10030 - UCS: Imperial Star Destroyer (2002)

[KShine]

​That piece does in fact exist and there's a ton of them in 10179, which is why it is so rare and expensive.  Anytime I find these in a lot I hold onto them just in case of a project like this one.  I really want this set and would also want it in the newer bluish grey, I think old grey looks dirty and faded against new grey.  My only worry is that a new UCS Star Destroyer will come out and I will have spent a ton on a model I could again get for a couple hundred bucks.

Here is a photo - It is hard to explain why Bricklink has never acknowledged it as an alternate piece.

Edited April 30, 2015 by KShine

[Alpinemaps]

Aplinemaps could you post some pics of the two colour greys please?

​

​Yes, give me a day or two, as I'll have to dig them out and make sure I've got good lighting.  But I'll do it as soon as I can.  Trust me, though - I held up old gray and new gray to one another (pulling from this set for the new gray) about 4 different times over a couple of days before placing any order

 

​That piece does in fact exist and there's a ton of them in 10179, which is why it is so rare and expensive.  Anytime I find these in a lot I hold onto them just in case of a project like this one.  I really want this set and would also want it in the newer bluish grey, I think old grey looks dirty and faded against new grey.  My only worry is that a new UCS Star Destroyer will come out and I will have spent a ton on a model I could again get for a couple hundred bucks.

​Interesting.  I didn't know that 10179 had that part in new gray.  Two interesting things about this:  1. If you go to 10179, that part exists as new gray.  2. 10030 only has an inventory for the old gray (dark and light).  No BL inventory exists for new light/dark gray.

[DarthBley]

​I have this set and I think it's easily a top three Star Wars set of all time. It has a presence when displayed. It's HUGE! There are definitely issues with the nose sagging after time so be careful if you are buying a used set. This can be easily remedied though with some modifications/extra bracing added to the inner frame. I did this with mine and all it took was some common pieces. Mine has been on display for three years now with no sagging issues. I will try to post pics later with my mods to the inner frame. As for the magnets, they're ok, but they could've provided bigger/stronger magnets. I have no issues moving my ISD around when needed.

Ironically, someone just posted theirs for sale on CL in my area and the nose is sagging a lot. Here's a pic from the ad. It looks pretty awful but like I said, you can easily prevent this from happening. Oh, and another thing, this guy with the sales ad doesn't have the ISD sitting properly on the display stands/legs. It's not supposed to sit that low.

 

Thanks for the info!  Would love to see pics of your mods.

Yah a family member has this, and it was quite impressive in real time...

Will def be on the lookout for used ones.

 

 

[NZ-EUG]

Darthbley post your pics of internal mods please.

 

Any other users have this sagging issuse due to prolonged display time?

[oneknightr]

Thanks for the info!  Would love to see pics of your mods.

Yah a family member has this, and it was quite impressive in real time...

Will def be on the lookout for used ones.

 

 

​Here you go DarthBley. The first picture shows the size comparison between the ISD and the Death Star. More importantly, it shows the difference in color between the old grey of the ISD and the new grey in the Death Star. The last three pictures were taken in the order of front to back. Sorry, I was too lazy to take off all four panels to display the framework better. 

As you can see, I created several big brackets using four 1x4's, four  1x2 technics (one hole and two holes) and four technic pins. I also placed a bunch of 2x10, 2x6, etc plates on the top and bottom of the main spine of the frame. All these extra pieces help keep the main spine (for lack of a better word) from sagging/bending. Since I used whatever color pieces I had laying around, it's not pretty, but it does the trick. It's inside anyway, so you can't see it when the panels are in place. I hope this helps. Let me know if you need more info.

[oneknightr]

Here are the other two pics of my mods.

[NZ-EUG]

Did you add these mods after the build? when it started to sag ? Is lego's design to front heavy?

[DarthBley]

Thanks so much oneknightr!  Looks beautiful, I actually like all the different colors inside, breaks up the monotony...probably why i like 10225, another one i missed out on sigh...

Looks spectacular, will def be doing in this future, once I can get some funds saved up.

[KShine]

Yes, this set will sag if not given the extra support. But don't blame LEGO - they built an accurate recreation.

You see, the Star destroyer was not built for an environment with gravity. Below is an example of gravity's effect on the Star Destroyer.

[oneknightr]

Did you add these mods after the build? when it started to sag ? Is lego's design to front heavy?

​Yes I added the mods after the build and before it started to sag. Lego's design is fine. I've heard that some people don't experience any sagging even without the mods. They must be located in an area with less gravitational pull.   The modifications are very simple. The original build has a few of these brackets on the inner frame already. I just added a bunch more along the inner frame to strengthen it and to keep it from sagging.

[NZ-EUG]

​Yes I added the mods after the build and before it started to sag. Lego's design is fine. I've heard that some people don't experience any sagging even without the mods. They must be located in an area with less gravitational pull.   The modifications are very simple. The original build has a few of these brackets on the inner frame already. I just added a bunch more along the inner frame to strengthen it and to keep it from sagging.

​Thanks for the feedback onekightr, I'm still to make mine from the box, I'm a little concerned bout making and displaying for a extended time if it is going to sag over a long time, were your internal mods enough to stop the sag?  or an added front stand and internal mods do the job?

Why would lego designers design this ship with out the internal mods? as most UCS Collectors tend to build and display in there lego room?

[oneknightr]

​Thanks for the feedback onekightr, I'm still to make mine from the box, I'm a little concerned bout making and displaying for a extended time if it is going to sag over a long time, were your internal mods enough to stop the sag?  or an added front stand and internal mods do the job?

Why would lego designers design this ship with out the internal mods? as most UCS Collectors tend to build and display in there lego room?

​Sorry for the delayed reply. My ISD has been displayed for three years now with no sagging issues. The Lego designers included brackets in the build to strengthen the frame but not enough in my opinion. It's very easy to add a bunch more brackets since they are comprised of common pieces.

[NZ-EUG]

​Sorry for the delayed reply. My ISD has been displayed for three years now with no sagging issues. The Lego designers included brackets in the build to strengthen the frame but not enough in my opinion. It's very easy to add a bunch more brackets since they are comprised of common pieces.

​Thanks for the reply oneknightr how many extra internal brackets did u add? compared to the instruction manual?

[oneknightr]

​Thanks for the reply oneknightr how many extra internal brackets did u add? compared to the instruction manual?

​My best guess would be around 10-15. You can add brackets all along the inner frame if you want to really stabilize it. I added what I thought was a little more than just enough.

[Pedilego]

A local guy is offering his used 10030 ISD (w/ instructions) for my 10182 Cafe Corner (no instructions) + 10218 Pet Shop. All 100%.

I spent a lot of time buying/selling used modulars while trying to complete my own collection, so I'm familiar with and confident in their market. After fees, I'm expecting to net $550+ and $100+ for the modulars. It appears ISDs have a much wider range but generally they start in the $800s (netting $700+) if complete with instructions and a decent condition display sticker, and can go for much higher (over 1k). So...

• What am I missing in regards to the volatile eBay pricing of 10030?
• What would I look before sealing the deal? Common replacement pieces etc?
• Finally, deal or no deal??

[Follows Closely]

If you want a big bley triangle go for it!

[Dr. Brick]

Here are mine, both light blue grey and grey. And that trade is a no brainer, especially if you add the manual.

[Pedilego]

Those look sweet. Building it before I sell it would definitely be a perk.

Ahhhhh so the original version is in gray and the Bricklink'ed version is in LBG? That probably explains why the completed listing prices are all over the place; I'll have to go check. I think his is LBG.

To clarify: I don't know the guy; he approached me on CL, so I want to be cautious.

[Alpinemaps]

15 minutes ago, Pedilego said:

Those look sweet. Building it before I sell it would definitely be a perk.

Ahhhhh so the original version is in gray and the Bricklink'ed version is in LBG? That probably explains why the completed listing prices are all over the place; I'll have to go check. I think his is LBG.

To clarify: I don't know the guy; he approached me on CL, so I want to be cautious.

Lego switched colors during 10030's production. They started out producing it in Light Gray.  When they switched from Light Gray to Light Bluish Gray in their entire product line, 10030 was switched.  The only thing that wasn't switched was the Gray Base/Gray Handle Levers.  Those stays in Light Gray.

After the sticker, that's going to be the most expensive part to replace. I've seen those at $1 or more each.

I lucked into a 10030 last year, that was 98% complete.  Of course, it was missing about 15 levers.  But a small price to pay for getting the last of the pieces I needed for it.

[Dark Helmet]

I just finished building one yesterday and it is amazing. If you do the swap, bring a scale and weigh it. Make sure it has the 3 big engines(wheels) 2 small engines.   (baskets) and the 2 shield generators. I don't know the cost in LBG but in LG they were selling for $40 a piece. 

[Starkthunder]

one of the more expensive pieces is the the tan magnet holder plates (tan 2x2 magnet plate ) it needs 14 of them and they go for 15-20 bucks on brick link

 

[oneknightr]

I had a party recently and I guess some kids messed with my ISD as a few loose pieces were sitting around it afterwards. I took it down and rebuilt it (not much fell off to be honest) and wanted to share this picture to show others the sheer size of this set. It’s MASSIVE and I love it because of that. Others have complained that it’s too fragile but I haven’t had many issues with it. It’s a set made for display and that’s where it shines. I’ve owned a UCS Falcon and I prefer this set over it. Crazy talk, I know, but it’s very impressive in person.

[citymorgue]

44 minutes ago, oneknightr said:

I had a party recently and I guess some kids messed with my ISD as a few loose pieces were sitting around it afterwards. I took it down and rebuilt it (not much fell off to be honest) and wanted to share this picture to show others the sheer size of this set. It’s MASSIVE and I love it because of that. Others have complained that it’s too fragile but I haven’t had many issues with it. It’s a set made for display and that’s where it shines. I’ve owned a UCS Falcon and I prefer this set over it. Crazy talk, I know, but it’s very impressive in person.

I had this set when it first came out in 2002, and like you, I absolutely loved the set.  It's very impressive completely built.  I wish I still had it, but I went into my dark ages, and gave my lego's away to my step-brother's son.  Oh well you live and learn.

This is one set, that I truly believe is long over due for a remake and updated building techniques.  I know for some it's blasphemy, but it really is needed.  Plus it's been 14 years since it released.  *crosses fingers* Come on Lego, pleaseee???

[oneknightr]

1 hour ago, citymorgue said:

I had this set when it first came out in 2002, and like you, I absolutely loved the set.  It's very impressive completely built.  I wish I still had it, but I went into my dark ages, and gave my lego's away to my step-brother's son.  Oh well you live and learn.

This is one set, that I truly believe is long over due for a remake and updated building techniques.  I know for some it's blasphemy, but it really is needed.  Plus it's been 14 years since it released.  *crosses fingers* Come on Lego, pleaseee???

Even though I have this set and it's pretty well-made (IMO), I would welcome a remake. This set has a permanent place in my collection and I would love an updated version as long as it's close in size to 10030 or *gasp* bigger. 

[Alpinemaps]

I have that set sitting in my garage.  I really want to build it (mostly because I want to resell it afterward).  There are a couple of things stopping me - the sheer size of it (I don't have any place to build something that big), and my almost 4 year old, who would no doubt make it a little more difficult to build than I would want.