MOC Star Wars ARC-170 Starfighter
Built from Set 42097: LEGO Technic Compact Crawler Crane
My third LEGO Technic MOC
Build time: About 8 hours
Dimensions
Length: 14"
Width: 14"
Height: 3"
Design
The ARC-170 is a very iconic ship from the Star Wars universe in my opinion. The functionality made it especially challenging and fun to design. The hardest function was, of course, the wings. They had to rotate about the same axle, but in different directions. To connect all the wings together so that they rotated at the same time and reached the same height was tricky, but I came up with something that helped.
I slid the small gear turntables (the ones the wings would eventually attach to) onto the engine axles. before I attached the light gray section (the underside of the turntable where the gears aren't), I first connected the black top (the side with the gears on the rim) to the main body of the ship. A technic lift arm was placed spanning from one engine to the other on the innermost hole of the turntables. This meant that the turntables on either side would start out flat, or at their initial position. I was able to add the wings and create all the gearing inside. Once the gears were all finished for the wing function, I removed the lift arms connecting the top half of the gear turntable. The wings would now rotate, but they would rotate together. To get this function down and to make it perfect was very hard, but I am very pleased with all the effort that I had made (yes, I had to make several different version... but that is key about becoming a good designer: being comfortable with not only building but also with destroying to rebuild).
The ARC-170 has one pilot, one copilot, and one gunner, as well as room for one astromech droid. I decided to give each person a seat and a control stick. I wanted each control stick to be an actuator for a different function or gimmick. The pilot (front-most seat) control stick controls the S-Foils (wings), the copilot control stick activates the rear landing gear, and the gunner (in the rear) has a control stick that controls the elevation of the rear gun (the gun may also swivel, though this function is controlled manually).
Check out the S-foil (wing) function:
Behind the Functions
This is one of my favorite MOCs to date because of the layering of the functions. The front landing gear function is controlled by simply rotating a gear with your hand or finger, but works flawlessly. The pilot's control stick raises or lowers the S-foils, which function actually sits under the copilot's seat. The copilot's control stick. which is redirected behind him and under the astromech droid, controls the rear landing gear. A work gear slowly spins a tan 20-tooth gear, which axle through it connects to the rear landing gear. The spaces between the series of gears for this function actually gave way for inspiration for the astromech droid's functions.
The droid has two gears just behind it. One of them, when rotated slightly, moves a lock that holds the droid in place. The other gear controls a shaft that moves past the gears previously spoken about for the copilot and controls the missile or bomb. The gear can only rotate 90º; for, as seen on the bottom of the vehicle, it rotates a 2-long module 90º. This causes the black piece below to move forward, causing the axle through it to push the missile out. The entire missile assembly can be easily removed as well.
The rear gunner's control stick adjusts the elevation the gun.
Front landing gear moves by rotating gear with finger or hand
Landing gear (including nose) are folded up to flight position
Removable bomb assembly
Profile with bomb assembly removed
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