SCI-FI Celebration

tkdrobert

tkdrobert

Redfern

And this Thing I saw! How can I describe it? A monstrous tripod, higher than many houses, striding over the young pine trees, and smashing them aside in its career; a walking engine of glittering metal, striding now across the heather; articulate ropes of steel dangling from it, and the clattering tumult of its passage mingling with the riot of the thunder. A flash, and it came out vividly, heeling over one way with two feet in the air, to vanish and reappear almost instantly as it seemed, with the next flash, a hundred yards nearer. Can you imagine a milking stool tilted and bowled violently along the ground? That was the impression those instant flashes gave. But instead of a milking stool imagine it a great body of machinery on a tripod stand... Seen nearer, the Thing was incredibly strange, for it was no mere insensate machine driving on its way. Machine it was, with a ringing metallic pace, and long, flexible, glittering tentacles (one of which gripped a young pine tree) swinging and rattling about its strange body. It picked its road as it went striding along, and the brazen hood that surmounted it moved to and fro with the inevitable suggestion of a head looking about.  H.G. Wells, "War of the Worlds"

Long before the first film adaptation, several artists visualized the the Martians' fighting machines, the best remembered being Warwick Goble's "water tower on stilts" motif, and Henrique Alvim Corréa's (noted for having a pair of "devices" that gave the effect of "googly" eyes.)  Funny enough of the two concepts Wells preferred Corréa's.  Goble's drawings appeared in the serialized version of the story for Pierson's Magazine, but H.G. Wells felt so dissatisfied with them that he added some text to the bound copy publication, having his unnamed protagonist describe the drawings "in story" and observing the artist had no doubt not actually seen the war machines.

However, I've always had a soft spot for Goble's concept, or rather, how later artists used the basic silhouette of that shape but then "interpreted" it.  Frank R.Paul, the artist famous for his covers for "Amazing Stories" expanded upon Goble's design, adding intricate detail to the legs and making them jointed.  Actually, it was a photo of a model i saw in an early issue of "StarLog" that really impressed me.  It was likely the first depiction of a tripod after I had read Wells' novel.  Later I learned that diorama was arguably inspired by Goble's concept.  So, when I envision the Martian tripod fighting machines, I usually envision a "pill" shaped main hull, a kind of "cowl" shaped "canopy" atop that where the Martian piloted the vehicle, an assembly mechanisms beneth that where the three legs are mounted and the legs themselves, jointed and somewhat arthropodic, like those of an insect, but standing relatively upright instead of "crouched".

Petipet's "Alien Guard" captures a lot of that ethic.  When I discovered I could bend the "thigh" sections downward to a large degree, eliminating the spider-like stance, I knew I could adapt it.  Everything just kinda' "clicked" when I added Petipet's "Alien Collector" to the scene and it loaded in the same spot as the "mushroom cap" shaped turret of the Guard.  I toyed with the dimensions, flattening it and then tweked its position.  Suddenly, I had the "pill" shape I desired.  Then I added some custom geometry I sculpted, a "cowl" assembly I originally meant for Kurokuma's "War Machine" model, one of the earliest offerings from the Platinum Club (and no longer offered except as an extra in the first of the "Think Outside the Box" collections.  Anyway, I played with the materials to give the assembly more of a copper hue and altered the illuminated regions to glow green, thus paying homage to the first version of "War of the Worlds" I experienced, George Pal's 1953 adaptation.  Finally, I added to a custom environment is is not available anywhere.  Jim "Xaa" Farris extracted model and texture data from SkyRim and made it into a Poser figure.

What prompted this?  Oh, the BBC recently broadcast a "period" version of the story.  And while not yet shown in the US, an intrepid YouTuber spliced sequences to music from the Jeff Wayne rock opera.

Sincerely,

Bill

tkdrobert

Redfern said:

And this Thing I saw! How can I describe it? A monstrous tripod, higher than many houses, striding over the young pine trees, and smashing them aside in its career; a walking engine of glittering metal, striding now across the heather; articulate ropes of steel dangling from it, and the clattering tumult of its passage mingling with the riot of the thunder. A flash, and it came out vividly, heeling over one way with two feet in the air, to vanish and reappear almost instantly as it seemed, with the next flash, a hundred yards nearer. Can you imagine a milking stool tilted and bowled violently along the ground? That was the impression those instant flashes gave. But instead of a milking stool imagine it a great body of machinery on a tripod stand... Seen nearer, the Thing was incredibly strange, for it was no mere insensate machine driving on its way. Machine it was, with a ringing metallic pace, and long, flexible, glittering tentacles (one of which gripped a young pine tree) swinging and rattling about its strange body. It picked its road as it went striding along, and the brazen hood that surmounted it moved to and fro with the inevitable suggestion of a head looking about.  H.G. Wells, "War of the Worlds"

Long before the first film adaptation, several artists visualized the the Martians' fighting machines, the best remembered being Warwick Goble's "water tower on stilts" motif, and Henrique Alvim Corréa's (noted for having a pair of "devices" that gave the effect of "googly" eyes.)  Funny enough of the two concepts Wells preferred Corréa's.  Goble's drawings appeared in the serialized version of the story for Pierson's Magazine, but H.G. Wells felt so dissatisfied with them that he added some text to the bound copy publication, having his unnamed protagonist describe the drawings "in story" and observing the artist had no doubt not actually seen the war machines.

However, I've always had a soft spot for Goble's concept, or rather, how later artists used the basic silhouette of that shape but then "interpreted" it.  Frank R.Paul, the artist famous for his covers for "Amazing Stories" expanded upon Goble's design, adding intricate detail to the legs and making them jointed.  Actually, it was a photo of a model i saw in an early issue of "StarLog" that really impressed me.  It was likely the first depiction of a tripod after I had read Wells' novel.  Later I learned that diorama was arguably inspired by Goble's concept.  So, when I envision the Martian tripod fighting machines, I usually envision a "pill" shaped main hull, a kind of "cowl" shaped "canopy" atop that where the Martian piloted the vehicle, an assembly mechanisms beneth that where the three legs are mounted and the legs themselves, jointed and somewhat arthropodic, like those of an insect, but standing relatively upright instead of "crouched".

Petipet's "Alien Guard" captures a lot of that ethic.  When I discovered I could bend the "thigh" sections downward to a large degree, eliminating the spider-like stance, I knew I could adapt it.  Everything just kinda' "clicked" when I added Petipet's "Alien Collector" to the scene and it loaded in the same spot as the "mushroom cap" shaped turret of the Guard.  I toyed with the dimensions, flattening it and then tweked its position.  Suddenly, I had the "pill" shape I desired.  Then I added some custom geometry I sculpted, a "cowl" assembly I originally meant for Kurokuma's "War Machine" model, one of the earliest offerings from the Platinum Club (and no longer offered except as an extra in the first of the "Think Outside the Box" collections.  Anyway, I played with the materials to give the assembly more of a copper hue and altered the illuminated regions to glow green, thus paying homage to the first version of "War of the Worlds" I experienced, George Pal's 1953 adaptation.  Finally, I added to a custom environment is is not available anywhere.  Jim "Xaa" Farris extracted model and texture data from SkyRim and made it into a Poser figure.

What prompted this?  Oh, the BBC recently broadcast a "period" version of the story.  And while not yet shown in the US, an intrepid YouTuber spliced sequences to music from the Jeff Wayne rock opera.

Sincerely,

Bill

Great image.  Love it a lot.

Redfern

tkdrobert said:

Great image.  Love it a lot.

Thanks!  Reading the original novel during 7th or 8th grade (around 1975 or 76) really made an impression upon me and depicting (or at least attempting to depict) the war machines as Wells described them is something of an ongoing hobby of mine.

A heavily "filtered" version to resemble an aged and discolored "tintype" period photograph.

Sincerely,

Bill

tkdrobert

Will the Real Mando Please Stand Up

tkdrobert

Mando on the Hunt

Wanderer

@tkdrobert -- Dude, if you don't have a patreon page, you really should consider it. 

tkdrobert

Wanderer said:

@tkdrobert -- Dude, if you don't have a patreon page, you really should consider it. 

I started one, but I haven't developed it.  I also have a GoFundMe page but no one has donated haha.

Wanderer

You make tons of good-looking work. I think you could easily develop a following on social media if you try. I'm no expert, obviously, but seems like you should consider it.

tkdrobert

Special Ops Team

middle_watch

Redfern said:

tkdrobert said:

Great image.  Love it a lot.

Thanks!  Reading the original novel during 7th or 8th grade (around 1975 or 76) really made an impression upon me and depicting (or at least attempting to depict) the war machines as Wells described them is something of an ongoing hobby of mine.

A heavily "filtered" version to resemble an aged and discolored "tintype" period photograph.

Sincerely,

Bill

Like the ageing effect in this version. I keep meaning to attempt the duel with Thunderchild but never get on with it, mainly because I cannot get my serrious head around the Iron Clad Torpedo Ram, as any Navy wanna be historian knows the concept was utter B***cks, given credence only because the Austrian flagship sailed into battle at Lissa without any ammunition and was reduced to ramming the Italians. The idiot myth led to a whole class of warship more dangerous to their own Fleet while manouvering than to the enemy.

frankrblow

From my posts in the Iray render thread:

Both images use the same six characters and Starjet setup, and only the scenery/lighting/poses were changed.

tkdrobert

Old Republic Jedi Master

tkdrobert

dragonfly_2004 said:

From my posts in the Iray render thread:

Both images use the same six characters and Starjet setup, and only the scenery/lighting/poses were changed.

Nice work.

frankrblow

Thanks, Tkdrobert!

tkdrobert

Meeting the Client

tkdrobert

Don't mess with a mando

tkdrobert

Haulers

Dartanbeck

Very cool Renders!!!

This is a project I was working on a while back that got put on hold when my computer died. Back up with a new build now though! :)

Hidden base of the Underdogs

The Starship is a kitbash, people are Predatron's LoREZ Masked Heroes (set up as crew - no masks! LOL). I modeled the terrain in Carrara as with the trees, sky, volumetrics and atmosphere. I love Carrara!

Same Kitbash ship in Xion City

Moving fast

and approaching Station Nebula

Dartanbeck

This time with The Digivault's Sci Fi Cruiser kitbashed with some of the wonderful parts in Ravnhart's Scifi Ship Building Blocks, set into inception8's Future City Density Blocks.

Dartanbeck

This is how I use the LoREZ Masked Heroes, shown here with Predatron's Droid in Stonemason's Level 19 with a bunch of deactivated Cybertenko Skeletron Warriors laying about. Who tore them up? What's going on here?

Hylas

Wow Dartanbeck, that's some Chris Foss realness right there!

tkdrobert

@Dartanbeck  Very fine work.  Love your kitbashed ships.  Very impressive.

Dartanbeck

Thanks, both of you! 

The SS Marcoor kitbash was easy, except that the thought of it almost felt wrong - it's such an awesome ship as is. I did it because I wanted the sort of rotating engines for landing, like Serenity in Firefly. 

Here's how I was using it before the kitbash

Here's the simple Kitbash

Note: All Top View images are using the same camera, same zoom, so we're seeing the actual scales in comparison - same goes for the front perspective views

Here's the top view of the Marcoor

Here's the top of the Drone (Hunter-Killer) - after being scaled to fit with the Marcoor

Here's the merging from the same angle

Here are the front views

Marcoor

Hunter-Killer Drone

Merge

Dartanbeck

So, that upper image in the cave was a discovery shot.

After a few bumps and scrapes learning how the darned thing works, we begin our escape

Then we finally emerge into sunlight!

Dartanbeck

Oh... "We", being my wonderful wife and I along with a really cool Droid that Predatron built for us!

I really like my V4 and M4 versions (above), but this year I'm launching them anew using GenX2 enhanced Genesis 1 figures

This is the Medieval version of the new Dartanbeck with Carrara dynamic hair

...but I made the new Rosie first, who was the test bed for the amazing Carrara hair. It animates really well!

Griffin Avid

Nice kit-bashed ship. A lot of cool images in this set of images.

Who else has been watching the Mandalorian?

Now that season I is done.

What's the overall opinion?

And when do we start seeing inspired ships and armor in the daz Store?

Dartanbeck

Griffin Avid said:

Nice kit-bashed ship. A lot of cool images in this set of images.

Who else has been watching the Mandalorian?

Now that season I is done.

What's the overall opinion?

And when do we start seeing inspired ships and armor in the daz Store?

I've been loving it!

I can understand the reservations of folks not wanting to watch after learning of Baby Yoda. I tell them that I kinda felt the same (not quite as much, in truth - I love Star Wars!) when he was first introduced at the end of the first episode. But they didn't wreck a thing with him! He's awesome! I also love Nick Nolte's role in there as well! "I have Spoken!"

It's hard to offer Star Wars like replica items on a store unless you pay Lucas Arts (Disney) for a license to do so. We'll see what comes though.

Ever watch The Clone Wars? I love Ahsoka Tano!!! (right) I have a playlist on YouTube with all of the 'behind the scenes' featurettes Clone Wars Inspiration which is an excellent source of tips and techniques they've used to create the show - and on a TV show time schedule. Great stuff!

Here's the opener of the list, which is the 100 episode celebration (it has more afterwards - and the final season will come to Disney+)

tkdrobert

Griffin Avid said:

Nice kit-bashed ship. A lot of cool images in this set of images.

Who else has been watching the Mandalorian?

Now that season I is done.

What's the overall opinion?

And when do we start seeing inspired ships and armor in the daz Store?

Love Mandalorian.  I've been keeping a close eye out for any models I can use in Daz.  I know of one guy who created the Razor-Crest, but has not made it available to the public.