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I have to agree with you on most things. Here are some pictures I took of mine:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=30147
In lugnet.reviews, Kerry Raymond writes:
>
> SPECIAL FEATURES/COMPATIBILITY
>
> This set makes unusual use of magnets for connecting major sections together,
> probably due to the complex angles involved. This feature is both its greatest
> strength (in terms of appearance of the model) and its greatest weakness (in
> terms of the robustness of the structure).
Agreed. While the magnet idea is cool, it is simply not strong enough.
Even Though the magnets do not take all the strain, they still tend to slip
and disconnect. For the most part, I didn't have much trouble, but when I
began putting any force, the whole thing started slipping. The back
especially is too weak, only 2 magnets for all that:
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tboy/ISD/21magnets.jpg
I find that the biggest problem with magnets is that they slip, and don't
actually firmly connect to one spot.
>
> SET DESCRIPTION
>
> The model is a very large military-looking space ship, based on the one seen in
> the opening sequence of the first Star Wars movie (Episode 4: A New Hope). The
> main hull is shaped like an arrow head with a superstructure reminiscent of a
> present-day warship. The model has surfaces at many different angles. Indeed,
> the superstructure folds to mold itself to the shape of the arrow shape of the
> hull. Certain areas of the ship bristle with exterior detailing (greebling),
> some are intended as weapons but mostly the functionality is left to your
> imagination.
>
> The ISD is almost entirely light grey in colour with only very minor use of
> dark grey and black for exterior detailing (greebling) and the use of
> trans-light-blue for its "engine emissions". The space ship comes mounted on a
> display stand which is integral to the model; you cannot remove the model from
> the stand, unlike some of the other Ultimate Collector Series sets. The stand
> is black with some dark grey detailing. In the internals of the set (invisible
> in the finished model), the main colours are again black, dark grey, and light
> grey with some red and blue (presumably to make identification of parts easier
> in both the model and the instructions).
I have some gripes witht the red and blue... all those technic pegs, so
useful for SNOT- but blue? It's hard to make them look nice if they're not
very hidden. Blue can be a garish color.
>
> This is a very large model (perhaps Lego's largest to date).
According to Lego, it is. It IS really huge.
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tboy/ISD/15front.jpg
>
> The set also comes with very small Rebel Blockade Runner (which it pursues in
> the movie), which is presumably built to scale with the ISD. It is
> predominantly white with white grey and dark red accents, and trans-orange
> engine emissions. It is a SNOT (Studs Not On Top) model, so is again difficult
> to measure in studs, but is about 15-16 studs long.
I find the Rebel Blockade Runner well made, although the tan plate is really
annoying. The only tan piece in the whole set looks really weird.
>
> There are no minifigs in the set, due to its scale. Humans would be smaller
> than a 1x1 plate at this scale.
ALOT smaller.
>
> SPECIAL ELEMENTS
>
> This set will appeal to the purists. It is built from standard Lego parts [1].
> There are no juniorised/specialised elements, such as the large quarter-hull
> sections used in the Millennium Falcon. If there are any new shaped parts in
> this set, it might be the large one-sided wheel/tyre pieces used for engine
> mountings. These wheels are seen in smaller sizes in many space sets, but I am
> not sure if they have previously been used in this large size. Also, I suspect
> that the various round pieces used for the engine emissions may not have
> previously been available in trans-light-blue.
There are in fact quite a few new/interesting pieces.
There is a large number of 2x3 and 2x4 grey wedge plates, very useful
pieces. The big wheels are actually from the 1980's Mega Core Magnetizer.
http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6989
There is a new bracket piece, similar to the old 'car headlights' bracket
but 2x2 instead of 1X4.
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tboy/ISD/4newbracket.jpg
And the new trans-blue 6x6 dish is also new.
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tboy/ISD/3new6x6dish.jpg
<snip>
>
> IMPRESSION
>
> This model looks fantastic, especially from a distance. Its size and its shape
> really distinguish it from other Lego models. Lego is inherently rectangular,
> but at this size, it has been possible to create a most unusual diamond-arrow
> shape. When you get close up however, the rectangular nature of Lego becomes
> apparent, and gaps can be seen where the angled sections come together. It is
> even possible to glimpse some of the red/blue pieces in the internal structure
> through these gaps (which are presumably not intended to be seen). Similarly
> the greebling bristles with the menace of a mighty warship at a distance, but
> up close it is just a random collection of taps and minifig binoculars.
>
> When I first saw this set on the WWW, I remember saying "Wow, it rocks!". When
> people see it on my dining room table (you can't display this set on a regular
> shelf -- it's way too big), they are very impressed. It looks fantastic.
The set looks very good, but on closer expection there are flaws.
There are a lot of holes that you don't see in the official photos, or holes
that are a lot bigger.
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tboy/ISD/20frontgap.jpg
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tboy/ISD/16stress.jpg
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tboy/ISD/13completeback.jpg
I think the last might be caused by slipping magnets.
The center is also of prime concern to me. The whole thing is SO heavy that
the beams actually bend slightly under the stress.
>
> However, this set doesn't rock. Don't even think about trying to rock it. Don't
> try picking it up. Don't push it a couple of inches across the table using its
> stand. Don't let your cat put a paw on it. All of these have broken my model.
> Any movement of the model generally results in its collapse, usually one or
> more of the 4 hull sections falls off. And the feet of the display stand even
> seem to be able to pop off under its own weight. This is the flimsiest model
> ever. Any attempt to whoosh it will end in disaster. Once you start to put the
> major sections together, I strongly recommend you build the model in the
> position you will display it.
As Matt said, take the superstructure off, lift the supporting beam, and
carry it holding the main beam.
>
> The set has a lot of parts, which are not packaged according to the
> sub-assemblies, unlike some other large Lego sets, e.g. the Super Street
> Sensation. I found it easiest to build by spreading everything out on the
> floor. It took me days to build this set so if you have any non-Lego interests
> in your life (sleep, work, family), don't expect a rapid result! It also
> required a lot of cursing and swearing as sections of the model regularly came
> apart as I was adding new sections due to the flimsy-ness. At one point, I gave
> up for a day, being unable to attach a hull section without it collapsing the
> rest of the model. I spent hours pouring over the instructions, double-checking
> I had everything in the right spot, until I eventually found the small mistake
> that prevented the hull section from attaching correctly. This is definitely
> not a set for the younger builder! It requires careful attention at all times.
> Having finally finished the set, I attempted to move it to a table. It
> collapsed into a number of large chunks. I moved the chunks to the table and
> rebuilt it. I then created some space on my display table and tried to move it
> again, and it collapsed.
>
> I then decided to strengthen the model, by adding extra plates on the
> undersides of the hull sections (to stop them breaking into 2 or 3 pieces
> constantly). I also added (and I strongly recommend this) a 1x16 black technics
> beam to each side of the 2 pairs of feet on the stand (i.e. 4 beams in all),
> attached with technics pins. This connects each foot to its opposing foot and
> prevents the weight of the model from popping off the feet. I then attempted to
> move the model again to the display table. It collapsed again, but not as badly
> as before (i.e. the hull sections fell off but they didn't break into pieces).
> So, I constructed the major sub-assemblies on my Lego table but did the final
> assembly on the display table. Finally, success! Then I moved some other MOCs
> back onto the display table (taken away to give me elbow room for the ISD
> assembly) and discovered that I needed to move the ISD two inches to one side.
> Carefully I reached under and put my hand onto the base of the stand and very
> gently pushed it those two inches, and one of the underside hull sections gave
> way at the rear. I gave up at this point, as I decided that the droop in the
> back of the underside hull would not be noticed by the casual observer.
I found that the whole structure needs more reinforcing. Particullarly when
you attatch the connecting pieces to connect the doubles of the main
triangle. The sides would bend apart under stress, and the best way to fix
that would be to add more of those plate/two bricks/two plates/two
bricks/plate connectors.
I moved the model around 4 times, and it never broke- until the last time.
When I placed it on my Lego room's floor, one of the feet fell off. No
problem, thought I. I lifted two of the wing pieces so I could hold the
stand beams more firmly, then I tried to stick the foot on. Instead of
sticking, the whole frame broke right in the middle.
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tboy/ISD/23badstructure.jpg
The biggest connecting arm just pulled the beams apart right on top of the
stand, then when the beams disconnected, the left greeblie seam split as well.
> Why is this model so flimsy? Well, put simply, it consists of a large
> triangular shaped infrastructure and stand, which is sturdy enough (apart from
> the need to reinforce the feet as described above). However, all of the
> exterior of the model is at strange angles. The 4 hull sections (2 upper, 2
> undersides) are very large (110 studs) collections of plates without sufficient
> reinforcing. However, even with that reinforcing, they are simply not well
> attached to the infrastructure due to the angles involved. Each hull section is
> held on with 3-4 magnets at the centre and 3 2x2 plate connections at the edge.
> Yep, that's 12 studs and some magnets to hold on a section over 100 studs long.
> The 2x2 plates are those modified plates which take an axle, which enable them
> to swing into the right angle for the hull section. Unfortunately gravity tends
> to let them swing stud-side down, so it is easier to attach the lower hull
> sections (as you need the plates stud-side down) but more difficult to attach
> the upper hull sections as you need to be holding the hull section to align the
> magnets and swinging the 3 plates upright and pressing them onto the hull
> section all at the same time (a job for an octopus). Oh, and while you are
> doing it, you have to make sure that you don't knock off any of the greebling
> with your fingers. I was forever chasing taps across the floor and reattaching
> them.
Agreed. I was panicking at the end when I noticed some pieces were missing.
Lo and behold! There was a whole pile of fallen greeblies right under the
hull on the floor.
>
> Having attached the hull sections, you then take the superstructure (which is
> built in a number of subsections). Each subsection of the superstructure is
> built using axles or pins to enable the section to bend in two or three places.
> This means that each subsection of the superstructure droops once you remove it
> from the table until you place it onto the model, whereupon it miraculously
> folds into the shape of the model below thanks to gravity. It's a very
> impressive building technique, but again, you have the problem of having to
> hold the subsection by its greebled edges while you add it onto the main model,
> usually dislodging a few pieces of greebling along the way.
>
> Note. I have a permanently broken right elbow, so have some limitations in
> terms of my strength and fine motor control in that arm. It may be that some of
> my problems in assembling the final model were due to my disability and that
> others might not experience these problems to the same extent. I also suspect
> that there is a trade-off between the need to reinforce the hull sections for
> structural integrity of the hull versus the need to reduce the weight of the
> model due to the magnetic couplings and feet-popping problems.
>
> Playability Rating
>
> Whatever my personal disability, there is no question that this model cannot be
> played with. It is simply not sufficiently well-connected to survive handling,
> especially not by a child. Hence I rate its playability as Low. This model is
> strictly to look at, don't touch.
Very true.
>
> Model Rating
>
> I rate the model as Very Good. For looks alone, it is probably a Must-Have and
> there are lots of interesting construction techniques employed in this set that
> make it an interesting experience to build. I definitely learned some new ideas
> about construction both from the instructions and thinking about ways to
> strengthen it. However, the structural integrity needs improvement, both in
> terms of the individual sub-assemblies (most notably the hull sections) and the
> method by which the hull sections are connected. The use of magnets is novel
> and is an important factor in achieving the arrow-head shape, but perhaps some
> ball-and-socket joints or Technics universal joints be used to replace or
> reinforce these magnets for greater structural integrity? So I feel I must
> reduce the overall rating of the model due to its flimsiness.
Ball-and-socket connectors- that would really make this set shine.
>
> Set Rating
>
> This is the Ultimate Grey Plates Pack, eclipsing the previous favourite, the
> Sith Infiltrator. At about 16c (AUD) per piece, it is a great source of light
> grey parts. But be warned, there are not a lot of regular bricks in light grey
> (given the overall number of parts in the model). This set has many light-grey
> plates both large and small, especially non-rectangular plates and plates with
> tiled sections, and has many light grey greebling parts (taps, 1x2 grilles, 1x1
> tool clips, 1x1 cones, goblets, binoculars etc). If this set contains a part
> you want, then it probably has it in large quantities, but the range of parts
> used may not be varied as you might think from the overall number of pieces.
> Given that light grey is always a popular colour for space, castle and other
> large-scale architectural themes, it seems likely that this set will be parted
> out extensively via bricklink etc. However, the high price of this set will
> mean that parting out will be restricted to those whose budgets can afford the
> initial outlay, so it may be only a few of the large volume sellers that get
> involved, and hence competition may not be as intense (and hence the prices may
> not be driven as low as you might expect/hope given the high availability of
> these parts). Hence my set rating was Very Good, but I would have liked to see
> a greater range of parts (especially bricks) rather than such large quantities
> of a smaller number of parts.
Personally, I liked the content.
Being a .Spacer, I use gray ALOT. I have enough bricks, but plates are
really sparing, as so are little greeblie bits like taps, tiles, and 1x1
clip plates with the stud clip- always a useful piece. This set helped in
that respect.
>
> Scale
>
> The ship is supposed to be 1 mile long, so any humanoid figures would have be
> smaller than ants. There are no Lego figs that can be used with this set.
But the figs are still pretty tiny even in real life! :)
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tboy/ISD/18spottheminifig.jpg
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tboy/ISD/22minifig.jpg
>
> Errors
>
> I don't recall any missing parts. There were no errors in the building
> instructions, but in some steps the quantity of certain heavily-used small
> parts was not stated. As it is easy to visually overlook a small part being
> added to a sub-assembly that already has hundreds of parts, knowing how many
> should have been used in total in each step is a useful cross-check.
>
> Also the size of some of the sub-assemblies made it easy to misalign parts,
> sometimes necessitating careful counting of the number of studs in the
> instructions and on the model itself. The 4 hull sections are very similar but
> not identical, so it is important to look carefully at the instructions and not
> to assume that it is just the same as the previous section. I certainly made a
> number of errors in building the model. In particular, there are some 1x2 dark
> grey plates on the underside of the hull sections which are used to connect the
> hull section to the infrastructure. Make sure these plates are in the right
> position. When you only have 12 stud connections to hold on the hull section,
> you cannot afford to lose any of them due to misalignment of these 1x2 plates.
> Also, if you have a collapse of your model, expect these 1x2 plates to either
> fall off or remain connected to the infrastructure rather than to the hull, and
> use the instructions to make sure you put them back in the right place on the
> hull. My feeling is that using large plates here may increase adhesion to the
> hull in preference to the superstructure. The larger plates will also help
> reinforce the hull sections themselves.
I didn't have any problems with either missing pieces or instructions EXCEPT
for the part in which you attatch the bridge to the superstructure. The
perspective was very confusing.
>
> Extra Elements
>
> As always, there were some leftover small elements. Curiously there was a white
> cupboard door, a part not used in the set. Did it accidentally fall into the
> box of parts at my house or did it come in the set?
Must be your part bin... I didn't get any special extras.
>
> CONCLUSION
>
> Personally I felt some disappointment with this set. It is expensive and I was
> expecting a totally awesome set about which I could write a rave review.
> However, the fragility of the model and the consequence frustrations of
> building it and displaying it do detract from the model. And the range of parts
> isn't quite what I need for my MOCs (too many irregular-shaped plates, not
> enough bricks). So, at the end of the day, I don't feel entirely happy about
> the price I paid for what I got. If you have the cash spare, then it's probably
> a Must-Have for your collection. However, for everyone else, you might want to
> hope that it gets discounted because I don't think it's worth full RRP. You
> will get better value with other sets (unless you want lots of light grey
> plates).
Which applies to practiclly any .Spacer and Star Wars fan.
Good review!
-JHK
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