aggie_92
LL 6890 Cosmic Cruiser inspired by Mark Stafford, ca. 2008
A modern update of set 6890 "Cosmic Cruiser" aka "Delta 1 Explorer and Shuttle," primarily inspired by a Space Police 3 sketch model built by Mark Stafford in 2007 or 2008, which in turn reminded NilsOBrix of the Cosmic Cruiser in a comment. Original here:
www.flickr.com/photos/nabii/8971069450/in/faves-149520828...
The Cosmic Cruiser is harder to update than the 918/924/928 series, because so much of its identity derives from its functionality rather than its shape. The mini scooter inside the larger spaceship, which itself is still small and swooshable, is a fun idea, but I don't like some aspects of the original set. The main rocket motor is way too big for the scooter, and with the scooter removed the spaceship is an immobile shell. With the scooter in place, the cockpit is anything but airtight, and the scooter rattles around as if it's about to fall out.
In this update, I wanted to keep the size and shape of Mark Stafford's sketch model while adding Cosmic Cruiser play features. I also wanted the Cruiser itself to still be flyable without the scooter - perhaps it can operate autonomously to come pick up the scooter if the scooter runs out of gas. That meant the scooter had to have a separate, smaller engine and the Cruiser had to have a set of retractable landing gear separate from the scooter. That also required the main engine and the rear fuselage to all swing up on the same hatch, which became too heavy to trust to the hinges used. It was then a bit of a challenge to come up with locks to hold the hatch in the open and closed positions. The hull color had to be red because a critical wedge piece is not available in blue.
The scooter is smaller and more boring than I would have preferred, but it fits neatly in the shell of the Cruiser with a docking mechanism that's a little bit more sophisticated than simply leaving studs on top, and the cockpit is airtight. As an homage to the original set, the scooter is built around the current standard automobile base, just like the original was. Unfortunately, I couldn't find room for the scooter to carry the standard set of tools (radio, spanner, space gun).
LL 6890 Cosmic Cruiser inspired by Mark Stafford, ca. 2008
A modern update of set 6890 "Cosmic Cruiser" aka "Delta 1 Explorer and Shuttle," primarily inspired by a Space Police 3 sketch model built by Mark Stafford in 2007 or 2008, which in turn reminded NilsOBrix of the Cosmic Cruiser in a comment. Original here:
www.flickr.com/photos/nabii/8971069450/in/faves-149520828...
The Cosmic Cruiser is harder to update than the 918/924/928 series, because so much of its identity derives from its functionality rather than its shape. The mini scooter inside the larger spaceship, which itself is still small and swooshable, is a fun idea, but I don't like some aspects of the original set. The main rocket motor is way too big for the scooter, and with the scooter removed the spaceship is an immobile shell. With the scooter in place, the cockpit is anything but airtight, and the scooter rattles around as if it's about to fall out.
In this update, I wanted to keep the size and shape of Mark Stafford's sketch model while adding Cosmic Cruiser play features. I also wanted the Cruiser itself to still be flyable without the scooter - perhaps it can operate autonomously to come pick up the scooter if the scooter runs out of gas. That meant the scooter had to have a separate, smaller engine and the Cruiser had to have a set of retractable landing gear separate from the scooter. That also required the main engine and the rear fuselage to all swing up on the same hatch, which became too heavy to trust to the hinges used. It was then a bit of a challenge to come up with locks to hold the hatch in the open and closed positions. The hull color had to be red because a critical wedge piece is not available in blue.
The scooter is smaller and more boring than I would have preferred, but it fits neatly in the shell of the Cruiser with a docking mechanism that's a little bit more sophisticated than simply leaving studs on top, and the cockpit is airtight. As an homage to the original set, the scooter is built around the current standard automobile base, just like the original was. Unfortunately, I couldn't find room for the scooter to carry the standard set of tools (radio, spanner, space gun).