The landing gear on my dieselpunk-inspired X-Wing was a last minute addition and I was never really happy with it and went back and forth over the last couple of months, looking for the right balance between looks and stability:
The first variant was, while super-sturdy, way too chunky for that little ship and looked not really like a landing gear at all. At least it could been folded up to hide that unsightly thing in flight mode!
The second one was very elegant and slim. Maybe too much so. Its legs kept falling off when you tried to lower or raise it, since they were only clipped on. Not really an alternative.
But now it seems I got it finally right. Thanks to the A-Wing from the Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced and A-Wing Fighter-set. Phew – what a name!
While I am not perfectly happy with the landing gear extending straight downwards, instead of tilting slightly forward and to the sides, I definitely like this variant best.
It also looks very tidy when folded in. A landing gear is ideally something that is integrated into the ship, not an appendix. Even if I usually add them last!
As you can see from this post, there is quite a process of experimenting, testing, dismissing and experimenting with something different going on. But that’s building with Lego for me! In that sense, a build is never finished. There are always new things to learn. I also don’t want my creations being pieces of art you are not supposed to touch, or even breathe at, without making it fall apart. I want them looking good and at the same time as sturdy as every set you can buy in the stores – or even sturdier!
Apart from the landing gear, I also removed some of the tiles from the wings to make them appear slimmer and slightly changed the construction of the rear to make it a bit sturdier and (hopefully) improve its appearance. All small things, but they can influence the look and feel of a build quite a lot. At least for me.
Little Worlds 