs posted recently, here’s another mod that I made in 2019. The LEGO Star Wars X-Wing 75218 was designed with wing missile shooters and fixed rear landing gear struts. I modified the X-Wing to remove the missile shooters and give the blasters a little more detail, and I replaced the fixed landing gear struts with retractable landing gear as shown in the photo above. The gallery of images below provides more detail on both modifications that you can implement in your own X-Wing.
I’ve documented several of my LEGO Millennium Falcon MOCs and mods here (Last Jedi update), here (Force Awakens), here (Midi-Scale display), and here (7190 remodel). This time, I completely overhauled 75257 with a 4-person cockpit, detailed engine compartment, more round hallways, landing gear details, and a SNOT lower mandible slope with opening for center landing gear. There are more details to be found in the photos below.
Exterior
I added greebling, blast marks, and other details to make the Falcon appear as close to the cinematic model as I could giving the low fidelity and resolution of LEGO at this scale.
Interior
I wanted to include as much detail as possible–including detail hidden from view, like in the AMT/ERTL Cutaway Model of the Falcon. I made use of pipes–especially in the engine comparment–thinking of Han Solo’s repairs to the Falcon during the escape from Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back (1980). The pull-out gunner’s turret has an targeting computer display.
Landing Gear
I wanted the landing gear to look as accurate as possible in this small scale while also providing ample support for this heavier model.
Display Stand
Also, I built an upward sloping display stand for the Falcon shown below. It’s shape combined with gravity locks the Falcon’s landing gear in place so that it can’t move in the display stand. It has a lot of Technic reinforcement due to the weight of the Falcon, which is more than the stock 75257 set.
Yet Another Remodel
A few months later, I took another stab at the Falcon’s interior with an intention of making the rear passage way more circular and making the engine compartment less busy but with thought out detailing. I stripped down the interior and began again. True revision in practice (i.e., throw out your first draft and begin again).
Next Steps
I disassembled this Falcon before Y and I moved to our new apartment in 2022. Since then, I’ve rebuilt 75105 (The Force Awakens) and 75257 (Rise of Skywalker) using the assembly instructions. They sit on either side of my desk at home. I have plans to build a larger Falcon of my own design that fits between the size of these playable sets and the much larger 75192 and 10179 sets. It will have a 2-stud side wall to give it a sleeker look than the chunky playable models. I’ll provide updates when this new build gets underway!
While it would have certainly have been great to build a larger Q-Ship as others have done, I had to work within the constraints of the type and quantity of LEGO bricks and elements that I have on-hand.
I settled on a simple ring structure with interior red accents and a driving platform for Ebony Maw that included a display screen. In the southwest quadrant, I added bars for Iron Man and Spider-Man to grab onto, and I included the Q-Ship’s engines in the northeast quadrant above the driving platform.
Overall, it was a straight forward design that added a sense of drama to the Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown set by having danger approaching from above.
