|
 |
|
|
Drake
First I had the idea that heavy Mecha would need an escort just like a big
aircraft carrier. So this type of Mecha should be smaller than the escorted
one. Thus I started to think about a medium Mecha.
| | I had wanted to use geared joints on a smaler Mecha for quite a while. It should be fun to build without bothering about the weight! So I desided to give it a try. The result were a pair of legs with feet I liked. Only those legs weren’t connected yet.
|
| |
| | The body of that new machine wasn’t more than a vague shape I had in mind. I started three or four times before I made the bricks fit thet shape. Next problem was to build a cockpit into the body. Like many times in life the result was a compromise. The cockpit itself looked quite good IMO. But the cover could not swing open. It had to be removed to get the pilot out. And the cover didn’t integrate into the overall look.
| | 
|
I laid the body aside and tried to connect the legs. Every approach with
geared joints resulted in enormous wide hips. Which made just the whole thing
look funny. But not in a nice way! That wasn’t what it should look like -
definetly not!
| | So I swapped to ball joints. This worked very good. The first try was satisfying. Just the coverage had to be refined on a few details.
When I put it all together the first time I found the name. The shape without the weapons somehow reminded me of a drake. In addition to the two guns on the sides I added one on the top.
| | 
|
| | 
| | So he stood for a few days. I started to think about alternate weaponery. Drake shure could be used as a medium assault Mecha. Looking on the remaining bricks in the color scheme I considrerd to build two big guns and launcer battery. The result was Drake MkII.
At this time I had become used to the weak points of the design I wasn’t really satisfied with. I didn’t recognize them anymore. So I posted on LUGNET.
| |
|
Like often the audience noticed the weak points in the design. This is one
thing on LUGNET I’m really glad about. You get constructive critique! In this
case the response from Mark Neumann
made me rethink my design. I read it late in the morning and after lunch
started to redesign the ankles and the cockpit.
| | The ankles I build that afternoon were slightly refined the following days.
| | 
|
| | 
| | The cockpit was only the beginning of a general body front part rebuild. As I had experimented with alternate weapons I searched for a way to also modularize the supporting beams.
| | 
|
| | 
| | During the rebuilding process also the greebling got better. And then one day it was Drake MkIII.
By the time of the first post Drake was just another Mecha I made. Drake MkIII is one of the good ones...
| | 
|
But I knew Drake could be more and better!
I started to work on details, greeblings and new waepons. After a while I
managed to build underslung twin barreled guns that weren’t to bulky and didn’t
interfere with the movement of the legs. But I wasn’t happy with the supports.
They looked to weak and a bit like toy parts. I looked at this for more than a
week. Thinking and rethinking several opportunities. I wanted those guns. And
I wanted the next Drake to look as perfect as possible.
When I was satisfied with the result I left him standing for several weeks. Just to have a look
and maybe refine some details.
During a week off spent in Bavaria I thought about the way Drake took. Then one evening in the
bar with a glass of wine I put this story to paper. Thought of the pictures to put in as thumbs.
Finally I desided the time had come to post Drake MkIV together with this story after my return
home. Then I was very busy at work and didn’t find the time to take pictures. So it took two more
month till I finally did it.
2005-07-29
On Christmas Day I disassembled Drake MkIV to get the bricks for new projects. It was hard to do, but it gave me the opportunity to take some pictures
of inside details I couldn’t show before.
The legs frame and
the gears inside
| | 
| | 
| | 
| | 
| | 
|
| | The foot joint
| | 
|
| | The way the lower part of
the gun housing was attached
| | 
|
| | An finally, the 1340 parts
it was made of
| | 
|
2005-12-28
|
