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.
Character models are not to be confused with control art, which is used in the toy design process.
Nuances of creation and utilization
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.
The practice of varying the character models of characters who share a bodyform was revisited in Transformers Animated. Though Ratchet and Ironhide share a bodyform, Ratchet's character model has a paunch while Ironhide's form is more buff. Bumblebee shares a bodyform with roughly a dozen other characters, and their bodyshapes run the gamut from skinny to stocky to curvaceous, depending on the character's needs.
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 is 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 José 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.
- Jetfire / Skyfire had two different character models from early Generation 1 series. The toy-accurate one appeared three times "fictionally," once as a miscolored, partially-obscured background character in the fourth Marvel Comics issue, again in the Marvel Comics as a spectator at Optimus Prime's funeral (right next to his "Skyfire" model), and a third time in the animated portion of the commercial for Jetfire and Shockwave. It would also occasionally crop up in secondary media, such as coloring books and Dutch media.
- 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, as well as the episode "Carnage in C-Minor" (though in the latter, it was colored more like the model on the right). 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 José Delbo, based on an early version of his character model. Soundwave was also colored purple in nearly every appearance in the US comics, probably due to the early model's seemingly lavender coloration. The UK comics coloured him blue in every appearance there and gave him the toy's yellow visor, working off a different model sheet.
- 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 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 Publishing'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 often used in the Marvel comics and occasionally showed up in season 3 episodes of the television series. Since the toy design process had longer lead times, the toys were designed from the earlier models.
Model sheet poses used in fiction
Occasionally, animation studios (most notably AKOM) actually used the character models of certain characters in the episodes themselves in order to spare themselves from having to draw new poses. Examples are the Predacons when they first appear in "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5", various scenes with Devastator, Broadside and Galvatron in "Carnage in C-Minor", and at least one shot from "The Autobot Run". This would also routinely happen in Marvel Comics stories (most notably by José Delbo and Robin Smith) as well.
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First there was the package art. -
Then they used the package art to make the character model. Look for this pose basically everywhere.Then they used the package art to make the character model. Look for this pose basically everywhere.
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See? -
There's a whole fleet of 'em! -
He even hovers like this when he's recuperating. -
These are all from two consecutive pages. The bottom two are of Ravage's from-behind character model! -
A textbook "pounce from the shadows". -
Okay, this one was on purpose. -
Skywarp's standing at an angle with the far arm slightly raised and his head turned toward us, you say? -
Starscream wants in on this, too! -
Galvatron's early model sheet pose. -
That's right, even the movie did it! -
AKOM showing off their awesome model sheet tracing skills. -
Flip it and paste a gun over one hand and no one will notice! -
Recoil and Peacemaker somehow avoid this. -
Both Spike and Delbo have Fort Max's character model on the brain! -
How many times can he do it? -
Forearms slightly up. Look to the side. There we go. -
Buzzsaw just loves to fly at this exact angle. -
It's a hobby he sometimes shares with Laserbeak. -
It's odd how everyone always arrives in a 3/4s overhead view! -
Compare this to the Bludgeon above. -
"Okay, now what angle do I have to draw the room at so I can just paste everyone's art in a cascading row?" -
It's a Robin Smith panel. Let's play the popular game named "How many of these characters are recycled from their character models?" (Hint: Fort Max apparently isn't.) -
"I'm a cardboard cut-out now." -
How to make a character model look dynamic. -
Weirdwolf's feet flat on the ground, Skullcruncher's tail forward, that's enough variation for today. -
Let's play the Robin Smith game again. -
One page later, and he barely raised his arm. -
Okay, one or two of them may actually be original poses. -
Hey, editor? Please stop publishing those profiles. They make me look lazy. Thanks. -
The script called for a small shuttlecraft, so let's just copy the Ark's cartoon model. -
Take cover! Animation model about to crash!
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.
See also
- Ark series - A series of non-fiction guidebooks chronicling Transformers character models.
External links
- Some of the G1 character model celworks from SUPER TOY ARCHIVE.
- Some Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo character models from Transformers At The Moon.
