The Xarkon Nidhogg Dropship
LEGO by: Justin R. "Saber-Scorpion" Stebbins
Model Name: XAF-D02 "Nidhogg"
Weight Range: Medium
Speed: Slow
Flight Abilities: Air and space, medium-range, no Interstellar Drive
Armaments: 4 blazer machine guns, 2 medium ballistic cannons, 2 automated anti-air laser cannons
Capacity: 1 Pilot and around 10 passengers, with expandable storage capacity
Other: Retractable wings and ramps, Starlifter thrusters for heavyweight VTOL capabilities

In Norse mythology, the Nidhogg was a fearsome dragon that lived in the underworld and ate the roots of the great world-tree Yggdrasil. In this case, it's a powerful if controversial Xarkon dropship.

The Nidhogg is not a pretty ship, but it is an intimidating sight on the battlefield. Its long, tooth-like projections almost give it the semblance of a pair of jaws slamming shut on whatever location it wants to invade. The ship is armed with two anti-aircraft energy cannons, two pairs of anti-personnel machine guns, and a pair of energy cannons for blasting at enemy vehicles.

A shot of the snug fit of the attached Jotun hover tank. The Nidhogg's powerful VTOL boosters allow it to carry extremely heavy weights.

Detached. Yep, just one magnet. That's all it takes. These LEGO magnets are surprisingly strong.

The ramps can open up to let the Jotun drive out into battle. The ramps when opened this way, straight out, can also be used to board an enemy ship or tall enemy building from the side.

One of this ship's disadvantages is that all of the weaponry points forward, except for the rotating anti-air turret on top. Xarkon ship designers have been working on a version with a rear turret, but it has not yet entered production. For now they rely on escorts. Notice that the Jotun hover tank can still fire its anti-personnel machine guns through the hole in the bottom.

I hope you like the Nidhogg's engines... because I still don't. I re-made them completely several times because people didn't like the others. This is the third one I came up with, and I still don't like it.

The grey machine stuff around the bottom of the radar dish is my first real attempt at what most people call "greebling."

Yes, there is a top hatch right there. That's so that people can climb out on top to do maintenance. It is also possible in some cases to land on top of the Nidhogg and climb inside.

The 4x1 dark bluish-grey plate on one door is rather ugly, isn't it? I have fixed it since taking these photos.

It's a tight fit in there, but no one wants to jump, because it's also a long way down!

That's what the cables are for. Fast-rope descents are the most fun! If they don't want to do that, some Nidhoggs have optional ladders installed on the side ramps. This, however, is considered too slow a descent method for an active combat situation.

Which is why this method was invented. The soldiers still have to make a small jump at the bottom though. I would have fixed this problem by making the ramps extend outward a little more, but that is hard to accomplish in LEGO. I've since come up with a good method for it; maybe I'll implement that in a later version.

The officer talks to his men before they jump into the heat of battle. He will probably stay on the ship and let his squad leader handle the field work. Meanwhile he and the engineer will direct the battle using the tactical radar map you can see in the back. It's attached to the radar dish on top of the ship to make the Nidhogg as capable a mobile command base as the Manegarm... almost.

The guns can also point out to the sides. Just imagine a long row of these ships floating over the horizon, preparing to invade a colony near you!

Can you find the Crown of Xarkon? No, not the little logo on the side of the ship; that one's upside down.

This is a good shot of the VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) boosters. These stay running all the time during flight. After all, the ship doesn't have any wings. It probably should... but right now it doesn't. Meh.

Another shot of the radar screen and other computer apparatuses, the descent cables, and the guns hooked to the central pillar. And the toolbox.

The forward interior. Again we see the guns, a conveniently placed clock, and the pilot. And the fire extinguisher.

It's the interior again. What, the medic is still in the ship?! That's the problem with female soldiers; someone starts feeling all protective and tells them to stay put. In this case it might have been her commanding officer. Romance in the workplace always causes problems.

The control station. Move along, move along.

Concept art for the Nidhogg. The one in the upper-left corner was the first picture I drew. I was trying to make it look as much like an upside-down Crown of Xarkon as possible. In my second drawing (upper-right), I raised the middle up some and lowered the prongs on either end to make room for it to hold a tank under the bottom. The final picture I drew is the big one at the bottom. Yeah, I scrapped the idea for it to hold Hornet bikes on the top. That was just stupid.

All in all the craft never did turn out quite right. Maybe someday I'll make an improved version... maybe.