Episode 4.002: TMNT Guardian mode.

Back in early 2007 we got the news of a renewed season of TMNT after the Fast Forward story arcs. Usually before a new season, plots and storyline breakdowns are fleshed out enough to go on definative designs. Our new season only had a few experimental story elements to work from. Head of Character design, Adrian Barrios had already made mock ups for the 4 turtles so our producer Loyd Goldfine needed alternate designs for the 4 turtles to travel through different worlds, via the Virtual word. This would be the initial premise for TMNT: Back to the Sewers. Armed with that I was asked to go crazy with any costume concepts good for virtual reality. Loyd told me to experiment with ideas like "Stealth" type gear and video game enviornments. So I came up with Generic "Avatar" outfits for the Turtles: The following designs show my initial sketches. I gave them looks remeniscent of their Fast Forward Gear with added tid bits like Floating Virtual reality nodes floating around their bodies. These nodes would help them fight, form alternate costumes and form vehicals for them in Virtual reality. I named the standard mode outfit, Guardian mode cause it sounded cool.
Leonardo had full schematics on how his swords worked but the sketch has long been lost. (My desk was a mess at work.) I designed the virtual reality nodes to actually project multiple sword images when he fought in Virtual reality.

Raph's Sais were designed to trap bladed weapons. Also he could thrust them into the nodes around him so they could attack from every angle.

I armed Mikey with a virtual reality Particle Shield remeniscent of his Turtle Titan design. The Nunchucks I never fully finished but if you look closely you can see the sketches on the right. I actually got to explain breifly what the chucks could do in a storyboard for Back to the sewers.
In Virtual Reality Mikey actually swung his nunchucks with computer coding that formed his attacks. In the episode I worked on, I had Mikey create a barrier to stave off one of Virtual Shredder's attacks and created a Tornado like attack.

Don's staff I picured doing a lot of stuff. Most of this stuff was showcased in the same episode in the above Mikey one I mentioned. I cannot for the love me can remember the title of the episode. UGH!

************************************************************************************

These were sketches that were in my workspace and were completly forgotten after I had to do some Chaotic card art. After I was hospitalised and not around for final production, these Drawings were pulled from my desk, made damn cool by our Colorists Emilio and Jimmy and became the basis for the "Virtual" turtles in Back to the Sewers. Like I said.....Damn Lucky. And damn lucky they were even considered. :)