07 March 2017

NEXOGON: Platform and Slugship

Posted by Admin
Duncan Lindbo (donutsftw on Flickr) has completed his initial creations using part 27255, the Combo Power Shield from LEGO® NEXO KNIGHTS™. Let's start with two of them today.

Normally, I get referred to as "the mecha guy", since giant robots tend to dominate my displays at public events... but I welcome the opportunity to flex my creative muscles, and the NEXOGON parts festival has given me the opportunity to do just that!




The first build I came up with is a small set of platforms and walkways, suitable for all your sci-fi base-building needs. To me, it looks like something from a galaxy far, far away, where worker safety laws are non-existent.

Let's take a look at the tablescrap that inspired it.

I liked the angles that the 2x4 wedge plates (Design ID 51739) form, and the end result is an interesting-looking assembly that is generic enough to have multiple uses. Connecting the "fan blades" (Hinge Plate 1 x 8 with Angled Side Extensions, Design ID 30407) securely to the central shaft took a few iterations, but the end result works fairly well.

Note the use of a 1x2 plate with clip to attach the fan blades on the shaft, this is necessary because none of the angles allowed by a click hinge work.

[Note from Ed: I assumed such a connection is illegal, but Duncan pointed out to me that it is used in LEGO® NINJAGO™ 70723 Thunder Raider. Indeed, the inner edges of the fingers on click hinges have tiny 3.18mm indentations. How did I never know this? However, the connection is weak.]


The larger platform is formed by anchoring two pillars together with a 180° SNOT reversal trick using the long-discontinued finger hinges (e.g. Design ID 4275, 4276). I know this is New Elementary, but sometimes old parts work better!





My second build grew out of the same tablescrap, using it as the "tail" of a spaceship, vaguely inspired by some of the Slug ships from the game FTL.

There's no fancy SNOT techniques here, just a bunch of greebles.


Hopefully some of these builds inspired you. With so many connection points, the Nexogon has a tremendous amount of potential, and I've only scratched the surface. Happy building!


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5 comments:

  1. 62462 tubes (5 plates high) would have been better to attach the 2 pillars, no?

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    Replies
    1. Those would have worked as well. They're certainly more readily available. The main reason I built it the way I did was because I saw an opportunity to show off a technique that some readers might not know about.

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  3. Very nice article and builds! Also, Ed, just FYI, the clip-on-female-click-hinge connection is used in 70723 Thunder Raider solely because it is weak; it's used to secure a connection in one of two modes, to make it easy for kids to switch. I have the set, and it works quite effectively, and isn't too weak, due to the additional friction of the other parts in the function.

    Once again, great article and builds!

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    Replies
    1. I think the click hinge to clip connection is pretty commonly used in Nexo Knights sets, too- I'm pretty sure Clay's Rumble Blade is one.

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