The Energon Pub

Yay! I finally picked up the pencil again.

Here are some doodles of my design ideas for 'true' TFs. Be warned, they're a bit crud, 'cause I wasn't really meticulous with perspective or lining.

I'd like to disregard things like morphing, size shifting and any other stuff that isn't replicable in (complex) models. One of the problems stemming from that, is that it is paramount to keep track of the sizes of real life alt-modes, where the robot modes are concerned. I'm aiming to get every design to scale with each other. Just think of them as (non car) Alternators.

I'd like to develope these characters for a fanfic I'm concidering.
Think of a reboot of the first part of the G1 comics.

I'm leaning on doing a comic. But I have no experience with either writing or drawing sequentials. Let alone having grasped the basics of drawing humans... However, I'm taking my time with this. (I'm playing with this idea for 8 months now, and I'm lazy. ) I don't want to rush it.
Hopefully it will develope into something that will enter Twisted Metal, or something.

Hey, but I like a challenge. If you'd like to contribute ideas and stuff, great.

Comments and crits appreciated. (And don't hold back, just be honest.)

Optimus, part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Starscream

Shockwave

(Road) Scourge

Bruticus

For some previous designs, just check my deviantart gallery.

Laters,

T.V.

Pretty cool art! Has a nice G1 look to it.

Can't wait to see your full-fleshed out drawings!
Then I will critique..

Keep it up!!

.billy

Awsome stuff, TV; be nice to see the more refined versions when you've done them.

A little note on Bruticus' 'bio'... you mention a change of leadership.
I don't think there's any need for that - just because Onslaught's not the torso, doesn't mean he's not the leader anymore (it never stopped Scrapper). Besides, I really don't see him following Blast Off's orders, do you..?

Thanks guys!

I'll be doing to more detailed drawings this week.
I'm full of inspiration.
Let's hope I don't fall into "artists block" like the last 6 months.
Aw.. What am I saying. It's just a matter of discipline.

Ok, I haven't been drawing anything lately. (Too busy with studying, amongst other things.)

However, I still like to share another doodle. This one predates the others and is just a filler.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/23799744/

It containes my first idea for Bruticus, plus some early thoughts on Arcee (sportsbike) and Superion (drawn to scale with Bruticus).

Wow, there really nice! I will fav them

Thanks, Skullgrin.

Well... I haven't been drawing this week, apart from this 5 min doodle I made this evening.

A Macross inspired Jetfire based on an F-14D Tomcat.
He'd be about 50 ft. tall.

Another WIP. This time it's our beloved Cassetteman.

I just thought about it in the last hour.
To me this is the only way to retain a minion chest ejecting ability with the Blackhawk in both alt- and bot mode.

It's a very involved (and asymetrical) transformation, to take advantage of the sliding cargo door on the side(s).

The (fore)arms are made out of the convex shaped aft part of the fuselage leadign up to the tail.

Just as his waist, the part on top of the cargo bay rotates.
The engines fold outward, becoming shoulder guards.

I still have to deal with the massive tail (the damn thing is a whopping 64 ft. long including turning rotors), but that will become backpack kibble.

Based on the dimensions of the Helo I think he will stand about 32-35 ft. tall.
Making him about the same length as my M1A2 based Megatron (32 ft.) and F-5E based Seeker TF (35 ft.).

I don't know if I will keep this design for my own comicverse, but I was enticed to give Chopper Soundwave I try, since he's set to become one in the upcoming live action movie.

I drew him with these specific versions of the Blackhawk in mind:

EH-60A
Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) variant has a unique external antenna designed to intercept and jam enemy communications. The EH-60E is powered by two General Electric T700-GE-700 1622 shp turboshaft engines.

EH-60B
version was a Stand-Off Target Acquisition System designed to detect the movement of enemy forces on the battlefield and relay the information to a ground station.

I can't look at it without seeing Vortex.

That one remembers me a lot the one I saw in a promo video of the 2007 movie.

hmmm... the front doesn't look long enough to make the legs you've drawn. why not turn those cylindrical air intake things on top into his two guns?
so... his chest opens up to reveal... A CHAIN GUN! heheh. what if Soundwave's chest were used for handling energon. his minions could be disguised as energon cubes.

I like Bruticus. I wish there were links to pictures of the alt modes or something.
I think Starscream already loses a lot of height with the nose of the plane folding over. although minor things here and there also help. hard to tell where his parts come from.
I've been thinking about a similar redesign for Devastator, where he doesn't need extra bits for his thighs, fore-arms+hands, chestplate, or head. the hands would come from the treads, and the thighs and chestplate would come from Long Haul. it still doesn't seem like enough though. Long Haul gets spread pretty thin. I feel like I'm making Devastator too hollow and frail.

Gheghe. This was a movie inspired idea.

Pre-vis Soundwave you speak of, Destructor, is actually based on Cybertron Evac.

I try to make my designs mechanically feasable, so that they can be faithfully produced as a model.
So I can't just take the engines and slap them on his shoulders.
That doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about doing a revision that transforms the engines a bit different, emulating the G1 shoulder gun.
The chest door actually slides to the right (Sw's left) to open up just like the chopper pic shows.
The legs are in scale, it is just that the waist extends a bit.
Think of Alt Grimlock's legs.
That said, this was just a 20 min doodle.

I can understand the criticism about him looking like Vortex.
I emphasized more on reproducing the indentifying gimmick of Soundwave, than preserving his G1 looks.

My more refined version will deal with everything, including the tail.

RavageX-9 wrote:I like Bruticus. I wish there were links to pictures of the alt modes or something.
I think Starscream already loses a lot of height with the nose of the plane folding over. although minor things here and there also help. hard to tell where his parts come from.
I've been thinking about a similar redesign for Devastator, where he doesn't need extra bits for his thighs, fore-arms+hands, chestplate, or head. the hands would come from the treads, and the thighs and chestplate would come from Long Haul. it still doesn't seem like enough though. Long Haul gets spread pretty thin. I feel like I'm making Devastator too hollow and frail.

Beware.

(Scroll down in each link for pics.)

Blast Off - AV-8B Harrier II
Brawl - M6 Linebacker
Onslaught - M270 MRLS
Swindle - XM-1117 ASV-150
Vortex - AH-1W Super Cobra (grey twin engined one)

Note that the vehicles are in the same scale in the Bruticus pic.
I not only judged these updated vehicles on their transforming suitability and "G1ness", but also on their (matching) sizes.

When do we see your Devastastor, Ravage?

T.V. wrote:

RavageX-9 wrote:I like Bruticus. I wish there were links to pictures of the alt modes or something.
I think Starscream already loses a lot of height with the nose of the plane folding over. although minor things here and there also help. hard to tell where his parts come from.
I've been thinking about a similar redesign for Devastator, where he doesn't need extra bits for his thighs, fore-arms+hands, chestplate, or head. the hands would come from the treads, and the thighs and chestplate would come from Long Haul. it still doesn't seem like enough though. Long Haul gets spread pretty thin. I feel like I'm making Devastator too hollow and frail.

Beware.

(Scroll down in each link for pics.)

Blast Off - AV-8B Harrier II
Brawl - M6 Linebacker
Onslaught - M270 MRLS
Swindle - XM-1117 ASV-150
Vortex - AH-1W Super Cobra (grey twin engined one)

Note that the vehicles are in the same scale in the Bruticus pic.
I not only judged these updated vehicles on their transforming suitability and "G1ness", but also on their (matching) sizes.

ohhh. a harrier. sounds appropriate. I love the chest plate he makes. too bad you... hey, couldn't you make the lower wings on his hips out of the tail?

When do we see your Devastastor, Ravage?

when I learn how to draw, I guess. :S I'm not too good with spacial skills either, so I don't know how sucuessfully I could pick alternative vehicles for proper scale.
basically, the sides of Long Haul's bed become the wings of his chestplate, while the engine forms the block in the middle. Long Haul's legs become Devastator's thighs. but there's not much left of Long Haul to form the pelvis and waist.

What about his torso and arms? Could they not fill that role?

Sorry I'm a little late here, but I frickin' love the soundwave pic (or being a blackhawk, would it better be Soundblaster). It is an asymmetrical transformation, but when its done, the bot mode still looks fairly symmetric which I'm sure is not an easy thing to do.

Ramrider wrote:What about his torso and arms? Could they not fill that role?

you talking to me? well the arms are already stretched thin by the treads becoming fore-arms. I guess the torso would have to add some to the waist in addition to the head.

No, no... I meant Long Haul's torso. While I'm having trouble picturing exactly what you mean, I'm thinking that maybe his dumper could be a separate component (like RiD Heavy Load) which can form Devastator's chest plate. Then Long Haul himself would form a sort of flatbed truck, and his torso and arms would form Devastator's waist and trunk, while his legs would become Devastator's thighs.

Ramrider wrote:No, no... I meant Long Haul's torso. While I'm having trouble picturing exactly what you mean, I'm thinking that maybe his dumper could be a separate component (like RiD Heavy Load) which can form Devastator's chest plate. Then Long Haul himself would form a sort of flatbed truck, and his torso and arms would form Devastator's waist and trunk, while his legs would become Devastator's thighs.

well, because I wanted to keep the rest of the flatbed to add plating to Devastator's thighs. either way the wing parts of the flatbed would have to detach, unless I didn't need a flatbed-dumping joint and I just attached the sides to the front cab. the other thing was that a large part of the cab was going to form the block in the middle of the chestplate. that leaves less of Long Haul's torso to form the waist.

Updated my scrap section with some more TF and non TF doodles.
So, there are 5 new entries:

Megatron's head,
Shockwave, pt. 2,
Humans.. sort of,
Optimus Peterbilt, pt. 3, and
Manga Prime.

Enjoy.

http://twv.deviantart.com/scraps/

The TFLive message board inspired me to do this.


Started designing myself as an Alternator.
Head based on my own (incl. receding hairline ).


Guess the alt mode.

Edit:
Redid the face.

Been working on it some more today.

Took a brake from Alt TV and decided to make another doodle of my Alt OP design, based on the Peterbilt 362E.

Dunno wether to call it Optimus Peterbilt or Gundamus Prime.

T.V. wrote:Took a brake from Alt TV and decided to make another doodle of my Alt OP design, based on the Peterbilt 362E.

Dunno wether to call it Optimus Peterbilt or Gundamus Prime.

skinny lower-body. I don't know Peterbilt. why was it chosen?

Well, that's what you get if you stick close to the alt-mode.

I chose it because it's the only current truck model that looks the closest to the old G1 model. I didn't have a pic of the truck at hand when a made the sketch, so I'm off on some parts.

Here's a fan made OP repaint of the very same Peterbilt 362E.