Ldraw and MLCAD: 2003-2004

My discovery of the fancreated lego cad software family based on LDraw finally enabled me to get both decent building instructions and pictures of my old models. This triggered another big rebuilding project where I recreated my old stuff on the computer.
And like the great buildtrough, this reviewing enabled me to gather past experiences, and understand techniques like the jumper technique much better.

Starting on this page: With the ability to make pictures of my old models, I was finally able to show my old models to the people at Lego like I'd always wanted. At the same time it was a great showcase on how you can consciously improve both your building style and building technique all the way from the usual kid stuff to quality, so it seemed like a perfect basis for a webpage to promote the lego (space) hobby.

Dating: The rebuilding of models based on old instructions made me aware of a problem: very few of my models were dated and I had some problems finding the right sequence. As a consequence I've been careful to write down the completion days of later models.
As a consequence it's possible to follow how I've continued my tradition of building in the holidays back at my parents place, bring them back with me for LDraw-ing until next visit.

Batch building: This batch-building with intermedial rebuilding and reviewing meant that each time I returned to my parents place, I was full of ideas for new crafts that were improvements of earlier ideas and techniques, and my experience grew rapidly - even if you don't care to have plans of all your models, don't miss the experience you get by throughoutly checking the model:
You'd be amazed of how many new things you'll discover, and as the time passes and you gain more and more experience, it will be fun to look back at the things you've missed or forgotten.

Spring batch 2003

27	28	29	30	31	32
12/4	14/4	17/4	(finished) 18/4	18/4	no date

More conscious experimentation with the jumpertechnique on small scale crafts.
The #30 Myg3 was started in the New year batch in the previous period, but wasn't finished until this holiday.
I was really close to disassembling the #32 Spiderweb because it was so bad that I didn't even bother to finish it properly, but after much consideration decided to give it a number and digitalize it because it links the plate winged model 25 Stealthy of the previous New year batch with the later fan-winged series.

A couple of weekend projects

33	34
29/4	31/5

Increasing the complexity and size considerably, I first tried to use an old technique from my old rubber band gun days in a spaceship, pretty difficult, but lots of nice free angles (angles you make by putting a part on an odd angle and add other parts to it turned at a 90 degree angle: odd angle + 90 degree = new odd angle) 
A month later, I continued the plate wing theme by increasing the width from 1 to 2 studs, and thereby achieving a less spindly look. Inspired by medieval heraldic birds (like the Black Falcon coat of arms), I spread the wings out in a fanlike configuration, to achieve a larger wing area, making the #34 one of my most complex crafts, anglewise, to date (possibly only surpassed by the 62 Bubblecraft 2).

Summer Batch 2003

35	36	37
20/7	22/7	23/7

With the #35 I finished off the plate wing theme with a smaller and more clever (basic) execution, and returned to the deca-joint theme, pruning and shaping the initial "wings in all directions" into a more practical form of an armed cargolifter (2).
Since I had an idea for a nice little battle animation, the "Raid on Theta supply dump", including a massive attack on a fortified supply depot, with ensuing looting by the type 36 cargolifters, I made a companion craft in the form of the #37 Escort fighter. The first and only time I've ever made crafts that would fill different tactical roles, yet at the same time look like they actually belonged to the same faction or navy.

First all-virtual model

38

During the autumn I digitalized the summer batch, and wished to improve on the #36 Cargolifter 2, and for the first time made an all-virtual model. It came in a 3 container version, and a longer B-version capable of carrying 4 (compared to 1 in both Cargolifter 1 and 2). 
After this I pretty much lost the interest in the decajoint technique.

New year Batch

39	40	41	42	43
22/12	23/12	23/12	24/12	25/12

Beginning the holidays, I finished the #39 I'd started during the autumn, and returned to work with some of the themes I'd been working on in the spring: Small basic crafts with high exploitation of free angles and parts, a return to vertical wing noses (#40, 42), and sleek triangular noses (#43).

The free angles are not included in the graph

Statistics - angles: From the graph, it appears like the the complexity in form of angles is virtually unchanged from period 3 to 4.
However the free angles achieved by turning sections 90 degrees aren't counted because they technically aren't turned more than every other lego piece stuck to another at a 90 degree angle:

A true and accompanying free angles are only counted as one angle.

Note the drop in piececount

Statistics - parts: The interesting thing the statistics do show is that despite the increased use of free angles isn't counted, I actually managed to increase the number of real odd angles by 3,7% despite the fact that the models were 33% lighter piecewise.

So all in all a pretty good improvement of my angling experience...