The micro moonbase modules I built for BrickCon08 -- they've been sitting wrapped up in their boxes while I tried to figure out how to present them all together. I'm not well set up to photograph large constructions, and with its wide footprint and tall spaceport tower, this one was brutal. And then the ghetto fabulous "table and hanging sheet backdrop", that just made me sad. It was not showing the micro moonbase to its best advantage. So I had to learn how to erase the backdrop. A slow process, but finally here it is.
The spaceport tower is sucking up 192 of my old light gray headlight bricks, I just counted. That's too many for a square stack of bricks.
Always nice to be able to use those pod pieces. I wish I could have built four or six of these, had to settle for two.
These look so much better in person, when you can shift around and get the differing play of light off the grill bricks. These towers arose in trying to make walls of letters and pictograms with the alternating grill bricks. There just wasn't enough room on a skyscraper wall panel for more than a couple letters, so I went with the random effect. Never did solve that triangular roof problem to my complete satisfaction, but those are some nice walls.
Coming late in the game, this was produced when I wanted factory-type industrial modules, but had run out of round 2x2 bricks in usable grays. I had a lot of red, white, and blue to work with, though.
So I'd made this cool cube building, each side measuring 10x10 studs. Then it had to sit on a narrow, pedestal-like base, with its corners pointing out over the connection tubes. That last, which I had figured to be a pretty quick solve, took up most of a day, and I ended up with this not-quite-kosher connection:
The studs on the jumper tiles almost, but not quite fit perfectly into the spaces marked with the clear 1x1s on the underside of the cube. When everything is snapped together, all the jumper tiles get forced outward toward the ends of the arms, so there's a constant stress on all the pieces involved.
I like that building design of stepped terraces going up around the building, I think there's a few in Shannonia that do this. Made with a troublesome L-shaped connection, with the connecting tubes on the back here. If I make these next year, I'm just going to go with four connections on every single one. You can always close off the ones you don't need, and it would make arranging them so much simpler.
These were pretty cool, nice and versatile, good in pairs or in packs.
I haven't yet brought myself to cut a piece of Lego® string or flex tube, but I did break down and take a pair of scissors to a few Exo-Force sticker sheets. I'd have loved to have been able to build a dozen of these, have factory row all lined up on the outskirts of the moonbase.
This orange thing, in any layout I would try, almost always ended up right next to the spaceport tower, because it was so short it wouldn't interfere with the lower landing pads.
I think this was the second module I built after I decided I was going to give this micro moonbase thing a try. The first was destroyed before photographic evidence of its suckiness could be obtained.
So all along the plan was to build some module with motors that I could stand at a distance from and operate with the Power Functions remote control. A little building with some greebly machinery and a pair of pistons that would go up and down was produced. While this was a triumph in itself (The Skunk Works has always favored design and sacrificed engineering), it was just a learning experience for the creation of the quad laser defense tower.
That middle section with the round bricks lifts off from around the IR receiver, and then the landing deck can be removed. Underneath the landing pad is the battery box, underneath the IR receiver is a large motor to rotate the gun platform, and hanging down from the platform to rotate freely inside the upper floors of the building is a small motor to raise and lower the turrets.
Works great. The remote needs a line of sight, but I could operate the gun tower from all the way across the house. I had visions of wowing the crowds at BrickCon. However, while it was there, I had to get the remote right on top of it to get it to work. I don't know if it was interference from so many people there, with all their cell phones and cameras and stuff, but again it works fine back home. So barely anybody got to see the laser defense tower in all its movable glory... until now! Behold, the crappy YouTube footage!
What caught my attention the most here is the translucent 10x10 building. The other buildings are fabulous, which gives the Skunk Works hard work and diligence a good 5 out of 5 points. ~Ryan
Dis is freakin awesome, way better than the one i made and now i am ashamed of it and wont put it on thanks a lot JERK!!! Lol jk bout the jerk part. Dis is still freakin awesome though! :D
Abso-freakin-brilliance. While the entire MOC is highly appealing, I especially like that Rubik's cube-like structure. Micro-scale space is fun isn't it?
Merry Christmas Shannon! Just to let you know, I searched 'Shannon' on MOCpages and someone has a MOCpages account under the name of 'shannon young su_ks'.
This MOC is awesome as are all of them! PS My newest MOC has been badly spammed and I would appreciate it if someone of your calibre would show your support~Miggy
I like it
Dave Shaddix
December 18, 2008
And just so we're clear Shannon. Though I found the video boring, I LOVED the rotating turrets. I am thinking I need to start incorporating power features into my MOCs soon. Now that you have this microscale version done, I'd like to see this built in minifig scale!
You have started down the dark path and forever will it dominate your destiny. First, Shannonia, then the moon base... next comes the Mars base, then the underseas of Neptune, then... the list goes on and on muhaha! The tower is probably my fave but I'm also partial to that cube. Great work as always my friend. keep em coming! ~ Chris.
I don't know, Nate, I think you are on to something. I'm thinking new new new new new new new new new new new new Shannonia! Great build here, Shanny. These are all great. All of the textures look amazing, and they all blend together well. Great work.
You should call it "New Shannonia" and keep expanding on it! No, I'm just kidding, that would be crazy.
I like it
Aaron Stoppa
December 16, 2008
AMAZING WORK WITH THE MOON BASE alot of detail on such a small scale, i like the oxygen producing plant life domes,
Maybe you want to see the only three creations i have, all vehicles :)
I like it
Dave Shaddix
December 16, 2008
I love your microscale. That is the most BORING youtube video I have ever seen though.
Sweet! I really like the movable tower, the buildings also look sweet too. Maybe you can put this next to dear ol' Shannonia? Well I need to know...does it include anything else besides...business?
Well PLEASE check out my creations!
This is amazing, and when I use that word, I mean it. You did a wonderful job creating every building each with it's own unique sense of originality and cool. That's great that you included the video of the quad tower, and I really like all of the micro vehicles.
Wow, the display at BrickCon '08 didn't really show the true greatness of these buildings! My favorites are...all of them. Though, that quad laser stole the show in my opinion.
Wow...all of the buildings are ingeniously original, but they all flow so well together. This might be my favorite creation [barring maybe Shannonia] from you.
Maybe it's the space snob in me, but this has got to be my fav of yours when it comes to the micro work (and that's saying a lot, given all the incredible work with Shannonia!). Every one of those building has something unique to offer, and they look amazing together. Just fantastic work, Shanno...or is it Shanny?
I could watch this wonder for hours, truly. Nice work with the motor too. I wanted to do something like that, but it won't be released until a long, long time. I have to be much better than today to do something not ridiculous, after this awesome base !
I'm glad I got to see them all together. It's hard to pick a fave, but I think I like the red towers and little greenhouse thingy the most. Cool video by the way, (well at least the first 30 seconds were cool), it gets pretty redundant after that.
I didn't see any lousy YouTube footage anywhere but there's some darn nice YouTube footage of some masterbuilder's rotating quad gun turret! Nice work all around Sly.
