Ah, Nothing Beats the Classics (Sci Fi WIP) (Patreon)

Hello!

It's Sci Fi Month and this time we're taking a trip down memory lane!

Ah, the RX-78-2 Gundam, the OG of all Mobile Suits.  Hands down the most iconic of them all.  So important to anime, Japan literally built a shrine to this pinnacle of greatness.  If that isn't worship, I don't know what is. 😲

Part of the RX-78 Gundam series, it was built in secret on Side 7. The Gundam would turn the tide of war in favor of the Earth Federation during the One Year War against the Principality of Zeon. It was primarily piloted by Amuro Ray.

Okay I'll be honest, I don't remember much from the original TV series and movies.  I was much more active during the Gundam Wing and Gundam Seed generations.  But I'm pretty sure I had one when I was a kid.  I have inadvertently destroyed many, many models. 😅 And since it's so iconic, I've tried to keep my version as close to the original as possible.  

One thing I've learned from assembling tons of Gundam kits is that putting colour and number stickers on them is a huge pain in the ass.  So I'm just baking them into the design to prevent painters from having a stroke. 😄

Next up is G1 Arcee in the style of the 1980's TV series.  That was definitely the must see Saturday cartoon for all kids.  Like the Gundam series, Transformers is so ingrained into pop culture that Hollywood has been trying to milk it for all it's worth.  Quick side note, why do the studios refuse to use the original style for the Transformers on the big screen?  And why do they insist on injecting all this pointless human drama into a movie filled with giant robots punching each other?  Honestly, I'd rather watch Optimus Prime and Megatron silently playing chess than sit through more Hollywood dialogue. 🤦‍♂️

While I am less than pleased with how they've treated the franchise, I will say I unironically enjoyed the first Michael Bay movie for the sheer novelty of seeing my childhood toys beat each other up in theatres.  But yeah, as this guy puts it, the franchise was all downhill from there.  Just go watch the original Transformers movie from the 1980s.  Compared to the rest, it might as well be Citizen Kane.

Anyways, I tried to keep to Arcee's original form as possible.  Any changes, I make is meant to help with her range of motion.  And as a Transformer, she should y'know transform.  So I'll be including her original G1 car mode with this month's lineup.

Okay, next up is Maya from Borderlands and Adam Smasher!  I'll save Megatron for the final unveiling this month.

In other news, I'd like to mention the folks of Phoenix Foundry has reached out to me and said they are doing a 3D Terrain Kickstarter this month.  Their collection includes some truly stunning set pieces, including detailed cottages, taverns and huge elven tree structures.  What really makes their stuff stand out is that you can print the interior of their structures as well for some truly immersive roleplaying! 🤩

I'll let Phoenix Foundry explain it in their own words:

Hey guys! 

We’re terrain makers, 3D printing specialists and tabletop nerds. We make miniatures with the express intention of seeing jaws drop and people faint – it’s important to make sure your friends have insurance before putting our models on the table! Our sculpting teamwork in the film industry; you might have seen their work in LOTR Rings of Power, The Hobbit, Bladerunner 2049 and King Kong. Currently, they’re working on Avatar 3. 

Here's The Founder’s Cottage, the forerunner of the complete town we are releasing in our upcoming Kickstarter which has probably the craziest 3D printable terrain pieces ever to be made commercially available. One piece is over 4ft tall! Every piece has full playable interiors; all our miniatures are optimised for RESIN OR FDM printing and come presplit for smaller printers.  

It would really mean a lot to us if you’d check out what we’ve been working on - 18 months in the making and we think it’s been worth the wait! 

Thanks guys!  Phoenix Foundry's Kickstarter also have a broad range of unlockables from different designers which includes my Vampire.  Phoenix Foundry has also kindly provided me with a free stl cottage design to share with the community, accessible here.  If interested, please visit their Kickstarter, their stuff looks absolutely fantastic! 👍