More Transformer Ripoffs!

I have just returned from a weekend trip to China, and boy what a productive trip when it came to discovering Transformer knock offs! So get ready for a whole bunch more already...

Your first taste of it are these oddly themed battle robots (pun intended with the use of taste). These are apparently from a legitimate Chinese cartoon series. Everything else in this particular high end toy store were authentic (especially the many Transformer toys sadly), so I'll left to conclude these must be from something real and popular.


First up is the Fruit Combo Defender (though it really should have been the Fruit Salad Defender ;P)

My arch nemesis the Pineapple Slasher (I'm allergic to Pineapple)

The Mandarine Beserker

Apple Twin Guns

and Turbo Grape...

So pop in hopefully tomorrowish for a whole bunch more proper true Transformer counterfeits. A few are hilarious in totally brand new ways!

Transfomers Ripoff #25

Variety King Kong... I kid you not that is what he is called! My other gem from last night...

That brings to a wrap, for now, all the Transformer ripoff toys I've encountered. However I'm sure there are more for me to find. So I'll post them as I find them.

I'm also trying to get back on track with regular Hong Kong/China posts. I think I'll aim for a daily post, but not till next week (the inlaws are visiting at the moment).

Transformers Ripoff #24

The Ultimate Series... and it really is the ultimate of Ripoffs!!!

I came across this beauty in China (though have since found it in Hong Kong). It combines all the best of the other ripoffs from before.

It is an Interchange that has "Superheroes Weapon System" and is the "Ultimate Deformation Version".

Transformers Ripoff #23

Hundred Changes Jin Gang

He is a "New Influence" and also "Bingtianwang". Jin Gang also helps "By developing intelligence, and inspiring potential, to make children grow up with happiness."

Transformers Ripoff #22

Warlords Robot

Transformers Ripoff #21

(My new favorite which I discovered only just last night! Showing that even as I come close to posting all my current finds, that there are bound to be many more out for me to discover in the future!)

Fresh Dinobot Including the ever famous Tyranno Bot, Bronto Bot, Stego Bot, and of course Tritop Bot.

Transformers Ripoff #20

Animal Roibot

Made up of Puma Bot, Eagle Bot, Bull Bot, and Lion Bot...

Transformer Ripoff #19

Intelligence Warrior

Transformer Ripoff #18

Steel Divine

Transformers Ripoff #17

Slusher Car

Transformers Ripoff #16

Warlords Robot
Not only is he a super warrior but also one of the many "superheroes".

Transformers Ripoff #15

Super Hero Change Robot

Transformers Ripoff #14

Change Robots
This is another of the Chariot Missile titled toys and it always causes me to laugh. He is also one of the Warlords.

Transformers Ripoff #13

Transformable Tomas... I think they mean Thomas

I know I'm not the first to post this, but it is pure awesomeness!

I even love how on the back art the various engines spit out fire as they go!

Transformer Ripoff # 12

One of our all time favourite Transformer Ripoffs... The Distortion Bus!!!

You'll note as per his chest is is ALSO a Super Bus in addition to a distorting one!

Transformer Ripoff #11

Erectorbot

This one can be misread in a funny way. Included in their number are Tri Lorry and Rabbler.

Transformers Ripoff #10

A Modern Design He is not only a Machine Robo Rescue but a Super Century Design who is playing the New Powerful Game

Transformers Ripoff #9

A Wiser Beserker Super Robot

Transformers Ripoffs #8

Transbotix

Transformers Ripoff #7

A Street Trooper... the transformering battle robot car kind

Transformers Ripoff #6

The Deformation from the hit film Deformation III!!!

One of my absolute favourite ripoffs. I howling for the rest of the day with this one...

Transformers Ripoff #5

Warlords Botos

Transformer Ripoffs #3

Title: Super Change Robot

Transformer Ripoffs #4

The Interchange This was actually technically the first transformer ripoff I ever encountered. It knocked me on my back with laughter... Just sing it "The Interchanges merging before your eyes"

Refocusing

So if push came to shove I could submit my current feathered Dinosaur piece to the ART Evolved gallery as it stands right now. However it is not quite finished to my satisfaction.

One thing pointed out by David and Matt is that my camouflaged Gorgosaurus are so well camouflaged they pseudo blend into the background.

I have tried a few things to fix this. Sadly to no avail.

The first was trying different depths of view. Sadly this hasn't worked out well due to the controls on Carrara's tool for this and the scale I built this scene at (which is more my fault than Carrara. I need to remember to build things on a real world scale so they match normally).

Here the camera is focused on the Troodon.

Here it is focused on the Albertosaur.

Yet this still doesn't really help truly pop the Gorgosaur out at all.

My other solution has been a light blue mist. This has helped, but only with the tree line and not the shrubs at mid level in the picture.

So probably tinker more in this department.

Next I wish to populate this pic with some more smaller feathered theropods. Probably another Troodon or two, and some others...

Stand by.

Flip Flop

Managed to get in some more tinkering this week, and my feathered Dinosaur piece is nearly at the point of completion. There certainly are some teaks to be made, but overall I'm getting quite happy with the piece.

As I've got the majority of the difficult terrain and environmental work done I'm thinking about a second set of feathered theropods. I am aiming for a more simply colour scheme on them (which will reduce the number of feather replicators needed). I'm thinking Hesperonychus, but any other suggestions for Dinosaur Park era critters who'd scavenge from a Ceratopsian corpse are welcome.

Here is the piece, and apart from some branches and bigger twigs I feel this one could go up as it (with a bit more picture in frame in front of the Troodon).

Just to test the composition I mirrored it, and found I actually perfer it this way.

Thoughts or comments?

Lighten Up

Having looked into the qualities of the "magic hour" as David and Matt called it, I've decided to go with my sun higher up in the sky. I didn't realize till now just how little variation there is in the angle between "normal" daylight and the more drastic lighting effects of sunrise and sunset.

My sunlight was originally only set at a 38 degree angle (with zero degrees having the light pointing straight down at the ground from a noon sky position). It surprises me that at this relatively limited rotation I produced such a distinct part of the daily lighting cycle. I would have expected this effect at more around 50-60 degrees. In my reading though 50-60 is in the later sunset or rise part of the day...

I guess being from the prairies I have a slightly distorted sense of landscapes. In most places there are hills, plants, buildings, and/or mountains (which in fairness I'm used to the Rockies effecting sunsets in Calgary!) so the true 90 degrees is never going to happen. Mind you I come from one of those weird places that (at least for sunrise) an 70-80 degree emergence of the sun is possible. This last observation is mostly pointless other than I've expanded my lighting horizons (pun unintended :P). Cretaceous Alberta would have had a similar sunrise situation to its east due to the the inland sea... oceans being the one place I think of with a nearly 90 degree sun emergence event horizon.

So here is the new lighting scheme. Overall I actually like it more anyways. I'll have to do some work on the corpses shaders to better capture this lighting scheme. Also a few teaks to the gorging Gorgosaurus (in particular his arms).

While the old lighting scheme adds some mystery to the corpse, it also obscures it and the eating Gorgosaurus. So I think I'll be going with the new lighting scheme.

Thoughts or comments?

Mark My Lighting

Okay though still in rough form, I'm ready for some hard feedback on the new lighting scheme.

I have added my first ever secondary sky lights, proper bounce light, and rim lighting to all the following Dinosaurs.

The environment (the water in particular) needs some more work. So this is just the Dinosaurs and their effective lighting byproducts (though I am aware there needs to be a shadow on the water).

The Troodon

Chasing Gorgosaurus

Feeding Gorgosaurus

The rough layout of the final will be this (though I'm thinking about playing with field of depth on the camera later)

Thoughts? Feedback?

Matt and David in particular feel free to let the honesty flow. I'm new at this, and don't want to get in bad habits right out of the gate.

Another Feathered Dinosaur

Since I am hoping the Feathered Dinosaur "relaunch" gallery at ART Evolved will be a big event I want to go all out on my piece (possibly pieces). As of such I need some additional feathered Dinosaurs.

I don't have the time to model anything new (my Xmas break ends today :( ), so instead I've just added some feathers to my existing Gorgosaurus.

How do they look?