Build Journal: Butterfly Knights

Like my previous Build Journal, I'm refurbishing an old Frame.  In this case though, it's a whole squad of Frames.

My Butterfly Knight design is an interesting one but it has its flaws.  One, it's too flimsy -- the arms fall off at the slightest provocation.  Two, it's not exactly big enough in the torso for a pilot at 6P or 7P which is the scale at which I generally work.  I also wasn't that happy with the hips on them.

So this is essentially a rebuild.  I'm keeping the shoulders, the head, and the basic color scheme, but everything else is getting changed.

Let's start with the skeleton, this will be the core that everything is built out from.  As you can see, I decided to go with the new Mixel joints.  Mainly because the Ball Joint/Axle piece will slot nicely into the shoulder pauldron.  The Mixel joints will also give this revision a range of movement that wasn't possible with the original.  It will also allow for larger and more mobile feet which will make this upgrade more stable on the gaming table.





Orange.  As you can see, the pauldrons slot onto the shoulder
joints and the arms extend down from the pauldrons.
Brickshelf gallery.

Yellow.  The Clip Tile on the shoulder will be where a SSR attaches, once I figure out what they're going to look like for this squad.  Something you can't quite see in this picture is the two "jet engine" pieces mounted on the back.  I had several in the right color and they look good as part of the mech.

Brickshelf gallery.

Red.  The rock-like chest piece is going to act as a defensive attachment for 1B.  The pylon on the left shoulder is for additional attachments.
Brickshelf gallery.

Here's a comparison shot of the old and new designs with a Chub for scale reference.

Now I feel confident in bringing this squad to the table.  After I get enough arms...

Review: 30188 Cute Kitten Polybag

This is a newish polybag available from Toys'R'Us in the United States.

Bag.  $3.99 at Toys'R'Us.  Price per Piece is $0.07.

Instructions.

Parts.  1x1 and 1x2 Technic Bricks!  I need more of both of those.  Cheese Slopes, New Headlight bricks, Friction Pins, 1x2 Mod. Plates w/Bar (closed Ends), Jumper Plates, are what stand out to me at first glance.

Build.  Here's a little mecha that's similar to the old Mechaton Classic.

I took a picture of the two of them

together so you can get an idea of the scale.  In fact, considering the Budget Frames craze sweeping the Hangar, this could be a good starting point for someone looking to get into that race.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +20 (A+).  As a parts set or a Budget Frame competitor, this set is a good choice.

Review: 30313 Garbage Truck Polybag

This one's starting to get a little thin on the ground, so here's a review before it disappears in the Clearance flurry after Easter.

Bag.  $3.99 at Target in the Easter section.  Price per Piece is $0.08

Instructions.

Minifig.


Parts.  There's not really a lot here.  The Clip Bricks are nice as are the Droid Arms, the Double Clip Plate, Lightsaber Bar, 2x2 Dishes, and Slopes w/Plate.






Build.  I'm calling this the Go Kart of Doom.  Stats: 2Rd+d8 (trash can blasters) 2Rh (plow) 1G (wheels) 2W.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  Barely.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  No.  (-5)
Score: +10 (A-).  A good score, but not that great of a set.

Sales Alert

I thought we were going to get a week off, but I guess not.  Toys'R'Us is running a 20% sale on Lego Friends, Star Wars, DC Super Heroes, and Duplo sets.  That should help bring some of those Star Wars Microfighter sets into the affordable range, among other things.

Target is also running a $23.99 sale on the following sets: 76031 Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash, 41059 Friends Jungle Tree Sanctuary, 41097 Friends Heartlake Hot Air Balloon, 31024 Creator Roaring Power or 70168 Ultra Agents Drillex Diamond Job.  They are regularly priced $29.99.

Survey Answers

I figure enough time has passed on my Survey Questions that any new answers aren't forthcoming.  Here are the results.

Survey Question 1: How Often Do You Play?
Never: 4 votes (11%).
Less Than Once a Year: 12 votes (32%).
Yearly: 3 votes (8%).
Every 6 Months: 7 votes (18%).
Every Other Month: 7 votes (18%).
Monthly: 4 votes (11%).
Every Other Week: 1 vote (3%).
Weekly: 0 votes.
More Than That: 0 votes.
Total Votes: 38.

Survey Question 2: How Long Have You Been Playing?
Prior to 2012 (Mechaton): 7 votes (16%).
2012 (MFZ:RA): 9 votes (20%).
2013: 10 votes (22%).
2014 (MFZ:IO): 14 votes (31%).
2015: 5 votes (11%).
Total Votes: 45.

Survey Quest 3: How Old Are You?
Teens: 1 vote (3%).
20s: 11 votes (28%).
30s: 18 votes (45%).
40s: 10 votes (25%).
50s: 0 votes.
Older: 0 votes.
Total Votes: 40.

Survey Question 4: Favorite Faction?
Ijad: 4 votes (13%).
Solar Union: 10 votes (31%).
Free Colonies: 8 votes (25%).
Your Own Solar Calendar Creation: 4 votes (13%).
A Creation Outside the Solar Calendar: 6 votes (19%).
Total Votes: 32.

Survey Question 5: What's Your Favorite Part of Mobile Frame Zero?
The Setting: 8 votes (24%).
The Rules: 5 votes (15%).
The Lego: 16 votes (48%).
Special Snowflake: 4 votes (12%).
Total Votes: 33.

I'm kinda surprised that question two got the most responses.  I'm not really surprised that the community skews older, or that the Lego is the favorite part of MFZ.

Non-Human 17

More non-human robots/frames/mecha for you to ogle.

Sentrybarfs by cmaddison.  A trio of simple, clean builds.

"Palisade" Walker Tank by P.B.  It's beefy,

but I think it's a good size for MFZ.

'Scavenger's Daughter' Tachikoma by dtowncracka.  A very interesting set of parts choices and techniques in this build.  It took me a second glance to figure out it's not quite as large as it looks.

Ma.Ktober - Drone and Combat Suit by Ashton6460.  I really

like this drone, lots of character for not so many pieces.

Pirate Drone by J-Sam.  I like this one, it's a cute little build.

Lego Ideas Rewind

There are a bunch of grandfathered Cuusoo submissions that are set to expire in 35 days when Ideas hits its one year anniversary.  Some of these should get a shot at the review process and I think the community should throw its weight behind them

Microfig Mechas by The Mugbearer.  I've featured his work here before in both Ideas posts and a Spotlight.  Type 3 Mecha from this submission would be right up our alley.

Box Bot by Beitle. I think this deserves to be doing a lot better than it is.

Steel Brothers - Steel Blade by polinozs.  This is a fairly simple design but it has a lot of good parts.

Micro Mechs - Pocket Models by BWTMT Brick.  C'mon, 4P scale mechs.  What's not to love?

Tesla Troops by Garry_Rocks.  This is a massive submission and I hope it gets a little closer to its goal.

Chronos by Accelerando.  One of the main complaints I hear is that Lego doesn't have any sets that are ready to go right out of the box.  This was purpose built for MFZ.  C'mon!!  What more do you want?