#mechanikong

[mudwerks]

(via The Grim Gallery: Exhibit 5306)

Mechanikong in King Kong Escapes (1967)

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Some of the pieces displayed in Kaiju Brooklyn's panel room.

[gojira-ekkusu]

[herofestival]

[rustybottlecap]

So back in 2021 The Asylum released Ape vs. Monster, their “response” to Godzilla vs. Kong. Say what you will about that movie, but I was AMAZED by the design of the titular monster, Gila, and was about to praise the hell out of them for it:

...but then it turned out they just bought the model from TurboSquid and so can you too (link in the source), it’s called “Dino Beast”:

So now they released a sequel to their movie, Ape vs. Mecha Ape, and the design of the titular Mecha Ape is also amazing. Suspiciously so.

I couldn’t find the model on TurboSquid, but I thought it looked familiar.

Searching for figures online where I live it’s very common to come across bootlegs, now more than ever with 3D printing technology, some people may get their hands on the file of a model someone else did and either sell the 3d printed figure or the file itself, most likely without the original artist’s knowledge. Add to that the popularity of Godzilla vs. Kong, wich featured a Mechagodzilla, and you come across stuff like this:

Meet “Mecha King Kong”, as online sellers call it. I assume they won’t call it “Mechanikong” because if you know who that is you probably will know this isn’t an official thing. I can’t find who the original artist is.

Now the bodies look completely different, but the head...

There are some differences, like the eyeballs, the forehead, the jaw, and the lenght of the “airvents”. But many of the details are so similar I simply can’t believe it’s just a coincidence:

Now, if the guys at The Asylum are one thing, it’s legaly savvy. There is a reason they’ve succesfully been in the mockbuster business for DECADES. I’m sure they didn’t steal an asset like these neobootleggers probably did, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the “Mecha Ape” and “Mecha King Kong” 3D models have a common origin somewhere down the line.

If there is something I take from all this unprompted cashing-in on robot gorillas, is that if the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel were to feature a robot Kong (Mechanikong or otherwise), audiences and bootlegers would welcome it with open arms.

(Also is this “Ape” fella going to be their new “Mega Shark”?)

[kaijukoffee]

Mechani-Kong! I find it so funny Kong had a mecha before Goji! I picture him in my universe with a bit of a greaser personality along with another character I have coming later!

[jimpluff]

Mechanikong in Love [x]

[ericmhe]

Just playing around with the metal shading advice I picked up. I'm not sure it's anything like realistic but it's relatively quick and I do think it makes things feel a bit metallic at least, if not strictly metal.