hjmediastudios

I've got some mech concepts kicking around, including a really nice Space Marines hardsuit. None are incorporated into actual set designs, though. Can't say I've read any of the Honorverse series, but I'm a huge fan of David Weber and his pals. John Ringo, in particular, has an influence on the Space Marines universe... just the good, old-school exuberance of his writing is the sort of thing I'm trying to capture. Yep. UgokiFriends would be a possibility. I'd rather see a Friends head on an Ugokin body, though...

Let's hope that spirit catches on!

Thanks for the kind comments. I'm currently working on the first real high-quality set design; I'll release it here on Friday.

Actually, without sharing the models I wouldn't have put this on Cuusoo at all. I originally just made the Space Marines for fun, and then posted it on Blendswap. I thought I was done with them. Then someone said "These should go on Cuusoo." I thought, Cuusoo? What's Cuusoo? And the rest is history...

Frontpage? Yes please. More seriously, I'm preparing some detailed "Autopsy" images of the Ugokins that will show off their structure. The head is one piece that connects to the neck via a standard minifig-hand-graspable rod in the neck and a socket in the head; the helmet/brain thing is attached to a stud on the back of the Ugokin's head. This allows for more types of Ugokins with the same basic head piece.

Yeah, I'll be doing some cleanup work on those designs yet. I just wanted to get an initial design out to gauge crowd reaction. One is. Look forward to it within the next two weeks. How to support? Push everyone else to do so and blog like crazy about it.

There's going to be a big gunship as the centerpiece of the first wave. It's sort of a mobile HQ, but it is modular.

I designed the Ugokins to be super-modifiable- the main body is basically a funny-shaped Travis brick; the head has two attachment points, the "hips" piece has five, and so on... You can even stick little flames into the holes on the side of the legs.

And, finally... the Ugokins! Drone: Ugokin Drone by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Subaltern: Ugokin Subaltern by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Scary but cute.

Oh, jeez. I didn't realize the eyes could be interpreted that way, but now I see it; that's all. Yellow eyes will be forthcoming on all future Alquirans.

I went with a two-hose design so the single hose wouldn't stick out in front too much. I am planning on releasing bigger sets- I'm putting the finishing touches on an APC vs. Ugokin fighters set that's fairly substantial. Edit: Another figbarf, this time civilians and a Navy man: Civilian 4 by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Civilian 3 by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Civilian 2 by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Civilian 1 by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Navy Technician by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr

Another important consideration for the pilot's armor not being standard- the standard Marine armor can't fit into a normal seat, or really any seat, easily. Thus his small-in-back, big-in-front armor.

I don't mean to excessively plug my own ideas here, but it sounds like a lot of what you guys think should be the next Space theme sounds like my Space Marines theme... Captain by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Space Marines Strike Fighter by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr The diamond flats of Alquiri by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Just a thought.

There won't be huge color variations in the Marines' uniforms, but Space Navy (and later, Space Army) personnel will have different-colored armor. In future waves, there may be Space Marines in different-colored armor, but for now it's going to be a solid sand-red. There might be a couple such aliens popping up in the near future. I decided to make some outlandish aliens because: They're just fun to make, and a complete change from the normal minifig. They reflect what "actual" aliens might look like... I mean, not every creature looks like a human, does it? Hmmm... Maybe aliens look exactly like humans. That'd explain a lot of politics. The Alquirans are blue and have one eye. I'll be posting nude pics of the aliens sometime later.

Some more alien designs (warning: lotsa pictures!) Rifleman by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Sergeant by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Rifleman 1 by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Captain by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Alquiran Warrant Officer by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Engineer by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Rifleman by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Shrake Sergeant by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Pilot by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Make sure to check out the Flickr pages themselves to see more about the species, as well as a humorous anecdoter per picture. Also remember to support the Space Marines on Lego Cuusoo!

I think the most likely-to-be-released Marvel set out of all the ones proposed would be something along the lines of Tony Stark's lab. It's got robots, computers, armors, and would be able to include sellable minifigs at a low cost (Stane is bald, so no new mold, Pepper Potts can't be that hard to make... etc.) I wonder how they'd handle Rhodey, though. Would they put him in his Air Force uniform, or would that violate the "No Military" policy?

I just picked up Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout and the Cap set. The Target guy said they didn't have any of the others yet, so my Avengers will have to wait until I can snag a Quinjet and chopper to round out their roster with Iron Man, Black Widow, and Wolverine.

Easily War Machine. I can imagine the common back bracket piece used in conjunction with an official Lego minigun piece.

Do you know any one of those programs? I would advise you to go with what you already know. If you don't know any of those programs, i would advise trying Blender, as its open-source nature means you can always have the latest stuff for free. That being said, if you're in a hurry for some reason go with DAZ, as Blender can have a bit of a learning curve.

I wasn't going to get this, but seeing this review... I'll be dipping into my savings to pull a Quinjet out.

And another animation:

That's exactly the sort of thing I like to hear. Thanks for your support! Update: A mysterious scene... The diamond flats of Alquiri by HJ Media Studios, on Flickr Space Marines trundle through the mysterious diamond-studded fields of a far-off world. If the structures themselves weren't suspected to be part of a planetwide sentience, the Marines would be "accidentally" gathering little pieces of foliage... Don't worry, better shots of the APCs seen in the background will be appearing shortly. Remember to support the Space Marines on Lego Cuusoo!

I just made them red because of the following reasons: Green seems too modern-military. Same with tan, and I didn't want to run afoul of Lego's "no modern military" policy. Gray seemed too drab and not "action-packed" enough. White would seem too much like the existing Lego City Space theme. Blue is out because Alien Conquest had blue space-suited minifigs, and yellow is definitely out because then the Marines would look naked. Red was as good as anything else.

Personally, i used to hate Iron Man's helmet, but now that I'm seeing better pictures of it, he's sort of growing on me. Th head is large, but I think that fits with the Lego aesthetic.

I talked to my local Target folks, and they said they had the new stuff on order. They actually had the Cosmic Cube Escape and the Avenging Cycle on hand, but couldn't release them until the 8th. I tried slipping them some cash, but they just laughed and told me to wait.