FINAL FANTASY IV
MACHINE PROJECT #675 CREATED: DECEMBER 2023 The type of device known only as the Machine was a sub-system contained within the Giant of Bab-il, programmed to patrol and defend the war machine's internal workings. Dozens or perhaps hundreds of Machines systematically roved every internal chamber within the tremendous Giant, instantly converging upon and attacking any foreign elements that they did not recognize as part of the Giant's internal machinery. They were programmed to work with the offensive Beamer weapon and the more adept and combat-capable Horseman. Like all robotic enemies, though, the Machines were highly susceptible to lightning-based attacks, and any such magical atacks tended to short-circuit them rather quickly. (In the Game Boy Advance remake of Final Fantasy IV, the Machine was renamed Mech Soldier.) The design of the Machine has always reminded me of the robot called Maximilliam from Disney's The Black Hole film. There's not a lot of affordable merchandise based on Maximillian, but I finally ended up using the Vinimates figure by Diamond Select. I had to modify it extensively, replacing the arms with swords, swapping out the legs with the wings from a toy jumbo jet, building shoulders out of marbles from a Hungry Hungry Hippos game, and a bunch of other parts as well. The only parts I had to sculpt from scratch were the chest armor. The arms are articulated and can be posed. The toy came with a clear figure stand, which was ideal since there was no way my Machine project was going to stand up unsupported with those spindly little legs. In painting the Machine, I tried to make it look somewhat weathered and battle-tested, adding some silver drybrushing to suggest that its original factory paint was beginning to wear off in places. Unlike a lot of Final Fantasy IV monsters, the game sprite for the Machine was never recycled for other baddies, so I only had to construct one of these. |
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