Character model
A character model is a stylistic guide created to help animators and licensee artists depict the Transformers in a consistent and recognizable way. A typical character model is illustrated with a series of model sheets, containing two or more line drawings of each of a character's modes, showing the front and back, weapons, and sometimes details as well. Character models are most often derived from a character's toy, though in some instances the toy and character design may be designed simultaneously.
Character models produced in the 80s were typically black & white, with a separate color guide that would often cover just the front of the model. Modern character designs are usually in color, though sometimes the designs for the backs are only produced in black & white.
If the same toy is used for multiple characters, they may be depicted with very different character models—for example, Sideswipe and Red Alert. These two toys are essentially identical, but while the first design conceived, Sideswipe's, is tall and athletic, the second, Red Alert's, is short and stocky.
This pattern of artistically differentiating two very similar toys in order to make distinct characterization easier was particularly common with the 1984/1985 toys, many of which were redecos of other toys. Examples include Trailbreaker/Hoist, Prowl/Smokescreen, the Seekers/the Coneheads, and others. In general, the 1984 toys were vastly simplified for the screen, while the 1985 character models resembled their toys much more closely, resulting in a stockier group of robots.
Character models may vary wildly from the toy itself, leading to greater or lesser degrees of "show-accuracy". Perhaps the most conspicuous examples are Ironhide and Ratchet. In those instances, droid-like and "alien" toys were heavily anthropomorphized in the character models, adding humanoid proportions, heads, and faces.
Perhaps the best representation of both of the above factors—character models differing from the toys, and later character models differing from earlier ones based on the same toys—is shown by Tarantulas and Blackarachnia.
A few exceptions, such as Whirl and Roadbuster, who only appear in the Marvel UK comics, appear to have no character models at all, and their art based on their toys. Regardless, even in the later years of the Generation 1 franchise, the creation of character models persisted. One example is the 1989 Pretenders, whose character models are replicated faithfully by Jose Delbo. Even though artistic interpretations of Bludgeon, Stranglehold, and Octopunch diversified with later artists, elements taken from the character models continued, such as their individualized melee weapons. (These weapons were not included with the toy.)
Most of the Generation 1 character designs from before 1987 were done by Floro Dery. The widely distributed model sheets of those characters may have been redrawn from his designs, or they might be his direct work. The first three years' worth of Generation 1 character models formed the basis for the artwork of Marvel's Transformers Universe profile books. Additional profiles were later published in the back of the main comic book, showing character models for some of the 1987 and 1988 characters.
A vast collection of Generation 1 character models are available in the books The Ark: A Complete Compendium of Character Designs and The Ark II — A Compendium of Japanese Character Designs. Many of the same designs are also available in Transformers Generations, though its pictures are quite small and typically feature only the front of the robot and the alt mode.
Variations
When applied to fiction, character designs are often interpreted differently by various artists. Other times, a model may not be available at all, resulting in art based directly on a character's toy, or something entirely made up.
- Broadside also had two completely different character models in the Generation 1 series. The earlier model, on the left, was based on his prototype and appeared in the Marvel G1 comic and the episode Carnage in C-Minor. The finalized version was used for most of his other 80s appearances.
- Grimlock had an early head design which quickly disappeared from the Generation 1 cartoon, replaced by a more toy-accurate model with the episode "War of the Dinobots". The old design remained in the comics until he became an Action Master in "Still Life!".
- Marvel US Soundwave was drawn without a mouthplate by artist Jose Delbo, based on an early version of his character model. Soundwave was also colored purple in nearly every appearance in this continuity.
- For their character models, the face/Nebulan and helmet/seat pieces of Nightbeat and Siren were inexplicably switched. (It is difficult to tell for sure, but they may have kept the correct antennae/guns judging by the basic shapes involved.) This switch gave comic book Nightbeat the "shades" he's remembered for, as well as the crest on his forehead, while comic book Siren ended up with his trademark combined brow/nosepiece. How or why this switch happened, and in what stage of development it occurred, is unknown. Nightbeat was was depicted with his own toy's head (for the first time) in Dreamwave's The War Within: The Age of Wrath. Nightbeat's appearances in IDW's Transformers comics retain the Siren face design, but inside the Nightbeat helmet. In Fun Publications' "Cheap Shots," his appearance is based on his new toy, whose head is based on Siren's face and helmet.
- Devastator had two different animation models in the original Transformers cartoon; at the least, he had two different head designs, one with a visor and one without. Though the visored version was the finalized model, both head designs would continue to be used (almost at random) in subsequent episodes. The correct visored design was used for his dramatic scene in The Transformers: The Movie, and thus seems to have "won out"; it appears on all modern Devastator merchandise.
- Hot Spot would occasionally switch between having a faceplate or having a mouth drawn on his faceplate in his appearances on the Generation 1 cartoon. He had a mouth in "Ghost in the Machine" and "The Ultimate Weapon" - episodes that seem to have been animated by two different animation companies, suggesting that Hot Spot's mouth may have come from an alternate character model.
- The Transformers: The Movie: Most of the cast of new characters in the movie had early versions of their character models that changed to varying degrees before the movie was animated. These character models were used in the comics and occasionally show up in season 3 episodes of the television series. Since the toy design process has longer lead times, the toys were designed from the earlier models.
Trivia
- Occasionally, City of Steel".
Footnotes
- ↑ Answer: Neither. While Ratchet's character model clearly can't transform into anything, Ratchet's toy transforms into a Onebox minivan pretending to be an ambulance.
External links
- Some of the G1 character model celworks from SUPER TOY ARCHIVE.
