M'Kyuun

Merry Christmas, one and all!

I love Lendy's designs. His chibi Vf-1s are cool, too. Supported this and hope it reaches 10K in record time and then gets chosen. This, I believe, will be the third VF-1 submission to Ideas (I believe Lendy had one before this a few years back), so it's time it got the greenlight. FYI, Lendy also submitted the Voltron model that got made into a set.

Another designer I'd like to highlight is Junji Okubo, better known as Izmojuki. He became known to me via his myriad 'vertical tank' designs for the 2002 Steel Battalion XBox game. I've never played the game, sadly, but I've been in awe of the designs since, so much so that I use them as my wallpaper on my PC to this day. Sadly, only a few of his designs were ever translated into toy or model form and I never managed to pick any of them up. I'd likely be in for a few if Moderoid ever turned their sights towards doing them. I love the heavy realistic industrial aesthetic he applies to his mecha designs. Just beautiful!

I totally agree with your view that the earlier designs with more surface detail are preferable to the smooth ship design the eventually went with. However, one needs to consider the times, and if the entire ship was a CG construct, it would've been easier, I'd think, for them to render it all smooth than to try to incorporate all the patterns (which resemble the gyri and sulci of the brain. Wonder if that was intentional?) I always thought it a cool design, nonetheless. The Eagle from Space: 1999 is such an iconic design, and definitely worth a mention. I've always loved the real-world utilitarianism of it. I hadn't given any thought to the Nostromo when I started this thread, but it's an absolutely brilliant design- monstrously huge, utilitarian in the extreme, replete with structures that imply large scale storage- the fact that it is an ore refinery in space was not lost on the model designers, and I think it speaks to that quite elegantly, even if the ship itself doesn't fit the traditional description. I appreciate the info and backstories to some of these designs as well. I discovered the work of Swedish designer Simon Stalenhag a couple years ago via the Amazon Prime show, Tales from the Loop, which built a series of stories around his artwork. It's a dark and gritty show, and I loved both the stories and the way they so faithfully brought his art to life in the show. I wish The Electric State had been done as well, but they went for a completely different vibe focusing more on humor. It didn't work as well, alas. For me, Simon's allure is the way he paints odd and otherworldly technologies, images, and objects into everyday mundane scenery; that juxtaposition is appealing, and Simon's an impressive artist to boot, so the photo realism of his work makes an impression. I hope to see more of his work influence sci-fi in shows and film, as it strikes a chord.

I like a good WotW retelling, but reports at the onset were that this was a massive stinker so I stayed away. Someday curiosity may get the better of me, and I may just watch it to see just how bad it truly is. I've watched some sci-fi and horror clunkers in my time so I may suffer it out of boredom, curiosity, or both. Not today, though.

Too funny. The spousal unit and I started watching Foundation, and while it departs from the book in a number of ways, I'm enjoying it. We' started S2 last night. It's definitely spiced up from the far more stoic Asimov storytelling style, and one of the main characters, Salvor Hardin, is a bit of a sci-fi special Mary Sue with her abilities. Still, overall, I'm enjoying it. I wish they'd adapt The Robots of Dawn into a miniseries. I read it when I was around twelve and it has always stayed with me. Seeing how Foundation is being realized, especially with another humaniform robot named Demerzel as a main supporting character, I'd love to see it become an offshoot show.

Well, that's the rub with American retailers- they all have their markups in addition to S&H and whatever tariffs may apply, not to mention sales taxes. But, at least it's an option and it's still cheaper than paying aftermarket once it's retired. I figure once they tack on taxes, tariffs, and shipping, you'll be paying about $80-90, so it's likely about the same regardless. I'm just happy to have a secure preorder. I hope they follow this up with Oberan's Gazette for next year.

Oddly, though I've always had a strong interest in robots in sci-fi, I didn't grow up watching any Super Robot shows, not even Voltron. I did see Mighty Orbots, however, and really liked the show. Too bad it only got one season (Thanks, Tonka. Grrrr😠). It was only decades later that I learned Mighty Orbots was based on God Mars, and there were even plans to release a retooled version of that toy that more closely resembled the MO animation model. I'm digressing, but all this is to say I never cultivated a liking for the vast majority of Super Robots. I liked Big O- cool show and the mecha was cool, and I really enjoyed the Netflix Voltron series (still haven't seen the original Japanese Go Lion or the watered-down American versions), and I've tried twice to watch Super Robot Wars, which I own, but have yet to complete after close to a decade. I'm not sure why they don't appeal to me, but they just don't. I do like most of the Gundam series that I've watched, but Gundam is its own thing, just like Macross, which is awesome. I think one aspect that puts me off of most early Super Robot stuff is the combiner aspect and the fact that all the ships that make up the robot just look like disembodied poorly disguised robot parts. The greatest appeal of Transformers to me was always their realistic and believable alt modes, and that is still one of the most alluring aspects. The Dinobots and Insecticons are oddballs, as I really like them, too. By my own preferences, I shouldn't, but I do. I think it's the fact that they're robotic dinosaurs and robotic insects instead of going the BW route of realistic animals. I like BW, but more for the storytelling than the robot forms, although, admittedly, I have quite a few toys, so make of that what you will. At the end of the day, I'm still more of a vehicle/gadget/robotic animal alt mode fan than of realistic creatures/organic things.

I had a very limited knowledge of it having seen pics or models of the purplish-bluish mecha over the years. Irecognized some insectile qualities in that mecha alone, but prompted by your suggestion, I checked out a review/synopsis on YT. First, I wasn't aware that Tomino san was behind it, or that it was one of the first isekai anime. Beyond that, concerning the mecha design, most definitely insectile. Pretty cool.

Looks amazing!

You're not wrong! The Gunstar is a lovely design. What's really cool about it is that it was rendered entirely in CG, as were many space shots in that film, giving it an otherworldly yet oddly realistic look that early CG had. I've not seen The Last starfighter in some time, but I remember being enthralled by it when I saw it so many years ago. Not sure if it has held up, especially with all the 80s cheesiness, but the premise was fantastic as were so many of the themes within. I was also enthralled with Centauri's transforming space car. An oldy but goody. I wasn't familiar at all with this. I've always like insectile features transposed to mechanical vehicles and mecha, so I can understand the allure of the carrier ship. Pretty neat history, especially the involvement of two of Rock's most notable guitarists. Speaking of insectile inspirations, I'm reminded of the Jigabachi helicopter from GitS: Stand Alone Complex. I bought a model of it some years ago and have yet to build it. It's a neat design, though.

I appreciate the compliment, but these guys are so far beyond my meager talent. Trotta's stuff just boggles my mind. He designs and builds on a whole other level that few others I've seen can match. It's art.

I'm still quite partial to the Bubbleship from Oblivion. It's such a sublime design. It also reminds me of Kawamori's Variable City Police Machine, a mecha that deserves a toy, IMHO.

No worries. I try to shine a light on these builders when they pop up, as they and their work deserve recognition, appreciation, and a wider audience beyond just the LEGO nerds. A couple others you may like are Bob DeQuatre, Big Planes, and the late incomparable Nate Nielson, AKA nnenn, whose brilliant and prolific spacecraft, especially the Vic Viper from Gradius, created a movement that continues to this day. Nnenn wasn't always celebrated in the LEGO community, as he was an artist first, and LEGO happened to be a handy medium. He had no qualms about taking sandpaper to parts to smooth out straight edges, painting parts, or otherwise modding them to his liking. The LEGO purists weren't down with this molestation of the Sacred Brick when the community first became aware of him. He didn't really care- he built for himself and his two small sons. Ultimately, however, a number of more prominent builders began to celebrate and even mimic his style, and AFAIK, a couple reached out to him personally. I only found out shortly after his death in an auto accident that he lived rather close to me and I wish I'd met him. Perhaps I passed him at Toys R Us at some point. I'll never know. There's a fitting tribute to Nate on the Brothers Brick and his Flickr page remains open for all to enjoy thanks to LEGO community members. Few builders that I'm aware of have had the impact that Nate has had within the community, and there are still Vic Viper contests happening to this day due to his influence. He wasn't looking to become a legend, but he became one nonetheless, deservedly so. RIP nnenn

I think he just took the usual Gundam crest and moved it down, probably as a signature difference since all the other suits kept the crest up on top of the head. While Superheroes aren't generally considered Sci-fi, in my mind they fall into the bucket more often than not. Batman, with all his gadgets, is a particular favorite and I wanted to mention the late Anton Furst for his iconic Batmobile design, followed by Chris Nolan's and Nathan Crowley's Tumbler, still one of the most unique rides for the Caped Crusader, as well as Rocksteady's car-cum-tank Batmobile in Batman: Arkham Knight, to Patrick Tatoupolos', Ed Natividad's and Dennis McCarty & Team's Batmobile design for Batman vs Superman. The Batmobile for me is a star unto itself whenever it's featured, and while there have been countless versions of it over the decades, these particular designs stand out for me. Of course, I grew up watching the old '66 Batman show, and that Batmobile, the iconic heavily modified Ford Lincoln Futura, still stands out as well, although I prefer the more modern takes. I've also been a huge fan of the S.H.I.E.L.D. flying car since first seeing it in a friend's comic book back in the 80s focusing on breakdowns and cutaways for a plethora of Marvel Comics gadgetry. That image burrowed itself into my psyche, and I still think it one of the coolest bits of hardware in a vast universe of interesting and cool hardware, including my other favorites, Tony Stark's many Iron Man suits. I was really pleased when the flying car was featured in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Coulson's cherry red convertible, L.O.L.A. LEGO even made a set of it, much to my joy. As the LEGO Speed Champions Team seem to be exploring more media as fodder for sets, I hope LOLA get the treatment eventually. Since I'm talking about flying cars now, I have to mention the Delorean from Back to the Future Part II, which gave an already cool sci-fi vehicle, a sporty time machine, a flight mode with tires that curl under nigh parallel to the road, a look I've dug since seeing the old SHIELD car in that aforementioned comic. Staying with the car theme, I'll wrap up with the Mach 5 from Mach GoGoGo, or more famously known as Speed Racer. Much like many Batmobiles and James Bond vehicles over the years (another worthy mention), the Mach 5 blends style and gadgetry to create a formidable sci-fi vehicle wielded against the forces of evil. Ironically, I'm not a car guy by any stretch, but I'm enamored with cars with secret transformations, hidden weapons and functions, and other capabilities beyond those of normal cars. Guess I need to throw the whole inventory from M.A.S.K. in there, too. So much goodness. I'd love to see MASK make a comeback in a grittier show in the vein of G.I. Joe Resolute with both the old vehicles and new ones. It's such a great concept: it deserves a good show and some really badass toys, models, etc.