StaCrates - Modular display crates for Star Wars minifigs

As you probably know by now, I love designing minifig-scale Star Wars scenes and ships.

But building large dioramas and full starships is demanding in terms of time, money, and over time it requires more and more space/volume to display.

Time and money:

I have MANY unfinished designs : The Bad Batch's Marauder, Ahsoka's T6 as seen in the show, The Mantis from Fallen Order, The Windfall from Vader Immortal VR game, The Halo from Clone wars and Aftermath books, Slave1 with the rotating interior like in the Mandalorian show.

All these I started and gave up on, because I started with the detailed interior, build around it, and then give up because it becomes too big and too time consuming.

Also, I have older and bigger Mocs for which I never found the time to design the instructions. (Cantina from 2017 / Carbonite Chamber from 2017)

So now I want to focus on smaller, more achievable things for me to design and for people to build.

Display:

As a lot of you, I enjoy collecting minifigs and I am fortunate enough to have a room dedicated to my Lego, but I am aware that this is not the case for everyone.
I no longer want to keep them hidden in drawers or displayed on basic shelves or in costly display cases. (Let's say I prefer to buy Lego pieces rather than furniture to showcase them).

Also, I now regularly participate in conventions, and moving bigger Mocs is not always easy.
I wanted to take all this into account.

User feedback:

After more than 10 years looking at Lego builds and showing my designs on Social Media and after 2 years of participating in conventions and exhibitions, I noted some recurring questions :

 - Is it minifigscale ?

 - Does it have an interior ?

 - Does it open to see the interior ?

And I figured : why not focus on just that ?

So, here is my new project :

STACRATES

A series of modular and stackable display crates for minifigs, each representing a specific scene, location and moment of our favorite saga.

This project was born from a conversation with the renowned French YouTuber Pepito SWGoH who, in addition to being an expert in SW Galaxy of Heroes is a big Lego enthusiast and minifig collector.

Each crate is a detailed scene, based on bigger Mocs that I have already designed and refined over time, or some brand new deisgns of iconic scenes. They are all of the same size and can be attached vertically and horizontally to create a full wall.

I already have over a dozen of them in the works and I will post them on my Instagram page as often as possible.

You can arrange them by Planet, by chronological order (timeline or release) , by character journeys, by color. However you like !

You can modify and multiply them, and create your own !
If you share photos online, please use #stacrates and @papaglop in your posts ;)

You can find all the Stacrates here.

Thank you and may the stackable Force be with you.

The Mandalorian - Season 3 recap

I loved this 3rd season of the Mandalorian. Loved the links to Rebels, the Prequels, the Sequels, even to Resistance.

Dave Filoni is a bridge builder.
Clone wars and Rebels were a bridge between the Prequels and the OT.
Mandalorian and Ahsoka are a bridge between the OT and the Sequels.

But sadly, no new ship has really caught my eye in this season.

Sure, Bo Katan's Kom'rk-Class Fighter Transport is pretty cool, but I am not planning to do my own version of it. (And my friend Lee already nailed it)

The pirate fighters from Chapter 21 were OK, but Lego announced and launched their official minifigscale version super fast.

And that big Pirate ship, it had interesting angles and patterns, but it is too big for the minifig-scale maniac I am.

But there are still some scenes that have ignited my Lego brain during this season!

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Chapter 21

Zeb :
"I like your attitude, Good luck, you're gonna need it"

The Top Gun vibe was fun in this New Republic pilot lounge bar on the planet Adelphi.

I started "fig-bashing" the various characters:
- Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee)
- Zeb
- Trapper Wolf (Dave Filoni)
- Sash Ketter (Deborah Chow)
- Jib Dodger (Rick Famuyiwa)

and ended up doing the full scene :)

This place is also seen in the last chapter, it helped me add some more details.

I did not make a digital version, so no instructions for this one (yet?).

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Chapter 23

Bo : "Come on. We're not leaving you behind!"
Paz : "Go. There are too many"
Bo : "No!"
Paz : "This is the way."

I think at some point they over-used the line :"This is the way".
But at that very moment, when Paz says it. It really stings...

When I was exposing this build in Montreal back in May of 2023, it was fun to see the 2 possibles reactions of the visitors.
I could instantly tell by the movement and size of their eyes if they had seen the show or not. :)

The instructions are available here.

Notes:
 - I hope Lego will release a version of these Commando troopers.
 - This scene can easily become the next one with the 3 Praetorians.

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Chapter 24

Greef : "A cabin, just outside of town where you can lay low with your new family ir you choose so"

I made this one first with stud.io and the plans are available here. 

I hope we will see the interior in another season, and I will update this build if this would happen.

Here is what it looks like in real bricks next to my N1.

 

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IG 12

This was a fun part, but I am glad it was only temporary.
It's good to see IG11 back.

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Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo

He was mentioned again ! 

Just as I was working on my very first Lego portrait.

Free instructions here

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I can't wait for the Ahsoka show now...

Official UCS LEGO Razorcrest

At last, here is the Official UCS LEGO Razorcrest set.

I was scared this official set would render my version obsolete. But the interior is far from being as accurate and detailed as mine.

Yet, I can't wait to receive it and build it.
(Oct 7th here in Canada, so 4 days after my Bday.)

Also I am glad they are bringing back the Trans-Clear piece from 1992 (6059), the same I used for the cockpit.

new facebook page

 My personnal facebook account has been hacked and blocked and has now been deleted, along with my papaglop page. :(

So I had to create a new one...

First time Exhibitor at a Lego Show !

I have been attending several Lego shows in the Montreal area over the last 8 years.

But, next week, for the first time, I will be one of the exhibitors !

I will be showing 3 full tables of my Mocs :

Cantina, Carbonite Chamber, Razorcrest, N1 Modified, My new Uwing, Imperial troop Transports, Hoth Shield Generator, among others...

If you happen to be in the area :

New Project : U-wingS

I have been working on these for a while, it is time to start showing it.
:)
More info on the Product page

Scorpenek Droid. Minifigscale Lego Moc by papaglop

 Hello there !

Here is my version of the Scorpenek droid from the final Chapter of tBoBF.

 - it has 335 pieces
 - it is in the Minifigscale range
 - it is Posable
 - it should cost under 40USD to build from brinklink.

The instructions are available on Rebrickable ! (3USD)
And soon on Buildamoc.com.



Animated Render:

Real life photo:

The Mandalorian new ship N-1 Naboo Starfighter

 When I saw what ship was going to replace the Razorcrest, I thought: "It is a small one and it is based on an existing set, there are going be millions of MoCs for it, why bother work on one."
But some friends, colleagues and followers insisted that I try. And I have to admit it is a good looking and interesting ship.

As I was the first to work on a minifigscale Razorcrest, I felt I had to try.

So I started working on it Friday !

- Is it based on an existing official sets ? No
- Is it minifigscale ? Yes, but in the higher tier.
- Is there room for Grogu in it ? Yes
- Is it Modular ? Yes, it makes it easier to work on for me and for the builders.
- Is it UCS ? I don't think a Moc this size deserves the label.
- Will there be instructions ? Most probably
- Is it going to require rare/expensive pieces ? I don't know yet, I am building it in Real Life first instead of starting with stud.io, so I go with what I have in stock.

Next steps:
 - Refine the build

 - Design the step by step instructions

 - have them reviewed by friends

 - make these instructions available on Rebrickable
 - make the build available on Buildamoc

Saturday update !

Here is an early version after a couple of hours :

Saturday update !

I imported it in stud.io and made a whole bunch of improvements.
Here is a rendering

Tuesday update !
It is getting there.
Got some good feedback from my wife and from my friend Gabriel.
 -Added a lot of details

 -Improved the general shape
 -made the structure stronger 
I am ready to do the proper instructions !

May the 4th be with you ! Special offer

Click here to see all my builds on Rebrickable ! 

Bounty Hunters getting briefed by Vader on the Executor

Lord Vader briefing the Bounty Hunters aboard the Executor is an iconic scene I always wanted to MoC. It is now done !


My version is as minifigscale, studless and detailed as I could.

It is a 20 studs cube made of 395 pieces that weights about 527 grams (18oz)





And remember....
"You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive. No disintegration"


Instructions available on Rebrickable here
And hopefully soon available on buildamoc.com.

Papaglop's UCS Razorcrest in MORK compatible bricks.

I am lucky enough to have always been able to only use real Lego bricks in my builds, it is a fantastic brand that I grew up with and loved since then.

However, I understand that not everyone can afford real Lego pieces and that they sometimes have to turn to "Compatible" brands.
Since July 2020, some of these "Compatible" brands have been selling kits based on my design without my consent and without offering me any compensation.

But finally a brand has understood that it is better to have the designers with you than against you and offered me a partnership.

So if you see photos of my UCS Razorcrest sold by the MORK bricks brand, know that they have my blessing.

Maintenance Crawlspace for papaglop's UCS Razorcrest

I just made a quick add-on to my UCS Razorcrest.

The maintenance crawlspace from Chapter 12.

The instructions are available here !

Update :
This crawlspace is now included in the latest version of the instructions (V3).

Cobb Vanth speeder bike lego MoC

By the Stars, This first episode of season 2 did not disappoint !
 
And of course, I looked at what could be MoCed from it.

So here it is :

A lot of people have noticed that the engine on this speeder is based on the ones from Anakin's pod-racer from Ep1.
So of course I was tempted to use the same piece that was used for the Lego version. But the available colours did not match...
I looked for other options, I even thought about using orange brick separator.
But I found that "Medium Nougat" was the colour I wanted. So I used these Skis for the front part.

Instructions are now on Rebrickable for free.
The full build is also be available for purchase on Buildamoc.

You can now order some of my builds from BuildaMoC

I am proud to be one of the first designers to work with this brand new site : buildamoc.com

It's a great solution for all of you who don't like to spend long hours chasing pieces on Bricklink.

Plus, the team at BuildaMOC  is really professional and friendly !

My ITT is already available there. 🙂

Of course, it is not cheap... But it is all REAL Lego AND they reward the instruction designers !

Also, I'm working on a "De Luxe" version of my Razor Crest that should be available on this site in the coming weeks. (around 900Euro)

The Official Razor Crest is out, here is how it looks like next to my UCS one.

The official set is available,
I received it at last !
As I ordered it during Easter season, I received some Easter goodies with it. Funny for a Sept 3rd. 

It is a cool build with some interesting techniques.
I took me 1h30 to build.

Here is how it looks like next to my UCS version :

 

Outer Rim Speeder Bike

I did not attend SWC in 2019 but I followed it on youtube and I saw this video of one of the speeders seen in the TV show.
So, of course I made a MoC of it. :)

It was a physical build only and I only recently decided to do the digital version and the instructions for it.

They are now available for free on Rebrickable.

Happy building !

Happy Star Wars day !

Some of my builds are 30% off on Rebrickable !

• UCS Razorcrest  
• Echo base Troop Carrier
• Imperial troop transport

Have fun and may the Force be with you !

Imperial Troop Transport

Here is my latest project !

The Imperial Troop Transport

You will find all the details here

Papaglop's projects, now on Rebrickable

Hello there !
Here are some news and updates about my current projects :

UCS Razorcrest
I have decided to make my instructions available on Rebrickable !

Mostly to :
- Allow people to see the part list prior to buying
- Allow payment via Credit card (instead of Paypal-only)
- And also to limit the manual work on my side... ;)

If you are lucky enough to have these instructions and want to leave a nice comment about the quality of the build and the plans. Please do ! 


Blurrg ! 
The free instructions are now also on Rebrickable.
Comments are welcome ! ;)

Upcoming project !
This is a way smaller build than my Razorcrest (about 750 pieces)
So far it is going pretty well !
As usual I am going for :
- As Minifig-scale as I can
- As Stud-less as I can
- As detailed and accurate as I can

It will be on Rebrickable in the coming days !


Stay safe, stay home and happy building !

Papaglop

You get a Lego Blurgg ! You get a Lego Blurgg !

Hi everyone ! To celebrate the success of my UCS Razorcrest and to thank you all for your support, here is a little gift !
Free instructions to my MoC Blurgg.

UCS Razorcrest by papaglop on Beyond the Brick

The team at Beyond the brick asked me to talk about my Razorcrest on their Youtube channel !

At last an official, system-scale, Lego Razorcrest, with The Child !

Back in In April 2019, when I saw the Razorcrest for the first time during SWC, I thought :
"Lego is going to release an official set of this ship, system scale, with around 1000 pieces for a price around 120USD.
That’s not big enough, I want it at minifigscale and UCS. I will build my own." 

Fast forward 10 months and here we are.

I just did this :

 


They release this :

Beware of scammers

Hello there.

I guess this kind of thing was to be expected... Some random dude from Belgium is stealing my design to sell it as his own.

This thief is called Tiago Lopes and he does the same with the work of other builders like me.

Not only is he selling my work, but I received an example of how he sells it :
 - He basically copy/pasted all my texts and explanations and he modified all the amounts.

  - He asks for more money than I do (25$ instead of 15$.)

  - He lies about the cost of the pieces. ( he says 400$ when I am honest and say that it is now around 600$.)

And when people ask more questions, it seems he just insults them.

And on top of all that, he just wrote to me to brag about it.

Sad sad world…


---

To order the instructions from me, just send me a quick email at papaglop.moc@gmail.com and you will receive all the info and a sample.

Razorcrest UCS MoC by Papaglop.

Last summer, I worked a lot on my first version of this ship, based only on the few images from the Mandalorian panel at Star Wars Celebration on April 14th.
Then the first season of the show has aired, it was FANTATASTIC and the Razorcrest had a very good screen time, giving me, chapter after chapter, many details to recreate, both exterior and interior.



At first I wanted to improve my existing version, but I quickly realized it was to small to support all the details I wanted to add to it. So I decided to start a new one from scratch.

My objectives were :
 - Make it bigger but still in the minifigscale range,
 - Make it as detailed as possible (interior and exterior),
 - Make it as studless as possible,
 - Make it modular (to allow better accessibility for modifications and for photos)

So I did all that ! Weeks after weeks during the Autumn and the Holiday season.

At that point, I was not sure if I would embark on the adventure of making digital plans and instructions for this.
Then I was contacted by James Robinson, who offered to help designing these instructions.
It's been a very long process, even for two people ! Plus it was the first time I was doing Instructions and I wanted them to be as good as official lego ones.
Countless hours and 500+ pages later, the instructions for this 5.2 kg beast are available.
And you can buy them ! Just send me a quick email at papaglop.moc@gmail.com for more details.

The Razorcrest ship (from the upcoming show The Mandalorian)

The Mandalorian was the thing I was looking forward the most this year at SWC !

I am really confident they will deliver something fantastic !
And I loved the Razorcrest at first sight.

So, of course, I want to MoC it up. Despite all its weird angles and its not yet obvious colours.


Here is what the first draft looked like. A wobbly proof of concept :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126957563@N05/33847506328/

And a couple of hours later, I had something way more sturdy and articulated.
I started to add some details too.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126957563@N05/46840222705


Summer update !

After a lot of trial and error, and a couple of Bricklink orders, here is where I am at :






















And also a small video :




Now I need more plates and Curved slopes...

Update  !
So the curved slopes arrived and I finished it at last.
I got a friend to help me with the photoshoot, here is the result :