A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, R2-D2 discovered there was more to life than plotting courses through hyperspace. Greg Dalink tells a story with this fun mech built to fit R2-D2. Using credits saved up over years of loyal service, the galaxy’s most loved astro-mech commissioned an expert droid-smith to fashion a mighty mech, so he could join the rebellion and wreak havoc. And make sure to check out all of Greg’s mecha tributes to the Star Wars universe that we’ve featured on TBB!
My favourite LEGO theme these days is probably Star Wars, but when I were a nipper that dubious honour went to the mech theme, Exo-Force. Greg Dalink‘s bounty hunter mecha are therefore right up my street. Among others, we’ve had 4-LOM already, but he’s been missing his partner in crime, Zuckuss. Thankfully he is missing no longer! What I love about Greg’s mecha (and there have been a bunch) is how they all have their own individual style, each has something to set it apart. Zuckuss gets a four-legged ride that is a bit more insectoid in nature, and it really suits him. We’d be remiss not to draw attention to that head as well. With curved slopes and a wheel neatly surrounding a CCBS shoulder shell, it’s a real work of art!
Greg Dalink is a builder on a mission. For the last couple of years, Greg’s been outfitting the bounty hunters from The Empire Strikes Back with themed mechs that would make Tony Stark swoon. Greg’s latest proved to be a bit of a challenge. Unlike his fellow bounty hunters, Dengar isn’t a Mandalorian, or a lizard person, or a cool droid. He’s just some dude with some bandages on his head. So Greg kept to Dengar’s color scheme, but let the build move beyond the usual “giant robot version of the character.” The result is a Dieselpunk-style walker with an incredible arsenal on its back – everything from missiles to a couple of old pirate cannons. Now I kinda regret calling Dengar “just a dude with some bandages.” No hard feelings, right, Dengar? Old buddy? Pal? Yikes…
You can be forgiven for barely remembering the droid bounty hunter 4-LOM who boasted roughly one second of screen time in The Empire Strikes Back. But for LEGO builder Greg Dalink, 4-LOM (stands for; For the Love of Money) holds a special place in his heart. He’s working on a series of battle mechs that houses the Star Wars bounty hunter for which it resembles. You know, for when a bounty hunter wants to work more conspicuously. I love the greebly details and overall black and gun-metal color of this mech. The Bionicle shoulder pads make great compound eyes and the breathing device (do droids breathe?) is an amazing touch.
The best part is the head opens to reveal a 4-LOM minifig driver nestled inside as seen in this photo. It seems 4-LOM loves money and the feeling of being inside himself…or something. Ahem. Just click this Greg Dalink link to see some of the other bounty hunter mechs in action.
Greg Dalink is slowly making his way through the bounty hunters from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back with his awesome battle-mech concept. With IG-88 and Boba Fett already part of the roster, it’s now the turn of the Trandoshan terror Bossk. Unlike the previous two, Bossk naturally has a lot more ‘organic’ parts on show, and Greg has boldly elected to stick with olive green for his scaly skin. There are still a limited number of parts in this colour, so there are a few creative choices – most notably the use of a dinosaur head for, er, the head. Bossk’s signature yellow jumpsuit is well integrated with mechanical details accomplished by greebling, which makes it look more like armour than a cloth suit. It adds some good emphasis to the heavy-duty feel of the mech.
Greg has gone the extra mile and created a sandy base for this bounty-hunting walker to stand upon as well. My favourite detail of these battle-mechs is the fact they can seat a minifigure version of the mech itself, and they can poke their heads out of the top. I can only assume that Bossk is having a friendly conversation with this Tusken raider, rather than looking to gobble him up…
As we all patiently await the premiere of The Book of Boba Fett, builder Greg Dalink gives us a hint of what might have been for the intergalactic bounty hunter if the Outer Rim met Pacific Rim. There’s no need to worry about the Sarlacc Pit when you’re piloting a giant mech too big to fit inside. Mechs aren’t a common piece of tech in Star Wars, but Greg’s done an amazing job of creating one that feels like part of that universe. Not only does it faithfully resemble its pilot, but it’s covered in the perfect amount of greeble detail. And touches like the tattered cape give it that dirty and well-worn feel that so much of the best Star Wars production design has.
