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I'll subtitle this: 'If at first you don't succeed...'
Post mod pics: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=44319
IH is a Long term project that lasted close to two two years partly due to
structural flaws and partly
due to a lack of parts in the needed colors. Brown (Bone/feather), Dark Grey
(mechanics/armor), and
Sand Red (fleshy bits) were the colors chosen for this project, but some
reliance on Light Grey and
Black was needed as well. In the end, IH was a resounding success with only
minor problems/
concessions.
Here's what I set out to build:
30+ inches tall, preferably 36+ inches
5 wings coming off the back, much like the fins on the Lego Dinosaur sets.
http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=40385
A cockpit in the torso complete with escape pod.
A menacing Tendril-filled head complete with maw.
15+ points of articulation.
Vestigial arms/hands (think T-Rex)
Use of my leg design using Toa Torsos and gears.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=128905
Rocket pack calves
Using nearly every theme Lego has ever made (ZNAP ok, NOT Paradisa or
Belleville)
A Dragon-esque design with aquatic elements (squid head, webbed feet, etc.)
What didn't happen:
It's only 34.5 inches tall. Not the 3 feet I was shooting for.
3 wings instead of five. It turns out wings are quite heavy. ;)
Rocket pack calves (ultimately became the basis for head design)
Okay, now the real details: For the longest time, I've been talking with
Bryce McGlone and Eric Sophie
about entering the giant mecha club (as if it really exists). Their take on
it was quite simply, 'Dave,
you've got the skills-just use them!' So I did. Inspiration for the model
started way back when I first
found .build.mecha- Karrim Nassar's Dragon mecha. I'll also cite the detail
Brian Cooper put's in his
models as a partial inpriration. Invictus Horriblus ('The Unconquerable
Horror') was
truly a labor of love for me to finish. After the disaster
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Legomaster/Exhibits/BricksWest-2002/2legomecha.jpg
at BricksWest 2002 where a joint popped free and IH came crashing down, I
knew I'd go back and
finish it, but I also knew the fight had been taken out of me. I didn't want
to touch mecha for nearly
6 months after that and I certainly didn't want to revisit this model during
that time. Why? Because I
knew I had to tear it completely apart and start from the
beginning-literally. I needed to know what
went wrong in order to make sure it never did again. I needed to fix those
things about this model
that didn't quite work for my tastes and I knew that would take time and
patience I just didn't have.
August 2002 rolled around and I pulled IH out of containment and spent a day
rebuilding the torso
from the BricksWest disaster. Three days later, I had IH standing as it had
for a split second during
BricksWest minus the one crucial part that never made it's way back into
IH's container-a single
Technic Ball joint that had popped free due to the forces of the joints
surrounding it. This was the
weak link. This was what needed reinforcement.
I tore the hips and waist apart for a total rebuild. If I couldn't get the
ball joints inside the hips to
hold their positions, all was lost. The only way I could find to properly
reinforce them was to
surround them with technic bricks so the ball sat with the technic brick
holes holding them in place.
I locked the bricks in place and began the slow rebuild of the hips. After
all, if the ball joint came
loose a second time, I'd be lucky if no one got hurt by parts flying at
great speed. That wasn't going
to happen. IH's hips and waist also grew a bit taller during this process as
I wanted more definition
and detail. The result of this rebuild was clearly viewable at BricksWest 2003.
The other part of IH that didn't initially work in 2002 were the wings. They
were too heavy and
caused the center of gravity to shift even if the slightest breeze hit them.
The connections at the
back where the wings connected to the torso were also weaker than I wanted,
so I needed to go back
to the drawing board completely to rebuild them. There was only one problem:
What I was
attempting to do had never before been attempted using Lego. In other words,
all I could do was get
advice on how to proceed, but no one could show me how to do it. Both Bryce
and Eric held the keys
to my success and didn't even know it at the time. One of Bryce's gearing
prototypes combined with
one of Eric's gearing successes provided me with 2/3 of the answer.
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/hardcore/Mecha/InvictusHorriblus/wing_connections.jpg
The final third came from the unlikeliest source of all: 8002 The Destroyer
Droid.
http://guide.lugnet.com/set/8002
It turns out that the curved spine of the Droideka is much stronger than
advertised. Strong enough
to hold IH's wings while being moved via gearing. Ultimately, five wings was
too many-IH wouldn't
stand with that much weight, so I dropped it down to three wings-1 static
and two with mobility
supported by the Droideka spines.
Some of the highlights of construction (parts used):
32x http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=30388 Just for the torso shape
24x http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4201 Also for the torso
20x http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=30180 for calves and wings
30+ http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=30382 Mostly wings, but also
structure for
legs
8x http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=32489 for leg strength and
design. Could have
used 16, but these weren't readily available at the time.
Hundreds of slopes, hundreds of bricks, and a hundred or so Technic Friction
pins.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Storyline: Ersatz Enterprises was getting clobbered in the mecha production
business by HardCore
Industries Temporal Mechwerks. They needed a low cost, high volume solution.
They needed to
breed mecha. They needed a living cybernetic organism that could be bent to
the will of it's creator.
This began the evolution of the being they would one day call 'Invictus
Horriblus'. Unfortunately for
Ersatz Enterprise, the IH Project would work all too well. It's growth rate
unchecked, IH ultimately
became nearly 50 times larger than it's creators had intended. The rogue
agent that stole the
prototype ultimately spelled doom for EE as he used Invictus Horriblus to
tear apart the production
facilities of the company in order to prevent more IHs from being 'born'.
The beleaguered Ersatz
Enterprises could not come back from this major financial setback and was
ultimately taken over by
their main competitor HardCore Industries Temporal Mechwerks. HCITM has the
means to take down
their former competitor's last, foolish project. The real question is-when
will they use it?
-Dave
(Who's happy to be done with this project at last and has more pics to
upload later) :)
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Message has 9 Replies:
 | | Re: Invictus Horriblus- 'The Unconquerable Horror'
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| (...) If at first you don't succeed... maybe you should start all over. In my humble opinion, this thing is ugly. I really don't like it at all. The color scheme doesn't work for me, the upper-legs are way to short and thin and they lack details. (...) (22 years ago, 25-May-03, to lugnet.build.mecha)
| | | Re: Invictus Horriblus- 'The Unconquerable Horror'
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| Woohoo! Go Dave! I was wondering where Invictus went. I really loved hearing the build story though. This mecha/beast is sweet. I love the huge body and then the small t-rex arms coming out the side. It makes it look much more beastish than if it (...) (22 years ago, 25-May-03, to lugnet.build.mecha)
| | | Re: Invictus Horriblus- 'The Unconquerable Horror'
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| (...) Looks like there've already been some comments about the proportions on this guy - it took me a little while to figure the thing out. It looks a little strange standing on two legs, but that's just because you've matched the proportions and (...) (22 years ago, 25-May-03, to lugnet.build.mecha)
| | | Re: Invictus Horriblus- 'The Unconquerable Horror'
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| Whoa, I've said it before and I'll say it again: This thing is NUTS! What I like about it and your building style is, the way you use really wierd parts and peices. There are some design techniques that are really cool. The building experience write (...) (22 years ago, 25-May-03, to lugnet.build.mecha)
| | | Re: Invictus Horriblus- 'The Unconquerable Horror'
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| wow, dave! this has to be your best mecha yet. i've read some of other people's comments, and i'm going to have to put in my two cents: first of all, i love the detail of this thing. i can't believe how huge it is! the bigger a creation is, the more (...) (21 years ago, 26-May-03, to lugnet.build.mecha)
| | | Re: Invictus Horriblus- 'The Unconquerable Horror'
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| In lugnet.build.mecha, Dave Johann writes: Hey, Dave! Congratulations on finally getting this one done and posted! I've seen many great mecha from you @ Lugola meetings, but you haven't posted them :( I remember at Brickswest 2002 when you set this (...) (21 years ago, 26-May-03, to lugnet.build.mecha)
| | | Re: Invictus Horriblus- 'The Unconquerable Horror'
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| (...) Dave congratulations on the final product-- really well worth the effort. I understand how you feel about a lego creation just hanging around waiting to be completed-- they really don't leave you alone, do they?! :^) As to IH, I really like (...) (21 years ago, 28-May-03, to lugnet.build.mecha)
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