This is the Mech Dropship Super Combo! I came up with this idea years ago, and have tried (and failed) to make it into reality multiple times. Now, it's ready to take off into battle! There were three main goals I wanted to achieve with this model: I wanted it to be very posable and full of features, I wanted it to be strong, sturdy, and stable, and I wanted it to have a high level of detail.

To these ends, I carefully designed the model using a physical test model to ensure each joint could hold the weight required. This also goes for the latching mechanism on the dropship, which use rubber elements to keep the mech locked in. There are also rubber elements on the bottom of the feet to keep it from sliding around, and also underneath the display stand. Technic is integrated throughout to ensure everything is solidly connected. For the combined mode, it was tricky to design the folding cockpit section to have it be strong while being slim enough to fit over the shoulders.

I also added as many joints as I could reasonably add. I took advantage of the recent family of large scale ratchet joints to make sure each joint had a full range of motion, while also making sure different armor parts are able to hinge out of the way to let that range be usable. I also realized early on the tail fin of the dropship would get in the way of the legs, so I took advantage of this to turn them into accessories for the mech. You can either keep the tail assembled as a shield, while combining the two swords from the base mode, or split them apart to form two under-slung heavy blasters, while stowing the swords on the adjustable sheaths on the thighs. The final key feature are the blast effect elements. These are inspired by action figures and mecha model kits. The engines and blasters throughout the model were designed to have bar connections at the end to make sure these effect parts would be compatible with all of them.

Finally, for the detail, I wanted to make sure the model would look good from every angle. This included covering the base mech in SNOT elements and brackets to add details onto every side. For the dropship, I wanted studs facing out on both sides of the wings. To accomplish this, there are bar and clip connector hidden in the engines to reverse the studs, while the front dish and back exhaust clamp the two sides of the wing together. Otherwise, I'm proud of the shaping of the fuselage of the ship, with the angles curved panels that continue the coloration from the cockpit into the tail.

Speaking of, the color scheme was dictated by the availability of the parts I needed; the slopes on the hip skirts are only available in white, and the best color for the swords was teal. This also meant I could use the recently released education spacesuits for my minifigs, which make it clear what direction I needed to go in. Thank you for your interest in my model!