75 replies to this topic

[Jam the Bam]

Love it so far, very nice work, the Kodiac is the one clan mech that i really want to see.

[HanaYuriko]

RotS Targe, on 21 April 2013 - 04:53 PM, said:

love it, even if it IS bird green!

The cool thing is that I can paint it any color wish! Though it would seem that most of my Clan based models are Ghost Bear. Only one Wolf, and two Jade Falcon paint jobs so far. I think I'll have to paint one up in a Smoke Jaguar color scheme.

Well, not this particular 'mech of course. Most likely my Mad Dog.

TheTeacher, on 21 April 2013 - 05:07 PM, said:

My only critique would be the head/snout...seems to stick out really far and gives the impression the mech would be front heavy. That and it looks like Brian Griffin from Family Guy...

That's part of the reason why I pulled the head back into the torso. Also, I don't think they make martini glasses big enough for a 100 ton monster to hold on to.

Jammerben87, on 22 April 2013 - 03:37 AM, said:

Love it so far, very nice work, the Kodiac is the one clan mech that i really want to see.

Well it's coming together quite nicely, I should think. I like what I've been able to come up with so far, and by the replies, so do the lot of you!

Right then! Details, details. Finished the head and torso. Added some sensor pod "ears" and some armor plates to finish off the head. Replaced the laser in the CT with a ball socket design like on the Boeing YAL-1 airborne laser prototype. Added panels, plates, armor, and rear detailing. Adjusted some size and scaling issues and a few other nitpicky bits.

I also just now realized I forgot to add some detailing to hip joint. Other than that, all that's left are the arms.

Now lets see the images.









Of course, the tricky part? Well, I'm not sure how to design the arms at the moment.

[Bishop Steiner]

Might I recommend???????

[HanaYuriko]

Baloo!

LOL, no

You can recommend anything you like though.

Edited by HanaYuriko, 22 April 2013 - 03:20 PM.

[Bishop Steiner]

well, with the low shoulder ports, it wont be much use in melee, which fits the Clan motif, so is fine. I think starting with something similar to the MWO Hunchback's arms, buffed and "clawed" might be a start.

[tyrone dunkirk]

Bishop Steiner, on 22 April 2013 - 04:12 PM, said:

well, with the low shoulder ports, it wont be much use in melee, which fits the Clan motif, so is fine. I think starting with something similar to the MWO Hunchback's arms, buffed and "clawed" might be a start.

Bishop Steiner, on 22 April 2013 - 04:12 PM, said:

well, with the low shoulder ports, it wont be much use in melee, which fits the Clan motif, so is fine. I think starting with something similar to the MWO Hunchback's arms, buffed and "clawed" might be a start.

I support this statement. I know ya moved the head back into the CT ( I like! ) but a Grizzly/Kodiak hump would really complete this * bats eyelashes even though is a guy *

[HanaYuriko]

tyrone dunkirk, on 22 April 2013 - 06:33 PM, said:

I support this statement. I know ya moved the head back into the CT ( I like! ) but a Grizzly/Kodiak hump would really complete this * bats eyelashes even though is a guy *

That trick doesn't work when *I* do it! Also the shoulder hunch doesn't really show when a bear is standing tall. Just when it's walking on all fours with the head down.

So um...Hands.

Yeah, I got nothin'.









I'll figure it out sooner or later.

Edited by HanaYuriko, 23 April 2013 - 01:48 PM.

[Bishop Steiner]

looks good so far.

Hey Mr Ranger......

[tyrone dunkirk]

Haha! Looks like its got rocket-punch capabilities, but it's a good start Honestly, I think the arms used in the MW4:Mercs Kodiak are a good place to start, because they got the 'bear' aesthetic really well. So far, the work you've come up with has been great, so I'm awaiting your take on the completed 'mech eagerly.

[Cordel Ordo]

Looking at the hands now I think Wolverine instead of Kodiak, Still wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of either. I slightly agree with tyrone the MW4:Mercs Kodiak is a good place to start but those missile racks on that version bug me. I do like the lasers being separated from the claws though. Seems more practical to me, since the heat from the lasers (in my mind at least) would probably melt or weaken the metal of the claws being in between them like that.

[Sparks Murphey]

Cordel Ordo, on 23 April 2013 - 03:28 PM, said:

Looking at the hands now I think Wolverine instead of Kodiak, Still wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of either. I slightly agree with tyrone the MW4:Mercs Kodiak is a good place to start but those missile racks on that version bug me. I do like the lasers being separated from the claws though. Seems more practical to me, since the heat from the lasers (in my mind at least) would probably melt or weaken the metal of the claws being in between them like that.

Don't forget, despite their fearsome appearance, the claws aren't actually used for anything but decoration. As a Clan 'Mech, no Kodiak pilot would dream of actually hitting someone with the claws, since physical combat is dishonourable.

For my two cents, I think the scale of the shoulders-to-head is a little off. Most art of the Kodiak represents it as having truly massive shoulders that made would make a linebacker jealous, while the head is somewhat smaller. The shoulders you've got here don't seem to have that imposing feeling.

[Cordel Ordo]

Sparks Murphey, on 23 April 2013 - 04:10 PM, said:

Don't forget, despite their fearsome appearance, the claws aren't actually used for anything but decoration. As a Clan 'Mech, no Kodiak pilot would dream of actually hitting someone with the claws, since physical combat is dishonourable.

True about the no close combat, but would you want your shiny decorations to become molten slag and "declaw" your fierce beast of a mech yourself?

[Sparks Murphey]

Cordel Ordo, on 23 April 2013 - 04:27 PM, said:

True about the no close combat, but would you want your shiny decorations to become molten slag and "declaw" your fierce beast of a mech yourself?

If they're getting that hot, you're probably worrying about the metal casing of the lasers themselves.

[Cordel Ordo]

Sparks Murphey, on 23 April 2013 - 04:33 PM, said:

If they're getting that hot, you're probably worrying about the metal casing of the lasers themselves.

Haha I didn't think of it that way. i concede the point to you.

[HanaYuriko]

OK! So I just sorta kept building stuff and ended up with what looks like a giant robot bear. I didn't really have any sort of plan for the Kodiak's arms. I just sorta built it. Then detailed the parts. I did take some design aspects of existing depictions as a basic guide as I do with most everything I do.

So, lets get to the arms.





I rebuilt the wrist section, shrunk the hand and added some minor detailing, then blocked out the forearm section. And yet, I didn't stop there. In a bout of caffeinated insomnia and a rolling sense of artistic mojo, I kept going.





Yeah, I kept shaping and detailing the arms and stuck them on the big bear. I also shrunk and moved the head a little while still managing to keep the cockpit internals to scale. And I'm sure there's more tweaking and scaling I need to do with this model yet. But for now, I NEED SLEEP!

Oh yeah, one last image before I set this aside for a few days.

[Cordel Ordo]

The arms seem a little on the skinny side to me. Especially with the size of the rest of the arm. Just my opinion.

[Blackfang]

Cordel Ordo, on 24 April 2013 - 08:30 AM, said:

The arms seem a little on the skinny side to me. Especially with the size of the rest of the arm. Just my opinion.

It looks great but I'd have to agree the arms I think need to be beefier and maybe mounted slightly higher, dunno something just doesn't sit right with the arms for me. The rest looks amazing.

[DaZur]

I love it... Only problem is I keep hearing "Hey Boo-Boo... What ya got in that picnic basket!" in the back of my mind when I look at it!

Can't quite put my finger on it... it's just not... you know... 'menacing".

[Bishop Steiner]

Blackfang, on 24 April 2013 - 01:36 PM, said:

It looks great but I'd have to agree the arms I think need to be beefier and maybe mounted slightly higher, dunno something just doesn't sit right with the arms for me. The rest looks amazing.

I'm the other way around. The arms to me work, since they are basically there to aim the lasers. And thicker upper arms would likely be non movable. If I have any reservations, it would still be the Cockpit.

[HanaYuriko]

Cordel Ordo, on 24 April 2013 - 08:30 AM, said:

The arms seem a little on the skinny side to me. Especially with the size of the rest of the arm. Just my opinion.

Blackfang, on 24 April 2013 - 01:36 PM, said:

It looks great but I'd have to agree the arms I think need to be beefier and maybe mounted slightly higher, dunno something just doesn't sit right with the arms for me. The rest looks amazing.

The arms do need to be moved up into the torso a bit more. But I'm not sure how I could make them any more robust and still be able to fit. I could scale down the forearm a bit to see if that helps with perspective.

DaZur, on 24 April 2013 - 01:42 PM, said:

I love it... Only problem is I keep hearing "Hey Boo-Boo... What ya got in that picnic basket!" in the back of my mind when I look at it!

Can't quite put my finger on it... it's just not... you know... 'menacing".

I'd guess it might be the 'ears' I added. The position they they sit looks forward. Like a dog's ears when they're raised and listening to you. If the ears were somehow laid back against the head in a defensive position, then it might look more aggressive. The head being pulled back into the torso makes it seem a bit more relaxed as well. With the arms in place, I might try the forward position again. Maybe tilt the head downward a bit. Or both or...Something.

Bishop Steiner, on 24 April 2013 - 02:08 PM, said:

I'm the other way around. The arms to me work, since they are basically there to aim the lasers. And thicker upper arms would likely be non movable. If I have any reservations, it would still be the Cockpit.

That's the part I started with without any concept of what the rest of the model would look like. I'd think that at this point, a complete redesign of the head may be in order if it doesn't fit the rest of the model.

I quite like it though.

Edited by HanaYuriko, 24 April 2013 - 02:17 PM.