The Finishers
Added 2020-10-14 09:05:04 +0000 UTC
We did it! (This image is public for sharing)
As a recent Kickstarter update eluded to, we've been crunching hard on a lot of product to attempt meeting a fairly lofty production timing window. When I was first asked if my modeling team could complete all remaining mechs by the 15th I flatly said no haha. But after some persuasion, we gave it a shot, and here we are at the finish line, on time. Pretty crazy stuff.
A lot of people contributed towards this final push, but I have to give extra kudos to Alan Blackwell and Chris Lowrey for putting in several weeks of overtime in order to accomplish in one month what I'd usually expect in 3 months.
Personally I'm very drained. Seems doubling your working hours isn't that healthy :)
But hey! Isn't the Kodiak, Spider, and Dragon amazing looking? (Honestly the Kingfisher and Crossbow aren't my kinda mechs, but I hope you like those too)
I hope you'll stick around as a patron for what will probably be a lul in content for the next few months. We've got a mountain of lineart to get finished for the Kickstarter still, and I don't post those here if another artist made them. Holidays are also coming around.
I'll try to keep you all sated with some additional mech render requests at minimum, but hopefully I'll have something interesting to show.
Eventually mech redesigns and sculpts will return.
Just to clarify, all these mechs you've been doing are gonna be made available as boxed sets of lances, stars and what ever Comstar/WoB uses? And they're all gonna be plastic?
Tyler Erickson
2020-10-17 00:23:24 +0000 UTC
Now THAT is what I call a Kodiac moment!!
Edina Lewis
2020-10-15 15:17:46 +0000 UTC
Well all the lance, star boxes are gonna be plastic. The next step would be allowing players to purchase single figs so as to customize their forces without having to get a box with 3 to 4 mechs they don't want.
Tyler Erickson
2020-10-15 13:09:17 +0000 UTC
Soon ™
Anthony Scroggins
2020-10-15 06:11:04 +0000 UTC
It's something they're always looking into, because everyone would like it, so long as it's economical.
Anthony Scroggins
2020-10-15 06:10:26 +0000 UTC
May the Ghost of Cliff Burton forgive your blasphemy.....
Benjamin Myers (Bishop Steiner)
2020-10-14 23:33:37 +0000 UTC
Quad mechs when? ;)
Joe Wright
2020-10-14 23:10:50 +0000 UTC
You got the Bell Bottom Blues?
James Abbot-Cole
2020-10-14 21:11:31 +0000 UTC
A day ahead of schedule, nicely done. BTW I heard a theory that CGL might be going the same direction as Games Workshop in regards to their miniatures i.e going the quality plastic route. Thoughts?
Tyler Erickson
2020-10-14 20:50:30 +0000 UTC
I *love* that redesigned Spider, and the Kingfisher and Dragon are pretty sweet too!
Robert Schuster
2020-10-14 19:05:31 +0000 UTC
While your looking over the sheet, make sure to check out it's BV, which is the primary strength of the 'Mech. Standard Engine + CT Clan LPL makes it one of the best Clan Zombie 'Mechs out there. While it's loadout will seem under-armed compared to many other Clan 'Mechs, it more than makes up for it with it's durability and it's efficient BV cost.
Particularly nasty in IS vs. Clan fights since it's BV is more competitively priced with IS assault 'Mechs but it still has all of the potent Clan lasers (with lots of Clan Pulse laser primary armaments.)
Chris Lowrey
2020-10-14 16:54:03 +0000 UTC
It dont nessesarily have to be almost identical... if the godfather of miniature design and his loyal drawing-knights said so im sure it could look "enhanced". I mean your hand on the marauder vs mad II did change a lot too on a mini with almost no differences before, right?
Swen Decker
2020-10-14 16:25:54 +0000 UTC
To be honest, i imagined something in a way to vaguely resemble fangs if you paint the tubes white. Like 4-2-4 with the middle ones on the outside and a bit more upper aligned. But i see that place on the nose is kinda limited for such nonsense.
Swen Decker
2020-10-14 16:21:33 +0000 UTC
the Kingfisher used to never be my kid of mech, and then this redesign came a long and I started looking at it's sheet in a new light
James Bixby
2020-10-14 16:07:11 +0000 UTC
That Kodiak says "I am here to chew gum and kick ass and I am all out of gum!"
Robert Moore
2020-10-14 15:22:46 +0000 UTC
Anthony you and your team have done one Hell of a good job! Bravo! Starts to mention the Ost,,,, Never Mind! :-D
Robert Moore
2020-10-14 15:17:02 +0000 UTC
The Dragon is one of several cases where PGI did a good job with theirs, but they made such a stylistic change that I could go in and do a more classic improved look without competing with them directly. Marco Mazzoni provided a lot of inspiration here with the cover art of TRO Succession Wars.
Anthony Scroggins
2020-10-14 14:55:07 +0000 UTC
Because I hate bell bottoms :P
Anthony Scroggins
2020-10-14 14:51:15 +0000 UTC
Unless there was a serious need for a second almost identical Dragon mini, I doubt it'll happen. Extremely likely when IWM makes this one they'll do a grand variant kit.
If say, CGL wanted to do a hero mech, then you might see something more custom.
Anthony Scroggins
2020-10-14 14:50:14 +0000 UTC
I arranged them that way simply because that's how they've always been. 3/4/3 would be a more standard offset arrangement, but if we do that everywhere then things get mundane. So whenever I see a unique layout I keep it if possible.
Anthony Scroggins
2020-10-14 14:47:37 +0000 UTC
Yep I'll do my usual of posting the group sets ahead of when the KS page does.
Anthony Scroggins
2020-10-14 14:40:13 +0000 UTC
Wow. Honestly I thought it would be impossible to beat the MWO Dragon but this is really better. I love the shoulders especially. Really captures the classic dragon with a more modern twist
Pledger K
2020-10-14 14:32:38 +0000 UTC
good question. I believe the only external visual change is the addition of an ML in the RT?
This, like the Urbie is one where I wish the base version had been the 3050/upgrade loadout, as it would be easier to shave off, or putty over an additional laser than to add one.
Benjamin Myers (Bishop Steiner)
2020-10-14 14:18:43 +0000 UTC
if Xbow no U type of mech YU MEDDLE SO HARD!?!?!?!?!!? :P
Benjamin Myers (Bishop Steiner)
2020-10-14 13:38:39 +0000 UTC
As im talking about the Dragon, is it planned to have a different sculpt for the granddragon? I always found this "variant" to deserve a slightly different miniature, because of the extensive, yet mostly internal, upgrades.
Swen Decker
2020-10-14 13:37:50 +0000 UTC
gotta spread em out. we did what almost 20% of the existing designs in this KS? Give us time to breath man! ;)
Benjamin Myers (Bishop Steiner)
2020-10-14 13:37:32 +0000 UTC
Hmm.. I think I need to start tweaking that Kodiak art to Kodiak II standards.
Because... gotta meddle, lol. And... WOOT! Done!
Benjamin Myers (Bishop Steiner)
2020-10-14 13:36:32 +0000 UTC
Overall very impressive Redesigns. I still dont get why the dragons lrm is 4-3-3, but well, thats just me dicking arround. Still, its by far the best dragon we ever had, and finally one that demands a little more respect from its opponents.
Swen Decker
2020-10-14 13:35:08 +0000 UTC
Huge accomplishment here. Way to go Anthony.
Brent Evans
2020-10-14 13:28:43 +0000 UTC
DRG -- freaking beautiful.
SDR -- love the minor tweaks from the concept art.
KDK -- proper frightening.
Enjoy a bit of well-deserved "normal" (whatever that is nowadays).
Joe M Emmert
2020-10-14 13:08:22 +0000 UTC
Dragon looks amazing. Sooo much better than the old sculpt. Well done on them all.
2020-10-14 12:37:45 +0000 UTC
I really dig all of these but have to say that out of all of them, the dragon is the most improved, followed by the kingfisher.
2020-10-14 12:31:50 +0000 UTC
Awesome news, do you plan on posting Lance and star images?
Mark D Booth
2020-10-14 11:44:22 +0000 UTC
Love the Spider, Dragon and Crossbow.
wiski
2020-10-14 11:30:18 +0000 UTC
Freaking awesome! I'm still sad though that the Berzerker isn't going to get a re-do. That thing NEEDS some love as the original art and model are crap and for a thing who's fluff says it was hugely expensive to design and was designed to look intimidating, its all smooth rounded edges and gentle curves. It looks like it was designed by apple. Not something that scary.
Steven Cross
2020-10-14 11:03:38 +0000 UTC
The Dragon's never missed Shoulder Day 😂
Love all of them, the Spider is sick!
Andrew Dickinson
2020-10-14 09:14:55 +0000 UTC
It's a Kingfishr that actually exists in three dimensions. Truly a miracle. Very nice work
Alex F
2020-10-14 09:11:27 +0000 UTC
Damn that kodiak ! Its unBEARably awesome
2020-10-14 09:09:04 +0000 UTC