Last night I was inspired to make a few slight edits to my current self moc, Wakina. Those small edits rapidly turned into a massive head to toe redesign, and I’m honestly super proud of how she turned out.
Simple 360 view of the model
And her original form for comparison
Now to highlight all the specific changes.
First, the sword got a huge upgrade.
Its bulked up and given a far more visually interesting look. Especially compared to the basic blade and nuva armor guard from before.
Chest redesign and new shoulder pads
The shoulder pads are a sort of evolution of the green armor shells she had behind her torso plate before, and I think they were an amazing addition. I also removed the green claws on her chest and replaced them with these upward vine pieces. Not only do I think they look great, but having the vines up front and prominent, rather than on her back, helps to emphasize her being a jungle glatorian.
Mid-torso danglies
My original idea for these parts were to be a second smaller set of arms, because bug lady. But those didn’t look good so I tried to use big grey CCBS spike pieces (the same as on her shoulders. I don’t know what the proper name for them is), and they’d be like specialized stabbing appendages. But then she looked too overdesigned. But I couldn’t scrap the idea all together because then I’d have two exposed balljoints behind her midriff. So in the end I settled on these little green dangly things. I’m not entirely sure what they are or what purpose they serve, but I think they look good.
Tweaked thighs and reworked feet
With one simple technic piece I was able to rotate the thigh shell while keeping the vines on the side. Its a somewhat minimal change but I think it makes a big difference. Also I reworked the back of her feet to make them more stable, and give her some green heel spikes. And finally I added a pair of claws to each foot, again to help emphasize the bug part of her design.
Reworked tail
Unfortunately to make the torso danglies work, the tail needed to be shortened. To compensate I added a longer trans-green bone piece with a small shell on top, and put two Stars Gresh armor pieces on either side of the tail’s end. I also added a small yellow thorn to the base of her tail, as well as her thighs and forearms. The small details giving her a little more visual interest, and again leaning a little more into that jungle/bug vibe.
New backpack/wing assembly
Wakina finally has four fully articulated wings, affixed to a completely reworked backpack assembly. A massive upgrade over the basic technic-pack her original model had with her weird three wing design. Granted the wings aren’t the easiest to pose, but they’re still a massive improvement from before.
And the last major edition to her design is this cute little clikits star added to her mask. Generously provided by her close companion Photez.
(Thanks a ton to @Monopoly for sending this little piece to me. It looks so cute on her)
Of course new details and external decorations are only half the story. Not only did I make major changes to her visual design, but I completely overhauled her skeleton. Upgrading her from a basic CCBS torso piece to the Uniter torso build. Giving her extra height and a lot more room for customization.
The Uniter torso design essentially forces you to create a custom torso build, at least for the shoulder assembly. This was easily the most time consuming part of the process, and probably also the most fun as well. Its so satisfying to just sit and tinker, trying to figure out the right combination and layering of pieces to get the desired outcome. Especially considering all the extra balljoints I wanted for the wings and other extremities.
And here’s a better look at the backpack assembly
Quick comparisons. First with a couple random official sets. Kopaka 2015 and a slightly modified Malum.
And a few of my other mocs. Left to right there’s Evil Moose Spider dude, Eyepatch Bomb Guy, and a Friendly Frost Giant.
And finally, a couple more poses I put her in.
Honestly I’m so unbelievably proud of how she came out. She feels so much more substantial and alive than her original version. She has so much more of a presence. I think she’s honestly my favorite moc that I’ve ever made up to this point.
And that’s about it! Please, tell me what you think. I’m eager to see what opinions others might have of her changes, and perhaps areas she could be improved if you think it necessary.
