How would you design your ideal combiner? Number of components?Vehicle variation?Symmetrical or asymmetrical?
>>22573224Dancouga ticks off many of my preferred boxes so I think it would look like that.>Simple color scheme shared among the combiners.>Keep it to three or four machines, with a fourth or fifth extra for an upgrade.>No vehicle variation, although the Cyber Beasts have their own separate forms.
>>22574593Dancouga kind of cheats though. Dancouga is pretty much just Big Moth wearing Land Liger and Land Cougar as shoes and Eagle Fighter as a hat. The only thing really changing its silhouette is the wing pack that comes from nowhere.
>>22573224Three is my ideal. One for Torso, one for Legs, one for Backpack+additional armor/weapons
>>22574698That's why I said many, not all. I don't mind it that much because they all have a beast, vehicle and humanoid forms – combining into Dancouga is more about how the strengths of their pilots add up rather than forming a new machine with a lot of gimmicks.Combining done in a simple way also works. Not every robot has to be a Beast Wars Neo's Magmatron in my opinion
>>22574865I get you. I think one of the best combiners is the original G1 Predaking. While he has more component robots (5) than your preference there is a definite unity to him from the shared color scheme along with a simple combination.
Ideal combinations are two or five. Zyuranger had a great arrangement: combiners could be made of 4, 5, 6, or 7 units.
SubmarinePantherHumanoidJetBeetleCombine as you wish.
>>22573224>Number of componentsHeadTorsoLeft Upper ArmLeft Lower ArmRight Upper ArmRight Lower ArmGroinLeft LegRIght LegLeft FootRight FootFlight BackpackSwordPilots of these, possibly be an extended family
One problem I have with the recurring Transformers combiners, and by extension any combiners that transform into real-life vehicles, is that there is gonna be a discrepancy on the size of components. The Brave series often 'cheats' by mixing generic cars with futuristic vehicles, but TF often has this problem, the Unite Warriors line often had the problem of the torso component being a bit too 'stout' due to the design of being able to combine with any limb and having to transform itself. Then the Legacy Menasor toy offered a interesting solution: the main 'torso' component, Motormaster, came with a trailer that itself could form a 'base' mode and pretty much forms a big part of the Menasor combination, with the other limb Stunticons just clipping onto the limbs. It's not a ideal solution in this case, since the other cars are just... there, not really being arms and legs, and the trailer still has parts left over (many often use said parts as a sorta big gun, but it's obvious it wasn't designed as such), but it's SO close. It even calls back to their G1 'base mode' that could link up to the big City-bots.
>>22573224>>22578789
>>22578789>with the other limb Stunticons just clipping onto the limbsThat's almost literally what the original Menasor in the G1 cartoon had going on as well.I still have the actual G1 stunticon set here on a display shelf in my book case.It was a rare case of the vehicles being almost to scale and the combiner form working out pretty well.It was Motormaster himself which came out way too chunky though. Despite the fact that they even did some pretty neat stuff for its time, where the groin area had this neat telescoping hinges hidden in the upper legs which you'd pull out and then bend 90 degrees outward to widen the hips when forming Menasor.
>>22574698And it was designed that way going in. Big moth was always meant to be the main body so it was designed with a main body that works for the combined form.
>>22575477What if one of them has diarrhea?
>>225732242-5 for main body, extra 2-5 for alternative/additional equipment
>>22573224>Every components stay one piece.>Weapons aren't magically pull out of nowhere, must included with the components.>Unique, if possible have some fun idea and gimmick>The biggest components doesn't oversight other smaller components.Kiramager got 3/4 so It's my favorite.
Gravion and its variations are almost perfect, but core robot being just smaller humanoid instead of some other vehicle is a downside for me, making it 9/10. Dangaioh combining from 4 non-humanoid jet fighters is also almost perfect, but too much magical partsforming going on, so another 9/10.At least both are physically feasible.
