Febrovery 2019:  A one-man operated Moon Exploration Rover, ready to be transported as a single 16L SCU (Space Cargo Unit)

The idea was to build a vehicle similar to 6928 Uranium Search Vehicle. But the Rover should not be bigger than a standard 16L SCU, so with few conversions the vehicle could easily be transported.

I adapted the bogie arm suspension from 6928 and combined it with classic small Technic wheels in red colour. The design of the cabin is inspired by current exploration vehicles like the Unimog based “Mog Home”.

In the rear cabin you can find a computer workstation, a bed and …

… a toilet ;-)).

For transport the satellite dish  is stored in the driver’s cabin, …

… the antennas are mounted in horizontal transport position …

… and the mount for the satellite dish is fixed on the cabin roof.
The operator can stay in his mobile home during transport.

The vehicle is fixed in the transport ship with the four standard SCU connectors (Technic pins or axles). The front of the vehicle is fixed via holes in the dish mount.

LL928-C with cargo doors closed and ready for takeoff…

Here it is: My Lego Classic Space Moon Exploration Rover for Febrovery 2019. I hope you like it

920/483 Reloaded. A new version of the Alpha 1 Rocket Base from 1978/79 packed into two 16x8x8 Space Cargo Units (SCU).

I didn’t have the 920 Alpha-1 Rocket Base as a child, but always wanted to have one. Now, as an AFOL, instead of buying one or building one with single bricks I wanted to build my own version of it.

On my moon base almost everything should be delivered in SCU containers, even the parts of the base themselves. So my Alpha-2 Rocket base had to fit into a pair of containers, too.

It took a while to find a mechanism for the whole launch pad assembly and the rocket to  fit into a 16L SCU, but it finally worked well. The second SCU module is a combination of control unit and garage for the fuel truck.

A look into the control unit.

Like Alpha-1 the whole rocket base can be mounted on a single crater plate.

Special delivery: 2 SCUs for Alpha 2

SCU #1: The launch pad assembly including the rocket

Step 1: Fold out the side panels with the two sections of the rocket

Step 2: Fold out the launch tower

Step 3: Assemble the rocket.

Step 4: Add some fuel and it’s ready for launch.

3, … 2, … 1, … ignition … and lift-off.
The tower folds down for the start. (Sorry for the blurry picture, the AF of my cam isn’t the best – Must have been the vibrations from the starting rocket…) ;-))

SCU #2: Control unit and truck garage

Fold down the ramp and the truck is ready for work.

This is my SCU (Space Container Unit) based Lego Classic Space SC-920 Alpha 2 Rocket Base.
I hope you like it :-))

Bonus picture: LL926 and LL928-C delivering Alpha 2

A bigger version of the 6927 All-Terrain Vehicle in 1979 design to transport 16x8x8 Space Cargo Units (SCU).

I wanted to have a kind of all terrain truck to carry 16L SCUs with a system to load and unload the container without extra help. The idea for the loading mechanism was something similar to the dump containers used on contruction sites. I based the design of the vehicle on the classic 6927 All-Terrain Vehicle with some upscaling for the bigger container.

I seperated the upper frame holding the container from the rest of the vehicle, connecting both with three pairs of Technic levers. Pythagoras’ theorem works with Lego, too. So with a 3L horizontal distance and a 4L vertical distance, the length of the lever (from pivot point to pivot point) had to be 5L.

I added a pair of bogie suspension arms for the first two wheels on each side for some extra all-terrain capability. The canopy folds up on the front side to give access to  the cockpit area.

Rear left view

Open the rear end of the lower frame.

Drop the container.

Open the rear end of the upper frame.

And there it is.

Now close the upper frame…

… and the lower frame…

… and there you go…

You can see the bogie suspension arms at work.

This is my Lego Classic Space SCU All-Terrain Transporter.
I hope you like it :-))

SCU All-Terrain Transporter:
[ BrixBlog | MOCpages | flickr ]

A Container Carrier for 16x8x8 Space Cargo Units (SCU), transformable to be transported as a sigle SCU itself.

I needed something like a container carrier for 16x8x8 SCUs to move them in a space port. At the same time the carrier should be small enough to be transported as a single SCU. So there had to be included some kind of transformation to extend the vehicle frame in a way that made it possible to carry “itself”.

I tried many different designs, in LDD as well as with real bricks until I found a structure that worked. It had to be (1) sturdy enough to carry SCUs, (2) maneuverable with or without an SCU and (3) transformable from transport mode to carrier mode and back with a few and easy steps.

This is the result:

Transport mode: Standard SCU size (16x8x8) with standard fixing points.

Step 1: Fold down the wheels
Step 2: Fold up the steering wheel

Step 3: Slide out the sides
Step 4: Fix the sides with a 8×2 beam plate

Sliding over a 16L SCU.

Lift the SCU up a little and fix it with with the connectors on the sides (each with a pair of 4L axles and 2×2 round bricks connected by a 2×4 plate).

This is my Lego Classic Space SCU Container Carrier.
I hope you like it :-))

Bonus picture:Carry the carrier.

LL 928-C, my cargo version of the iconic LL 928. It’s able to carry a 8x16x8 “SCU” cargo container/module.

Back in 1978/1979 the LL 928 Galaxy Explorer was the “must have” for all Lego kids. I was lucky to get one for Christmas 1979 and I loved it. So, what’s better than an LL 928? Two ones! :-)) That was my first idea when I thought about expanding my Classic Space fleet a few months ago.

I already had collected a good amount of CS parts, I only needed a second pair of “LL 928” 1×4 bricks to build another LL928. With Bricklink, that wasn’t a problem. But then I thought that just having two identical ships would be quite boring. A new version with new capabilities would be much more exciting and more fun to play with.

One of my ideas was a cargo version of the LL 928, like a modern cargo airplane based on a passenger model. Thinking about that I realized that I still had only one spaceship to transport my new 8x16x8 Space Cargo Units (SCUs), so that would be the purpose of my new LL 928-C (C for cargo).

This time I started the design with real bricks, not with LDD. I started with the wing shape of LL 928, opened on the rear end to have an 8-wide interior cargo area instead of the 6-wide of the original model. The main design idea was an open structure enclosing the cargo like a frame, similar to the 6929 All-Terrain Vehicle or the 6980 Galaxy Commander.

I built the rest of the ship around the cargo area, with a shorter cockpit area placed in front of it.

The rear end is an open frame built with four 1y16 Technic beams and some reinforcement between them. The cargo doors are very similar to the original 928. They are only one stud wider (each of them), with a locking mechanism added in the middle. I had to add an extra plate between the 2×2/2×2 brackets and the rocket engines to get the extra space for the mechanism in the middle.

Side view: You can see the open structure of the cargo area.

Rear view: There are 2 axle pins in the front of the cargo area. These pins and the axles inside the locking mechanism will fix the SCU container/module.

Doors opening. The locking mechanism is quite simple: 2 Technic bricks, a 6L axle and 2 stopper bushes on each side. It’s a compact version of the mechanism that I’ve used for the LL 926 Space Crane.

Pushing a container inside.

One door locked.

And closed, ready for take-off.

Side view with container and closed doors.

Doors open.

Unloading the container.

LL 928-C compared to the original LL 928: The cockpit section starts three studs more in the front and is much shorter. The cargo area is much longer and 2 studs wider. The grey 2×3 slopes in the middle are lifted by one plate to add some extra rigidity to the frame below. The additional rocket engines on the side each have 2 post instead of 3.

Rear view: The extra two studs in the width are widening the rear wing section, too. The rocket engines have to be placed a little lower to get space for the locking mechanism between them.

“Birds eye” front view. The LL 928-C really looks familiar.

So this is my Lego Classic Space LL 928-C, a cargo version of LL 928. For me it looks like a semi truck for space transport.
I hope you like it :-)).

OK, here is another transporter for my “SCU” Containers.
I think it’s time for some payload…

My 1979 version of the iconic Starfleet Voyager.

The Starfleet Voyager was one of the Lego model I always wanted to have. My cousin had one, one of my friends, too, but I didn’t.

A few years ago I found out that my brother did also “have” one, in a weird kind of way: He had the infamous 1593 “Super Model”, a quite ugly spaceship made with the parts from the Starfleet Voyager and the 6880 Surface Explorer. I didn’t know that before, but back in the early 80s it wasn’t easy to get the building  instructions, either.

Now I had three ideas: I could search in my CS boxes for the parts (I’ve traded my Playmobil with my brother’s Lego a few years ago, so his parts are now mine). I could also buy a set on Bricklink. And last, but not least, I could build a modified version of the model using the iconic grey/blue/trans-yellow colour scheme from 1979/1980. As you can see, I chose the third idea.

But I didn’t just want to replace the trans-blue parts with trans-yellow ones and the white parts with blue ones. I tried to modify the design in a way that the Starfleet Voyager looked like a member of the original 1979 space fleet. For that I also eliminated all the parts that were new in 1981 and replaced them with parts available in 1979.

Finally I bought a set of custom printed bricks with “LL 929” Lettering. In fact, the original Starfleet Voyager has the set number 6929. So after the change to 4-digit model numbers and all Space models starting with a six, it is the legitimate “LL 929”.

And now it’s time for some photos:

The cockpit section is new, with one more brick in height above the wings and one less below.

The “backbone” is new, too. I chose to use Technic beams to create a more rigid structure. I also changed the wing shape of the rear part replacing a pair of 4×4 wedge plates with a pair of 4×8 ones.

The cargo area looks quite the same as on the original model. I only changed the inner supports for the cargo box to create room for bigger boxes. Instead of a 4x6x3 box the ship can now carry a 6x6x4 box without changing the exterior shape.

So this is my “LL 929” version of the “Starfleet Voyager” in 1979 design. I hope you like it :-)).

A Cargo System for (Classic) Space Minifig scale models based on standard cargo units (similar to ISO Containers).

ISO Containers are a great idea and nowadays they can be found anywhere. Even break rooms on construction sites and office buildings are built with units based on ISO Transport Containers.

I wanted to have a similar system for my Classic Space models: a cargo unit with the right size to be transported with cargo ships and big enough to carry everything you need in space and even to build a room inside – just like ISO Containers in our world.

My favourite dimensions for a “Space Cargo Unit” (SCU) were: a footprint of 8×16 studs and 8 bricks of height – No longer than the longest Technic beam, wide enough for a 6-wide interior of a room and high enough for a Minifig to stand inside with comfortable headroom.

I’ve already used the SCU for some models in the last few months:

• A cargo Unit for my LL 926 Space Crane
• The Transportable Base
• An SCU transport box/cage as a garage for the Transportable Rover

A simple transport cage can carry 6-wide vehicles as a roll-on-roll-off carrier and 8-wide scooters. Transport boxes and other Space Cargo Units are easy to build in endless variations – Expect to see more, soon ;-))

A 1979 version of the Classic Space 6952 Solar Power Transporter from 1985, including a middle section with a small transportable base.

This was my “bigger” space project I have been working on the last few months. 6952 has always been one of my favorite Classic Space sets of all time. I always wanted one (my cousin had one), but have never bought one (Hey that’s a good idea for Christmas…). So I thought about it and how it might have looked as a 1979 set (still my favourite CS era).

The design process (with LDD as usual) already took it’s time until I had the final idea for the middle section. The building process instead didn’t take much time, as I already had most of the needed parts in my CS parts collection.

First thing first – These are my two little Vic Vipers that I’ve already posted for NNoVVember 2017:
The Vipers remain unchanged. They only wear two additional truck wheels underneath their rear wings. The first designs of the scout ships had a single “nose” and no single tail fin. But when I thought about a Vic Viper for NnoVVember 2017 I thought that they would look really cool with these two design elements.

You can have a better look on the wheels on this picture:
You can also see the holes on the side needed to fix them in rover mode.

The rear wing sections can be disconnected to build the rover:

Add the wheels, connect the cabin sections and there you go, just like the original model:

And now it’s time for the middle section:
This is only a small modification of my Transportable Base posted in January this year. I’ve added four foldable “feet” in the corners, two foldable supports underneath and two centre “feet” to fix two wheels.

A little modification of the doors*, two extra 1×4 Technic bricks on the side, and that’s it…

* Oops, there is a 1×2 inverted slope missing on the left side (must have been my son). I didn’t notice that when I took the pictures – Too late now! ;-))

The interior still is quite the same:
There is only a little change for the wheel holder. The corners can be used as a holder for the Astronauts’ oxigen cylinders.

Just add two wheels, fold down the grey side supports, fold up the corner “feet” and you get a nice little “Space Caravan”:

Add two couplings …

… and you are ready for the big expedition vehicle:

The complete vehicle:

The rear wing sections of the scout ships can be attached on the top of the middle section, just like on the original model. The roof can still be opened.

A single cabin section can be seperated and operate as a scout ship while the rest of the vehicle moves on:

The middle section in “Transport Mode” with the two Vic Viper scout ships is ready to be picked up …

… by the the  LL926 Space Crane Transporter:With a little modification on top of the wing section LL926 can carry the middle section and the couplings.

Ready to go…

So this is my 1979 Lego Classic Space Solar Power Transporter.

I hope you like it :-))

1979 Classic Space Solar Power Transporter
BrixBlog | flickr | MOCpages

A Vic Viper vor NnoVVember 2017 in 1979 Classic Space design.

This is a little spaceship I’ve built for a bigger project. I’ve had it finished for a while when I realized that with a few small modifications it could become a cool little Vic Viper. This is it:

Another bird’s eye front view (“Vic Viper Shot”)

What’s better than a Classic Space Vic Viper?
A pair of them! ;-))

So this is my Lego Classic Space Vic Viper in 1979 design.
I hope you like it… :-))

Classic Space Vic Viper:
BrixBlog | flickr | MOCpages