Drones are becoming an everyday occurence in our society, as touched upon earlier either to take pictures, or in more tragic examples lives. Considering the progress of drone technology, it is somewhat strange that we still mostly see manned space fighters in science fiction, both LEGO and otherwise. This much needed variation is provided by Marcin Grabowski with his Paladin class Space Drone.

My eyes have been trained to see a microscale capital ship in this, but the weapons add a sense of scale that does not correspond with that initial impression. The spacecraft really does have a very drone-like appearance with a smooth front without a cockpit. Marcin achieved this shape by using a large inverted ship hull piece. The element is blue with a dark gray lining which dictates the colours the builder had to use, although he managed to masterfully combine different grays, black and even a touch of yellow in a situation where most builders would try to exclude one of these additional colours.

The top shows some great angles in the model, as well as some custom stickers that make the drone come alive (as much as a drone can!), but I just love this impressive shot of the dark gray underside with some additional details, like the cannons and a very much needed antenna. What I like about the use of the large ship hull is not only the smooth surface and some sleek angles on it, but also how a thin edge can be seen from below, giving it a very unique look.