M'Kyuun

I stand corrected with appreciation. I'd forgotten that Cameron, like Ridley Scott, was a talented artist in his own right (he actually drew Jack's portrait of Rose in Titanic), and based the Terminator on a dream he'd had. I wish I could dream so grandly or draw...at all. I'll amend my comments to say that Stan Winston and his talented team were geniuses at translating directors' ideas into two- or three-dimensional reality and often times animating them. More often than not, they provided the magic behind 'movie magic' and film history is the better for their work. I was completely unaware of Kenner's MegaForce but Coleco's StarCom was an impressive toy line even by today's standards. Like you, I never owned toys from either line, although I did have a handful of Micro Machines, the toy line Kenner was competing with (poorly IMHO) with MegaForce. Galoob had them outclassed from the get-go. Touching back on StarCom, I think, Like MASK and some other retro properties being revived, I think StarCom would be an excellent contender for resuscitation. Moreover, as a LEGO Classic Space fan (we'll have to talk about those designs in a moment), as LEGO is moving to incorporate more tech into their sets, and with their recent move towards sci-fi in their City Space sets, I'd love to see them create sets in the spirit of StarCom with friction motors and such powering little elevators, platforms, and doors, as well as extendible wings and other features. I think something like that would add an additional dimension of playability, as well as function, to the extremely successful play pattern they enjoy through the construction medium. Returning to LEGO Classic Space, and just LEGO Space thereafter, LEGO delivered a plethora of futuristic and sometimes outlandish sci-fi vehicles and playsets from 1978 with the initial batch of sets including the iconic Galaxy Explorer until 2013 with the loosely Starship Troopers inspired Galaxy Squad line, the last of the independent original sci-fi Space themes. Two distinct features set these sets apart from previous LEGO sets and set them on their path to immediate success: the introduction of specialized elements (often designed for cross-compatability with their other two intial themes, Town and Castle) and the iconic Minifigure. Although he had some heavily supervised help from his small team, Jens Nygaard Knudsen almost singlehandedly developed the first wave of 1978's Space line as well as inventing the Minifigure that would impart a much greater level of interactivity and playability with the sets. As sci-fi designs go, there are thirty-five years' worth of original designs to unpack, and the recent 2024 City Space sets which have fully leaned into sci-fi designs as well as the inclusion of aliens, two firsts in Town/City's long history of grounded Space sets. A quick snapshot : 1978's Galaxy Explorer, 1981 Starfleet Voyager, 1982 Mobile Rocket Transport, 1983 Galaxy Commander, 1986 Alien Moon Stalker, 1987 Futuron Star Defender 200, 1987 Blacktron Battrax, 1987 Blacktron Renegade, 1987 Polaris I Space Lab, 1987 Futuron Monorail transport System (the holy grail of many a Space fan), 1989 Space Police Spy Trak I, 1990 M-Tron Mega Core Magnetizer, 1991 Blacktron II Spectral Starguider, 1991 Aerial Intruder, 1992 Space Police II Solar Snooper, 1993 Ice planet 2002 Deep Freeze Defender, 1994 Spyrius Lunar launch Site, 1994 Unitron Monorail Transport Base, 1996 Explorien Starship, 1997 Robo Force Robo Raptor, 1997 UFO Alien Avenger, 1998 Insectoids Sonic Stinger, 2001 Life on Mars Recon Mech RP (notably LEGO's first true humanoid mecha sets and first non-minifig aliens), 2007 Mars Mission ETX Alien Mothership Assault (notable for the awful alien figs), 2007 MX-71 Recon Dropship, MT-61 Crystal Reaper, MT-201 Ultra-Drill Walker, 2009 Space Police 3 Container Heist, Hyper Speed Pursuit, Galactic Enforcer, Raid VPR (a Vic Viper inspired build, inspired by the ships in Gradius made popular by the late great NNENN), Undercover Cruiser, Lunar Limo ( featuring LEGO's first and only pimp-inspired minifig😄), 2011 Alien Conquest Tripod Walker, Alien Mothership, Earth Defense HQ, 2013 Galaxy Squad Hive Crawler, Space Swarmer, CLS-89 Eradicator Mech, Vermin Vaporizer, 2022 10497 Galaxy Explorer (LEGO's 90th anniversary), 2024 City Space sets, all featuring sci-fi or futuristic designs akin to the old Space sets of yore, and finally, Friends Space, also leaning into sci-fi design. I hope this trend continues with City Space, or that the sci-fi element splits off once again into its own subtheme. Holy cow, how could I forget Zoids?!!! I have a small army of those kits that I've accumulated and built over the decades, starting in the 80s when they first premiered. My Kotobukiya Shadow Fox still stands guard on my desk, and I have an unbuilt Kotobukiya Blade Liger that I bought about a decade ago sitting under my desk that I need to put together. Definitely one of the coolest robot lines, especially given the ability to swap weapons and accessories. The early kits were notable for their motorized movements, although I prefer the non-motorized highly articulated kits that emphasize posing and display. Great mention, @F-ZeroOne! I'll note, too, the old Mego Microman toys circa 1979. One in particular that I owned was the Hornetroid, which had a manual flapping-wing mechanism, closing front jaws (using a fig to push in the tongue- brilliant!) an opening cockpit that could seat a Microman figure, folding landing gear, and removable weapons. It was such a unique and playable toy that it still holds a fond place in my memory.

Much thanks for the mention, and yeah, I felt that most of us here are sci-fi nerds and there really wasn't a place that I was aware of to just share and talk about general sci-fi designs. I figure, too, we'll all learn about designs we've never seen before being an international fandom in one lovely place (Thanks Shawn and Graham!). For example, some of the British sci-fi designs mentioned by @F-ZeroOnein the above post were completely unknown to me-- now my horizons are a bit broadened. The thread did its job. As an American lad growing up in the 70s and 80s, I was also introduced to anime at a young age with stuff like Battle of the Planets, Starblazers, and Speed Racer, moving on to Pole Position, Mighty Orbots, Bionic Six, Ulysses 31, and stuff like Transformers and Thundercats. I never saw but was aware of Voltron and Robotech via the good ole Sears and JC Penney's catalogs. Man, those were the days! 😄 There was, in retrospect, quite a bit of imported anime in those early days and I wasn't aware of a number of them being Japanese shows until I was an adult. It just never really clicked, I guess, but OTOH, there was always something about those shows that made them stand out from American animated shows- more mature themes, for certain, even after sanitization, but just the art style and the attention to details, especially concerning mechanical details, that just weren't there in most American animation. I've curated a pure hatred towards Harmony Gold, but credit where due, the late Carl Macek and folks like him did us all an enormous favor by appreciating the awesomeness of anime and bringing it to Western shores. For that, much gratitude. Ah, the old Mechwarrior games and art. I believe I had a Mechwarrior game at some point for PC, but that was probably 20+ years ago. Anyway, once Transformers and Gobots came on the scene, followed by other transforming robots flooding the scene, the mecha designs from Mechwarrior never really struck a chord with me. Even within Macross, the non-transforming mecha like the Destroid Tomahawk and Spartan never did anything for me. Likewise the Zentradi Regultss and Glaug, although I like how the Regults hop about like birds instead of running. Contrarily, the Varible Glaug and Konig Monster are two of my favorite Macross designs. For me, it's all about transformation. That said, there are robot designs I really dig that don't transform. Chief among those is the glorious ED-209 from Robocop. For me, it is the pinnacle of movie robots, and just a phenomenal design in and of itself. I love it. I know everyone knows what it looks like, but I'll abuse any excuse to post a pic of this beauty.😍 Kudos to Craig Hayes for one of the most iconic designs in sci-fi and film histories. "You have 20 seconds to comply". The T-800 Endoskeleton by Stan Winston. The late great Stan Winston was a design and engineering genius, and his Terminator design has long stood as one of my all-time favorite sci-fi robots. It's as brilliant as it is terrifying (in the best way possible). RIP Mr. Winston Oh, Harmony Gold was definitely trying to reap, or perhaps rape is the better term, what they could from Macross. There are no coincidences where mecha likenesses are concerned.

For sure! Sucks that it's not an option, as you get a set of free stickers to address the paint/deco omissions on the stand-alone toys. Despite their 'everything Transformers unified' agreement with Hasbro, Takara's still finding small ways to treat their fans better.

Merry Christmas, one and all!

I love Lendy's designs. His chibi Vf-1s are cool, too. Supported this and hope it reaches 10K in record time and then gets chosen. This, I believe, will be the third VF-1 submission to Ideas (I believe Lendy had one before this a few years back), so it's time it got the greenlight. FYI, Lendy also submitted the Voltron model that got made into a set.

Another designer I'd like to highlight is Junji Okubo, better known as Izmojuki. He became known to me via his myriad 'vertical tank' designs for the 2002 Steel Battalion XBox game. I've never played the game, sadly, but I've been in awe of the designs since, so much so that I use them as my wallpaper on my PC to this day. Sadly, only a few of his designs were ever translated into toy or model form and I never managed to pick any of them up. I'd likely be in for a few if Moderoid ever turned their sights towards doing them. I love the heavy realistic industrial aesthetic he applies to his mecha designs. Just beautiful!

I totally agree with your view that the earlier designs with more surface detail are preferable to the smooth ship design the eventually went with. However, one needs to consider the times, and if the entire ship was a CG construct, it would've been easier, I'd think, for them to render it all smooth than to try to incorporate all the patterns (which resemble the gyri and sulci of the brain. Wonder if that was intentional?) I always thought it a cool design, nonetheless. The Eagle from Space: 1999 is such an iconic design, and definitely worth a mention. I've always loved the real-world utilitarianism of it. I hadn't given any thought to the Nostromo when I started this thread, but it's an absolutely brilliant design- monstrously huge, utilitarian in the extreme, replete with structures that imply large scale storage- the fact that it is an ore refinery in space was not lost on the model designers, and I think it speaks to that quite elegantly, even if the ship itself doesn't fit the traditional description. I appreciate the info and backstories to some of these designs as well. I discovered the work of Swedish designer Simon Stalenhag a couple years ago via the Amazon Prime show, Tales from the Loop, which built a series of stories around his artwork. It's a dark and gritty show, and I loved both the stories and the way they so faithfully brought his art to life in the show. I wish The Electric State had been done as well, but they went for a completely different vibe focusing more on humor. It didn't work as well, alas. For me, Simon's allure is the way he paints odd and otherworldly technologies, images, and objects into everyday mundane scenery; that juxtaposition is appealing, and Simon's an impressive artist to boot, so the photo realism of his work makes an impression. I hope to see more of his work influence sci-fi in shows and film, as it strikes a chord.

I like a good WotW retelling, but reports at the onset were that this was a massive stinker so I stayed away. Someday curiosity may get the better of me, and I may just watch it to see just how bad it truly is. I've watched some sci-fi and horror clunkers in my time so I may suffer it out of boredom, curiosity, or both. Not today, though.

Too funny. The spousal unit and I started watching Foundation, and while it departs from the book in a number of ways, I'm enjoying it. We' started S2 last night. It's definitely spiced up from the far more stoic Asimov storytelling style, and one of the main characters, Salvor Hardin, is a bit of a sci-fi special Mary Sue with her abilities. Still, overall, I'm enjoying it. I wish they'd adapt The Robots of Dawn into a miniseries. I read it when I was around twelve and it has always stayed with me. Seeing how Foundation is being realized, especially with another humaniform robot named Demerzel as a main supporting character, I'd love to see it become an offshoot show.

Well, that's the rub with American retailers- they all have their markups in addition to S&H and whatever tariffs may apply, not to mention sales taxes. But, at least it's an option and it's still cheaper than paying aftermarket once it's retired. I figure once they tack on taxes, tariffs, and shipping, you'll be paying about $80-90, so it's likely about the same regardless. I'm just happy to have a secure preorder. I hope they follow this up with Oberan's Gazette for next year.

Oddly, though I've always had a strong interest in robots in sci-fi, I didn't grow up watching any Super Robot shows, not even Voltron. I did see Mighty Orbots, however, and really liked the show. Too bad it only got one season (Thanks, Tonka. Grrrr😠). It was only decades later that I learned Mighty Orbots was based on God Mars, and there were even plans to release a retooled version of that toy that more closely resembled the MO animation model. I'm digressing, but all this is to say I never cultivated a liking for the vast majority of Super Robots. I liked Big O- cool show and the mecha was cool, and I really enjoyed the Netflix Voltron series (still haven't seen the original Japanese Go Lion or the watered-down American versions), and I've tried twice to watch Super Robot Wars, which I own, but have yet to complete after close to a decade. I'm not sure why they don't appeal to me, but they just don't. I do like most of the Gundam series that I've watched, but Gundam is its own thing, just like Macross, which is awesome. I think one aspect that puts me off of most early Super Robot stuff is the combiner aspect and the fact that all the ships that make up the robot just look like disembodied poorly disguised robot parts. The greatest appeal of Transformers to me was always their realistic and believable alt modes, and that is still one of the most alluring aspects. The Dinobots and Insecticons are oddballs, as I really like them, too. By my own preferences, I shouldn't, but I do. I think it's the fact that they're robotic dinosaurs and robotic insects instead of going the BW route of realistic animals. I like BW, but more for the storytelling than the robot forms, although, admittedly, I have quite a few toys, so make of that what you will. At the end of the day, I'm still more of a vehicle/gadget/robotic animal alt mode fan than of realistic creatures/organic things.

I had a very limited knowledge of it having seen pics or models of the purplish-bluish mecha over the years. Irecognized some insectile qualities in that mecha alone, but prompted by your suggestion, I checked out a review/synopsis on YT. First, I wasn't aware that Tomino san was behind it, or that it was one of the first isekai anime. Beyond that, concerning the mecha design, most definitely insectile. Pretty cool.

Looks amazing!

You're not wrong! The Gunstar is a lovely design. What's really cool about it is that it was rendered entirely in CG, as were many space shots in that film, giving it an otherworldly yet oddly realistic look that early CG had. I've not seen The Last starfighter in some time, but I remember being enthralled by it when I saw it so many years ago. Not sure if it has held up, especially with all the 80s cheesiness, but the premise was fantastic as were so many of the themes within. I was also enthralled with Centauri's transforming space car. An oldy but goody. I wasn't familiar at all with this. I've always like insectile features transposed to mechanical vehicles and mecha, so I can understand the allure of the carrier ship. Pretty neat history, especially the involvement of two of Rock's most notable guitarists. Speaking of insectile inspirations, I'm reminded of the Jigabachi helicopter from GitS: Stand Alone Complex. I bought a model of it some years ago and have yet to build it. It's a neat design, though.

I appreciate the compliment, but these guys are so far beyond my meager talent. Trotta's stuff just boggles my mind. He designs and builds on a whole other level that few others I've seen can match. It's art.