The Energon Pub

[Captain Crooks]

I've always been a bit disappointed with the standard of transformer bikes - granted, they are difficult due to the lack of available space etc, but i've decided to have a go, in between waiting for parts of Bumblebee to dry.

I have purchased a cheap 1:144 gundam model (AU$5- not bad....) and a small, partly die-cast 1:18 scale Honda CBR1100XX - a nice street racer, gloss black. I'm going to see what happens when you cross the two together...

By the way, i know 1:18 is too big for Alternator scale, but they dont seem to make any 1:24 bikes, except the Harley Davidson ones, but they have no fairing and will pose quite a challenge make transformable - so another time maybe.... in the meantime, i will just have to live with over-sized bike....



Here is a pic of the bike - it's going to be a decepticon i reckon, i have no idea about a name, so maybe you guys can suggest one?

At this stage, it could be male OR female, so yeah, gimme some ideas! If this is a success, i will definitely do an autobot one as well, maybe based on a Suzuki NSX or something like that......we'll see!

[Vanishing Point]

well I had a whole crew of em in one of my fanfics

sledge, maul, hammer, crowbar, asphault, lockdown, gauge, pathfinder and lash

[Captain Crooks]

Sweeeeeeet.....

Crowbar sounds cool.....reminds me of the original 'Road Rash' game....


I love bikes!!!

[Broadblasts short shorts]

Ive a gang of Junkion fan characters, some of whom are Superbikes.
Redline, Tilt, Slider and Valkyrie (Redline and Valkyrie are female)

[Captain Crooks]

Hmmm, if i can standardise the parts used for transformation, i could do a whole series by the looks of it.....heh. I might have a couple of different transformation styles though, so as not to get boring. Maybe.

[evilratbat]

Axer Updated Version Maybe

Heres Some Pics


Bot Mode
RID and G2 Version



Or Sideways



Bot Mode


RID AND G2


Both From the RID Series

Just Ideas

[REDLINE]

Ive a gang of Junkion fan characters, some of whom are Superbikes.
Redline, Tilt, Slider and Valkyrie (Redline and Valkyrie are female)

Im not a female

[TM TM2 Dinobot]

Ive a gang of Junkion fan characters, some of whom are Superbikes.
Redline, Tilt, Slider and Valkyrie (Redline and Valkyrie are female)

Im not a female

ROFL!

[Menbailee]

Nobody's perfect, Redline. But yes, there are 1:18 transforming bikes on ebay, some of them diecast and pretty good looking. You can probably get away with the larger scale since bikes are so much smaller, anyway.

[Greyryder]

Ive a gang of Junkion fan characters, some of whom are Superbikes.
Redline, Tilt, Slider and Valkyrie (Redline and Valkyrie are female)

Im not a female

Looks like some one's getting ready to kitbash ya.

[Pun-3X]

Ive a gang of Junkion fan characters, some of whom are Superbikes.
Redline, Tilt, Slider and Valkyrie (Redline and Valkyrie are female)

Im not a female

Looks like some one's getting ready to kitbash ya.

That about cracked me up.

I was working on something similar...though I had no plans to make him transform. And I did it with a 1:100 Gundam kit mixed with a 1:12 size bike.

Someday I'll finish the guy once I figure out how I want to build his leg armor out of the leftover bike shell and other parts.

In any case, good look to you on your kitbash. I'd like to see how well it comes out.

[Captain Crooks]

Menbailee wrote:

You can probably get away with the larger scale since bikes are so much smaller, anyway.

In ALT mode, i think the added size will be a bonus - i mean, these guys are going to be pretty short compared to the car ALTS, but now they have gained a precious inch or so....

I'm still undecided about their bike modes though - they stand a little taller than the roofs of these low riding cars (i have Alternators Wheeljack and Dead-end), the difference between 1:18 and 1:24 isnt HUGE, but it is there....

At any rate, if i find a good transformation method, i should be able to adapt it to a slightly smaller shell someday - the larger space i have to work with now is a good bonus for a prototype!

I'd like to see some progress pics from your model, Pun-3X - every idea counts! And thanks for the encouragement!

And thanks to evilratbat for posting all those pics for me - i havent seen many recent bike transformers, so that's really useful! It's given me a couple of ideas already - and i can tell you from the outset, mine are going to have a LOT more articulation in limbs etc - and i'm going to see if i can contain the wheels in the chest area, to avoid those massive shoulderpad things....

[Pun-3X]

I've added on to him since this pic, but I haven't taken any new ones. At least you can get an idea:



Some of the paneling I was going to make into a 'grasshopper wing' kind of look:



There's a bit more to him, and I still have to design the leg and shoulder armor.

[Captain Crooks]

Now THATS more like it!!


If I could make a transformable version similar to that look, i'd be quite pleased with myself, and no mistake! Nice job!! Thanks for posting them up so quickly, now i've got some excellent material to plan with...

[RavageX-9]

I have 3 designs I've been working of since forever.

I think one of the biggest problems with bike TFs is that generally they have to be small (we've never had one larger than a deluxe, and isn't Armada Sideways the only one? all the others have been basics) and when they're small it's hard to fit a lot of parts and joints, so they have to be simple.

I don't know if my intended designs would fit in a basic size TF, or if they would have to be deluxe.

[jimsloth]

there are two different Masked Rider transforming bikes that I've always loved, wish one of them was 1/24, but they're not even close.

[Retread]

This might not be very helpful and the scale is way off, but I noticed the frame of the vette alt looks very mortorcycle like.

(Actually, I was thinking starwars speeder bike ) Would take some serious bashing, but you could probably finess a large bike kit over it. Or you could at least try some variation of the door hinge/ball-joint assembly for the arms and front suspension.

[Captain Crooks]

RavageX-9 wrote:

I have 3 designs I've been working of since forever.

I'd really like to see those designs, everything is useful!

That Masked Rider is cool, jimsloth, I'm thinking of using the fuel tank in a similar position as part of the chest...and the wheel on the back is in an orientation i hadnt previously considered....interesting! Thanks for the pic!


Retread wrote:

This might not be very helpful and the scale is way off, but I noticed the frame of the vette alt looks very mortorcycle like.

Pretty much anything can be resized if necessary - just because an idea is too big, doesnt mean it isnt useful! Thanks heaps for the thought Retread, you just never know sometimes - the weirdest things can be used in kitbashes. I have this old book on Doctor Who Special Effects - those guys were the ULTIMATE kitbashers. Everything they made for that series in it's prime was on the cheap and whipped up in the shortest of times, its always been an inspiration for me! They would build spaceships out of pieces of railway set, model bridges and stuff, pull apart old radios etc - ANYTHING can be used for parts if you look at it right.

So, i welcome and encourage ANY ideas and suggestions, however random they might seem!

[Superquad7]

http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y117/s ... %20Patrol/



I've got more on the way!

[Captain Crooks]

^^^ You'll have to pardon my ignorance of such things superquad7, but are those police bikes based on an existing Transformer toy? It looks a dead ringer for the protectobot bike from the combiner set, but it's a lot bigger, right?

At any rate, you've done some great work there - I especially like the tubing coming out of the weapon arms, it gives a real sense of power there.....
I'm assuming you did the paint and decal work too - it's very clean, i'm impressed!

How many more?!

[jimsloth]

wow superquad, four of the same repaint, you should have entered him in the botcon art contest, you could have stolen first place LOL!

[Captain Crooks]

I just realised, it's the same bike evilratbat posted earlier in this thread! My comments still stand though superquad7, great work!

[Ramrider]

I think one of the biggest problems with bike TFs is that generally they have to be small (we've never had one larger than a deluxe, and isn't Armada Sideways the only one? all the others have been basics)

Does Wreck-Gar count..?

I'm also loving the Masked Rider thing. Might be worth studying to get TF scheme ideas...

[RavageX-9]

I think one of the biggest problems with bike TFs is that generally they have to be small (we've never had one larger than a deluxe, and isn't Armada Sideways the only one? all the others have been basics)

Does Wreck-Gar count..?

Yeah, but he's still a deluxe. and back in the days when the technology wasn't very good.

I'm also loving the Masked Rider thing. Might be worth studying to get TF scheme ideas...

Cool Masked Rider bikes!

I never designed mine with enough detail to show the exact transformations and such. There was a lot implied. I'm still not sure how to finish the designs. whether by 3D model or kitbash or drawing by hand... bleh. I've never kitbashed, my 3D model skills aren't so great, and my spacial skills for drawing aren't very good either.

If you're wondering why Batgirl on the right there has duplicate parts, it's because her boots aren't actually that part, they're just that shape, and probably come from underneith the shell that is that shape. well, at least I properly cut it from the part that makes her collar & chest plate. and I stylized the boot so it looks a little different.
Hrm, I should work on them some more. *edit the photoshop file of this image* I wish there were guides on this... like how to help you do 3D modelling by uh... I don't know... sketching designs for the arms in 2D and then mapping them in somehow... right now it's so hard. maybe you need to know the tools really well. :S

[Ramrider]

I'd've thought Wreck-Gar was more of a Mega. He's on the same level as Rodimus Prime (in the Autobot Heroes sub-line), after all. True, though, it doesn't make him any more complicated in terms of transformation.

I know it's really hard doing those motorbikes. If I had the time, I wouldn't mind attempting to build a simplified CAD model, which might help determine how much space is available and where.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure how I'd go about it, since I have no idea as regards the actual proportions of the bike.