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danth

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I love that it is in-scale with the Lego  Statie of Liberty. Can pair them together to not only give a sense of scale but kind of as a “What if” scene of Titanic reaching her destination. 
 

Chris

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Got my version of the System Tumbler today- been waiting while its been in Fed Ex limbo for the past few days, but well worth the wait. I have the first edition of the UCS Tumbler, and while that's a cool set, I'm more of a System scale guy, i.e. everything scaled to minifigs, and the previous Tumbler sets at that scale left somewhat to be desired. It's taken 16 years, but LEGO has finally delivered a respectable minifig scaled model that depicts the iconic Tumbler with a fair bit of accuracy.   This Tumbler is also a 2 seater, taking advantage of the base plate that forms the chassis of the 8 stud wide Speed Champion vehicles, a welcome change from the old 6 wide cars, IMHO., as well as the previous two single seater System Tumblers.

Just for a memory jog, these are the previous releases

7888-1.png76001-1.png

Both the Tumbler and The Bat leave somewhat to be desired from an accuracy POV, but I have to admit that little Tumbler was fun to build and play with. As toys both succeeded in being fun representations, albeit with a bat-load of liberties taken.  :p

And this is the new hotness:😍 

Lego Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown

Of course, LEGO loves its shooters, but I'm happy to say that they're built in fairly discreetly on the front wheel mounts, and if you remove the gold studs used as ammo, they're barely noticeable, looking more like mechanical bits than guns. However, being LEGO, it's a a fairly easy mod to remove them if they hurt one's sensibilities. The build was innovative for how the various angles were achieved, and there were were even some parts in the set that I've never seen before in person (the modified plate with an angled panel attached sitting in front of the rear tires. I knew that part existed, but this is my first hands on. It was perfect for this application). Anyway, if you can't tell, I'm extremely happy with this set. It took a long time, but I feel that the designers really delivered, not an easy feat at this scale.  And because I'm greedy, and love the Nolan Batman films, I'm hoping The Bat will get a similar treatment after the rather lackluster first attempt. A new camo Tumbler modified with retractable rocket launcher from DKR would be nice, too, while I'm making wishes. It would be a glorious thing if the new Bat set also came with a HEMMT with a bomb for Batman to carry out to sea. I love the HEMMT, and this as good an excuse as any for LEGO to give us an approximation- their no modern warfare policy would preclude an exact representation, but if they came close, that'd be fine by me.

As for the figs in this set, Batman is a decent representation of Bale's suit, with both sides of the torso being printed. Arm and leg printing would have been nice, though, to really raise the fig above standard and impart some further armor detail. He comes with a second head to represent his creepy look to a fear gas infected Crane- pretty neat addition. His cape is of the soft material and unlike the starched fabric capes, only has a single neck hole. While the cockpit of this set is fairly spacious compared to many other superhero sets, it can still be a little challenging to get Batman to sit without some finagling, and the soft cape helps. The villain in this set is Dr. Jonathan Crane, better known by his nom d' guerre, Scarecrow.  While they did an arguably good job of depicting his mask via printing, both front and back of the minifig head, it feels off to me somehow. I'm not sure how they could improve it short of making a specialized molded head, but it does the job.

Since the bad guys in the first two Dark Knight Trilogy films didn't really have vehicles, per se, there's really nothing for the Tumbler to go up against set-wise, and by the mid-second and third films, Batman was driving the Batpod around, having crashed the Tumbler in TDK. There's a little bit of a void there so far as playability, but nonetheless, I love me some Batmobiles, and this new Tumbler is most welcome. I hope LEGO's not done revisiting the DKT.

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14 hours ago, danth said:

I finished my first transforming Lego project. It's nothing that great, but I like it! Shout out to @M'Kyuun who inspired me to get off my ass and finally build something!

Perspective View Perspective View Transformed

Album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/75562601@N00/albums/72157720031764664

Stop motion transformation: https://imgur.com/a/S2coDYz

Dude! That's a pretty sweet little build! I was checking out the basic shape of it, and never even noticed the ball joints; they're pretty well integrated. Anyway, I didn't realize it transformed until I read the bit of text above the ship pic and scrolled down for bot mode. I can envision a swarm of these as utility bots maintaining a big ship or station, buzzing here and there (well not actually buzzing- there's no sound in space, silly).^_^  Man, I'm honored for the shout out, and humbled by the sentiment; I guess we never realize the influence we can have on others, and I'm glad mine was a positive one which resulted in a cool transforming mech. Not many folks do the transforming thing, even amongst some of the heavy hitter builders who attend big conventions or end up on shows like LEGO Masters. We're a rare breed within the community, and I hope this is the first of many more variable mecha that you grace us with. Leg godt, Danth.

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I feel the issue with the Scarecrow minifig is the color the head's  molded in---it's too close to flesh and the eye-surround print color, so it ends up looking more like a bald head with big eyes and scars, than a bag with stitching.  If it'd been molded in dark orange or nougat or something, I think it would have worked better.  

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On 10/18/2021 at 12:43 PM, M'Kyuun said:

Dude! That's a pretty sweet little build! I was checking out the basic shape of it, and never even noticed the ball joints; they're pretty well integrated. Anyway, I didn't realize it transformed until I read the bit of text above the ship pic and scrolled down for bot mode. I can envision a swarm of these as utility bots maintaining a big ship or station, buzzing here and there (well not actually buzzing- there's no sound in space, silly).^_^  Man, I'm honored for the shout out, and humbled by the sentiment; I guess we never realize the influence we can have on others, and I'm glad mine was a positive one which resulted in a cool transforming mech. Not many folks do the transforming thing, even amongst some of the heavy hitter builders who attend big conventions or end up on shows like LEGO Masters. We're a rare breed within the community, and I hope this is the first of many more variable mecha that you grace us with. Leg godt, Danth.

Thanks for the kind words!

Your epic Macross builds definitely made something click in my head. I guess they made me realize I had no excuse, for one, and that the things I wanted to build were possible, for two.

My MOC above is sorta cheating a bit in the "transformation" department. The arms & legs fold up but the fuselage doesn't change shape. I guess it transforms into a Gerwalk but not a full Battroid so to speak. It's more like something from Gall Force than Macross. I could imagine the main unit ejecting its arms & legs if they got damaged and shooting away.

I actually have a much bigger project almost ready to reveal. I'm just waiting on a package full of Lego parts to get here from Budapest! Not my choice; it's just how Bricklink's "magic buy" split things up. Anyway, this next project is maybe more comparable to your Macross stuff, in scale. I can't wait to get your thoughts on it!

Going back to the topic of joint strength you guys were discussing earlier -- I'm already feeling angst about it myself. The Mixel joints are barely strong enough for my little MOC above. And the technic click-joints are barely strong enough to support a biggish minifig scale transforming mech. For a transforming Lego build you really need joints that are small but have a large range of motion (180 degrees to enable "folding") AND strong enough to hold up the weight of the robot when standing. It's tricky!

 

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On 10/19/2021 at 9:59 PM, danth said:

Thanks for the kind words!

NP- you did good.

On 10/19/2021 at 9:59 PM, danth said:

Your epic Macross builds definitely made something click in my head. I guess they made me realize I had no excuse, for one, and that the things I wanted to build were possible, for two.

Epic is a bit strong, but I'm glad you like them.  I built a VF-4 precisely b/c I really liked the design, and when I started working on it, there were no toys. Yamato came along and gave us a pretty good one, but I never did like the immobile shoulders; that sort of limitation on arm movement just doesn't make sense for a combat mech, so I remedied that on my version. I'm glad that my models inspired you; I'm constantly amazed and inspired by other builders, mecha and otherwise. It makes me realize my own limitations, and having seen what's possible, makes me want to explore more ideas in my own building. I'm glad, for once, I could be on the giving end of that equation rather than the receiving end.

On 10/19/2021 at 9:59 PM, danth said:

My MOC above is sorta cheating a bit in the "transformation" department. The arms & legs fold up but the fuselage doesn't change shape. I guess it transforms into a Gerwalk but not a full Battroid so to speak. It's more like something from Gall Force than Macross. I could imagine the main unit ejecting its arms & legs if they got damaged and shooting away.

Still a transformation, even if it's not overcomplex or fancy. My little forklift guy is simple but straightforward- nothing too fancy, just enough to get the job done.  Be proud of your compact variable space tug (that's how I see it; sorry if I'm mischaracterizing). It's  tough to make the smaller things transform, in my experience- not as much room to tuck things away. You did a good job of it, in an appealing and practical little model that can accommodate a minifig.  All pluses. 

On 10/19/2021 at 9:59 PM, danth said:

I actually have a much bigger project almost ready to reveal. I'm just waiting on a package full of Lego parts to get here from Budapest! Not my choice; it's just how Bricklink's "magic buy" split things up. Anyway, this next project is maybe more comparable to your Macross stuff, in scale. I can't wait to get your thoughts on it!

Looking forward to it.  Every success to you.

On 10/19/2021 at 9:59 PM, danth said:

Going back to the topic of joint strength you guys were discussing earlier -- I'm already feeling angst about it myself. The Mixel joints are barely strong enough for my little MOC above. And the technic click-joints are barely strong enough to support a biggish minifig scale transforming mech. For a transforming Lego build you really need joints that are small but have a large range of motion (180 degrees to enable "folding") AND strong enough to hold up the weight of the robot when standing. It's tricky!

Sigh, LEGO's joints are both the wind beneath my wings, and the bane of my existence. They're great to a point, which I often exceed with my builds. I've long pined for more robust joints in the palette, but even with all the mecha sets they've been releasing, they don't seem interested in producing any joints beyond what's already on hand.  The limitation courts creative solutions, as with the IDEAS Voltron shoulder solution, or the awkward use of Exo-Force clicky joints in concert with AT-AT leg joints for some of the larger mecha. These large mecha models beggar for dedicated compact ratcheting joints, but LEGO , for whatever reason, doesn't make them. Anyway, I've taken to cheating here and there with some of my models to try and extend the life of the joints. My VF-4 has little folded wads of paper in the ball and socket joints comprising the hips and knees. It's ten years old, and still holding up pretty well. I've also tried using small rubber bands inside the Exo-Force clicky joints to try and increase the ratcheting strength, with short-lived benefits. Those joints are great for their range and size, but they have poor endurance under any significant load. I'd love a more robust replacement for them at the same size.

Tricky indeed. ;) Alas, all part of the fun. :wacko: I'm sure it'll offer you plenty of opportunities to exercise the spicier part of your vocabulary from time to time. If I had to put a quarter in a jar every time I swore at my LEGO stuff, I'd have to take out second and third mortgages.😄 Probably a good thing I don't have kids.:ph34r:

Good luck with your project, Danth!👍

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I buy mine primarily from the source or directly from brick and mortar retailers like Walmart, Target, and Barnes and Noble.  Most mom and pop kinds of places generally don't have the financial ability to secure supply contracts with LEGO and peddle mostly in used sets. A small marketer selling brand new sets, especially the larger sets, would and should raise an eyebrow.

I buy a lot of parts from Bricklink, which itself is now owned by LEGO. However, Bricklink is populated by literally thousands of independently run stores from people all over the world, and those stores are not policed for their adherence to the law; feedback from buyers to the moderators is really the only method of bringing attention to a seller if there's bad conduct or suspicion of the same. So, as always, buyer beware.

I'm glad that a wary Amazon employee contacted police, and that, at least for the time, they've put a stop to his operation. Hopefully they nail his suppliers, too. Moreover, shoplifters have become bold, blatantly stealing carts of merchandise without the retailers having much recourse to stop them or protect themselves. Hopefully that's a situation that will change too, as these thieves only serve to drive the costs up as retailers try to compensate for their losses. And the thieves themselves are no doubt among the dreaded scalpers making it difficult to find stuff in stores. I live in WA state, and more often of late private security is being employed for a lot of the bigger retailers. What a shame that it's come to this.

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This was the winner in the LEGO Ideas/ Chronicle Books Puzzle fan vote contest, beating out three other submissions by a huge margin. It's set to release in May. I'll definitely be picking this up- I'll probably glue it and hang it in my cave.😍   

LEGO-Ideas-Minifigure-Space-Mission.jpg

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4 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

This was the winner in the LEGO Ideas/ Chronicle Books Puzzle fan vote contest, beating out three other submissions by a huge margin. It's set to release in May. I'll definitely be picking this up- I'll probably glue it and hang it in my cave.😍   

LEGO-Ideas-Minifigure-Space-Mission.jpg

So after all these years we get a frakking puzzle? 🤣😒

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4 hours ago, danth said:

So after all these years we get a frakking puzzle? 🤣😒

Small victories, man. Take 'em where you can get 'em. :) 

Still waiting on the verdict for the winner of the 90th anniversary set, although I have a really, really bad feeling that Bionicle is going to win.<_< IMHO, Bionicle shouldn't have been a contender- it should have been strictly classic themes.  AFAIK, Classic Space was pretty high in the running, though; I'd be ecstatic if it won, as it's still one of my all-time favorite themes, and I'd love to see it make a return, with modern techniques and palette to give it the necessary update.

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Bummer, it appears the Lego Titanic is delayed a week. Now available Nov 8. Originally it was supposed to be available today and shipping the 8th so no real biggie, just excited for this set is all.

Chris

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Repeating what I wrote over on tfw, it looks enormous. :o

I wonder what the piece count will be and how it will stack up to some of the better MOCs like the plus-sized AT-AT? I'm liking the interior detail, especially in the cockpit/head. Is this going to need a special tool to lock the legs in place? I'm not really sure what is going on in the lower right corner of the first photo. It seems to imply something about the legs, though.

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1 hour ago, technoblue said:

s this going to need a special tool to lock the legs in place? I'm not really sure what is going on in the lower right corner of the first photo. It seems to imply something about the legs, though.

I'm thinking the hip and knee joints are worm geared and there's a tool to move them without having a knob sticking out all the time.

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2 hours ago, snakerbot said:

I'm thinking the hip and knee joints are worm geared and there's a tool to move them without having a knob sticking out all the time.

That's the most likely scenario for a model of this size with articulation. It's a good solution, one I've seen employed numerous times by large mecha builders. Moreover, it provides stability, while also allowing a change of pose, which is the best of both worlds. I honestly figured, if the rumor was true, that the legs would be immobile like the Ideas Voltron and the UCS Hulkbuster sets. So this is good.

IIRC, this is supposed to have approx 6,700 pcs, and retail for $800.  The difference between this and the Millennium Falcon for pricing, IMHO, is likely due to the heavy use of large Technic gears throughout to accomplish the articulation. as well as a lot of large plates and Technic beams,  Still a lot of plastic, but not as many pieces.

I assume they'll probably use these turntables 48452cx1.png for the hip joints, rotated via worm gears, for a very solid yet moveable leg system.

Edited by M'Kyuun
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The UCS AT-AT is a monkey’s paw wish come true for me.

I love the minifig scale OT Star Wars vehicles and I just commissioned a custom glass showcase where I can display my UCS Millennium Falcon that is currently collecting dust.

However I have probably no room for this since it is gonna be super tall and I’m fairly content with the most recent playset AT-AT😣 

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Finally I can share the MOC I've been working on for so long.

It's a redux of the Blacktron Renegade.

6954-1.jpg

I was always enamored the set but never had it as a kid. Obviously I fixed that as an adult. But I thought it could use an update.

I present to you the Blacktron Betrayer:

Urrh2jA.png

JNAspV2.jpg

One thing I was definitely excited about was recreating the Blacktron symbol with the new triangle tiles.

Like the original, there are two side pods that can detach as well as the main command ship.

U2yelLB.jpg

The command ship has hidden guns!

AUK4iqJ.jpgWV53PaJ.jpg

The side ships are a little more substantial than the original pods:

ZK36SmWm.jpg VkSluXsm.jpg

It's probably not a surprise that something else is up with the main body of the ship. I always thought the original was a little weird -- if you removed the command ship, the rest of the ship doesn't really look like anything. It's sort of the ass end of a space ship with nothing controlling it. I assume you had to pretend it was computer controlled at that point.

Which of course gave me an idea. Why not make it fully AI? Like...a robot?

ZnEKLwh.jpg

jlloCKS.jpg

So, that's it! The transformation is probably not that hard to figure out from the pics.

Overall the MOC is kinda goofy. There are gray joint parts that don't exist in black or yellow, and I hid some as well as I could, but others I didn't feel worth hiding. The landing gear are phoned in -- maybe I'll tweak 'em later. And of course the transformation is, like, really dumb in how it puts all the heavy pieces on the end of some wing/arm/etc held up by a click joint. I have a few tricks to hold things in place but I'm still I'm going to try to avoid that kind of mistake next time!

It took me a while, I'm just glad I can call it done.4ZueRLW.jpg

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Hey @danth, just seeing this. I was thinking those engines looked a bit chonky, but otherwise, the salient details of the ship were present, especially the modularity which was one of the main gimmicks of Blacktron 1. Incidentally, I always thought the frame with it's command pod removed was a bit odd looking myself, but I always figured it would just stay put wherever it landed until another command pod, like the Battrax's, would snap on. Concerning the engines- a bit thick as engines, but I love the look of them as feet.🤤  I must confess, I didn't get the Blacktron symbol from those yellow triangle tiles until you said something, at which point I facepalmed. The fact that they're raised above the wing's surface and form the logo better from certain angles threw me.

Anyway, I totally missed the joints on first glance, and was surprised by the mech; wonderful idea for the frame, as it gives it some purpose, and elevates the cool factor. I assume you lose the cargo container as a tradeoff, but if this had been the direction of the set back when it came out, I would have been over the moon. I always liked robots, and by '87 when this set came out, I was in full thrall with everything and anything transformable.  I would have gone bananas for this. Heck, if this showed up on shelves, I still would.

Great job, man! It's one of the most creative updates of an old Space set that I've seen; few dabble in the dark art of transforming mecha, so I applaud both the concept and execution.  Very cool.  👍

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Well I took the plunge….(hehe)…and ordered the Titanic. It was immediately back ordered Sunday night but will ship around Dec 14 which works for me as it is a Christmas treat for myself and something to work on over the Holidays.  Also ordered a Statue of Liberty set to go with it.

Chris

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26 minutes ago, technoblue said:

Imperial walkers on the north ridge. :help:

It sure looks awesome, like the UCS Falcon, but I'm not sure I can pick up the tab on it (even with points). Maybe later.

I've been saving my points for years for just such an eventuality. I have enough to cover a pretty good portion of the tab at this point, at least half.  As I've said before, this is THE SET I've been waiting for since they started the UCS line in the early 00s, really since they picked up the license in '99, so I'm down for a copy on day one. I just have to figure out where I'm going to put it. 

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4 minutes ago, M&#x27;Kyuun said:

I've been saving my points for years for just such an eventuality. I have enough to cover a pretty good portion of the tab at this point, at least half.  As I've said before, this is THE SET I've been waiting for since they started the UCS line in the early 00s, really since they picked up the license in '99, so I'm down for a copy on day one. I just have to figure out where I'm going to put it. 

That'll be a sweet delivery when your set arrives. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on it. B))

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19 hours ago, M&#x27;Kyuun said:

Hey @danth, just seeing this. I was thinking those engines looked a bit chonky, but otherwise, the salient details of the ship were present, especially the modularity which was one of the main gimmicks of Blacktron 1. Incidentally, I always thought the frame with it's command pod removed was a bit odd looking myself, but I always figured it would just stay put wherever it landed until another command pod, like the Battrax's, would snap on. Concerning the engines- a bit thick as engines, but I love the look of them as feet.🤤  I must confess, I didn't get the Blacktron symbol from those yellow triangle tiles until you said something, at which point I facepalmed. The fact that they're raised above the wing's surface and form the logo better from certain angles threw me.

Anyway, I totally missed the joints on first glance, and was surprised by the mech; wonderful idea for the frame, as it gives it some purpose, and elevates the cool factor. I assume you lose the cargo container as a tradeoff, but if this had been the direction of the set back when it came out, I would have been over the moon. I always liked robots, and by '87 when this set came out, I was in full thrall with everything and anything transformable.  I would have gone bananas for this. Heck, if this showed up on shelves, I still would.

Great job, man! It's one of the most creative updates of an old Space set that I've seen; few dabble in the dark art of transforming mecha, so I applaud both the concept and execution.  Very cool.  👍

Ha, chonky is the right word for those thrusters! I had ideas to make them one stud shorter front-to-back, and maybe one stud shorter top-to-bottom with some sneaky tricks...but I never proofed those ideas out and I kinda got tired and wanted to call it done. 😅

I couldn't get the yellow triangles to rest flush on the wings while maintaining the spacing between them I wanted. Probably in part because I went with SNOT wings which added even more complication..I kinda regret that in retrospect. Hmm I bet it could be done with some tinkering...

As always thanks for the feedback and inspiration!

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12 hours ago, technoblue said:

That'll be a sweet delivery when your set arrives. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on it. B))

That makes two of us!😄  Honestly, I haven't been this excited for a LEGO set in a long time, and I'm a pretty ardent fan- my ever shrinking house is full of the stuff, and they keep making more, so I've had to start becoming a little more choosy. But this AT-AT is so bought.  I'm already trying to figure out where I'm going to put it, as I'm pretty much out of flat surfaces to put anything.  rest assured, though, I'll share my thoughts on it once I have it. I'm envious of all these Blog and Vloggers who've been getting free early copies of this thing to review.  

2 hours ago, danth said:

Ha, chonky is the right word for those thrusters! I had ideas to make them one stud shorter front-to-back, and maybe one stud shorter top-to-bottom with some sneaky tricks...but I never proofed those ideas out and I kinda got tired and wanted to call it done. 😅

I couldn't get the yellow triangles to rest flush on the wings while maintaining the spacing between them I wanted. Probably in part because I went with SNOT wings which added even more complication..I kinda regret that in retrospect. Hmm I bet it could be done with some tinkering...

As always thanks for the feedback and inspiration!

I can understand wanting to be done with a project- sometimes you just get fatigued.  That's when I'm happy it's just a hobby and not designing something like a park ride, a real car, or aircraft where lives matter if you get tired and institute a mediocre solution out of frustration or fatigue. I don't envy engineers the pressures they face when trying to design something, especially if they're treading new ground. I'd be a poor engineer. Anyway, your engines make great looking feet. :)

I've messed with those triangle tiles before (really useful parts), and they can be tricky to  stand on their base like a pyramid to form the Blacktron logo. Here's a simple way I found to do it: 100_5126.JPG.d4cda99bae5148e7d36b09cb356920bc.JPG100_5128.JPG.f6067ab090321e3b8ed705b65f17e8bb.JPG

I realize the colors are reversed on the triangles, but I only have two yellow ones and a bunch of black, but for demo purposes, I think it illustrates the technique ok. The resulting logo is fatter and shorter than it should be, but it approximates it well enough using what LEGO gives us. Anyway, I hope this is useful , whether or not you choose to use it on your Betrayer. 

In all your LEGO endeavors, I wish you every success. Keep building, and build what makes you happy; that's the important part. I appreciate the kind words, and your valuation of my input. I'm honored, man, and happy to help if I can.  Leg godt, bro!

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