[OOC] Notes About Construction
Feb. 25th, 2010 03:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crankiestoneSome is speculation, most is observation. Put in bulletpoints because it's the only way anyone will read it.
-- After watching the movie a few times, I noticed 1 is genuinely less flexible than the others--even 2 and 8 are more limber than he is, and this might be with good reason. He is physically much more limited. As a prototype, 1 was made with much more basic modelling (and an attempt at a more potentially human basis) in mind and thus lacks things that are present in all the others to follow--palms, for example, as his hands possess a very talonlike appearance and structure. Many of the differences, however, are hidden, covered with burlap and a pair of belts that keep people from seeing his inner workings. 1's greatest shortcomings in this department are actually in his hips, skeleton, and spine: lacking the ability to swivel his legs in a pivoting motion, he cannot actually pull himself up when, say, he is hanging off the ledge of the cathedral--looking at 9's design sheets and the models of the others, I can hazard some guesses about this. First, 1 does not appear to have the same sort of hip jointing as the others do, and actually appears to have a joint with the same range of motion as your average knee in place of his hips, rather than ball and socket joints. Second, 1 doesn't have the springs and support tensions that the others do in their legs and torsos, which--in addition to making him much, much thinner (and much less 'dumpy' looking in general), makes movement much less efficient for him, and he doesn't absorb shocks as well or have as much interior traction. Third, and this is a rough estimation at best, I'd guess that 1 is actually much more barebones in his construction in general, especially when this information is combined with the appearance of his eyes and hands. Perhaps some of this has to do with how little time the Scientist had in preparation, or perhaps a dearth of experience and materials. The Scientist appears to have caught this in time for the construction of 2, however, and all stitchpunks hereafter have a normal range of flexibility and internal support provided in their framing. In other words: 1 is the most basic of basic models, and sometimes it shows.
-- Much of 1's current problems are not modular; they are based at least as much in his age as his construction. He's rather worn out and getting brittle, which occasionally shows--the permanent slouch he seems to sport when he is not actively straightening out, for example, is likely a result of wear and the weakening of his internal support rather rather an intentional design quirk. The tarnishing on his feet is much the same.
-- 1 is much, much thinner than his more flexible counterparts underneath the sacking. This is especially visible when he is without his cape, and it seems he actually has less sacking in general. Some of this thinness actually corresponds to his lack of flexibility--made with fewer springs and a sparser/heavier framework, 1 lacks both the range of movement and some of the minor support structures that make life easier when you're trying to run and jump and you're made of metal. On the subject of sacking, however, he is missing most of the 'inner layer' of fabric--design sheets have shown that 9, for example, has a second layer of padding underneath the burlap, apparently made of something thin and quilted... 1 seems to lack this, and is at most equipped with extra padding in high-friction areas or possibly around his vitals, but not anywhere else. Of course, it's also entirely possible he doesn't have a second layer at all--his fabric appears to be much thicker and denser than the others', so it may not have been necessary. Whatever there was has probably suffered a bit over the years, too. Without opening him up, it'll probably never be known.
-- 1's head is shaped very differently from all of the other stitchpunks', even 8's. Underneath the burlap, it appears that 1's 'skull' (for lack of the better word), is actually shaped like one; if you were to take off the fabric covering his head, you would find a metal structure moulded in approximation of a human skull, accounting both for the misshapen appearance and the prominent 'cheek bones' that characterise his appearance. Of course, this was abandoned after 1, suggesting that maybe it wasn't the effect the Scientist was going for, but it leaves 1 with very distinctive features. The cast of the metal is most likely very rough and its appearance uneven, almost kind of marbled maybe, but not terribly so--if anything it'd be most noticeable if you ran your hands over it... or were small enough to see it on a stitchpunk scale.
-- 1's hands also differ dramatically from those of the other stitchpunks. Made entirely of steel, they are thin, clawlike, and built for grasping, their pointed tips giving them an almost talonlike appearance. In fact, if one were to pick a single descriptor for their construction, that word would very likely be 'primitive.' Close inspection reveals that they are in fact made of a series of plates and screws, with no wood or moulding--in short, they are the stitchpunk equivalent of skeleton hands, and slightly irregular. Each clawlike finger has only one joint rather than two, and they lack breadth, possessing only length and pointed tips, which are curved to facilitate their primary function--that of picking up and holding objects rather than fine manipulation of them. Like all stitchpunks, 1 only has three fingers and a thumb, but the thinness of 1's 'fingers' and the resultant lack of what might be considered a 'palm' was remedied in 2's construction, and though all stitchpunks possess only one joint in each finger, the length of each digit was increased and given width, and a base "palm" was added to give them a much broader grip.
-- 1's feet, like his hands, have a sort of clawlike appearance, but unlike his hands, which are quite clearly a primitive predecessor of the stitchpunk hands to come, 1's feet are just as functional as the others', if not perhaps a bit heavier. The primary difference, again, is in construction: while 2 and the others possess feet made primarily from a single piece of lightweight metal or wood, 1's feet are made from three pieces of solid metal cut into phalanges, creating the appearance of clawlike 'toes' at the end. These phalanges are secured with a metal screw or pole that runs through them, almost like a hinge. And unlike the others, 1's feet are clearly made of what is most likely straight steel, which is much heavier and less easily run with than, say, 2's wooden feet or the ensuing stream of light alloys that followed. Add to this his poor hip construction, barebones interior, and the lack of more sohphisticated attachment and I really think it becomes rather obvious why 1 runs like a ninny, even if it still makes me laugh.
To discuss: eye shutters, the use of iron and steel and aluminium versus copper and other alloys
-- After watching the movie a few times, I noticed 1 is genuinely less flexible than the others--even 2 and 8 are more limber than he is, and this might be with good reason. He is physically much more limited. As a prototype, 1 was made with much more basic modelling (and an attempt at a more potentially human basis) in mind and thus lacks things that are present in all the others to follow--palms, for example, as his hands possess a very talonlike appearance and structure. Many of the differences, however, are hidden, covered with burlap and a pair of belts that keep people from seeing his inner workings. 1's greatest shortcomings in this department are actually in his hips, skeleton, and spine: lacking the ability to swivel his legs in a pivoting motion, he cannot actually pull himself up when, say, he is hanging off the ledge of the cathedral--looking at 9's design sheets and the models of the others, I can hazard some guesses about this. First, 1 does not appear to have the same sort of hip jointing as the others do, and actually appears to have a joint with the same range of motion as your average knee in place of his hips, rather than ball and socket joints. Second, 1 doesn't have the springs and support tensions that the others do in their legs and torsos, which--in addition to making him much, much thinner (and much less 'dumpy' looking in general), makes movement much less efficient for him, and he doesn't absorb shocks as well or have as much interior traction. Third, and this is a rough estimation at best, I'd guess that 1 is actually much more barebones in his construction in general, especially when this information is combined with the appearance of his eyes and hands. Perhaps some of this has to do with how little time the Scientist had in preparation, or perhaps a dearth of experience and materials. The Scientist appears to have caught this in time for the construction of 2, however, and all stitchpunks hereafter have a normal range of flexibility and internal support provided in their framing. In other words: 1 is the most basic of basic models, and sometimes it shows.
-- Much of 1's current problems are not modular; they are based at least as much in his age as his construction. He's rather worn out and getting brittle, which occasionally shows--the permanent slouch he seems to sport when he is not actively straightening out, for example, is likely a result of wear and the weakening of his internal support rather rather an intentional design quirk. The tarnishing on his feet is much the same.
-- 1 is much, much thinner than his more flexible counterparts underneath the sacking. This is especially visible when he is without his cape, and it seems he actually has less sacking in general. Some of this thinness actually corresponds to his lack of flexibility--made with fewer springs and a sparser/heavier framework, 1 lacks both the range of movement and some of the minor support structures that make life easier when you're trying to run and jump and you're made of metal. On the subject of sacking, however, he is missing most of the 'inner layer' of fabric--design sheets have shown that 9, for example, has a second layer of padding underneath the burlap, apparently made of something thin and quilted... 1 seems to lack this, and is at most equipped with extra padding in high-friction areas or possibly around his vitals, but not anywhere else. Of course, it's also entirely possible he doesn't have a second layer at all--his fabric appears to be much thicker and denser than the others', so it may not have been necessary. Whatever there was has probably suffered a bit over the years, too. Without opening him up, it'll probably never be known.
-- 1's head is shaped very differently from all of the other stitchpunks', even 8's. Underneath the burlap, it appears that 1's 'skull' (for lack of the better word), is actually shaped like one; if you were to take off the fabric covering his head, you would find a metal structure moulded in approximation of a human skull, accounting both for the misshapen appearance and the prominent 'cheek bones' that characterise his appearance. Of course, this was abandoned after 1, suggesting that maybe it wasn't the effect the Scientist was going for, but it leaves 1 with very distinctive features. The cast of the metal is most likely very rough and its appearance uneven, almost kind of marbled maybe, but not terribly so--if anything it'd be most noticeable if you ran your hands over it... or were small enough to see it on a stitchpunk scale.
-- 1's hands also differ dramatically from those of the other stitchpunks. Made entirely of steel, they are thin, clawlike, and built for grasping, their pointed tips giving them an almost talonlike appearance. In fact, if one were to pick a single descriptor for their construction, that word would very likely be 'primitive.' Close inspection reveals that they are in fact made of a series of plates and screws, with no wood or moulding--in short, they are the stitchpunk equivalent of skeleton hands, and slightly irregular. Each clawlike finger has only one joint rather than two, and they lack breadth, possessing only length and pointed tips, which are curved to facilitate their primary function--that of picking up and holding objects rather than fine manipulation of them. Like all stitchpunks, 1 only has three fingers and a thumb, but the thinness of 1's 'fingers' and the resultant lack of what might be considered a 'palm' was remedied in 2's construction, and though all stitchpunks possess only one joint in each finger, the length of each digit was increased and given width, and a base "palm" was added to give them a much broader grip.
-- 1's feet, like his hands, have a sort of clawlike appearance, but unlike his hands, which are quite clearly a primitive predecessor of the stitchpunk hands to come, 1's feet are just as functional as the others', if not perhaps a bit heavier. The primary difference, again, is in construction: while 2 and the others possess feet made primarily from a single piece of lightweight metal or wood, 1's feet are made from three pieces of solid metal cut into phalanges, creating the appearance of clawlike 'toes' at the end. These phalanges are secured with a metal screw or pole that runs through them, almost like a hinge. And unlike the others, 1's feet are clearly made of what is most likely straight steel, which is much heavier and less easily run with than, say, 2's wooden feet or the ensuing stream of light alloys that followed. Add to this his poor hip construction, barebones interior, and the lack of more sohphisticated attachment and I really think it becomes rather obvious why 1 runs like a ninny, even if it still makes me laugh.
To discuss: eye shutters, the use of iron and steel and aluminium versus copper and other alloys
