Starship Troopers: Mobile Infantry

[Omega2064]

Back in 88 Japan released a OVA adaption of Starship Troopers. I got to see bits of it at GenCon back in the mid-90s and just recently was able to watch the full 6 part series.

In the final episode it occurred to me that the Mobile Infantry's power suits bore a few simmilarities to AAs Spartan suits.

So here is my work on adapting them to AA.
Due to sprite limits, the jumpjet verniers are not depicted.

Posted the file to my DA gallery for now.

EDIT: Strike that. *Tried* to host it on DA, but DA converted it to a Jpeg... grrrr.
Will have it up on Megaupload ASAP.

Ok. Hopefully here goes.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=USC5KS4V

[the_Fifth_Horseman]

Hehe, this looks fun.
What's next, Neon Genesis Alien Assault or Mobile Suit Spartan?

[CATAFRACTO]

Ey, Omega, I like it! Cool design, fine work.
Thank you very much.

[..Soot..]

Thanks, Omega, downloaded and played a mission with them, look cool, a nice addition to my squads. Nice work

It's good to link AA with Starship Troopers OVA, which is in turn linked to the original novel 'Starship Troopers' by Robert A Heinlein, published in 1959 (!) possibly the earliest use of fully-functional power armour in science fiction (anyone know of earlier references?), and an excellent book with great depth and social commentary.

(EDIT: AA was probably already linked with Starship Troopers, since the name Mobile Infantry was used in the novel...Teardown team, was that a deliberate link? Edit2: I forgot, the older AA Mobile Infantry squad was a mod by Black Dog, not an original squad, so this is probably an irrelevant paragraph, lol! Black Dog may have been referring to either the book or OVA though...)

The ommision of the jetpacks fits AA really, I would imagine the corridors and rooms on the hulks have ceilings, using a jetpack would just give the poor guys bad headaches from slamming into the ceiling every time they activated them!

[Omega2064]

Thanks.

Another interesting thing spotted in the OVA were RAT style remote observation ATV drones. I suspect someone working on Space Hulk has seen the anime. heh-heh.

The OVA shows really well the training of the soldiers as they work up through progressions of more and more advanced and combat ready suits. And the initial troubles of getting used to moving in one.

[..Soot..]

I reckon your right about GW seeing this anime, in fact most of GW's ideas are sourced from either written works of fiction or movies, they just built on the ideas other people had already come up with...Kinda ironic, seeing as how much GW doesn't like people using material from their games...

I will have to look out for this anime, sounds like a really good one, thanks for bringing it to my/our attention, Omega

[Omega2064]

Just bear in mind that it follows the novel alot more closely which focuses heavily on character development and training. Theres also alot of focus on the connections and comaraderie between the members in the face of the harsh boot camp system. And for some reason they made the Arachnids a sort of double beaked tentacly squid/lobster thingy that shoot corrosive blasts from their mouths. Theres also no mention of the governing system that requires some form of civil service to be allowed to vote or hold office.

Ep 1 is allmost all introduction and Rico's dealing with friends and family over his recruitment, and brief cuts to the attack on Buenos Aires.
Ep2 is the start of the gruelling boot camp and first steps in training suits.
Ep3 shifts to training on the moon.
Ep4 covers a training scirmish between squads on Mars that goes disasterously.
Ep5 moves to the teams assignment to spearhead the invasion of the alien world and the crew getting used to new members
Ep6 is the big battle on Klendathu in fully loaded for battle suits.

Heres the start on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzwGgb8CFM8
You can follow through the whole series.

[..Soot..]

Excellent, thanks for that Omega, watching some now with my dinner .

Been a while since I read the novel, will have to re-read that. The government aspect was very important as I remember it.

The anime looks good, I am a fan of this style of animation anyways, so I'll be watchin them all, I should think. I would expect some changes, so the replacement of the Arachnids with these aliens isn't too much of a surprise, and I can live with that , shame that they dropped the government aspect though.

[Omega2064]

Well the government aspect comes up only in the first chapter or two of the novel and thats about all. Yet people play it up as the be-all and end-all of the book or wrongly brand it fascist. yeesh.

As for changing the aliens. Seen worse adaptions of book to movie, much much worse.

[Perturabo]

At least they have followed the book in spirit unlike the godawful Hollywood movie.

[..Soot..]

Omega, I've forgotten how little the government thing featured in the original novel, yeah, too much was made of it by the media etc. It makes me laugh that people often condemn works that are comments or satires on our own society as being fascist or whatever,

Starship Troopers the movie was nothing to do with the book really, it was a flight of fancy by the director Paul Verhoeven, but it does still manage to satirise the attitude of some aspects of the USA (and the West in general) towards other nations...

Watched the whole OVA series on youtube, very cool, and Omega you captured the look of the battlesuits well for AA, . And I see what you mean about the similarities of the anime with a certain company's game...

[CATAFRACTO]

Omega, have you realized your squad and the Imperial Fists are the only ones whose sergeants wear helmets? Well-done!
Besides, I like the look of these sergeants' helmets.

[Black Dog]

Aayyy Soot - thanks for remembering You are quite right, I did the MI as an homage to the book. I share Perturabo's sentiments about the fillums. As a Mobile Infantry lover I downloaded Omega's version already Thanks very much Now - is anybody more skillful than me up for changing the aliens to Arachnids???? As you were, gentlemen...

[Omega2064]

An Arachnid spritesheet is in the works allready.

[..Soot..]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

Aayyy Soot - thanks for remembering You are quite right, I did the MI as an homage to the book.

Sorry didn't reply sooner, Black Dog, missed the posts....
I really appreciate the work yourself and others have put into the squads and other mods. I try to remember who did them all.
My Black Dogs are now legendary, currently commanded by Sergeant Siddons, nearly all Archangels (Invincible), veterans of many campaigns.

Originally Posted by Omega2064;

An Arachnid spritesheet is in the works allready.

That could be fun

My squads of Starship Troopers are currently pinned down in Hammer and Anvil, their bravery will be remembered!

[Black Dog]

Thanks again Soot

No need to apologise, whatsoever.

I am very happy to know that you enjoyed the Black Dogs, there is nothing better than to know your work has been appreciated. Many thanks.

[..Soot..]

That's cool, Black Dog

Well, I got the Starship Troopers through Hammer and Anvil (see this thread), only to have them wiped out two missions later! After putting them through Sabbathius, then Genestealer Invasion, they've certainly had a difficult initiation into the war on the aliens!

I like the Starship Troopers more and more as I get used to them. I like the way they look, very much like the OVA Troopers, nice look to the weapons and armour, both ingame and on the HUD/Debriefing screen, took me a while to get used to the VC looking like a bit like a bolter, lol, led to a few bad mistakes, heheh, but I got it sorted now, thankfully!