About a week ago, I was requested to add a "beam weapon" to the arsenal of the **Dystopian Drone Trooper**, so here is an early WIP image just to let you know that we do take requests. :o)

For those anime fans out there, this configuration is inspired by the classic "Akira". Loosely patterned after the weapon Kaneda uses in the stadium showdown with Tetsuo. I've opted to delete the separate power source, and make this one pretty much a self contained unit.

The massing of the model is almost done, and the proportions are almost there. There's still a lot of nurnies and greebles that need to get added on, all in all this is only about 60% complete. I'm going to concentrate the detailing around the trigger area (which is still missing). I'm planning to use a two finger double trigger of some description. Still have to make a fore grip. I usually prefer to make my props ambidextrous, but in this particular case I will make an exception. Still a lot of modeling to be done, but if you've got any detail suggestions, I'm very open to input. :o)

This weapon is going to be bundled along with the AR-HMod SAW I previously posted, and a brand new texture pack for the Drone Trooper from stonemason (if I can squeeze myself into his busy schedule). Thanks for taking the time to view this. :o)

Cheers! MMessage edited on: 11/08/2004 10:31

60% complete ? (drops jaw)

.

I give up! I'll just have my boss mail you my paycheck each week.

"nurnies and greebles" LOL...gotta remember that one!

... 3 dots

Would you beleive that "greeble" is actually one of the industry terms for it?

The plugin for MAX to proceduraly create panels and risers is even called "Greeble"...

Message edited on: 11/08/2004 18:53

Well! Imagine my surprise! And here I thought it was nothing more than a version of "hicky-ma-do" and "thing-a-ma-jig". Thanks for the info.

What I want to know is when is something a nurny and when is it a greeble?

Ummmm... technically speaking... (not) a do-hickey is usually classified as a nurnie, while a thinga-ma-jig would fall under the catergory of a greeble. What still bothers me are widgets and doodads. Those are much harder to classify. :o) Cheers! M

How about a Whats-a-ma-call-it, Thing-a-ma-bob, a whatzit, a do-hicky?

"Ummmm... technically speaking... (not) a do-hickey is usually classified as a nurnie,..." vs a "do hikey" which is left handed.

There really should be a different version especially for M: "Whats-a-M-call-it", "thing-a-M-bob", and a "M-hicky" (LOL)

LMAO! Cheers, Chuck! :o) M

All done now... modeled and rendered in LightWave. This mesh is Poser friendly, with vertices split and no n-gons. Not even half as creative design wise as this should have turned out, but the original design from the movie was already pretty decent. I just wanted to give this particular configuration a shot as this was my very first attempt at a "beam" weapon. I'm thinking that the "ammo" would be some kind of a liquid metal loaded into a cannister at the back (release latch at the base of the grip). There's a power cell up front near the foregrip, and I guess what happens is that the "ammo" gets "agitated" and released as a beam of energy. More than that vague concept I'd probably get a headache, so I'll quit while I'm ahead. I'll probably attempt to break the "mold" in a future weapon, but for now I'm going to add this to the arsenal of the **Drone Trooper**. Thank you very much for your feedback on this... I'm sending this off to stonemason tonight for textures and conversion. :o) Cheers! M

WOW!!!!!!!

Thanks for the update, M! You, Stoney, and the As Shanim crew are killing my card. Add a few BVH and Davo products and I'm a dead duck (smile).