Roon's Raccoon Sprintladder

I will be displaying Roon's Raccoon Sprintladder at Brickfair New England. In addition my M:Tron Enterprise will also be on display.

Why the spinning raccoon tail?

The inspiration for it comes from the Raccoon/Tanooki Mario. The spinning tail helps moves the vehicle quickly and quietly. (But a round a tail like that isn't going to provide any significant forward momentum. True but I liked the idea even if it wouldn't work in real life.)

Why is the back slanted down but not the raccoon face?

The spinning tail hit the ground with the back not slanted down. Larger wheels on the back and smaller wheels on the front fixed the problem. The raccoon face would be stuck in the ground so it needed to be angled upward.

Why doesn't it have flick missiles or the newer blasters?

It should. Legend of Chima and Marvel Superhero sets generally do. I'm not fond of the gun on the vehicle but haven't found a design I really like.

Why the ladder pieces instead of an extending ladder?

My original plan was to have a grappling hook. After my prototype with the spinning tail, I realized that a grappling hook would be bad with the spinning tail. I don't have any extending ladders so I chose to use the ladder pieces.

Isn't the ladder a little long for the Lion Chi Temple walls?

I don't have the Lion Chi Temple so I never tested it against the wall. After building a similar wall, yes I found it is a little long.

Why the studs everywhere instead of a smooth design?

My Lego collection is old. I don't have many pieces to make a sleek design. The wheels you see in the pictures were not the original design. The original wheels are no longer produced so I had to purchase some pieces to complete it. Same with the tail, it originally didn't have the rounded end. Keep in mind Lego redesigns any project that is accepted. If you like the concept, I suggest trusting that the final design will satisfy you even if you find my design not quite good enough.

Why not use a digital designer to make a smooth design?

I wanted something my kids and I could play with now. A project with a physical version feels more real than a digital model.

Shouldn't it be more brown than gray as Rocket's fur is brown?

I don't have a lot of brown pieces. I may play around with making the digital model brown to see how it looks when I get a chance.

How many pieces?

160 pieces without any minifigures.