Star Wars Advent Calendar - Day 13
Posted by CapnRex101,
Remarkably, we have completed the first half of this year's LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar and seen nothing from the Original Trilogy! I am sure this will change though.
Perhaps as soon as today...
Indeed, focus moves to the Original Trilogy and the second half of the Advent Calendar begins in excellent fashion, with an impressive Lambda-class Imperial Shuttle. This classic vessel has appeared in two other LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendars, although not since 2014, so the new design represents a vast improvement on its precursors.
Despite lacking the Imperial Shuttle's wide fuselage, the proportions of this model are accurate and I love the angled cockpit, supported by a plate underneath. Also, the grey elements on the dorsal wing look superb and the two lower wings are fully articulated. Admittedly, their position for landing is not ideal, but managing to include any articulation at this scale is worthy of praise.
Overall - This is a fantastic rendition of the Lambda-class Shuttle, joining the N-1 Starfighter and Hailfire Droid as the stand-out models from this calendar.
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16 comments on this article
Pro: yay! This is another entry in the category of "past Advent builds vastly improved by superior modern parts."
Con: The wing folding, man. That's horrible.
I do note that in terms of scale, this shuttle is still pretty small compared to typical AC builds. Compared to the micro X-Wings and TIE fighters we've gotten, 30388 is an approximately accurate-sized build for a microscale diorama. This shuttle is *okay,* but maybe half the size of what a microscale shuttle should be compared to a standard microscale X-Wing.
That is extra cute. Micro (nano?) ships are the essence of these calendars.
Day 13 ranking
5. SW - looks like a grinning pterosaur
4. Friends - RED MF stand!
3. City
2. HP
1. Marvel
A bit stubby on the nose, but otherwise impressive... most impressive.
I did the thing everyone, we can all go home now.
Initially, when I opened the bag, I thought it was something Hoth related, then I thought it was Luke's T-16 Sky Hopper.
To paraphrase Han Solo in The Return of the Jedi:-
I don’t think the Empire had me in mind when they designed her!
@MCLegoboy said:
"A bit stubby on the nose, but otherwise impressive... most impressive.
I did the thing everyone, we can all go home now."
Ha ha, very good!
This one’s particularly troublesome for those of us building in the bag, because just a little pressure on the rips them from their moorings. Speaking of which, swapping the grey flip plates for white ones, and mounting the wings below instead of above would solve the awkward splay when parked, and create rhe dip that’s missing from the shoulders of the wings.
@MCLegoboy said:
"A bit stubby on the nose, but otherwise impressive... most impressive.
I did the thing everyone, we can all go home now."
The fact you did was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one
@jkb said:
"Day 13 ranking
4. Friends - RED MF stand!"
*sigh* This is not the minifig stand we’re looking for.
@PurpleDave said:
"This one’s particularly troublesome for those of us building in the bag, because just a little pressure on the rips them from their moorings. Speaking of which, swapping the grey flip plates for white ones, and mounting the wings below instead of above would solve the awkward splay when parked, and create rhe dip that’s missing from the shoulders of the wings."
Even without the parts substitute this is a vast improvement, excellent recommendation.
@jkb said:
"Day 13 ranking
5. SW - looks like a grinning pterosaur
4. Friends - RED MF stand!
3. City
2. HP
1. Marvel"
The top two in that order is a weird opinion, that basic version of Marvel's Okoye has been seen elsewhere while HP got an exclusive minifigure of a character who hasn't been made until now.
wasn't that big of a fan of some of the proportions in this set. here's how I would have done it https://imgur.com/a/qtCjmy1
@PurpleDave said:
"This one’s particularly troublesome for those of us building in the bag, because just a little pressure on the rips them from their moorings. Speaking of which, swapping the grey flip plates for white ones, and mounting the wings below instead of above would solve the awkward splay when parked, and create rhe dip that’s missing from the shoulders of the wings."
''building in the bag" is a thing? Wow, I have difficulties enough fiddling with little LEGO bricks outside of their bags...
@Elcascador said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"This one’s particularly troublesome for those of us building in the bag, because just a little pressure on the rips them from their moorings. Speaking of which, swapping the grey flip plates for white ones, and mounting the wings below instead of above would solve the awkward splay when parked, and create rhe dip that’s missing from the shoulders of the wings."
''building in the bag" is a thing? Wow, I have difficulties enough fiddling with little LEGO bricks outside of their bags..."
Why does he do it? No one knows. Most people consider a part 'used' if the clutch is engaged. So, his sets are 'used in sealed bags.'
BTW, I like this design.
@Norikins said:
" @jkb said:
"Day 13 ranking
5. SW - looks like a grinning pterosaur
4. Friends - RED MF stand!
3. City
2. HP
1. Marvel"
The top two in that order is a weird opinion, that basic version of Marvel's Okoye has been seen elsewhere while HP got an exclusive minifigure of a character who hasn't been made until now."
Exclusivity is not a factor in my rankings
@tinPAus:
I see the same fix I posted for the wings, but then you increased the width of the wings, cockpit, and the fuselage, and changed the leading edge of the tail. I think the optimal width of the cockpit would be 1.5 studs, so neither option looks perfect. The fuselage and tail do look more accurate. However, the width of the wings was pretty much spot on with the official design.
@Elcascador:
It is, but I didn’t come up with it. I’d heard of it many years ago, and I think it referred to small sets that came in a box, but all the parts were also inside one bag together. You really need a clear bag to see what you’re doing, and that kinda rules out retail polybags.
@StyleCounselor:
I’ve previously stated that I’m doing it because of the stupid cardboard inserts. With the plastic or egg carton inserts, I could slide the tray out, build the model, put it back in its chamber, and slide the tray back in. With the cardboard inserts, if I do that, small parts (particularly loose extras) will slide around between chambers and potentially even fall out the holes on the corners. All of my advent calendars (except Home Alone) are stored in their original box, with the doors unpunched and the playmat seals uncut.