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Metal Gear MKII Research and Life Size Replica

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:55 am
by nickdaring
I was wondering if anyone had a better scan of the Metal Gear MKII card with all the technical info for the little guy.

http://junkerhq.net/Snatcher/TCS/Snatch ... 72Back.jpg

I'd love to see what this stuff says about him.
I'm especially curious as to what it says is his official height is. He kinda fluctuates a bit in the game's graphics.

Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Data File card

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:42 am
by el_ash
nickdaring wrote:I was wondering if anyone had a better scan of the Metal Gear MKII card with all the technical info for the little guy.

http://junkerhq.net/Snatcher/TCS/Snatch ... 72Back.jpg
I'd love to see what this stuff says about him.
I'm especially curious as to what it says is his official height is. He kinda fluctuates a bit in the game's graphics.

Nick

Here ya go man! I hope this helps, although it's in Japanese!
(I'd also love to know what it says, so if you translate it please tell me!)

Metal Gear is around 900mm or about 3ft tall (without his neck fully extended up that's +80mm) :mrgreen:
He does fluctuate from scene to scene in design and size...it made it really annoying to model him until I had the correct blueprints lol! (Thanx Artemio!)

Re: Metal Gear MKII Data File card

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 6:36 pm
by nickdaring
Thank you! Where is that image from? That cleaned up blueprint is fantastic! I only had the sketchy blueprint drawings of two different versions of the MKII. What's strange about those two sketched blueprint versions is that the final game design of the robot incorporated elements from both designs.

Version 1-
Image
Image

and Version 2-
Image
Image
Image

Ya know what, 3 feet seems kinda big compared to most of the images in the game that can be referenced next to a human. I'd swear that most of the scenes show him to be closer to 2 feet perhaps.

I'm wanting to build a life-size model of the robot and it's a tough choice to figure out what size he should be since the game artwork was so inconsistant.

Sadly I don't speak/read japanese but this info alone is fantastic. I'll see if I can find someone I forward it on to get more information.

Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Data File card

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:46 pm
by el_ash
nickdaring wrote:Thank you! Where is that image from? That cleaned up blueprint is fantastic! I only had the sketchy blueprint drawings of two different versions of the MKII. What's strange about those two sketched blueprint versions is that the final game design of the robot incorporated elements from both designs.

Ya know what, 3 feet seems kinda big compared to most of the images in the game that can be referenced next to a human. I'd swear that most of the scenes show him to be closer to 2 feet perhaps.

I'm wanting to build a life-size model of the robot and it's a tough choice to figure out what size he should be since the game artwork was so inconsistant.

Sadly I don't speak/read japanese but this info alone is fantastic. I'll see if I can find someone I forward it on to get more information.

Nick
No problem man! They are from the PCE game manual if I remember correctly :mrgreen:
I also have studied the living hell out of Snatcher and noticed these issues lol!

I'm still debating the final size of "Metal" for the Snatcher mod because of the reasons you stated that I've also noticed/struggled with, but the design is fully based on the blueprints I gave you.

I have also considered and looked into taking my 3D model of "Metal" and turning it into a "life sized" model through the use of 3D Printing, but it is far too costly a technology at the moment!
I was thinking of making a plastic mold or building him out of wood as an alternative, and I'm really glad you have the same thoughts in mind! (we should team up?)

I may have them translated for you in the next few months as it's something I've been trying to do, but don't really have the time for it during my college semesters.

Here's a nearly finished look at the "Metal" 3d Model I've been working on...(still learning to model)
I just need to tweak it/add to it some and "round off" the main body compartment and head a bit more and then texture him!
He should end up being an exact copy of the blueprint I gave you when done! :mrgreen:

Re: Metal Gear MKII Data File card

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:39 pm
by nickdaring
I've been studying these new blueprint tonight and the design is really starting to make sense now.

The waste area has some really interesting design ideas in there. The upper body connects to the upper waste area in a really interesting way. I think that's the only piece that you don't have modeled on your "Metal" yet. The body can pivot frontwards and back on the round post on the side but the weird triangular piece is offset just enough to clear that motion. It's also funny how the corner of the monitor box is cut to avoid that chunk of the waste area. Really odd/fun design. :)

Here's a quick lineup of the final sketch design with the manual blueprints.
Image
Here you can see where the designer did his final tightening up of some details.

Also here is a photo composite of all the Metal pics I have gathered from the game. If there are any that I'm missing please post them!
Image

I've been trying to figure out some of the other quirky design elements as well.

I think that the main body is where your clues and evidence are kept. The panel that the number 1 arrow is pointing to looks like it might hinge open at that top right corner.

I'm really curious as to what all those little buttons and slots on the underside of the Monitor Box do.

I also wonder what the three lenses of Metal's head are for. Interestingly enough there was a three lensed robot helper in Policenauts too.
Image

I think I'm going to build a small scale "proof of concept" model soon to make sure I've got all the basic forms straightened out. I'll post pics of this as I'm working on it.

Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Data File card

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:35 am
by el_ash
Dude! I love your avatar lol!
Besides that I'm really impressed that someone around here is actually just as obsessed about the same details as I am! :mrgreen:

I have actually almost finished the work on those parts...
Your collage work looks almost EXACTLY like mine from 2003-2005! :mrgreen:

Re: Metal Gear MKII Data File card

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:17 am
by nickdaring
That's looking pretty good dude!

Is there a reason you moved the pivot spot for the monitor box up? I could see how it might hit the waist triangle if it rotated down low perhaps.

This morning I printed out the blueprints you posted to what "felt" life size. Surprisingly I like Metal at about 18 inches tall (with his head down). He'd big enough to get around but still has that toyish quality. He's also small enough to be placed on a shelf.

Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Data File card

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 7:55 pm
by el_ash
nickdaring wrote:That's looking pretty good dude!

Is there a reason you moved the pivot spot for the monitor box up? I could see how it might hit the waist triangle if it rotated down low perhaps.

This morning I printed out the blueprints you posted to what "felt" life size. Surprisingly I like Metal at about 18 inches tall (with his head down). He'd big enough to get around but still has that toyish quality. He's also small enough to be placed on a shelf.

Nick
Thanx man! I really appreciate being able to get in-depth about this with ya! :mrgreen:

There's some flaws in my design still, and so I noticed them when I tried rotating the monitor from resting postion to the one most shown in the game.

Well one of the ways I'm judging the size is by how big the monitor display looks in game combined with the average height in the various images and then my own preferences.
The monitor thing matters the most since you will have to set "Metal" up on a shelf (funny you said that) or high place to have correct eye level with the moitor for videophone calls
and the screen has to be reasonably big enough so that you can see the image well in a FPS view.

Then there's the whole "toy-ish" factor as you mentioned...
Only in a human sized game world he can't be so small that it would be realistically impossible for him to say climb stairs or a street curb lol!
At the same time You will have to carry "Metal" in some situations as shown in the original game
(Factory Explosion etc., and possibly to get him into the Turbocycle passenger seat <--new factor)

I hope to find the perfect balance by the time I'm done! :mrgreen:

Here's a look at some older builds...the size varies from too big to mid range...

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:15 pm
by nickdaring
I've been wondering how the characters would use the monitor in your game. It seems funny that Gillian would have to drop down on one knee to look into the monitor everytime he gets a call or wants to use the internet. :)

Maybe you could have the monitor be holographic projector in your version. Sorta like the communications and info graphics in Dead Space.

That said I guess the monitor thing worked okay in MGS 4 when Snake had to use his MKII's monitor for communications.

Speaking of MGS4, I pulled up some reference on that game's MKII and think their size for Metal is just about right. In most of the Snatcher reference Metal's head comes up to Gillian's knee. The same goes for Snake's MKII.
Image

I think that that puts him at about 18-20 inches tall when his head is retracted. (Judging by the length of my own lower leg.) :)

It'll also be nice to have the two versions of the MKII two to be similar in size when I get around to building the MGS4 version.

Also attached are some bits of reference I've found that haven't been posted here yet.

Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:16 pm
by nickdaring
By the way do you know where this image is from?
Image

Pretty cool comparison of the first few Metal Gears!

I'd also like to figure out where this page is from and get a better scan if possible-
metal_gear_mk_ii.jpg
metal_gear_mk_ii.jpg (13.21 KiB) Viewed 19744 times
Also here is a composite of all the scenes where Metal is standing next to a human.
metal-gear-size-reference.jpg
Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:03 pm
by el_ash
About monitor use :
I've been working that one out as well as you can see from the image and then compare it to in-game there are no buttons on the monitor when seing "Metal", but when seing a videophone call or analysis of evidence there's buttons.
I've solved this by deciding that it's a touchscreen and the numbers/dialer goes away much like a modern cell phone as soon as you make the call.

The holographic idea is too much (thought about it though), but as the original game stated but incorrectly showed most ads and bilboards shown are supposed to be 180 degree holograms which I will be doing.

In MGS4 it mainly worked with "Metal"s size because "Metal" was made to be more of a "toy" controlled by Snake or Otacon and not a thinking talking character as he is in Snatcher.
I'd like to have him slightly bigger so that he's not viewed so much as a "toy", but rather a living character.

He's gotta be big enough to actually climb stairs, which in MGS4 "Metal" "Hops" or "Jumps" up them...because he's too small...
Another issue is his monitor is also supposed to be a 10 inch screen unlike the "toy" images.
I'll find a nice balance to his size though eventually...

I'd hate to spoil things, but I will be featuring BOTH "Metal Gear's" in Snatcher (MGS4 version + original)...only you gotta beat the game once to get the other one.
I've attached an image of the "Metal" from MGS4 that a friend has made, and either this or my own version of the model will appear in the mod.

If you'd like to PM or e-mail me so that we can talk about these things and others and not hog up the forums feel free! :mrgreen:

BTW: That blurry image I think is from the MSX Snatcher manual? (image 2)
The size compare one I'm not sure where it's from but I could check...?

Here's that "monitor/dialer" thing I noticed, and some reference images of MGS4 "Metal" for ya! :mrgreen:
The last 2 images of MGS4 "Metal" is a 3D model made by Pearse Phillips and is NOT my work or in the mod at the moment it is work done by a friend for fun.

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:45 pm
by nickdaring
I say we keep it on here as much as possible. I've lurked on this forum for years and it's nice to see it come alive a little. Also it's nice to have these images and info publicly posted for the world to reference. I wish someone had already done all this homework for me! :)

However, If you've got any super secret stuff to share please feel free to contact me privately at derington@gmail.com

On with the show.
metal-gear-size-compare2.jpg
Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:25 am
by nickdaring
One other thing that's interesting about the face of the monitor is that it's design changed farely drastically depending on the console version.

The early versions don't have the buttons at all. Just the screen.

MSX2
0319.gif
0319.gif (6.1 KiB) Viewed 19738 times
pc88 I think
Picture 6.png
pc88
Picture 22.png
Playstation or Saturn
playstation
playstation
Sega CD
gens2009-09-1018-21-11-92.jpg
For your project, I think translating the numeric buttons into a touch screen would be the best too. Just makes the design cleaner.

It's also interesting to see how in many of the other versions the sliding protective screen cover is used much more often than the Sega CD version. While it's a clever and practical idea, without seeing it slide in real time I could see how some players wouldn't understand what it was or why Metal's visual continuity was being disrupted at times.

pc88
Picture 14.png
saturn
Picture 27.png
sega cd
gens2009-09-0718-07-05-21.jpg

Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:07 am
by el_ash
nickdaring wrote:I say we keep it on here as much as possible. I've lurked on this forum for years and it's nice to see it come alive a little. Also it's nice to have these images and info publicly posted for the world to reference. I wish someone had already done all this homework for me! :)

However, If you've got any super secret stuff to share please feel free to contact me privately at derington@gmail.com

On with the show.
The attachment metal-gear-size-compare2.jpg is no longer available
Nick
I agree we should continue... :mrgreen:
I'm loving that compared work shot of MGS4 + the mod! It's something I've meant to do, but I've been a little busy witht he mod itself lol!

I've done research like this for just about everything in Snatcher in this manner and so it's fucking awesome to know that someone is as interested as I have been!
I think we'd need more topics though at this rate though lol!

I'll definately share some "Secret" stuff with ya! Since I already share with the small "Team" I have and one or two other big fans of the work I'm doing. :mrgreen:

Yeah the graphics were not consistant in Snatcher...especially throughout the versions!
BTW: I found something similar to the image you were looking for comparing the sizes, but it's not for Snatcher...I gotta dig deeper.

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:21 pm
by nickdaring
This is a gorgeous shot!
Image
Really shows off the forms of the main body chasis.

Which version is that from? I don't remember seeing it before.

Also where is that last one from.

Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 8:49 am
by el_ash
nickdaring wrote:This is a gorgeous shot!
Image
Really shows off the forms of the main body chasis.

Which version is that from? I don't remember seeing it before.

Also where is that last one from.

Nick
Both are from the Sega Saturn versions, but I'm sure it's also pretty much the same in the PSX. :mrgreen:

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:34 am
by nickdaring
Here's few great MkII images from AwesomeBrand's new playthrough.

Image

Image

Image

Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:30 am
by nickdaring
I just finished up my miniature metal gear model. He's only about six inches tall but it gave a good idea of how to approach the construction of the larger full size model.
mkii01.jpg
I kinda eyeballed the proportions a bit so his body is a little small and his waist and legs are a bit tall but he looks pretty great overall. I think I'm going to make a new head and monitor so he can a life-size metal gear petit as well. :)

Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:57 am
by Solidé
Wow thats amazing! Great work! ^_^

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:07 am
by el_ash
nickdaring wrote:I just finished up my miniature metal gear model. He's only about six inches tall but it gave a good idea of how to approach the construction of the larger full size model.

I kinda eyeballed the proportions a bit so his body is a little small and hiswaist and legs are a bit tall but he looks pretty great overall. I think I'm going to make a new head and monitor so he can a life-size metal gear petit as well. :)

Nick
HOLY FUCKING SHIT MAN! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

You work fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I WANT ONE PLEASE!
You should consider making up a massive batch for everyone here at JHQ LOL! :mrgreen:
^I'd pay ya for one!

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:30 am
by nickdaring
Thanks guys. I tried to work fast in order not get too hung up on little things.

A few more pics
mkii02.jpg
mkii03.jpg
Nick

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:05 am
by best name ever
Fantastic job man! It looks great!

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 3:46 pm
by Artemio
It looks incredible, excellent work man. I am envious. Posted it on twitter an the Junker HQ site, hope you don't mind.

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:14 pm
by Solidé
Artemio you copy-pasted wrong link to the news site. :P

Re: Metal Gear MKII Research

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 3:57 pm
by Artemio
Fixed, thanks