And now.... content! (3d renders)

[classicdrogn]

In the time I've been offline, I had a bit of a 3d modeling kick. Kinda sorta. All of the following are in the neighborhood of 1200-1500 polygons plus weapons and (for the Skate) super-armor. The Raven's missiles add a ridiculous number of polys because of just how many missiles are in them; for actual use in a game they'd be a single big poly with a partially transparent texture, but these are all basic geometry with colors and in some cases a metallic effect created by messing with the specularity; there are no image maps to be found. So don't go looking for photorealism here, in fact they're kind of sparse by modern gaming standards even if textures were added. However, they are all 100% toy-able, though actually making a toy would require actually making the joints in full detail. So, let's get to the links:

First up, the AG-158 Skate. This is a very Macross-y design, and has been equppied with a Macross-y fold booster in the fighter-form heavy armor version. The armor is called HA-5 Harlequin, but but the hanger crew nickname it "Beamhell" because it mounts a gravatic lensing system and multiple laser emitters (six more like the one mounted in the wrist per arm, plus a heavy on each wing/hip) which allow it to do the "itano circus" with energy weapons instead of missile contrails. It's main role its anti-missile defense close air patrol, hence why it's not fully transformable without ejecting the fold booster - it can use them, but it's not within the primary mission envelope. The same multiple-beam targeting system can be used with the half-dozen spiritia sapping beams mounted inside the "air scoop" on the more humanish form of the (transformable) head, for riot control - energy drained rowdies quickly stop rioting, with no long term damage, even if the energy is useless for non-protodeviln. This is my justification for the two-form transforming head, though OOC it's becasue I don't want to hear any bitching about turret-style versus cone-head style. Don't like the cone-heads? You got a camera turret. Don't like inhuman turret? You got a face and optic band, and the cone-ish-ness is even reduced by the way the face sticks out of it and leaves a "scoop" behind.

















Next, the AG-159 Raven. You know how Gurren Lagann had those flying wing Ganmen, obviously inspired by the real B-2 Spirit? And Macross 7 had one too? Mine's better. Imageshack doesn't preserve filenames very well, but I have most of these named in order to correspond to The Prayer of the Modern Infantry, and will split up the thumbnails accordingly.


Oh great Spirit in the sky


Bestow upon this humble ground-pounder


The blessing of your almighty air strike


Our souls illuminate the target


For your laser-guided affection


For your love is an awesome power


And nothing says "love" like close air support


Amen


Standing beside a Skate - now you see why those extra-long arms are in fact intentional?I'm rather proud of how I got them to fold out flat like that, actually. I thought it would look really lame, but it's pretty good.


Parked - yes, the landing gear actually physically works and fits into the parts it extends from, though the "gear bays" are just a flat-black square added just over the surface of the model and a door. The doors work, too.

Okay! Next, the pure-robot-only-looks-like-it-has-a-cockpit designs, which despite that minor failing I really like a lot - and since they're explicitly intended for the Ninja Robot Space Fighter setting where only the technophobe THIS members use physical cockpits instead of energy-state merge-with-mecha system, they are in fact still originally designed as piloted craft. Now, depending on the player's option settings, one main character (that is, one that has plot attatched instead of falling under the "you can recruit ANYONE in the game if you fget their Reaction score high enough" rule) may be male or female, so I needed two designs. I'm doing the male one first, because it's simpler to explain. This is called the Rowdy Bravo, and is quite obviously based on the classic hot rod style, complete with robo-pompadour and sideburns. (And the main feature of the Bravo is its engines, which feature afterburners so leave a trail of fire and bosster-smoke behind those side-mounted engine pods...) A "Rowdy Alpha" must also exist, though I haven't created a visual design or place for it, and "Rowdy Charlie" is a police version, with a different heead, shorter engine pods, and a different "front wheel" rudder design. Lightbars on the Rowdy Charlie occupy the top hardpoints, obviously enough.













Now, for the female version, called as a model the Kyrie. First, your boss's version, the Angel of Naughty Catgirls, which is seen as a street rod if you have the male boss. (and vice versa - a dialogue if the character is in the active party when you see it the first time has a "heh, you know, I always wanted to do that, but kind of got into this business instead" flavor, but not nailed down enoguh to have been added to my Game Scripts files)












While not so explicit as the Rowdy Bravo, the hot rodding roots can be seen in the exposed and presumably modified engines. The base, civilian version is the Angel of Mercy, just seen in a couple of group shots since it's not all that striking. The first of these showcases in particular the different engine configurations between versions, which are the main variation aside from the number of robo-ahoge and cat-ears attatched to the head.






More prominent in these is the Angel of Accelleration, a sports type modified for mecha-triathlon (air-racing in the open, a robot-form obstacle course, and shooting targets in a simpler but still partly obstructed area) which also has a couple of classic "superhero flying" solo shots. Given the City of Heroes player presence in these boards, I thought I'd give 'em a try.




And then... there's Fury Angel. Did I mention superheroes? Yeah. She's a Scanner who dropped her human name post-transfer, and goes all vigilante because her loved ones got killed in a THIS operation. Pretty much a secret character in the game as planned, unless you go out of your way to look for her a chapter early the only time you'll see her is running in ahead of the party to get blown away and demonstrate the badass cred of one of the THIS bosses.

And yes, those are pink eyebrows. Why do you ask?



Cheers!

- CD

ETA: And that should have been on OPF, dammit, not General. Oh well, it's not really fanfiction either I suppose.

ETA2: I also wanted to mention, your boss (male or female) and Fury Angel are the only characters aside from Player McPickaname that you can keep through the whole 5000-year timeline
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows