[rattraprules98]

The above?

[Treadshot A1]

Originally Posted by Shatterpoint

HOS Bumblebee?

Originally Posted by rattraprules98

The above?

Wow you two are good. Sure you didn't cheat?

Well, since the cat's out of the bag, here's a few pics of the head i've been working on:





I really wanted to concentrate on stopping those pesky (read: very helpful) comments about my heads having really flat faces, once and for all. For Bee, i made sure to keep his face angled and curved, and luckily his original design's tiered faceplate really meshed well with that. It certainly was a different process than usual, but i think the results speak for themselves.

In terms of the expression, i was trying to go for the expression on the artwork, where the left side of his mouth is slightly more open. I suppose the best way to sum it up would be that he's gritting his teeth (if he had teeth, that is). I guess a tad serious, though i tried to shape the rest of the head to be slightly more friendly, since it is Bumblebee after all.

It's just refreshing to be able to work on a Bumblebee who actually can talk!

[soymonk]

Ooh, very steam-punky head render.

Didn't even think you were planning HoS until I saw your most recent post. I was wondering why he looked so old-timey lol

[Treadshot A1]

HOS Bumblebee

This is what happens when the season of presents and turkey turns into turkey and only turkey. Since i'm getting most of my presents later when i go on holiday, i needed something to kill some time. I just loved the cover art of Hearts of Steel, so i went with that. Four days later, we get Bumblebee!

For Bumblebee, i really wanted to make sure i rounded out the year on a high. Firstly, the head. I'm fed up of getting the comments about the faces being flat and whatnot. But instead of whining about it in my usual fashion (), i decided to try out new ways to build heads. I think Bee's head looks slightly more...well, round i guess. More friendly, in a way. Originally his face was a lot more serious, but i resculpted him to be more friendly after my father, in his infinite wisdom, commented "isn't Bumblebee supposed to be friendly?".

Secondly, the detail. That took up so much time, but it was worth it. For HOS, i just had to have every little detail picked out. It helps that i have a friend who loves model trains, and with the aid of the artwork, i wanted to make sure that Bee's robot and vehicle modes were as detailed as they should be. From the gears in the legs which took 45 minutes to painstakingly carve out, to each little rivet on the train, from the plates and pipes on the torso to the spokes in each wheel, i went as close to the art as i could possibly go, factoring in the transformation. I think it works for the steampunk look.

The other thing i wanted to get right was to make sure i added enough locks to the vehicle mode. In other words, the pegs and holes that keep the parts together. I've always had parts fit tightly in vehicle mode before, simply by using one piece that goes around to lock everything else in place (like RWX-09a Kickback's wings, which clasp round his entire leg assembly), but that wasn't possible with Bee's transformation. So, i had to make do with some pegs on the inside of his legs and his arms. Still, he should hold solidly in vehicle mode, provided you don't stick him in a pile of TNT.

Obviously, there had to be some concessions made for the transformation, the most obvious being the shoulder armour. They had to be raised, or else i wouldn't be able to fit the arms in. While i know in the art they are supposed to be lower than Bee's head, i thought that higher shoulder armours were better than not having arms. The only other little thing i had to change was to fix the wheels in place, so they don't roll. Just don't have the space for it on this build. It's the same issue of "yes, i could scale it up to have rolling wheels, but then no one could afford it" that plagues Shapeways designing.

Anyways, that's enough of me blabbering, hope you guys like him. I did deliberately leave out the 'BEE' inscription on the train, in case anyone's wondering. Just didn't work with the whole idea of "robots in disguise' when your name's written on your vehicle mode!

[mrgalvaprime]

How much would that bb cost (in aus dollars please)

[Treadshot A1]

It will cost ~$65 AUD, printed in White Strong and Flexible. Of course, you'll need to paint it yourself.

EDIT: Wait, since the promotion will be over by the time BB's released, it'll be about ~$75.

Also, I just purchased RWX-09a Kickback and RWX-09c Shrapnel! Thanks to Shapeways's promotions, and the extra cash I got from my aunt for getting a good grade and graduating high school, I managed to snag both of them!

[taurusfire1]

you just graduated high school and made all of these wonderful creations?!
that's amazing!!

[thedreaded1]

The HOS Bumblebee is your best work yet. I would suggest to continue to work on the face before you decide to order it. You've improved tremendously!

[Treadshot A1]

Originally Posted by taurusfire1

you just graduated high school and made all of these wonderful creations?!
that's amazing!!

Thanks bro! It's a great feeling to get out of high school.

Originally Posted by thedreaded1

The HOS Bumblebee is your best work yet. I would suggest to continue to work on the face before you decide to order it. You've improved tremendously!

Thanks Dreaded1. It's good to see I managed to finish the year on a good note.

In the mean time, I will be reworking the head, but not for Bumblebee. Rather....I mean, red....green....a blue femme....so many possibilities!

[MisterFanwank]

Very, very nice, that is one excellent figure. However, I don't think the proportions suit Bumblebee. He needs to be shorter, stockier and rounder. Per the artwork, he should look more armored and less athletic. If it were any other character it would be perfect.

And the face... I don't know what I would do to make it not look "off." I kind of think you may need to start over. The shape of the head is good, but the mouth and the eyes make him look like he's in agony.