Iron Man Should IM look like Boba Fett

[Goodspeed]

I was wondering should IM have a Boba Fett feel to his costume. I would like to see the yellow part similar to the mesh style of Spideys costume. then build the armor around him. He should not really be two bulky.

Goodspeed

 

[Spider - Man]

No, he should look like Iron Man, not "man-wearing-fabric-material-with-vacuum-formed-plastic-armor-pieces-over-it"! Iron Man is IRON MAN! IRON! In a suit of IRON! Bulky or not, he needs to be covered head-to-toe in metal armor!

 

[bperlow]

I disagree with that. Iron Man is his name not what he is made of. In real life he'd be Carbon Nano-Tube man. Maybe a thin metal layer covering the material for conductivity. Iron isnt a good choice for armor. Most armor these days is cloth-composite based anyways..
Remember the "Steel" movie? Didnt look too good.

Also If they do make the suit, It will be rubber-latex, plastic.

Bulky would make him look REALLY Short..

 

[Edd Extraordinaire]

Wtf? This is an actual thread?

 

[Spider - Man]

I disagree with that. Iron Man is his name not what he is made of. In real life he'd be Carbon Nano-Tube man. Maybe a thin metal layer covering the material for conductivity. Iron isnt a good choice for armor. Most armor these days is cloth-composite based anyways..
Remember the "Steel" movie? Didnt look too good.

Also If they do make the suit, It will be rubber-latex, plastic.

Bulky would make him look REALLY Short..

I think they are using Granov's designs and there doesn't seem to be any rubber-looking material there. If the suit looks rubber/plastic, it's gonna look cheap, i.e., Power Rangers, and will never realistically convey the weight or power of IronMan. Iron Man's suit is made of heavy duty metal. Lightweight? Maybe, for metal, but it should still LOOK like metal. I know his armor isn't really iron but it IS some super-strong metal alloy. As he is a Marvel character, his armor is now probably an adamantium/vibranium composite but that is still metal. As for the weight, he doesn't support and power the armor all by himself. The armor enhances his own muscle strength so much that he only has to use a fraction of his own strength to articulate the suit. I mean heck, he doesn't even have to be IN the armor, it is so sophisticated, but that would remove any element of danger to himself that would be too important as a dramatic element in the film. So for the purposes of the film, if they do it right, the armor will be some metal-looking material (doesn't HAVE to be bulky) that conveys some sense of weight and power with Stark inside it controlling it thru neural impulses and a muscle-enhancing exo-type system.

I really like your designs that you posted, but after a second look, the material looks too 'plastic-y' and there is too much rubber undersuit showing. I don't mean that as an insult. They don't look cheap. It just makes him look like some futuristic-riot-gear-video-game-cop and not the Invincible IRON MAN!

I'll say this: As long as IM fans have waited for an IM movie, if the first teaser reveals a plastic/rubber looking suit that looks like if BB's hit it it would sound like they were hitting the side of a Rubbermade trash bin, the uproar will be even greater than the 'Shrek-looking Hulk' uproar of '02, the 'burn-victim Thing costume' uproar of '04, and the 'S-is-too-small/shorts-look-like-panties Superman' uproar of '05 - combined!

EDIT: I left my post intact but I just had to say I just saw the Granov designs you brought to life in the other thread and would be remiss if I didn't tell you that those look awesome! Much more encased in the armor, no rubber undersuit showing. There actually ARE some things I like BETTER about your design. I was never a huge fan of Granov's suit, but like the fact that he kept the basic IM look and made it look a bit more realistic as far as articulation while managing to keep the character encased in the armor was good enough for me for translation to the screen. I like your boots better (I always hated the Granov hip-high looking boots), the smaller shoulder pieces you did, and even your helmet design. I think those changes added to the one you did of the Granov armor would be as close as they could realistacally come to bringing IM to life. Your latest is still a little 'plastic-y' looking but I'm sure that is due to any limitations innthe software you are using+the fact that you said you had to put them together in a hurry. If those aren't fully rendered, I would love to see the final product. These boards are a good publicity vehicle. I guarantee you professional film folks check in here pretty often. You should display some more of your work!

 

[bperlow]

Thanks for the nice comments..

As for the plasticky look, on both suits, I m not the best at rendering and lighting. Mostly I create the models and rig them(ready for animators). In a VFX shop there are generally people who specialize on an area to complete the project. I was trying my best to get a finished rendering. My intention was to put a "chainmail" underlayer on the original design.

As I said way before, its a concept, and just to prove how things could work.
Its a more extreme design direction as I was trying to make a suit that was functional , yet looked like IronMan.

The granov design was basically how do I make it work with a real person.

Im not as keen on "buccaneer " boots for IM. So I tried to reduce that look.
I also dont like the "teeth" on IMs mask. So I reduced the Ultron look hes got. I also reduced his "forehead" as its not too functional, nor does it look as good on a real sized person.

If I feel in the mood I may get one of my friends in the biz to re-render the Iron Man Granov more metallic.

BTW Robocop was also a latex suit.. Just had a great paint job.

 

[Spider - Man]

Thanks for the nice comments..

As for the plasticky look, on both suits, I m not the best at rendering and lighting. Mostly I create the models and rig them(ready for animators). In a VFX shop there are generally people who specialize on an area to complete the project. I was trying my best to get a finished rendering. My intention was to put a "chainmail" underlayer on the original design.

As I said way before, its a concept, and just to prove how things could work.
Its a more extreme design direction as I was trying to make a suit that was functional , yet looked like IronMan.

The granov design was basically how do I make it work with a real person.

Im not as keen on "buccaneer " boots for IM. So I tried to reduce that look.
I also dont like the "teeth" on IMs mask. So I reduced the Ultron look hes got. I also reduced his "forehead" as its not too functional, nor does it look as good on a real sized person.

If I feel in the mood I may get one of my friends in the biz to re-render the Iron Man Granov more metallic.

BTW Robocop was also a latex suit.. Just had a great paint job.

I didn't know that about Robocop but as I recall he DID look like he had on a metal armor (the armored parts).

I don't care so much for the buccaneer boots either but I like them better than Granov's (I HATE the way he makes the feet come out at the bottom like those Mobile Suit Gundam robots!). I liked yours better than both. I am a fan of the classic red and gold (with the buccaneer boots - LOL!) but i think my favorite is the armor he wore in issue #300. Some will disagree with me because of the different shape to the chest plate (which I also dislike - prefer the round one) but I liked the overall look of the armor. I always knew that the classic armor wouldn't translate well because of the "jointless metal" arms and legs. As I said before, I would love to see you do a version with your helm, boots, and the slightly smaller shoulder pads added onto the granove armor (with the legs colored gold down to the knees). I think that would be amazing.

Another thing that I thought was so cool about your first design was how real it looked. Almost like a photo (especially the front view and the flying pose). If you could render the granov one to that level of realism, I think that would be about what we're going to see onscreen next summer.

Again, fantastic work!

 

[bperlow]

I think It wouldnt be hard for me in my spare time to do a "thigh" trim on the legs and some other detailling.

I may just throw the model for someone else to render. I just dont have patience for it!

If anyone here has Max with VRAY and wants to take a stab at it, your more than welcome. Vray does metal SO NICE!

If anyone has maya 7 with Mental Ray and wants to render it Properly, then again feel free to contact me for the Model file..

 

[Philly Phanboy]

I was wondering should IM have a Boba Fett feel to his costume. I would like to see the yellow part similar to the mesh style of Spideys costume. then build the armor around him. He should not really be two bulky.

Goodspeed

But...but...he's IRON MAN.

 

[WTFimVENOM]

I love Boba Fett and I love Ironman, but they should never be mixed

 

[Fried Gold]

Personally, I'm expecting something akin to the updated Cybermen from Doctor Who..

 

[Weadazoid]

Didn't the director already make a refernce to Robo Cop. Which if you give it a modern take don't make it quite so comsy and bulky would be prefect for Ironman.

Think about the technology upgrades from the early 90's to today. Robo was pretty darn beleivable IMO but it can be made far slicker.

 

[bperlow]

I agree with the robocop but sleeker comment. However Robocop moved REALLY robotic. The suit would still need really precise engineering to really work right. It would require new and cutting edge costuming to be done right.


Im hoping for Oscar caliber work.

 

[Weadazoid]

I agree with the robocop but sleeker comment. However Robocop moved REALLY robotic. The suit would still need really precise engineering to really work right. It would require new and cutting edge costuming to be done right.


Im hoping for Oscar caliber work.

Agreed but don't you think some of that was on purpose I mean cept for the Core of him Robo Cop was a robot. I think part of that was forced by the costume and part of it was what they really wanted him to do.


I only wonder if they are going to go with the idea of super strong but at the same time flexible metal. Toney can carry the entire gear in a breif case it goes on as fabirc and then once charged it becomes super strong....yet at the same time fleixble.

I think that was more of an early 90's Red and white back to red and gold armor concpet but I always felt it was very cool and revolutionary as well as a way to explain the defined human muscle shown in Gold and white Armor.

 

[bperlow]

I love the classic styles too. My first attempt at the CG test, was more classically influenced. Bob Layton liked it.

I think the classic versions of the character are far more dynamic. I too love the red and silver suit, as thats when I started to collect the book.

The hard part would be to re-interpret the streamlined muscle suit in real-life.

Option 1) manufacture a real advanced gold-mesh weave and use that.
Problems- May not reflect well, or look good in lighting. May not look "Hard" enough. It might still look like clothing.

Option 2) Inspired by DARPA research. I saw footage about a year ago where they had metal chips in a jar with fluid. They added electricity to it and it hardened into different shapes.
So I call it the metal "gel pack" . Have a transparent plastic shell in shapes of armor, with precisely cut metal pieces inside.
Problems - might deform wierd and not necessarily give the look you want.

Option 3) Latex suit. Cna sculpt it to look like Iron Man. Looks great in lighting and can get great reflections.
Problems - will look funny as metal parts stretch.

Option 4) ALL CG character. Work great, Looks great, and hey It worked for the T1000.
Problems- Expensive to have an All-cg character All the time.

So going for the current look has its advantages. However here are the problems that would be faced.

1)Shoulders and Chest. There needs to be plates that move properly to allow as much freedom as possible. That means changing things in the design to make it work. More pieces means the challenge of making it look less busy.
2) Abs . the ab plating needs to be designed to slide over each piece properly, and allow more as much bending as possible. The Rib pieces have to work in concert as well . If this isnt precisely done, it could look very Bulky and make IM look Short. To allow for more movement in Less Pieces, the parts must be bigger and allow for more motion. It wouldnt look as pleasing even tho it would follow the granov design more. By have more pieces, It would distribute the motion better, and look more sleek. Again that needs to be designed to look less busy.
3) Hips. How to get the suit to not crush the wearer's crotch and still look decent. The area around the pelvis and butt has lots of degree of motion.
Again if it has a larger area, itll make him look like a fatter woman, to get motion right. Again it needs to be cut up and layered.
4) Knees and Thighs. The Buccanner boots need to be reduced. The legs would have very little degree of bend with it. Just above the knee should be were the red armor stops. The armor needs many segments to allow for compression when the knee bends.
5) Arms- Where the elbows are, there needs to be a cut area around the biceps and forearms. In that cut area need to be some shifting plates. Care must be made so they dont get stuck and allow for fast movement.
Iron Man isnt sluggish. When the arms straightens out, How far do the plates move down?

As the engineering solutions to these issues get resolved, how much will it still be granovs design? I dont know. I assume it would still be inspired by it.
I would argue to go to the path of designing a skin tight armored suit, and then add the Granov-ish design elements to make it look like Iron Man. By doing that you insure the suit works and looks plausible in screen. The real granov-ish elements you want to maintain are the gauntlets, boots and helmet. Everything else should be designed to work , pose well, and look good on screen.

Sorry for my Ramble. But this is how I think about things like this.