The Grid – Soundwave model comp

I'm a HUUGE fan of LittleGuyOnMyDesk™ figures. I've always just wanted a little guy that can sit on my desk and work alongside me. It's like the much cooler version of the rubber ducky technique. I just want a little guy I can sit with, work alongside and throw into a new pose every so often. The goofier the better.

Some examples:

https://za.pinterest.com/pin/940126490979981938/
https://za.pinterest.com/pin/64668944646249306/
https://za.pinterest.com/pin/317151998787114601/
https://za.pinterest.com/pin/39336196741079984/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ActionFigures/comments/168ylnk/does_anyone_know_the_name_of_this_figure/

An entirely silly and mostly inconsequential desire but it's introduced me to so many hobbies and interests, Gundam being one of them. At first I didnt care at all about the lore but the robot designs, engineering, and articulation immediately won me over. This was how I got addicted to plastic crack and model building.

I've always been a fan of Transformers, with Soundwave having a special place in my heart. When I saw Blokees released a model kit of Soundwave based on the Transformers One design, I knew what had to be done. I couldn't NOT, right? It's a trifecta of interests.

I really like the idea of Transformers as an alien species, and not just robots. They're aliens and I would love to see more elements of conventional alien media. The creepy, ominous feeling of observing an alien doing "something". The framing and Mise-en-scène. The shock and horror of it suddenly spotting you and lunging directly towards you you. I love it and its a shame we don't get to see more of it.

A movie that did this that really stuck with me was Super 8. Everything about the vibe stayed with me. The quiet stillness of the night, the intensely blue colour palette, the optics and lens effects.

This was the base of the idea but as with anything I do, it sprawled and changed throughout the course of development.

Posing this little guy was super fun. What I enjoy is that the articulation and proportions of every model is different meaning the poses that are possible and the poses that look good are entirely different from model to model. All of the characters in TF:One have very long legs, meaning its great for poses with swinging motion arcs, so lots of kicks etc. (Side note: I LOVE CHARACTERS WITH LONG LEGS RAAGGHHH. Its peak character design to me).

Posing different models has unexpectedly made me better at drawing because I have a better understanding of how to pose based on different body types.

Process photos:

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Photoshop composition of Soundwave jumping over a train