Tag: Salvation
TUESDAY TECH: Realistic Red Glowing Eyes on the Terminator Salvation Voice ‘N Vision Skull Toy
Here’s further continuation of my ongoing series of Terminator-related posts leading up to the release of Terminator Salvation this week. If there’s ever been an appropriate film series to post about something “tech,” it’s definitely the Terminator series. However, today I’m not posting about any technology shown in the movies, but rather the excellent use of the…
Lifelike Red Glowing Eyes on a Terminator Helmet Toy
When I first posted that toymaker Playmates would be releasing an endoskeleton helmet toy complete with voice-changer and glowing red eyes, I knew I had to have it. What I didn’t predict is just how fantastic of a job the company would do in creating the red eye effect.
Rather than taking the easy way out and simply mounting a couple of red LEDs in the skull/helmet where the endoskeleton eyes should go, Playmates created a very believable sunken-eye effect through an exceptionally well-executed use of the Pepper’s Ghost effect. This decades’ old effect is most commonly-known as the secret behind the ghostly ballroom dancers in Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction. It’s a simple illusion that reflects a light or lighted object on an angled piece of glass or other transparent material.
In the case of the Terminator Salvation T-600 Voice ‘N Vision Skull, as it’s officially known, the effect is used to make the iconic red Terminator eyes appear as if they are set deep within the skull. Here are a few pictures I took of my helmet to better illustrate how well it works:
Front and back side of the Terminator helmet/skull without the eyes turned on.
The view from inside the Terminator helmet, looking through the “goggles” that make up the eye sockets. They resemble swim goggles, but with an added angled transparent piece of plastic, which you can see overlapping eyes here.
Here are the same front and back views as above but with the eyes turned on. As you can see, from the front, the red eyes appear to sit directly in the middle of the sockets, just as they should. From inside, however, the hot spots aren’t visible while looking outward. Here’s a better view from inside the helmet:
The red LED lights are actually mounted above the eye sockets, pointing downward. Looking out while the eyes are turned on doesn’t result in a blocked view of any kind. A general red glow can be noticed, but it doesn’t restrict vision at all.
These side/angled views show how the eyes appear to be sunken into the head, making it seem like they’re actually sitting right on top of the wearer’s eyes. Staring directly into the helmet’s eyes is actually quite a creepy experience.
It’s a very impressive effect that I have never seen achieved as well in any other consumer product. Well done Playmates.
TweetMONDAY MEDIA: T2 Arcade Game or the Only Good Terminator Video Game
Here’s another post leading up to the release of Terminator Salvation this week.
Despite the fact that the Terminator series of movies seems like a perfect fit to be made into a video game, with deadly machines fighting against humans, almost every game based on the franchise has been awful, with one exception…
T2 Arcade Game or the Only Good Terminator Video Game
The T2 Arcade Game was/is a fantastic shooter. It’s simple to play -- just grab one of the mounted uzi, pump in some quarters, pull the trigger, and you’re instantly blasting away at endoskeletons in the future in an effort to save the human race. The uzi is packed with plenty of vibrating punch that’s sure to leave your hand and wrist hurting after a while. That’s the sign of a great game.
I mean, how can a game not be fun with an awesome promo image like this one?
Unfortunately, the game didn’t translate to home versions very well. It was released in Super Nintendo, Genesis, Game Boy, and PC versions, but none of these were ever as fun as playing in the arcade, though using Nintendo’s Super Scope gun to play did help somewhat.
Here’s a glimpse at the Nintendo version:
But why is this the only good Terminator game ever made? There have been a TON of Terminator games produced over the years for nearly every home console ever invented, but they’ve all suffered from a severe lack of fun. Many were unplayable due to poor graphics, frustrating controls, or a combination of the two. Like this one:
Boring and repetitive. And then there’s Terminator chess:
While it’s true that many movie-based video games are simply awful, as they are usually rushed through development and production to ensure that they’re released at the same time (or before) the movie hits theaters, it still surprises me that so many bad Terminator-based games have been made. So I hope that somehow that the upcoming Terminator Salvation game succeeds where so many of its ancestors have failed.
TweetBecome a Terminator: Salvation Toys from Playmates Toys
Finally! The ability to become an endoskeleton!
These toys from Playmates tie to the upcoming Terminator Salvation film and I can’t wait to add the T-600 endoskeleton “Voice ‘N’ Vision Skull” to my collection. It will go well with my Transformers Optimus Prime Voice Changer Helmet.
More information about these toys can be found at toysrevil.blogspot.com, including some hilarious Japanese promo images like these:
“Terminator Salvation” Busts & Mystery Character
From DarkHorizons:
DC Direct has released five maquette busts from its “Terminator Salvation” merchandising tie-in. The first four are of Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), the T-600, Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood) and Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington).
What’s got everyone excited though is the fifth one – the T-RIP – which is blacked out and won’t be revealed until May 6th. The two guesses at the moment? It’s either Arnold Schwarzenegger, or John Connor (Christian Bale) as a Terminator, but McG has previously denied both rumors of those elements being in the film.
