It took me 3 years of free time to finish this one. I started it...came close to finishing it about 2 years ago. Then my computer crashed. So I had to start over with the coloring. Its now finally finished. As with a lot of these illustrations, I make them more for the enjoyment of illustration in general. It's not a race to create content for me. If it had been a work related drawing, then I think it would have taken me 1-3 days.
What is it? Like a lot of people in Industrial Design (maybe 25% of us) have a deep interest in Sci-Fi and Anime. So this is my take on the giant mecha subject. Its not a robot, its a giant bi-pedal vehicle that a human can control from within the cockpit sphere above the torso. It can walk, fly in the air (jets on the back) and in space (multiple rocket pods). The head is also air tight when closed, so no need for a spacesuit. It's cockpit is mostly windowless, since portholes are often a structural challenge with space vehicles. To replace the portholes, the user has wrap-around monitors to give a better view then portholes or a canopy would have.
I'm still not sure why these types of vehicles capture the imagination of so many people. They definitely aren't any more practical then wheeled vehicles, airplanes, or conventional rockets. Someone must have done a semi-serious psychological study on this cultural fascination. Freudian? An extension of ego? On the surface, I know why I like them anyways.
