Perhaps Legos® have hidden qualities
than a keen eye misses; perhaps Legos® possess a dimension often overlooked;
perhaps the only way to truly find the answer to these geometric mysteries is
to simply first receive information on this topic and then experience the
process of Lego® building for oneself. Probably
you, the reader, have interest in those quaint building tools, no matter your
age or gender. At the end of this guide,
or rather adventure, you should understand that building Legos® from scratch in
itself is an art category, and that these "children's toys" have
attraction and complexity for all ages, especially adults.
This informative guide will aid you
in building an incredible Lego® Star Wars™ fighter from scratch and allow you
to appreciate the ingenuity it takes to successfully build with Legos®. But first, let us familiarize ourselves with
the terms I will be using. A smooth piece
is a piece without studs on top; a wing
piece refers to any piece (not restricted to only wings) which has a
sloping side, whether curved or straight. Flick
missile refers to a design which allows you to fire a Lego® missile from
its mount by flicking it. Before I begin
with the process, I will first to go over the groupings of the process. The first part will incorporate planning, the
second primary building, the third final building—my favorite. The second group of steps is the most
important. Finally, before starting at
step one, start at step zero: Check to
see if you have Legos®!
The first step in constructing the
masterpiece of the century involves much planning; do not overlook this part.
Though this may seem dull and uncreative, planning helps you, the
builder, save time and recognize which direction you want to take. Firstly, organize your Legos®. Two categories serve best, but they are by no
means definite. Organize the Legos® into
“useful” and “not useful” groups. What
goes in each group? Well, anything that
seems useful goes in that pile; everything else goes in the other pile. After that, make subcategories in the useful
pile—these categories can vary, but if you think pieces would make good detail
parts, successful wings, or menacing weapons, organize them in such a way. On a side note, always, without exception, pieces that you deem “not useful” prove
themselves of use and vice versa. The
second phase of planning involves answering a few questions. What color scheme do you want? What moving parts (like a flick missile or
bending wings) do you want on your fighter?
What structural design do you think would best fit? If your imagination fails you in answering
these questions, look to pictures and drawings for inspiration—or mess around
with your pieces for a while to get an idea.
After all of this, you will have completed your planning for building
your venerable fighter, part one of the process.
Now that you have finished
planning, the fun can begin! The second
part involves the primary building of the fighter. First of all, build the moving parts, including
the place which connects the body to the wings.
It is essential that you build the fighter around the mechanisms, not
the other way round; it will make the fighter look both sleek and
professional. Next comes the
cockpit. I always have a tricky time
with this; it requires a balance of fitting a pilot and controls, space for
interior detail, and an avoidance of the cockpit sticking out and making
everything awkward. Do not by any means
feel as if you should follow each of my suggestions to the letter, experiment
with different levels and looks. Next
build the body around the cockpit, making sure you make a place for the wings
to connect. The body could also include
space for an astromech™ droid or cargo.
Be creative!
After the body comes the wings,
which I always enjoy constructing as they can hold a lot of detail and can have
a menagerie of moving parts and smooth pieces, which add character. You can make two wings, three, four, or even
just one; it does not matter the number, so long as it looks efficient and
aerodynamic. Finally comes the optional
step, the tail. The tail can do one of
two things: it can add a touch of smoothness and a multitude design
possibilities, or it can make the entire ensemble look silly and unlike
anything related to Star Wars™. Take
caution, test out different shapes and fins and connection points, if they do
not work, avoid the tail. With all that
enthralling creativity, you will have built the basic fighter, the most
important step.
The next part is the final
building. I find this the most enjoyable
aspect of the entire process. In this
stage, you will first build and add the weapons which you designed earlier on; sometimes
you must add the weapons during the primary building if needed to avoid a
sloppy look. After the weapons you will
need to tweak any issues in structure, add support to make the fighter sturdy,
and make all this look neat. Then comes
the fun part. You can give even more
character and moxy to your fighter by adding intricate details using smooth
pieces. This includes cockpit interior
design, like controls, wing patterns, insignias. This step adds nothing to the function, but greatly
increases the aesthetics of your fighter.
The final building—the last stage—has now perfected your fighter!
Now that you have completed your
Lego® Star Wars™ fighter, do you know if it succeeded? If the fighter as a whole pleases you,
success! If not, feel free to start all
over. Either way, however, do not feel
fear at dismantling your masterpiece and trying something new—that is the
entire point. By now, I hope you
understand the hidden skill, craftsmanship, artistry, and creativity needed to
build not just a Star Wars™ vehicle, but any fine Lego® design from scratch.
