Kamen Rider Kabuto Looks

As I said before, I like the Japanese aesthetic for some costumes. They have mastered the mechanization of the human form. But they do it without making the human into a cyborg or robot. The human just wears the costume, but he already becomes a machine by doing so. Sort of like Iron Man, but without the antiquated face-plate design.

Let's look at another great looking hero: Kamen Rider Kabuto.

Armored hero with car theme

Just sharing a drawing of another original character. I plan to ink and color it later. This will go to Deviantart when it's done.

I tried to design his armor in a way that's like a car. Somewhat like a transformer. hehe

I have always liked the way the Japanese design their costumes in tokusatsu (live action science fiction shows). The design often combine particular motifs with aesthetic angles and shapes on the armor. The effect is, just as I said above - they look like transformers. Humanoid shapes with vehicle parts on them that fit. I am trying to capture that on my character designs.

Star Searcher Zeric

I once thought VR Troopers was the first time Shaider was adapted in America. I was wrong.

Introducing Zeric, the Star Searcher. He's Shaider all the way, but with a red and blue version. The blue version is Zeric, while the red version is called Namrood. I have no idea what their story is.

This is the Shaider toy repackaged for the US market in 1986. I never had this, though I have the Action Works Shaider by Megahouse now. Nevertheless, lucky is the guy who got their hands on this.

Kamen Rider Fourze

Kamen Rider, Japanese for "Masked Rider," has had a lot of TV series installments over the years. The latest is this guy, Kamen Rider Fourze.

Fourze is a user of astro switches. He puts four switches on his belt, and activates this belt to transform. He has a lot of different forms and weapons, like a rocket on his right arm. Some might even notice Playstation motifs on him.

Of course, he looks weird, which is what I like about him. His eyes and antennae make him look insect-like, which is the basic look of the Kamen Rider. His series follows Kamen Rider OOO (pronounced 'Ohs'), which I quite liked.

Design Review: Magna Ryugunou

Perhaps I should focus on what I consider my favorite armor design of all time in heroic costume - Magna Ryugunou from the 2005 Japanese TV series Ryukendo.

Magna Ryugunou is actually the second version of the armor used by the character, Juushirou Fudou, after his first armor was destroyed. Actually, the first armor doesn't look bad either.

              

As you may see, the theme of this design is a dragon head as part of the helmet and other parts of the suit, with all other designs following a sort of fusion between modern technology and ancient jeweled designs. All in all, it's a good combination of a streamlined look with a heavily armored feel, especially on the chest plate.

My only disappointment is that other parts of the body, such as the thighs, loin and forearms, are only covered by spandex, and thus earlier metal hero designs, like Jiban and Janperson, come out as more heavily armored. But the overall effect compensates for this, and Magna Ryugunou remains my most favorite tokusatsu and superhero costume of all time.

The Aesthetics of the Wedge (Carry Over)

The wedge is classified as one of the basic machines in science. However, I see it as one of the basic aesthetic devices. As an artist who loves to draw futuristic armor, vehicles and robots, I like the wedge shape because it looks like it's moving even if it's not. It has a sharp, streamlined feature that just looks dynamic and beautiful. I wonder if "racy" can be applied, hehe.



In the pic above, it looks simple. But an artist or designer can rework the basic shape into something else. Like in the images that follow...