BDP10: Polar Nomads: Crawler Convoy
Posted by CapnRex101,
Our next BrickLink Designer Program showcase takes a retro approach to polar exploration, with Polar Nomads: Crawler Convoy by Denmark_Dragon:
A Proper Polar Play Set for Everyone!
Hey! I’m Gianluca and I’m happy to share my model for series 10. Instead of a static building, I designed two large treaded vehicles you can roll around and deploy into a mobile play set. With plenty of support vehicles & equipment to interact with the Arctic landscape, I hope to bring Classic LEGO play to a new Polar environment!
From Town to Now
Late last year, I had the chance to build and enjoy the entire LEGO Town Arctic line from the year 2000. After building all the sets on my table, I oriented them in a convoy of sorts and since I had two copies of 6520 Mobile Outpost, and a handful of extra figures, all the elements together formed a visually commanding assortment of mobile vehicles on the move.
Gears started turning. What If I could design my own Polar Convoy of vehicles? Mobile teams that stay on the move and work together to traverse & cultivate the Polar landscape & its resources?
Mammoth Mobile Crawlers
The Red Command Crawler and Green Living Crawler act as the mobile base and living quarters for our Polar Nomads. They act as the backbone of the Crawler Convoy, carrying all the smaller cargo & vehicles to their destinations.
Interior access was a very important feature to me to ensure that play could happen inside and out. Each of the roofs can be easily removed and perhaps used as a small mobile outpost if desired. The crawler side doors can be opened by pulling out the spot lights which double as door locking mechanisms for easy deployment of the bay doors.
Underneath, each crawler was designed with “cheater” rolling wheels to ensure tread motion on smooth surfaces, as well as independent axle movement to accomplish zero point rotational turns during play.
The Crawlers are hitched together on a three axis rotation coupling allowing for the joint to adjust for up & down hill movement as well as hinge left & right during turns.
The Red Crawler Crane can be used to load & offload the support vehicles & equipment pallets, all equipped with the necessary lift hooks for material handling.
The Red Crawler Cab control panel can rotate 360* for a complete view of the surroundings & crane operation.
Meanwhile the Green Crawler features ice fishing Hatches on each platform for fishing the frozen lakes below. You can lift the yellow hatches, and seat your crew huddled together, hoping for a bite from the water below! The elevated platform (& added string not included) should allow for real play hooking fish below and reeling them in through the hatch!
Note: The BDP pallet does not allow for regular LEGO string in designs but I highly encourage adding string on your own to allow for a nicer fishing experience!
The Green Crawler also houses the breakfast table & bunk beds for your teams to swap out, recharge, & perhaps keep operating with the help of the exterior lighting even during the night shift!
Ladders on each platform of the crawler allow figures to climb aboard from the ground level & ascend to the roof of each cabin from the exterior. It’s a simple detail, but I take great pleasure in thinking HOW figures get around to each part of the crawler, allowing you to play out scenarios in a more meaningful way.
Swift Scouting Sled Teams
The Blue Scout teams include two long style dog sleds with double interchangeable cargo crates along the body, lighting for night missions, & four clips for equipment along the sides. The Scout team’s Blue Utility Crawler is equipped with a winch, chain, and essential supplies for exploration & rescue.
Crawlers store a variety of flags that can be used by the scout team for marking different points of interest for the other crews. Mini models of these same flags can be placed on the three unique interchangeable maps to plan out missions before they happen!
Four Arctic landscape sections are included, from which your team can flag & remove meteorites that have landed in the ice. A small sampling of vegetation highlights where the Nomads pluck valuable plant life for sustenance or medicinal use. One might also reason that this organic life was intentionally planted by the Nomads in past seasons, and revisited for cultivation & harvest!
Note: if selected, the landscape portions are a feature I hope to greatly flesh out for added immersion & play.
Play First, ask questions later
Play features include a map table with mini-scale models of the crawlers, vehicles, and flag markers. Three interchangeable maps representing different Arctic geography (Final art will be improved) are included and secretly* stored in the roof of the red crawler when moving.
A variety of tiny support vehicles & tow carts are stored in each crawler, some focusing on material handling while others suggest speed & traversal, but it’s up to your imagination what exactly these treaded toys are tasked with!
An Octan refueling pod can be deployed from the red crawler to keep all those little engines whirring about.
The Green Crawler houses the larger planters with a variety of useful arctic & cultivated plants. Perhaps the moss makes for a great cup of tea, and the mini-trees essential for seasonal harvest as the Nomads cycle their route. I have my own ideas, but again I’d like to let the builder assign the purpose and value of each colorful growth in their own way!
The Red Crawler houses the Computer, ski equipment, and dog ramp. I hope the ramp to be particularly fun as you can slide the sled dogs down to the snowy surface below. Make sure to be holding a nice dog bone so they’re eager to come out!
Awaken Play Today!
Some of my favorite childhood LEGO memories were interacting with play sets like 6989 Mega Core Magnetizer (a vintage gift) and 8635 Mobile Command Centre. Being able to crane things around, deploy smaller vehicles, & access special equipment all packed into one set felt too good to be true! For those who have a craving for play, I hope to deliver mobility, playability, and lasting possibilities to your next build experience!
Closing Note
I’m happy with the “spirit” of my current design, but can certainly see much room for improvement. I would love to receive the insight of this community to refine the model beyond my own blind spots. Please feel free to reach out to me with constructive criticism so we can exchange thought processes and deliver something really special for our Classic LEGO fans. In remembrance of “Only the best is good enough” let’s keep building!
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4 comments on this article
I saw this on the design page the other day, and im a massive fan of the concept of a giant tandem arctic mobile base. Unfortuently though, Im not the target demographic here. This is clearly designed to echo the older style of lego sets that are before my time. I think it's a good idea to post about it here on Brickset though where I feel the average AFOL age will be more in favour of this sets design style. Great concept, execution just isnt for me (selfish I know!)
I wish you luck in the coming week to see if it makes the cut!
This set has a very vintage aesthetic, but not for me I'm afraid.
Love this, exactly what you as a kid in late70's/early 80's use to build, perhaps not the most aesthetically pleasing sets but purely built for having fun.
So this is not a set, but a MOC which is not even built in reality? Why is it different to 123456789 other MOCs on the internet?