7 replies to this topic

[Ballom]

Flickr

"Do you know praying mantis?"
"You're looking at him!"

This is my entry for BBC Contest 64, clearly. I actually had to rush horrendously to finish and photograph this MOC yesterday, as it was the only day I had available to do so. Fun! However, it came together pretty well in the end, I'd say. He's more or less based off of the Sectoids from Xevoz (if you understand what that means, I salute you), with a color scheme inspired by the insect aliens from Galaxy Squad.

~B~

Edited by Ballom, Feb 10 2013 - 01:58 PM.

[Freezer Burn]

GAH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS XEVOZ! Anyway. The color scheme is really solid (you made red and green not look like christmas; nicely done.) This six limbs are incorporated without looking forced or awkward, and the upper arms just look really nice. His head is perfectly insectoid, and the wings go great! His bottom legs look a bit haphazard in my opinion, but I'll attribute that to being rushed. I wish you all the luck in the contest!

[InnerRayg]

I like the design, and the color scheme is very nice. I like the spiky bits on his armor, they really help create that insect feel, like tiny hairs on a fly's leg. Nice job.

[Meiko]

What a beautiful MOC. The colors are great, and everything about it screams insect. My vote in the BBC contest just became a much more difficult decision. Good luck!

[Ballom]

GAH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS XEVOZ! Anyway. The color scheme is really solid (you made red and green not look like christmas; nicely done.) This six limbs are incorporated without looking forced or awkward, and the upper arms just look really nice. His head is perfectly insectoid, and the wings go great! His bottom legs look a bit haphazard in my opinion, but I'll attribute that to being rushed. I wish you all the luck in the contest!

I'm glad to hear that someone else likes Xevoz. Yes, they were pretty awesome, huh? I still have many of the figures from back in the day, and I even got some inspiration for Mantodea here from the very awesome Bone Cutter.

I understand what you mean about the legs, but they look pretty good to me now, with the spiky Knights Kingdom armor and all. It took me about 5 or so tries to make legs that weren't spindly stilts and that could support his weight. But thank you anyway.
 

I like the design, and the color scheme is very nice. I like the spiky bits on his armor, they really help create that insect feel, like tiny hairs on a fly's leg. Nice job.

Thanks, InnerRayg! I was glad that so many of the lime armor pieces had the spikes, such as the flat panels from Scorpio and the spiky antennae/mini Piraka spines. They really came in handy, especially for a mantis.
 

What a beautiful MOC. The colors are great, and everything about it screams insect. My vote in the BBC contest just became a much more difficult decision. Good luck!

Well, I wouldn't say that this MOC is beautiful, but I am quite fond of it myself. Thanks.

Since voting starts in a day, feel free to vote for Mantodea in the BBC #64 polls, everyone!

~B~

Edited by Ballom, Feb 19 2013 - 03:37 AM.

[Space: Ocean of Awe]

*Gasp!* Xevoz! God, so many childhood memories. Even before I read the part about Xevoz I loved it. Brilliant colour scheme, the head is awesome, and for the most part, it fits together nicely (though there are some areas that could be fleshed out and such).

 

And I understand how you must have felt, photographing this dude totally last minute.

 

=)

[Takua Dragonstar7]

I like your color scheme, with the lime and red. The head is pretty amazing, and the armor on the legs as well. The wings are good, if that's the word to describe it. The waist looks a bit thin in my opinion, though. Still, good luck.

[Ballom]

*Gasp!* Xevoz! God, so many childhood memories. Even before I read the part about Xevoz I loved it. Brilliant colour scheme, the head is awesome, and for the most part, it fits together nicely (though there are some areas that could be fleshed out and such).

 

And I understand how you must have felt, photographing this dude totally last minute.

 

=)

Yes, Xevoz were awesome. I bought all of the figures from the first wave (some even in multiples, such as Bone Cutter) but it's a shame that figures in the second wave were so rare to find in stores (I only managed to get 3 or 4 of them . . . )

 

The head design is actually not mine; it's based off of a head from BioRays on Flickr. But I I modified it to have a more insect vibe for Mantodea here, with the antennae and all. Also, what areas do you feel need to be fleshed out on the MOC?

 

I like your color scheme, with the lime and red. The head is pretty amazing, and the armor on the legs as well. The wings are good, if that's the word to describe it. The waist looks a bit thin in my opinion, though. Still, good luck.

I thought that the trans-green wings fit in well with the lime in his color scheme, and while they're kinda small, they seem to fit well. As for this guy's waist, it unfortunately had to be a little thin at the connection of the Ben 10 torso on his thorax to the Hero Factory torso on his abdomen. Still, wasps have a thin waist, so giving one to a lean, mean praying mantis isn't too much of a stretch.

 

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

Edited by Ballom, Feb 24 2013 - 03:22 AM.