The Energon Pub

Hey Guys

I am in the middle of designing a some parts to make a Custom Duocon Battletrap that isn't a triple changer like the recent update by Fun Pub. But an actual two vehicle forming one robot figure like the other customs that have been posted before.

I am just not sure about whether I should just continue to stick with the helicopter alt mode or go to a Terminator style flying HK like Generations Sandstorm is?

I have found some pretty good references I think I just need to make an executive decision about what alt mode to go with.

Any help would be great?

I am thinking of using something similar to these pictures but don't know which one.

Help pls

Were it me, I just don't feel the second one as a flying vehicle like I do a helicopter.

Thanks for the input Flashwave.

Yeah I had a bit of a think over the weekend and I am sort of leaning towards more of a tilt rotor or a Duct fan kind of aircraft probably more the duct fan though. Kind of like these ones




Either that or something like this but without the guns and missiles



This picture by Blitz-Wing is where I am drawing my inspiration from. But with the pick up truck figure I am going to be using I wont be able to have the front of the vehicle be his feet in robot mode.



I have already designed the missile pods and a laser designator that is based on the one in the first Killzone game. They are ready to be 3D printed I just have to do the aerial vehicle and some other miscellaneous parts.




At the moment I am just waiting to get the pickup truck figure in hand to start the measurements for the rest of the parts and the helicopter.

Let me know what you think.

Thadicon wrote:Thanks for the input Flashwave.

Yeah I had a bit of a think over the weekend and I am sort of leaning towards more of a tilt rotor or a Duct fan kind of aircraft probably more the duct fan though. Kind of like these ones

ee-ph2.jpg

ITUVTOLUAVConcept.png

Either that or something like this but without the guns and missiles

1382687797_vertolet-pyatogo-pokoleniya.jpg

This picture by Blitz-Wing is where I am drawing my inspiration from. But with the pick up truck figure I am going to be using I wont be able to have the front of the vehicle be his feet in robot mode.

Reference Battletrap.jpg

I have already designed the missile pods and a laser designator that is based on the one in the first Killzone game. They are ready to be 3D printed I just have to do the aerial vehicle and some other miscellaneous parts.

Battletrap Transformer project Missile pod.PNG

Battletrap Transformer project Laser designator Rifle.PNG

At the moment I am just waiting to get the pickup truck figure in hand to start the measurements for the rest of the parts and the helicopter.

Let me know what you think.

Well, I think at this point it might be more prudent to attack this from the other side: What do you need the air mold to do to achieve a full robot figure, and work backwards from that. In Blitz-Wing's photo, it looks like the helicopter is more "vest" than body. Are the arms a part of the Helicopter, or are those included in the truck figure? From the artwork, it looks more like a drone ship of some kind, transforming much the way the Helicopter Minicon does in the recent Centuritron figure. But if you need Battletrap's arms stashed in there, a more full size Helicopter such as the Comanche or a Bell where the arms can fold under 270* into the body would be better suited to the size.

I Honestly think it is going to be a partsformer. I am mostly going for the vest look like in the picture.

The figure is going to have all the normal appendages so the arms will be part of the pickup truck and the head is most likely going to be part of the helicopter/drone. And when it is transformed into the helicopter mode the laser designator pistol will attach to the chin of it.

The description the Blitz-Wing put down for the reference was that its more of a power armour and a drone.
I think that is what I like about it the most.

I think I am going to go with the Duct fan drone just as more modern representation of the helicopter and as the full figure is already there in the pickup truck then the drone will just be armour and weapons but still make it the full figure which is what I'm after.

I don't know much about customizing, but I'd suggest finding a voyager or leader size figure, and then figuring out how to cut it in half into 2 separate vehicle modes. You'd have to find a figure in which the legs and arms are autonomous but then attach in the end of the transformation. (Like gens Roadbuster might be a good guy, for sake of example). Sounds a bit easier than figuring out how to jam 2 separate robots together.

Moosey wrote:I don't know much about customizing, but I'd suggest finding a voyager or leader size figure, and then figuring out how to cut it in half into 2 separate vehicle modes. You'd have to find a figure in which the legs and arms are autonomous but then attach in the end of the transformation. (Like gens Roadbuster might be a good guy, for sake of example). Sounds a bit easier than figuring out how to jam 2 separate robots together.

I was actually going to 3D print the helicopter drone, missile pods and the gun designator. And design the helicopter to attach to the pickup truck figure that splits in the middle.
I think a voyager or Leader class would be to big for me. I am just going for a deluxe size robot.

I have a pickup truck figure in mind already and I'm just waiting for it to arrive in the mail. Then I can measure up how big the helicopter drone will be and start designing it up.

So after a few months of designing and what not. I just got my parts today just got to do a clean up and a paint job.

Here are some pictures of the parts (The figure will be painted up more and will have a different head which I picked up from Shapeways.

Once everything's cleaned up abit more I will put some more pictures up with all the parts attached

Here are some pictures of the parts fitted up in both modes just gotta get prepped for sanding and painting. The new head should be here this week sometime.

Any thought and comments are appreciated.

Thanks dudes and dudettes

I like where it is going, and, not to be harsh or anything, but all that stuff makes it seem a little clunky; Does the engine/tail section attach to the vehicle mode at all? Maybe post a pic of (both?) intended vehicle modes and robot mode to better illustrate what it intends to do; but it looks pretty nice

Hellscream9999 wrote:I like where it is going, and, not to be harsh or anything, but all that stuff makes it seem a little clunky; Does the engine/tail section attach to the vehicle mode at all? Maybe post a pic of (both?) intended vehicle modes and robot mode to better illustrate what it intends to do; but it looks pretty nice

Thanks dude. Yeah when I was fitting everything together I started thinking it was starting to get bulky but I actually quite like all the bulk. The tail section connects to the robot mode by a 5mm peg on the roof of the Off-road mold. I was going to put a 5mm hole in the top of the fuselage of the drone for some helicopter blades so it can be either be a heli or a HK type drone.