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Nazi robots

This task is closed
Created atNovember 04, 2009
Created byMatti Delahay
ClosedApril 20, 2010
Shots given23
Wreckupations3D Artist, Writer, Graphic Designer, Cinemato- and photographer, Concept / Storyboard Artist, Prop / Set Builder

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MajorD Robo-tank
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10/9%
Yann Sauvage Heavy Robot
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10/9%
Angela R. A "knightly" look?
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9/8%
Eric Vogel Der Golem
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8/7%
Carl L. STEAM PUNK !!!
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7/6%
Yann Sauvage Robot
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7/6%
Angela R. Panzermensch...
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6/5%

Closing Note

Closing some tasks to make room for the coming 3D tasks, thanks again for everyone contributing to this task, we got loads of great ideas and resources!

Description

The Nazi research task is a bit wide, so here's something more specific to get your ideas really flowing. The setting is the same: underground base on the Antarctica in 1947, two years after the end of WWII. Nazis researching some cool experimental weapons with variable success. Let's say they also tried to design and build simple combat robots. Probably nothing very high-tech or very agile, rather simple (remote controlled?) bots planned for durability, armour and heavy weaponry rather than finesse.


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No-user-picture-set
Bruno February 28, 2010 19:55 4 Thumb-ups
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Radio controled saucer drone

I imagined some kind of miniature "Haunebu III" disc, perhaps recycling small testing engines left around, using teleoperation. They would look like a small flying saucer, with an antenna on top, and a ventral turrent mount combining a german machinegun and a guncamera, constantly hovering 2 meters above the ground. The turret could be made of armored glass to show its internal workings, resembling a WW2 bomber turret. They would be slow, not because of the engine, but because of the telecommand system, still very rough and faulty.
The dozen or so prototypes would have been considered impractical and/or low priority because of their limited resources. Some time later, the officers would use them to inspect facilities and guards without leaving the officer's mess room. Their main weakness would be their antenna, or maybe the antennas around the base that transmit the commands. Nazi drones from WW2 also suffered from radio jammers, and the player could acquire a portable jammer.
Related links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_unmanned_aerial_vehicles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_control
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletank
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath_tracked_mine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_jamming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henschel_Hs_293

Flying_saucer_thumb
German_machinegun_for_the_drone_thumb
Alternative_weaponry_thumb

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Comments

Bruno March 11, 2010 19:42 Flag

It's done Kris, thanks for the suggestion and approval!

(null) March 11, 2010 19:10 Flag

Bruno, good idea, post that as a separate shot! :)

It could go in the general ideas task:

http://www.wreckamovie.com/tasks/show/790

Bruno March 11, 2010 18:38 Flag

Something ocurred to me. The idea of using a portable jammer to disrupt radio commands could be used to deal with autoturrets (although, being turrets, they probably would use wire guidance) and any other robots that appear in the game.

The jammer would consume its battery quickly, limiting its power. It could also be quite large and cumbersome, sacrificing space for other items.

Marek Herman March 05, 2010 14:11 Flag

Great idea. It is even possible that something similar really existed. These were called Schildkröte project and they were radio-controlled weapons designed for ramming enemy planes and disabling their engines.

They were often reported as 'foo fighters' by the US pilots and they are even mentioned in official US Army documents. You can consider them predecessors of Haunebu.

Matti Delahay March 03, 2010 09:42 Flag

Bruno: Having the design around is certainly a possibility, thanks for the suggestion! :)

(null) March 01, 2010 21:27 Flag

It IS a great idea. :)

A lab design could be very cool...

Bruno March 01, 2010 21:24 Flag

That's a pity, I imagined it as a way to check things outside while enjoying some coffee in the mess room, far away from the cold, with a loudspeaker to pass orders but no microphone, because soldiers aren't expected to reply, only salute.

Well, it could be a "Foo fighter Mk. II" design appearing on some lab.

(null) March 01, 2010 01:46 Flag

It's a GREAT idea, but I think the game developers said they want to keep the UFO stuff hidden.

Also, the game takes place entirely inside the base so there isn't really anywhere to fly.

Still, maybe they could use this as a prop or as secret plans in a laboratory? They said they might do that with the jetpack idea that Angela posted.

No-user-picture-set
Bruno March 08, 2010 20:50 3 Thumb-ups
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Further material

First is not actually a robot but a nazi "mecha" that looks like what it's expected from a semi-realistic robot for the game.

Second is a mecha model, from the following link: http://www.pilotenbunker.de/Modelle/Frost/kampfgeher/pz_kampfgeher.htm

The final two are from a real life robot called "Mobot", from 1960, with that look of "metallic monstrosity" seen in former posts. The third picture shows someone almost out of the image, but still useful to show how big the thing was.

Laufer_thumb
Pk_thumb
Real_robot_called__mobot___1960_1_thumb
Real_robot_called__mobot___1960_2_thumb

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No-user-picture-set
Bruno March 01, 2010 22:08 4 Thumb-ups
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Auto turret

"In addition to robo-tanks, we could also have the Nazis plan some kind of remote-controlled defense turrents (as well as some of those slow and impractical combat suits)."

Someone actually planned those in 1918. Here's the picture:

Extra: there's this cool anti-air german prototype tank, whose turret would be the model for the defenses:

Edit: found a newer idea of auto turrets, from 1944.

Autosoldier_thumb
Munster_flakpanzer_kugelbliz_modell__dark1__thumb
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Comments

(null) March 03, 2010 10:41 Flag

I think I've seen this magazine mentioned in an Iron Sky (the film) shot too, but don't remember which one.

Matti Delahay March 03, 2010 10:30 Flag

Kris: Wow! Awesome stuff. :D

(null) March 03, 2010 10:23 Flag

That's an amazing magazine really, astonishing to see the 1918 date on it.

If Wikipedia is to be believed, Nikola Tesla wrote for it... :o

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_Experimenter

Here are some covers:

http://www.magazineart.org/main.php/v/technical/electricalexperimenter/

...it's full of gems like this:

http://www.magazineart.org/main.php/v/technical/electricalexperimenter/ElectricalExperimenter1919-05.jpg.html

Matti Delahay March 03, 2010 09:45 Flag

Not impossible, we'll have to see about this. The first pic is awesome reference. :D

No-user-picture-set
Bruno February 28, 2010 20:49 1 Thumb-up
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Extra

I forgot to mention that they could be called "foo fighters", and that the WW2 sightings of those could be related to a first drone research, that culminates on the ones for the game.

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Comments

Bruno March 01, 2010 21:18 Flag

OK

(null) March 01, 2010 01:48 Flag

Bruno, you can edit shots or add comments to them if you need to mention something extra.

It's best to do that, so that people see everything in one place. :)

Griffon_thumb
Yann Sauvage January 20, 2010 17:18 10 Thumb-ups

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Jani Salomaa January 22, 2010 21:40 Flag

I love it! Great Nazi thinking: Why build a construction robot AND a defense robot if you can have it all in one badass package!?

Eric Vogel January 22, 2010 18:27 Flag

Strong work!

Yann Sauvage January 22, 2010 16:22 Flag

Cool! :)
I send the model in Wavefront OBJ format.
If you encounter any importation problems, i can triangulate and debug it.

Matti Delahay January 22, 2010 11:36 Flag

Absolutely great work, I simply can't think of any reason why we wouldn't use it in the game. :)

Could you e-mail the model to me? My address is matti.delahayigios.com

Yann Sauvage January 21, 2010 16:10 Flag

Thanks!
I've finished it faster than i thought. :)

Matti Delahay January 21, 2010 06:38 Flag

Looks very good, excellent work! Looking forward to seeing the final version. :)

(null) January 20, 2010 17:57 Flag

You could perhaps add some kind of camera?

An antenna would also definitely be a good idea, so that people realise it's remote-controlled.

Yann Sauvage January 20, 2010 17:37 Flag

For the moment it looks like an excavator, but on the other side i'll put some big weaponry and on the top some old-school detectors.
And if my computer could manage more polygons:
Exhaust, air intake, projectors, antenna...

Griffon_thumb
Yann Sauvage December 19, 2009 18:23 7 Thumb-ups

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Jack Malinowski January 22, 2010 20:02 Flag

would horns be a good idea for the helmet?

maybe it could serve a helmet rack (for extra helmet) ?

Matti Delahay January 22, 2010 12:38 Flag

Angela: I certainly don't mind seeing solid and well-founded critical comments here either, I'd be rather alarmed if I found none. :)

Likewise all features I suggest here are very open to scrutiny (otherwise we'd be making poor use of the community) - I'm not likely to dislike anyone here just for disagreeing with me. :D

Angela R. January 22, 2010 12:24 Flag

Very glad to hear that. :) As I said, I just tried to be "the advocate's devil" and face the issue with an analytical/objective approach. If the production feels that it makes sense "as in" game-wise, I'm perfectly happy and satisfied by that! Merely wanted to make sure it would be thought about and get integrated into the game as a "feature" rather than being just "something that happened randomly."

Matti Delahay January 22, 2010 11:47 Flag

I've thought of what Angela said, but I would say this is still pretty much on the safe side in terms of comical effect. It's also easy to imagine that if the scientists/engineers who were behind the task thinked of it as a mechanical super-soldier, they'd probably make it pretty human-like.

Awesome work on both this and the other robot, Yann!

Angela R. January 18, 2010 09:18 Flag

..at the risk of sounding a spoilsport, however... I wonder if this may risk to look a bit too "comical"? What I mean is, I am still unsure about just how realistic the game is meant to be, and how exactly comedy will be included in the game. Matti would probably be a much better judge of that.

I absolutely LOVE this design Yann, do not get me wrong. I simply wonder if it may have to be tweaked a little for a slightly more serious look, so that it does not "stand out" too much when included in a game that is supposed to be somewhat "serious" in a dark humor sort of way.

Perhaps some different texture could already do the trick? Or revising the head/shoulders so that it looks a little less "human"? This would be probably better posted as an alternate shot, anyway. Since THIS model is already FANTASTIC as it is, and a real work of art. You clearly wanted it to look the way it does... and you obviously succeeded in your intent. I am just being the advocate of the devil here, wondering whether it is going to fit in "as is". Hopefully you can forgive me.

*blushes, kneels and begs for mercy and understanding*

Carl L. January 18, 2010 08:23 Flag

Wonderful design, but the way the ammo is routed would jam the gun.
I think you may have erred a bit with the can.
In this picture you can see how the rounds come out:
http://www.ammoman.com/images4/223-556-PACK-800.jpg
(ammo is stacked in an s-pattern inside the can...)
Hint: 90° left

Yann Sauvage January 14, 2010 18:36 Flag

Thanks!
I've added a new version more detailed with an ammo-feeder system.
Yes Carl, those are flamethrower-hands. ;)

Matti Delahay January 12, 2010 12:32 Flag

Great work, I like the design very much! Sorry for taking ages to respond to this, I made the mistake of first checking this shot out when I didn't have time to comment and the next thing I knew it was buried beneath a whole lot of shots. :)

Carl L. January 08, 2010 19:09 Flag

Cute! And evil too! Aren't those flamethrower-hands?
The only discrepancy I noticed, is that he needs an ammo-feeder system, and a drum/can. I'd recommend an integrated cycling belt, as in the AH-64 Apache. (No links, the rounds are routed through the belt)

Oskar Lönnberg December 31, 2009 07:31 Flag

Yep the helmet is great :)

MajorD December 23, 2009 23:00 Flag

The helmet is funny.

(null) December 23, 2009 19:18 Flag

Ha ha ha! The helmet and hands are hilarious! You didn't have them on the original render... :)

That could work really well as a sort of evil version of R2D2.

Jack Malinowski December 23, 2009 18:44 Flag

Mister Geppetto!!!

it's - it's...

beautiful!

Angela R. December 23, 2009 14:45 Flag

Hahahaha, love the helmet on the top of the gun. Awesome. Although I must wonder if there's any practical use for the two rear wheels, or the moonazis (moo!) would rather go for larger tracks instead?

(null) December 19, 2009 18:45 Flag

Hmm... it looks quite modern when rendered like that, but if it had a dark texture it might look more 1940s-style?

But anyway, nice spin on the gatling gun concept.

Jin-roh_thumb
Carl L. January 18, 2010 07:48 3 Thumb-ups
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Powering them

Since most of them will probably be patrolling in or close to the base, I'd suggest that they be powered via cables as in Evangelion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion_glossary#Umbilical_cable

For operation farther away they would be equipped with NiCad (expensive), or lead-acid batteries. Over-charging causes leaking oxygen & hydrogen, so these could be explosive. Also they may not really react well in the frigid arctic weather.
A portable generator/cable could be supplied by some troops for extended outside operation.

I think it's important to limit any robot designs enough to make Operation Highjump more plausible. Even modern robots/exoskeletons are limited by energy requirements.
The XOS project from Sarcos is a prime example.

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Angela R. January 18, 2010 09:03 Flag

*smiles and bows* Thank you Carl, but the credit is really all yours, thanks to your inspirational shot. :)

Carl L. January 18, 2010 08:26 Flag

Angela, that was exactly what I was getting at! Thumb!

Matti Delahay January 18, 2010 08:16 Flag

Carl: I agree, the cable would be a nice and realistic touch. The biggest of the working prototype robots and/or exoskeletons could also be completely immobile - they would be able to turn and shoot, but not move (except perhaps on rails).

Aiming would be difficult too - I doubt they'd have any high tech targeting systems so the weapons would probably have to be manually controlled (they could be controlled via cable too) or some kind of very crude motion detection (tripwire in a doorway that the main gun is aimed towards).

Angela: That's a good idea, smaller bots with some mobility (like the one Yann rendered a version of here http://www.wreckamovie.com/shots/show/4801 ) could suffer from that problem instead. :)

Angela R. January 18, 2010 07:54 Flag

Cables... that would be funny looking and offer interesting developments if the hero was able to get the robots to follow him around obstacles. Think a silly dog on a leash in a comedy movie/cartoon...

Tablet_thumb
Angela R. November 20, 2009 15:32 6 Thumb-ups
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Panzermensch...

...perhaps a suitable name for the armored troops?

(Coincidentally it is also the title of a song by the German band "And One" which I was just listening on Spotify, but I do not think the word itself could be possibly protected by copyright...?)

Jinrock2_thumb
Jinrock3_thumb

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Matti Delahay January 11, 2010 10:05 Flag

Carl: That's very possible. :)

Carl L. January 08, 2010 19:36 Flag

I'm a big fan of the Kerberos Panzer-Cops!
You definitely have to add a homage to them, if only as a prototype armor!

Matti Delahay December 11, 2009 12:20 Flag

Angela: Nice! Still haven't watched Jin-Roh but it's on my list, I think it's a film so it shouldn't take as long as watching whole series. :)

For extra inspiration, a very cool Fallout Power Armour cosplay (though many of you might have seen this already):
http://www.gossipgamers.com/fallout-3-cosplay-brotherhood-of-steel-power-armor/brotherhood-of-steel-complete-3/

[User has left the building] December 11, 2009 07:06 Flag

nice

Angela R. December 11, 2009 01:01 Flag

Edit: A web-search for "panzer brigade" generated a couple of interesting images which I am uploading for possible inspiration/reference.

Source:
http://neoshinka.wordpress.com/2007/10/27/everybody-loves-cosplay/

Also, turns out that these "panzer cops" are characters from a Japanese series. For more information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin-Roh

Matti Delahay November 24, 2009 06:45 Flag

Kris: That's what I read too, and I suppose it's hard to get a TM on it unless it's a very very well known song with a very unique name.

(null) November 23, 2009 18:57 Flag

The one exception I think is if a band succeeds in trademarking a song name, but that's extremely rare. And you would know if they'd trademarked it from the record cover as they have to mark it TM.

Matti Delahay November 23, 2009 10:08 Flag

Sounds good to me. According to a quick googling, Kris seems to be right about the song titles, shouldn't be a problem. :)

(null) November 20, 2009 15:40 Flag

Song titles are never protected AFAIK, unless it's a made-up word.

Oskar_thumb
Oskar Lönnberg November 12, 2009 20:16 4 Thumb-ups
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Code Guardian

This small clip is nice and I really like the Nazi combat robot in it:

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MajorD January 09, 2010 08:31 Flag

As a far off future dream hanging on a wall, I second the idea.

Carl L. January 08, 2010 19:45 Flag

LOL! "It's a machine, how surprised could it possibly be?"
-That's a good quote right there!

Matti Delahay November 16, 2009 11:45 Flag

Of course! We'd rather get some ideas several times than have people think "probably someone has said this already so I'll just stay quiet". :)

Oskar Lönnberg November 16, 2009 11:41 Flag

Probably this has been posted many times. And even if this robot is not used by the production I still like it so can't help me posting it here :)

Matti Delahay November 13, 2009 09:13 Flag

Yeah, someone may have posted a link to this in some shot. :) A bit too big and too high-tech to appear in our game, but a very nice reference nonetheless.

We could always make the Nazibot some Nazi scientist's big dream. :D

Tablet_thumb
Angela R. November 16, 2009 10:26 9 Thumb-ups
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A "knightly" look?

I just have to wonder whether some of the exoskeletons the nazis would develop would need to have a rather "knightly" look. Since we're talking of people that cared quite a lot for the looks of their uniforms. So whereas the most simple/common ones would have a functional design, I am expecting that any armor worn by an officer would have to look somewhat "stylish" in a refined way. Just my two cents. :)

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Carl L. January 08, 2010 19:34 Flag

You mean like the Kishin-Corps 'Panzer-Knight'?
(Anime series sold as 'Geo-Armor' in USA, I could't find any pictures online...)

Risto Koskenkorva November 19, 2009 20:57 Flag

Omg, I just pictured Nazis in warhammer 40k armours :P (sorry :D)

(null) November 16, 2009 12:05 Flag

That's a good point, the Nazis dressed almost theatrically, this would make sense.

Angela R. November 16, 2009 10:54 Flag

Precisely my point! Glad you could see what I meant. :D Nazis were just too obsessed with good-looking propaganda material and knightly quests like the search for the Holy Grail not to possibly end up with something like this. It may be that not many of these would be realized due to lack of funds, but I am pretty sure this kind of light armor would feature in big scale in their "ideal future world." ;)

Matti Delahay November 16, 2009 10:40 Flag

Nice. :)

This immediately gave me an idea of robot-like semi-mechanized light "parade armours" to be used by some kind of honorary guard. Not very practical, probably, but the main purpose would be to look solemn and threatening.