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Subject: 
Re: REALLY large models
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.space
Date: 
Mon, 2 Oct 2000 04:11:02 GMT
Viewed: 
504 times
  
If you're willing to glue your Lego together for one-shot building projects
(no redesign or recycling allowed!), I'm sure plastic cement would do well.

I kind of enjoy the challenge of just using Lego natively to build strong
structures, although there are theoretical limits.  But the best way of
making strong support beams (without glue) is to use long interlocked
technic beams--a very strong support beam/column could be made with a
cross-section six or eight bricks square, all technic beams being
interlocked via pegs with the beams beside them, and stacked beams being
interlocked with small vertical side-struts on the outside.  I hope that
makes some sense, it's hard to describe.

I used simple interlocked-double-technic-beam supports (with plates above
and below further cementing the beam) for the base of my current capital
ship--it's about 2.5 road baseplates long, 1 wide, and 60 bricks high--and
is strong enough to be held from either end without breaking.

As for balancing your ship, I suggest you cheat just a little and move the
engineering section forwards a bit, so more of it is underneath the primary
hull.  The warp engines could also help weigh down the back.

--


Paul Davidson, aka Tinman
www.theforce.net |  Your Daily Dose of Star Wars
www.filmforce.net |  Your Daily Dose of Film News


Matthew <moulton@hscis.net> wrote in message
news:39d7eb42.1078905@news.lugnet.com...
Okay my next project (which I estimate to take at least a year or two
to complete) will be a Star Trek Voyager type ship...minifig scale.
Now I already know how I'll build the decks, turbolift, shuttle bay,
etc.  The problem is I'm wondering about stability.  Now I know that
because the saucer section will be around 10 base plates long I am
going to have to use superglue to help keep the whole thing together.
Basically each deck is going to be super glued, but then each deck
will be sectional.  So without the decks you'll be able to see the
turbolift shaft and the bottom deck section.  All the other decks will
be stacked on top to make up the saucer.  I also know that I'm going
to have to make the rear of the ship VERY heavy in order to keep the
ship from tipping forward on the saucer section.  What I really don't
know is how well a ship of this size will stay together.  Has anyone
had experience making something this big?  How well does the glue hold
things together?  So far the biggest ship I've made is the Behemoth
witch just under 3 road plates long and about two wide at it's maximum
width.  I did make the Behemoth completely sectional and it holds up
okay but any bigger and I'm sure it wouldn't hold together if I picked
it up.  The other thing I'm wondering about is what sorts of methods
have people used to make such ships sectional.  So far I've mainly
always used the male/female locking pieces like the original 6985
Cosmic Fleet Voyager uses.  Any ideas or suggestions would be GREATLY
appreciated.  Thanks!  : )

-Matthew
-http://members.hscis.net/~moulton/



Message is in Reply To:
  REALLY large models
 
Okay my next project (which I estimate to take at least a year or two to complete) will be a Star Trek Voyager type ship...minifig scale. Now I already know how I'll build the decks, turbolift, shuttle bay, etc. The problem is I'm wondering about (...) (24 years ago, 2-Oct-00, to lugnet.space)

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