TF2 - Scout Class Combaticon 02

OK! So after the rough image is approved, I start with the vehicle finals. With this game, the Designer, Chris Tremmel (who by the end of the game, was Creative Director along with Joby Otero - both fantastic) had some specific ideas for vehicles, and we based this one on a concept Humvee, kind of a light utility vehicle. Still military, but trying to keep separate from the Sector 7/NEST vehicles from the films. i mainly start with the vehicle to give myself two things; time to envision where the parts might come from for the bot mode, and to pre-create those elements to use as I construct the bot mode...


The movie guys have the luxury of using real vehicles through licensing, but for the games (and usually the toys!) I needed to alter enough of the real world vehicle to make it our own, and avoid any legal entanglements, mostly by redesigning lights, bumpers, grills - small details like that.

So this Decepticon star was an early design that eventually had to be scrapped, due to a policy of not combining real military symbols with Transformers symbols. I loved it so much, I kept it for my portfolio, though in the game, it's just a white Decept symbol for the Combaticons.

Usually this image comes after both the vehicle and robot are approved, but in my portfolio I place it in between; it provides a nice transition between the two. I create a basic illustration of how the vehicle transforms into the bot, %50 transformed, to mostly show balance points, and any complicated manuevers that might not be obvious. I give this to Justin Thomas, the Art Director (and Man among men) to help as just a starting point for his team.

Tomorrow, Robot Mode...