Updated Trek Doomsday Machine

April 27th, 2003, 01:03 AM

Those of you who have been following my TOS Enterprise thread and are familiar with my intentions for it have probably known this was coming for a while now. Behold! Matt Decker's Devil, straight out of Hell:

This is, of course, a work-in-progress, and pretty highly speculative at that. It's based on a sketch I did almost a year ago, which I was going to post along with these renderings but my scanner is on the fritz. The overall effect is something between a grasping claw and a skeletal finger bone.

Here's a close-up of the "knuckle":

Exactly what this is, I cannot say at the moment, but it serves to break up the overall conical shape a bit and enhances the sense that this thing is at least partly mechanical. The detailing is still pretty basic at this stage.

Head-on view:

Obviously, I have yet to add "flaming pit" effect. I also plan to put some interesting machinery in there that should provide a rather novel method of emitting the infamous anti-proton force beam.

I was actually going to hold off revealing this baby until I had an animation ready to go with it, but... well, I just couldn't hold back any longer.

Melvin the Dork · April 27th, 2003, 03:10 AM

HOLY shazbot!

April 27th, 2003, 04:23 AM

It looks highly evil in that side profile. Bravo!

Now that I think about it, it reminds me of those Sharkticons (Gnaw) from Transformers: The Movie.

April 28th, 2003, 10:54 AM

What if.......the knuckle was covered by the outer hull/skin/sheath, with the skin being some kind of translucent?

Commodore-SirJohn · April 30th, 2003, 12:14 AM

I like the spikes and the overall texture, but the way the back end connects to the knuckle doesn't quite look right. Maybe if it weren't a straight chop, but rather more organic...

Nice work, in any case...

May 12th, 2003, 12:23 AM

Okay, here's version 2:

As you can see, I've gone back to more of an authentic look for the PK, but I've tried to streamline it a little and enhance some of its organic qualities. I decided to ditch the porcupine quills, but I still wanted something around that maw to make it look like it could take a planet apart even without the anti-proton beam. I already had the trilateral spines or ridges along the length of its body, so I simply extended them past the maw and curved them inward like mandibles. I rather like the effect.

Obviously, there's nothing inside the maw yet except a really bright orange light. I'll be adding some details in there in the near future, and I'm working on a rather elaborate animated effect for the burning center, not involving tinsel and kaleidascopes.

Well, what do you all think?

Hito · May 12th, 2003, 12:33 PM

The new design is awesome, but I really liked the "knuckle" thingy from the earlier version.

Sean Kennedy · May 12th, 2003, 06:53 PM

COOL!

Melvin the Dork · May 12th, 2003, 06:58 PM

I liked the knuckly and the spikes on the old but that one is very cool too.

Melvin the Dork · May 12th, 2003, 06:58 PM

that should have said knuckle not knuckly...oops

General Phoenix · May 12th, 2003, 09:08 PM

[Randy Jackson]

You know, dawg, I was really feelin' the first version, but the new one is even better. You really brought it this time, baby!

[/Randy Jackson]

May 13th, 2003, 06:23 AM

The newer one is a vast improvement -- the exterior surface is great. I like the three "claws" a lot.

May 14th, 2003, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vektor
Okay, here's version 2:
As you can see, I've gone back to more of an authentic look for the PK, but I've tried to streamline it a little and enhance some of its organic qualities. I decided to ditch the porcupine quills, but I still wanted something around that maw to make it look like it could take a planet apart even without the anti-proton beam. I already had the trilateral spines or ridges along the length of its body, so I simply extended them past the maw and curved them inward like mandibles. I rather like the effect.

Well, what do you all think?

Not bad. It's true to the original.

I don't really like the claws, they simply look added on in the close-up and not really an integral part of the design, sorry. Reminds me of something Todd McFarlane would do if he were drawing the PK, those are very TM claws.

May 14th, 2003, 07:34 AM

Some detail added to the front end of the claws to suggest tractor machinery or targeting devices or something might be a nice touch -- Spinrad's description of the thing was that it was bristling with weapons pods, etc.

May 16th, 2003, 09:08 PM

That's much better Vek.

I can't say I liked the first version you came up with, but I knwo that no one has really ever been satisfied with the look of the TV original. Problem is, after almost 40 years its so ingrained in our minds that its nearly impossible to imagin it any other way and still feel right about it.