Flying Supercar

Whether you're James Bond, Tony Stark, Phil Coulson, Bruce Wayne, Archer, or Clutch Powers, you know that sometimes you need more than just an ordinary supercar.  You need a car that can travel faster, handle more terrain, and help you defend yourself from the bad guys.  Here at Aeronautical Automotion, we've got you covered.  Our latest model includes best-in-class street car performance, of course.  But now the new Ion Catalyst Engine with integrated ion pulse blaster can bring you right to the edge of space, and fend off the most capable enemy aircraft along the way.  The new plasma energy cannons are stealthily hidden under the hood while you drive, allowing you to maintain a low profile.  But when push comes to shove, they're there when you need 'em.

Lego introduced some new parts recently, including a new wheel bearing (design ID 21445 on LDD) that makes it possible to do a whole bunch of new things with this design.  I reworked the cockpit to include a steering wheel, offset the driver to the left (Anglophiles can reverse this easily enough if they so choose), revised the color scheme, and reworked the transformation mechanisms.

I think the net result is an improvement.  In particular, "hover" mode is much sharper now, and I like the red section behind the driver (reminiscent of the Z07 from 1997, if you remember what that was).  Plus, the car now has some interesting surprises in hover mode!

Pics include car mode, mid-transformation process snapshots, flight mode, and a semi-transparent mode so you can see the advanced weaponry.

Car mode:

Transformation:

Flight Mode:

Transparent Mode, showing weapons, powerplant and ion catalyst engine inside.

Cutaway view showing powerplant, weapons, ICE and tailfins.

I proofed the new design in bricks to make sure it works, is structurally sound, and is swooshable.

Part count: 243 bricks.  I could do it with fewer if I didn't stick with the red/black color scheme on the rear pivot sections, so a different color scheme could be made with fewer bricks.