8.13.2009

The fad mentality

Let's talk a bit about тransformaтanks; but before I start, I want to make it absolutely clear that I do not see myself as occupying some moral high ground or expanded perspective of things- this is just what I think.

тransformaтanks (the special 'т' is very important) are microscale hybrid driving/walking tanks that are built like this. Here is the original model, uploaded by вrickart!san (one of the more talented thirteen year-olds around):



This is the only image provided, and it gets quite reduced here and on the main flickr page, so jump to here to get a better look at it. It's pretty good, isn't it? It has a sort of hunkered-down aesthetic presented in a somewhat abstract style, as many micro models are wont to be. And, of course, it uses an ingenious technique for the treads. I like it. So did Geoff:



There are a few small differences- narrower body, top turret, different colourscheme- but the base is the same. However, Geoff managed to pack more detail into the model, and that struck a chord with his viewers. Over the course of a couple of days, several other variants showed up, and by the third or fourth, there was a flickr group (wheee, it's a fad now, boys).



There's the history lesson out of the way- what's my point? I guess it's that I'm suspicious of the motives here. Maybe I'm assuming the worst of people, but it feels like some guys are in it just for the sake of being in it, and gaining that recognition. Of course, this applies to most fads (we should make a list of them all). I think some people join not to challenge themselves and see where they can take the concept, but to take the chance at only half-developing a model and delivering it to an established fanbase.

Hm. Maybe Jordan will have something more interesting to say tomorrow.

5 comments:

Joseph Armtstrong said...

I must say I agree with what what you are saying Jacob. Many тransformaтanks that I have seen recently look identical to ,or exactly like, Geoff's version.

Tyler said...

Theres nothing wrong with getting inspiration from somebody else's creation. This is a fun hobby, right? Just because their model isn't going to be blogged as "original & groundbreaking" doens't mean that the imitators can't have a good time building their own similar items, many which are very cool in their own right.

Anonymous said...

I understand that point, Taylor, and indeed considered it thoroughly before writing this: ostensibly, these are just for fun. However, I have my suspicions.

Spook said...

JACOB I DEFY YOU!

Anonymous said...

yeah, in private -_^

 
Jacob
Occasional driving force of the blog, self-proclaimed Lukas fanboy, and aspiring engineer, Jacob spends too much time building LEGO, not enough time practicing piano, and not nearly enough time doing school. He also enjoys long sentences. In the instance of blogging, he believes in quantity over quality, wherever quantity can be maintained.
Mike
One of the cofounders of YSAB, and the founder of YSA, Observing Mike actually being productive is a rare occasion. Mike enjoys making outlandish claims in relation to actually building, pretending he's actually sorting his collection, and making excuses for why he hasn't photographed his MOCs. In his free time he enjoys learning CSS from Spook, photography and poking badgers with spoons.
Dean
Occasional builder, occasional blogger, and full-time procrastinator. That's really the only way to describe Dean. He rarely gets anything done, but is a very active lurker. He's probably seen and liked your MOC, but just forgot he had a blog.
Erik
Erik is still a teenager.
Lukas
Lukas is tall, blond, mildly OCD, and doesn't build nearly enough as he would like to, thanks to school. He has a webpage.
Spook (Tim)
The resident codemonkey and graphics person. If something isn't working correctly, it's probably his fault. Fitting to his name, he doesn't post often, but someone has to do this stuff too, right? Spook does build with laygoes, and has his own blog as well.