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Even before Transformers 2007 hit the screen transforming model cars into kitbashed robots was already beginning to look a lot like a serious hobby, not just child’s play. There are websites, blogs and forums springing up to discuss these “transforms” and start documenting methods of slicing and dicing model cars, trucks and buses into an alter ego.
Like any other modeling project research and planning is at the very beginning. But it also takes a good dose of imagination to look at two or three model cars and see a monster robot with a hood for a chest and a trunk for a back
“First off, you need to design out your idea, and your concepts for it's transformation. (IMPORTANT: during planning, you need to take into consideration where all the parts are going to go. it's easy to run into "conflicts" between two parts, or come up with a design that looks great on paper, but is physically impossible! Keep it as simple as possible,” said the author of the 17-page “Idiot’s Guide To Kitbashing posted at the Tfans.com Transformers site.
That is good advice for any modeling project, but with Transformers you are working with what you can imagine and that is not always easy to implement.
When you see one of these kitbash transformers, it is hard to visualize the work that went into building it.
For example, we stumbled across a website called “Transtopia” which featured a tutorial by one of its regulars on how he kitbashed the transformer called “War Within Optimus Prime. It is worth taking a look, but come right back:
Building Optimus Prime
That didn't take long. Now that you know how it is done, take a look at some Transformers on eBay. I have found this the quickest and fastest way to research specific product lines, get an idea of what is out there and the best possible pricing. Besides, I like ordering from my computer and getting it delivered to my door.
After looking through these items, come back and we'll show you how to Get A Head...
Building A Head For Transformer Brings Out Artistry
Kitbashing transformers could make a good father-son project for Dad to pass on what he knows about working with plastics in model construction. Painting is another skill that can be passed on in this process.Just the process involved in building the head for a transformer rivals the work involved in building figures for a diorama for instance.
You start with a raw material like polymer clay (Sculpy, available in most craft shops) and color it by kneeding two colors together until it is uniform.
Chill your clay in the freezer to help it harden. This allows for sharper edges, and easier carving of mechanical details. Start with a cylinder and carve it to shape.
This is just a "skeleton" for the head, and should not be larger than any part of the head. Once you get this done, bake the sculpy to complete hardness. Once cooled build more basic shapes onto the frame work to get the forms of the "helmet" down. I tend to use a lot of block and angular shapes cut to size and blended onto the frame.
At this point you can add mass to the back of the head to fill it out. You can also add the circular "ears" on the side of the helmet. Do this with two equal sized balls of Sculpy, pressed flat against the side of the head. Make sure you align them correctly. It’s a good idea to keep a mirror handy while sculpting, and look at the sculpture in it often to help with proportion. It sounds funny, but looking at a reverse image of a piece will help bring any balance issues to light. Try this with drawings too, it really helps!
This is an abbreviated version of the head tutorial from Broman Studios.
The website
Transpondia
is still active and has a lot of good information though its founder, Bill Koshorek died March 11th of this year at the age of 31.
“For those of you who do not know who Bill was, he was a customizer and webmaster of Transtopia. This website was the best resource for Transformers kitbash, and is filled with unbelievable talent, some of which was his own creations,” wrote Ryan Yzquierdo, the owner who started a
Memorial at Seibertron
. Seibertron is another transformer information resource. These two sites will merge later this summer.
Already there is a sequel planned for Transformers 2007 and by the look of what is on the web, there is a big following. Stay tuned.
