Design Concepts For My Matchbox Dragster
Matchbox Restoration Or Fantasy Concept Project?
I have started using AI to help me develop my GASLANDS model conversion projects. It’s a really fast way to produce sketch concepts and quickly try out alternative customisation setups. Yes, it’s a bit of a cheat I suppose, but as a designer I see it more of a time saving shortcut - I still have to make the ideas that I - or the AI - comes up with.
So, where to begin? Well let’s start with the actual model that is the basis for this project - the Matchbox Mo. X
This was a bit of a chance purchase, I came across it by pure chance while dropping off some xx to the MIND charity store. What caught my eye was the low price - just one Pound - which was a bit of a rare bargain for vintage Matchbox cars these days as most ‘junk shops’ or character stores are quite up on the popularity of these old toys and have upped thier prices (generally the going price for a not so collectible Matchbox car is about seven or eight pounds). So I grabbed this one.
It’s not a particularly collectible or attractive model just one of the less desirable ones that Matchbox churned out in the 1970s. So, after some thought - and talking to some of the nice chaps on the Matchbox Facebook Group -I decided that this was not a good candidate for restoration BUT rather might make for an interesting GASLANDS conversion. SO I opened up ChatGTP and started exploring ideas for a Mad Max themed modification…
The great thing about AI is that it can very quickly churn out *alternative’ ideas in a batch very quickly, allowing you to mull over the results and cherry pick the good (from the bad) and then combine the best ideas into a final concept. I should add at this point that in times past this would have been my role - as a designer - but, of course, now post-stroke my sketching skills as a bit wonky!!! 😑
 |
| Above: This fast method of prototyping concepts also means that is is very easy to try out wacky alternative colour schemes |
So, AI is the connection I need to take the ideas I have in my head, via my text descriptions and generate the concept art.
Further more, it allows me to place the concepts that I am happy with into a ‘photo realistic’ setting, which is fun! (This is great - I discovered - for helping me produce graphics for my video projects - two birds with one stone!)
Now To The Tricky Bit - Planning The Model Making
All this AI shenanigans is all well and good, but as I said I still have to turn these ideas into a real model.
Conceptual 'artwork' (I quote as using AI is contentious) look great, but then translating this into a good model isn't quite as straight forward as it first appears. One of the first realisations was all the cool looking roof mounted gear actually presented one major problem... How do you get in the car!!!
Looking at Matchbox's original model it is apparent that the 'door' to the car is actually a vertically lifting variation on the gull-wing in that the whole roof pivots up to allow access. Oooops!
So, I had to go back to the digital drawing board and come up with a 'realistic' looking means to mount weaponry that did not block access to the car. I know it's all fantasy and there is some wiggle room for a little unrealistic aspects of the design to balance a feasible mechanics with cool looks, but not having any means of getting in the car is kinda a BIG problem! LOL
So before the model making began I had to solve this one little niggle...
As sad as this is now, unfortunately this is a the state of my sketching with my crazy hand (and I have NOT included the frequent mistakes where my pencil lines went haywire)!...And this took quite a while to produce with me having to stop and start frequently. I just thought I'd include this to illustrate (forgive the pun) why I'm turning to AI to help me quickly generate concept sketches. If you haven't been able to draw then (however partially) lost that ability you might not understand why it's hard for me to look at this miserable effort and why I find the AI generated versions easier - and quicker - for me to tolerate. My own efforts are now very distracting and holdup my creative process...
This solves the 'door' issue and I like the new missile loadout in place of the machinegun version...
Now to go through the now usual stripping on the die cast model ready for repainting and scratch building. And that's where we will take up part 2 of this project!
Post a Comment