Being the titular racing team in the wipEout-Series, the Feisar ship has seen many iterations over the years. The well-balanced color palette, the recognisable logo as well as the imaginative sponsor art make for a very appealing ship. Still, the shape of the Feisar racer has remained very close to its design from the 1999 game WipEout 3.
This might be one of the reasons why concept artist Shaun Mooney, designer of the Tigron K-VSR from the wipEout Omega Collection, was compelled to create a more modern take of the ship. In collaboration with him, I had the pleasure to create a complete LEGO® model based on his sketches.
Concept Art by Shaun Mooney
Shaun's redesigned ship looks sleek and, most importantly, fast. The shape of the nose and the position of the wings are clear nods to the wipEout 3 design, while the colours are based on the newer versions of the racer. Taking inspiration from modern sports cars, the entire ship is much wider and lower and the size of the main engine makes it look extremely powerful. Adding the small boosters on the wings adds additional texture and more presence, while the otherwise clean surfaces make it look razor sharp. All these details make this redesign a worthy reimagining of a classic wipEout ship.
Concept Art by Shaun Mooney
The lack of an already fully developed 3D-model left me with a lot more freedom with regard to interpreting his sketches when creating the LEGO® model. Therefore, I made the wings a bit smaller and more in line with his front 3/4 sketch, while the boosters and air-intakes on either side are more pronounced. To give the boosters the right diameter and shape I used two different LEGO® tires (Part ID 50945 and 87697). The wings also stick out more and have more negative space beneath them, giving the build more of a jet fighter look. The LEGO® ship is also more angular and a little bit bulkier due to the limited variety of parts available in the required dark azure color (Colour ID 153).
Still, I wanted to stay as faithful to the concept art as possible. Thus, the color scheme as well as the logos and their placement are mostly the same. Additionally, I wanted to build the ship in a scale that would allow a minifigure to pilot the craft. This made the model a bit larger than my previously designed wipEout ships.
Designing this Feisar was a joyful experience. Finding the right shape and making it a distinct LEGO® creation solely based on 2D-artworks was especially rewarding and I am glad it has a new home on Shaun's desk.
