By GoodwillHunter
Aug 03, 2016
As soon as I saw the Star Trek Mega Bloks Bridge set, I knew that I would have to try making a complete bridge. Seeing Matthew Carlson’s version inspired me to start looking for these sets on Amazon Warehouse Deals, and last week I got the last of the 3 sets I needed.
With the original set having 4 sections, I thought that 12 would be needed to form the full circular bridge, but oddly enough, only 11 are needed. While this provides some extra bloks to work with, it also posed some challenges towards the end of the build. And while 11 sections let you complete the circle, the small gaps between the sections that the hinges make will not. I found that joining the sections in 5 spots around the circle with 1x2 grid plates above and standard 1x2 plates below make for a nearly perfect circle.
I moved the Captain’s chair forward one stud, and had to move the red rails back one stud to allow them to fit. I also added a rounded base and a swivel to the Captain’s chair so it could turn as it does in the show. I added a layer of standard bloks under all of the outer sections to make room for a center floor. The center floor is attached to the command platform, and the 3 sets of steps are attached to the center floor.
The biggest compromise I had to make was the use of a full-width outer ring console on either side of the viewscreen, instead of the half-width consoles that appear in show. Couldn’t see a way around this, and unless you are comparing the build to images of the actual set, it doesn’t look terribly out of place. The view screen was the most challenging part of the build, as it had to be built from scratch and sits where two of the angled sections are joined together. I repurposed the angled walls from the turbolift entrance, with the commemorative plaques removed, and other elements from the unused center consoles to put it together. The view screen unit is removable, the view screen images printed on paper are interchangeable, and a friction fit allows it to align properly over the angled studs it sits on.
I picked up the “Dove” and “Forever” sets as well, so I could have the whole gang together, which also gave me a few extra red shirts in case someone needs to die… ;) I’m happy with how much this ended up looking like the actual bridge from the original series, and for all of you die-hard Trekkers out there, I highly recommend` putting together your own personal 360 degree Enterprise bridge!
With the original set having 4 sections, I thought that 12 would be needed to form the full circular bridge, but oddly enough, only 11 are needed. While this provides some extra bloks to work with, it also posed some challenges towards the end of the build. And while 11 sections let you complete the circle, the small gaps between the sections that the hinges make will not. I found that joining the sections in 5 spots around the circle with 1x2 grid plates above and standard 1x2 plates below make for a nearly perfect circle.
I moved the Captain’s chair forward one stud, and had to move the red rails back one stud to allow them to fit. I also added a rounded base and a swivel to the Captain’s chair so it could turn as it does in the show. I added a layer of standard bloks under all of the outer sections to make room for a center floor. The center floor is attached to the command platform, and the 3 sets of steps are attached to the center floor.
The biggest compromise I had to make was the use of a full-width outer ring console on either side of the viewscreen, instead of the half-width consoles that appear in show. Couldn’t see a way around this, and unless you are comparing the build to images of the actual set, it doesn’t look terribly out of place. The view screen was the most challenging part of the build, as it had to be built from scratch and sits where two of the angled sections are joined together. I repurposed the angled walls from the turbolift entrance, with the commemorative plaques removed, and other elements from the unused center consoles to put it together. The view screen unit is removable, the view screen images printed on paper are interchangeable, and a friction fit allows it to align properly over the angled studs it sits on.
I picked up the “Dove” and “Forever” sets as well, so I could have the whole gang together, which also gave me a few extra red shirts in case someone needs to die… ;) I’m happy with how much this ended up looking like the actual bridge from the original series, and for all of you die-hard Trekkers out there, I highly recommend` putting together your own personal 360 degree Enterprise bridge!