FINAL FANTASY IV
BEAMER PROJECT #665 CREATED: MAY 2022 The Beamer was a defensive weapon that was installed within the Giant of Bab-il to protec the huge, lumbering machine from potential invaders. More of a gun emplacement than a robot, the Beamer had one function—to incinerate anything that crossed its path. The weapon was occasionally flanked by a Horseman or a Searcher, but they were programmed to function independently and did not require a manned operator. The Beamer's man form of offense was a dangerous Beam laser attack, which could sear a hole through metallic armor with a sustained, concentrated burst of focused energy. However, the Beamer's mobility was limited, and Cecil Harvey and company had very little difficulty in disabling them while journeying through the Giant of Bab-il and, ultimately, destroying it. I had a lot of trouble finding an existing toy that could be modified into the Beamer (I thought about using a toy cake mixer or something) so in the end I eventually just built one from scratch. Parts of the upper base and lower base are from a Tonka cement mixer truck; the main base is the foot from a Transformers Alternators toy; I also incorporated a LEGO-style disco ball, and the front dish piece is LEGO as well. I built in an articulated, flexible neck, so the Beamer's position can be adjusted to some degree. The removable energy effect, which I felt was an important part of the project, is from a Star Wars Plo Koon action figure. The Beamer doesn't seem like a huge piece of equipment to me, and the finished project is only about four inches in length. I drybrushed a little bit of silver paint on the Beamer's surface to make it look like it had been used for a while, and had been in a few battles. Luckily, the game sprite isn't recycled for any other enemies in the game, so I only had to construct one of these things, instead of several of them in various colors. |
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