Gouf Ignited: Posin

Pretty close, but cut off so that I can use it in the future.

Gouf Ignited: getting close....

The modeling is pretty much done. Changed some limb sizes a bit. Working on textures for now.

Gouf Ignited: Shield

Getting that shield and sword in there...

Gouf Ignited: Flight Pack

Pretty much installed. Instead of the mysterious looking stretch-oval thrusters, these have cones jammed in there to make it look a bit busier.

Gouf Ignited: Leg 2

Did quite a bit to spruce up the legs. Overall they're about a meter longer than they should be, 500mm on the upper leg and about the same on the lower leg, though the foot has been brought inward to compensate a little. The knee cap is sharpened and enlarged while the upper leg is also widened and cut so that the upper and lower legs can achieve a good bending position (and consequently the knee should be able to do so without colliding with the armor. The side boosters are larger and wider while there is an additional booster on the inner calves to help a bit (not in the original design). The foot itself is also thinner and comes to more of a point at the end. I figured that this would allow posing to be less clunky looking. Also, since there isn't a foot protection flap, there's a bit of metal frame sticking out lower to help a bit in concealing the inside of the leg.

Gouf Ignited: Leg 1

I had to draw out what I wanted for the Gouf Ignited's legs on paper so that I could have a clear idea of what I was trying to do. Getting started on that now.

Ex-S Gundam

The end of the start list is here. This one I'm thinking will take me some time. Again, I don't have much time lately to get far, but the heads aren't usually so bad which is why I've "started" quite a few in the last few days. Since I'll have a few to work on at the same time it should be easy to maneuver myself around different models depending on the time I have. This is instead of coming home from work late and thinking "wow, no time today to work on the legs of some machine" or anything like that. Though it spreads me thin, it also keeps it so that I'm always working on SOMETHING. And so, the Ex-S. The machine on the left (above) is the Ex-S while the right is the not so decked out "S-Gundam". It is a fully modular design capable of transforming from a system of smaller flying machines into the Mobile Suit. By now this concept is nothing new to gundam fans. Probably actually boring. So the mesh will be able to transform into the above modules. In a future-proof sort of twist I wanted to also get down the S-Gundam BST which is very much like the Hummingbird is to the Zeta Plus. Finally, at the end of the modeling cycle for the above, I wanted to get the DEEP STRIKER system as well, which is a mobile weapons - hit and run - system very much like the DENDROBIUM ORCHIS or to a lesser extent the HAZEL -RAH 2nd Form And another head gets the start gun..... This one will take a while I'm sure.

Zeta Plus: Head 2

Finally scratched together some time to get a render on. Getting close here too.

Zeta Plus

continuing the "start" of various meshes to get my foot in the door before my big distraction. This is the Zeta Plus series, a cheaper, mass-produced version of the Zeta Gundam featured in the Sentinel Gundam photo novel. Like the Zeta Gundam it transforms into a mobile armor similar in shape to conventional aircraft. There are at least 2 versions: the A1 (below) which is made mostly for atmospheric flight and the C1 (above in bw) for space flight. The latter tend to have extras like separate fuel tanks and a smart beam gun attached to the shield/nose. They are usually grey in color, except at least one. Finally is the Hummingbird which is a Zeta Plus with 4 extra boosters almost identical to that used by the Ex-S Gundam. The legs are replaced with two rather large boosters and 2 are mounted in the rear. Again, the modest start....EXCEPT that this is generally a conversion from the previous Zeta Gundam. New geometry will be attached in places it needs to be. However, I expect this to be a relatively easy change-over.

ZZ Gundam: Head 2

Getting through the head. Need the center seam through the bank axis.

ZZ Gundam

Trying to get my foot in the door of some other meshes and start them before I get too busy with other stuff. I've been planning this one for a long time as well, but have only just gotten around to it. The plan is to make the Double Zeta (ZZ) first, then from that build the Full Armor Double Zeta (FAZZ). Finally, if I ever get the time or gumption, I would try to get the Double Zeta Cannon which is an unofficial fan made version of the ZZ Gundam made specifically for the doujinshi called "MEANINGLESS WAR" (cover art shown below). The original ZZ was designed by Makoto Kobayashi, but the redesign (mostly a re-cleanup) for the Sentinel series was Katoki Hajime so I'll be going off that one. Of course, I'm trying to head into the Sentinel series with the ZZ and then the Sentinel Gundam... but all in due time I suppose. And so the ubiquitous beginnings of the ZZ head.

Gouf Ignited: Arm 2

The Gouf Ignited arms are close to what I want at the moment. I haven't yet added some detail to the gun, but overall, the proportions that I want are there. Most of the idea is from the Gouf Custom with larger biceps and detail lines and a somewhat larger forearm, though the shape remains closer to the Gouf Ignited. I'm not sure at all where the full length of the heat rod is stored in the forearm as it's quite long and has a hefty diameter to it once it's deployed -- however, the beginning sections are in the forearm as they should be. I'll have to figure out something for that. Anyway, the arms are generally a lot heftier than they are in the plastic model and a bit more like they are in the show... a "bit".

Gouf Ignited: Arm 1

Extending the coverage of the shoulder guard downward, but using a metallic color or white material in the future. Otherwise, I'm generally trying to strike a compromise between the Gouf Custom arm and the Gouf Ignited. Still fussing around with it.

Gouf Ignited: Waist 2

Screwing around with the waist. The crotch section is a bit too wide, but I think it's getting there all around. I lengthened the side and rear skirts so that the legs will get a bit more coverage. Still messing around with it.

Gouf Ignited: Waist 1

Getting started with the waist and taking this to a stranger direction. I like the way that the Gouf Ignited's body is not FUSED with the waist and instead is capable of rotation.

Gouf Ignited: Body 2

Widened the chest and sharpened the cockpit block. The head sits a bit smaller on the torso so that it looks a bit meaner. I might make it smaller depending on what I can get the shoulders to look like.

Gouf Ignited: Head 2

As I mentioned before I dropped the ocular cavity window by some centimeters but also added a "lip" similar to what the Gouf Custom has in the front of the window. Also divided the front fin and tilted it forward a bit. The hoses are also reduced in diameter from what they were at first. From here will probably be bump maps to keep the poly count manageable.

Gouf Ignited: Body 1

The beginnings of an (as yet) unimpressive torso.

Gouf Ignited

Almost done with the cockpit for Freedom, but meandering off of that to start the Gouf Ignited which I've been meaning to do for at least a year. Sure, it's not a Gouf Custom, but there's a lack of non-Gundam suits in the menagerie and so this makes up for it a bit. The style is something of a nod towards the old Gouf of the original Gundam universe, but with some kind of wacky new-age twist to lure new kids into the genre. Since I have yet to see a BEE-CRAFT version of this suit I'll probably end up doing things to make it a bit different than the stock version above (which is usually blue, the orange is a custom unit). Below is the usual meager start of the head. Lowering the ocular cavity to make it look a bit meaner.

Freedom Gundam: Cockpit 3

Finished most of the controls on the console. Getting through the comm unit above the console and then the HiMAT radar in the center console will be last. After all that I think I'll be able to enclose the cockpit. The seat that's presently in the cpit is based on the Freedom/Justice design. "Strike Freedom"/"Infinite Justice" apparently use a slightly different seat, though the console seems to remain largely the same.

Freedom Gundam: Cockpit 2

Sat down for a few minutes today on this cockpit. Not much progress. Tons of relative scaling issues and detail to work out but the essence is there. I may figure this out by the weekend if I'm lucky.

Freedom Gundam: Cockpit 1

Starting the cockpit for Freedom/Strike Freedom based on pretty much every last reference I could find... Loads to do still.

Zaku Warrior: Gunner 3

The Gunner wizard pack is mostly there. The cable isn't in the image, but will be. The gun is a bit over sized comparatively (which I like).

Zaku Warrior: Gunner 2

Continuing with the main Gun.

Zaku Warrior: Gunner 1

Forgot to get this one. Starting the backpack.

Strike Freedom: Shutsugeki

It's about time. Took forever just to get to this point and now the image looks too saturated with "stuff". Should have made it simpler ;)

Strike Freedom: Almost

Getting there. One Dragoon wing in the back is Armor-less so that I could see how the wing frame turned out. I'm fairly satisfied at this point. The hands have been reshaped as well. The "gold" frame needs a spot of tweaking though.

Strike Freedom: Beam Rifle

The start of an interesting design.

Strike Freedom: Dragoon 2

And installing the wing system. The skeleton of the wing base is somewhat different from the MG. I decided that I wanted to make something a bit more similar to Katoki's vision on his Cosmic Era figure of the same name and so that and the MG version style has been amalgamated in this set of wings. I personally don't like the way they look on the MG.... :( Additionally, the inclusion of the custom skeleton inside of (8) dragoon wings has increased the size/complexity of the mesh by more than I had imagined and so I'll have to cut back a little, probably by "hiding" parts of the frame from the renderer when they don't need to be processed.