Rational

For my Toy development piece I had the honour of choosing a collectors item. I've always personally wanted a large, glorious chess set, so making a delicious chess piece that isn't designed for 16years and under seemed like a good fun path to go down.

My license was a tricky question. So many of the more interesting licenses already had chess sets to match, so i decided to go with my world from Major Project; Kings and Martyrs. This time my character focus was going to be on a protagonist I decided. So I chose James 'Hoppy' Hopkinson, leader and general badass of the resistance. He is based off a real life person so i got insight into what he would want as a chess piece, and he chose Knight. Easy decision. So I decided to incorporate Hoppy's space-bike (for lack of a better term).

Originally the piece was going to be 3D printed but after Garrys fascinating tutorial on holding and casting i thought id try my hand at that. A decision I wasn't prepared for but have completed nonetheless, albeit after at least three trial and error rounds.

Ive learnt a great deal about the process of starting in digital design through the construction into physical and, though my model didn't turn out as pristine as i had hoped, it gave me firmer understanding of the design process.

Now I have a better chance than ever to become the pokemon champion!

The last melon

Modelling day has arrived! its a sunday but tats ok! it ended up working out alright so thats nice. took two goes.

And here we get into some of the older stuff from the process. my first draft. it wass too big.

second draft. much better but it was wonky.

it splits into three parts for easier casting

my final model! kinda. my master, its yet to be polished and cast.

m,y mock up for packaging

packaging reference from week one

For the most part...

Haha! Welcome to my last blog for university! Its actually kind of sad. But its 1pm and i have work tomorrow and I'm procrastinating sooo...

heres all the computer stuff I've done in the last few weeks. Its not in order but it doesn't really need to be, it was all so close together.

This is th initial character sheet i did, which wasn't quite how i wanted it to look.

Part of my hand in. The Box! This is the box that, well, you've probably already seen this image. Everything you need to know is on the image.

The Character sheet! James 'hoppy' hopkinson, who is actually a real person (though i got his face wrong in this image. My plan is to do a ZSculpt of his face so i can stop asking him for different photos at different angles).

The Sleeve to go on the outside. Primary packaging and its the piece that has all the important numbers like how much money people have to give me for it.

Back when i couldn't decide whether to make him the king or the Knight. I asked him and he preferred Knight, and id already done a motorbike thumbnail tangent so i decided i could use the sketches and just run with it.

Early components sketches, based off the initial laser cutter files and some rhino vector exports to get all the shapes in the right place.

Here he is. Mister James Hopkinson himself. Early designs that i want to polish and build in 3d, just because i like his character so much.

Turntable of the Da Vinci (His bike) but woyhout him siting in the pit. Just the main bike components.

This is what his bike shoots. Yea, thats not too related but, meh.

This, contrary to what you may think, is not the above mentioned character sheet, but a certificate of authenticity that arrives with he model. instead of a plastic lining on the inside you are greeted with this page showing you the ca=haracter you've found and a bit about him and how he fits into the world of Kings and Martyrs. It also shows his rarity level. reselling of models isn't usually trusted unless this bad boy is with it.

A photo of where the model is up to as of tonight. How lovely.

And finally, the thumbnails i did to figure out what this bike was actually going to look like, more or less. i ended up with a cross between the first one and the third one.