The Ark Addendum - Roll For It (part 4)

Well, Auto Assembly is (presumably) behind me, but I have no confidence in my energy level following a 20 hour flight, so I write this a good couple o' weeks in advance.  I figured I'd finish out Roll for It, an episode with quite a lot of background models to it. 

This time, we move to the interior of the science complex, a maze of computers and lab equipment.  The close-up of the key pad was because it was a minor plot point; Reflector observed it from some distance away to allow the Decepticons to gain entry to the complex. 

Hopefully I'll get my Auto Assembly notes organized and into blog form for you pretty soon.  I'm sure I had fun, but exactly what the details are we'll just have to see.

The Ark Addendum - Roll For It (part 3)

Another week, another Ark Addendum.  I've been super busy this week, working on some Transformers-related stuff that I hope to be able to talk about soon.  What it means is that I haven't had as much time to work on these.  I had originally intended to save part 3 and 4 of Roll For It for a few more weeks, to keep things broken up.  (Webworld was a fun two weeks, but the feedback seemed to lean towards more variety.)

The backgrounds of Roll For It are very typical of the first season.  Lots of rolling desert-scapes, the occasional stand-alone structure like a science lab or a hydrothermal generator.

It's a pretty nice science lab, and when I get to part IV we'll go to the various cool gizmos inside.  I rather appreciate both the water tower, the telescope and all the various antennae on the roof.  It certainly feels sciency!

The Ark Addendum - Roll For It (Part 1)

It's time for another edition of The Ark Addendum.  This time, I bring the first part of Roll For It, the second episode of the first season of Transformers.  (Fifth if you count the pilot in the numbering proper.)  I posted the second sheet from Roll For It almost a year ago.  At some point I'm sure I'll get around to parts three and four, but who knows what order I'll post them in!  MWAH HAHAHA!  I'M A MADMAN!!!

Ahem.

Sorry.

The episode is surprisingly rich in backgrounds, which is why I had to spread it out over four parts.  These are the models from the beginning, when Starscream leads the Decepticons in an attack on a hydroelectric plant.

In my opinion, the most interesting bit is the signs in the cityscape.  One can see why the poor overseas animators came up with some funky signs ... the models just kind of sketch things out.  Given this model, is Prim Cola really a huge surprise?

Also, the model identifies this as Central City.  Central City would also feature in the two part episode, Megatron's Master Plan.  A similarly named Center City would show up in a Find Your Fate Junior book.  I wonder where the name came from?  I haven't seen it in any of the series bibles, so it could be coincidence, or there might be other notes that I'm not privy to.  It's an interesting bit of trivia, if nothing else.

Stick around, Bish and Bill both have promised me some interesting posts in the not-too-distant future!

The Ark Addendum - Roll For It (part 2)

You know, it's odd. As much as I love Prowl, I've got very little material that features him. The closest I have is some designs from Roll For It, the aircraft factory where Prowl's battle computer gets damaged, forcing him to link up through the phone lines with Chip Chase. The same Chip Chase who was in possession of the anti-matter formula that Megatron was trying to steal. (Oh, coincidences abound in Roll For It.)

I like Chip's room. He sure does like . . . colleges, doesn't he? Also, is that a unicorn bookend on his desk? Oy! It's hard to imagine why they never wrote in a love interest for this bad boy.

While I have no illusions that Headmasters were in the works this early in the game, I do like the idea of an Autobot/human partnership being highly effective. It's a tiny bit of serendipity that helps the story be greater than the sum of its parts. Incidentally, the Chip/Prowl relationship would later be picked up on for the Binaltech line. When Prowl's laser core, which some fans theorize is an early form of spark chamber, is lost during the BT upgrade process, Chip Chase transfers his life essence into the incomplete Prowl body to create Prowl II. The new body had two separate computer systems, one dedicated to each different ego.

Oddly, I've got a whole 'nother couple or three pages on Roll For It, which explains why I sort of start speaking about it in the middle of the episode. These pages weren't quite finished when I realized we just wouldn't have the room for them, so don't be too harsh.

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1/5/2010 Update - additional Roll For It models are now posted.