Style Of Construction

Strange topic? Maybe a bit, but I think it is an interesting subject.

How do you design a mecha? Any particular style? For me, I have more and more began using a technique to make it look like something built in a modern, atomic age type of style. This is best seen on my modified Striking Venom (which looks like a legged helicopter) but also several mechas I have yet to display on brickshelf.

This is a style I use because my Lego story (problably never to be made) is set in a dystopian, halfly ruined city of modern style. I guess that the design style was inspired by the Unreal series and the city itself by City 17 from Half-life 2. I think it builds some atmosphere like this, and there are some philosophical elements in the style too since the machines control humanity- not as slavers, but as their superiors- social commentary?

Do you have any style when building mechas and stuff?

Well,usually i build either EXF style (Gundam and MechWarrior mixed,humanoid weapon platforms) or MechWarrior style (Mostly chicken-legged weapon platforms).

I have trouble making mecha with nice heads,so i don't do any Gundam or pure humanoid stuff.


My ''storyline style'' is on a large island called Matoriana,on a distant planet discovered by mankind,called Nova Hollandia (because this second Earth was discovered by Dutch people).

It's tied in with the EXF storyline.
It's about a mech pilot,Bionus Velleman. (codenamed Bionicle125)
All military forces on Matoriana are fighting against one man-and they usually lose in battles.You might think ''Infantry against mech?Mech loses?Never!'' but this particular person,Daniel Cloudius,has magical,almost Satanic powers.

His powers include:

*Thowing fireballs

*Spitting out some kind of tiny golden marbles,that explode on impact.And about two of these explosions can down a mech's shielding system

*Hovering a few decimetres above the ground

*Incredible speed

*High jumps

*Moving objects with his mind

*Longer life span

*Incredibly strong bones,you can't simply crush this sucker with your mech's foot


Fortunate for the military of Matoriana,Cloudius can't see the future.
Here is a Cloudius quote:

Cloudius never hires mercenaries or has an army because he is an army himself.When he does hire a mercenary,however,he pays him/her simply by letting them live.

I attached pics of Bionus and Daniel to the bottom of this post.The glowy things they wear are Scan Goggles.They have several modes:

*Normal (as if you look through glasses)

*X-Ray

*Heat Vision

*Geiger Vision (Radiation can be seen through this)

*Night Vision

*Data Vision (Will scan and identify a person you look at)

They can change modes by turning a little button at the side of the Goggles.

Attached Image (Click thumbnail to expand)

Interesting, but not related to the style, really.

With style, I was more thinking what sort of styles like these:
-Smooth futurism (starwars 1-3, star trek)
-Bulky and gritty (starwars 4-6, Alien, Bladerunner, etc)
-Steampunk (Edwardian,Victorian: League of Extrordinary Gentlemen, Jules Verne, HG Wells)
-Post-modern (Modern time with some sci-fi improvements)
-Mixed (Half-life 2)
Etcetera.

Oh,that kind of style?

Pretty much a mix of SW 1-3 and 4-6,with some Exo Force and MechWarrior mixed in.

Smooth,but thick armored,with KK2 click joints,and walking weapon platforms.

Naively I instantly associated exo-force “battle machines” with exo-squad “e-frames”. I don’t think the “exo-squad” had very original style and took heavily from anime.
http://www.virtualtoychest.com/exosquad/exo_ser1_1_crop.jpg
http://www.virtualtoychest.com/exosquad/exo_space_1_crop.jpg
But the robots on exo-force remind me much more of Gundam, Specifically the Iron Condor seem very similar to the Gundam deathscyth Hell, or some other winged black gundam.

But almost with regret I think the robots Striking Venom looks like Mega Bloks Warriors Future Force: J-227 Quadwalker
I don’t know if this is a classic look for black and green spider tanks, I know I have seen the style other places.

Normally when I think about a Mech I think of Gundam, and Macross.
With Exo-force I think I want to emulate the angular style of machines that are not necessarily ‘fully’ holding the pilot, and have a some kind of function. I want that function to be noticed.
Example, I want to make a mech that looks like it could do kung fu. Maybe another machine that looks like it could get out to the front quickly to supply suppressive fire, or holds alot of missiles, or this could fight with a claw.
I have a difficult time thinking about “organic” or “curvy” lego things although I have seen it done, so I tend to make more clanky looking mechs.