Let's see if this works . . . otherwise I'll have to convert to something else -- a 360x240 gif is 9 megs .. . versus the 700k video file.

This is my other Weaponry Guild Contest Entry -- much closer to the Futuristic category. Being a gun, I'm a bit more comfortable with this one.

Anyways, the idea behind this is kind of convoluted, but the sum is that I saw a concept of a plasma weapon that would start out pistol sized and then combine into something the size of the bazooka.

I didn't particularly like the design, but thought that the concept was possible (although I miss-read the combining part). So, I set about trying to figure out a way for a small gun the size of a SMG like a P90 would fold out and extend to rocket launcher scale.

I sketched out a basic layout and then brought it into Maya where a lot of the rear stock was re-thought out.

After blocking out the layout of the moving parts, I started adding more detail and then added a few extra shades of grey for variety.
(another project I was working on, which I'll post a DA at some point was my own version of Megatron. I'm still working on Mega, but he certainly gave me practice for transformations when I came to make this)

Since it's a plasma-based weapon, the ammunition is fed via energy cells, so all I needed to do was have it feed from a larger energy cell for the launcher mode.

The extending mandibles in the front are supposed to focus the plasma via either a magnetic field or just re-energize it as the plasma leaves the main barrel. (whee, look at the technobabble. . . .)

(will add more detail later)

Modeled in Maya 8.0