After completing the Madcat and Vulture models it was decided that the Atlas should be the next mech. Its one of the most illustrated of the mechs, making it very identifiable.
The first step was deciding what it should look like. I know this sounds odd when the mech is so recognizable, but almost every illustration is a little different. It was agreed that the 3025 Tech Readout illustration was one of the best looking, but many players only ever see the miniature. So a blending of those two images (and others) took place.
Once I had some drawings that gave me an idea of purportions, I needed to figure out how it looked in 3D, and how big it should be. How much larger should a 100 ton mech be? I roughed one out in clay to get an idea of scale.
The two most difficult parts of any Mech project is getting the piece to the point of being a model kit, and working out the articulation of the joints. Many of the Mechs have joints that could never function, and quite a few are missing ANY form of a joint where they need one (see the Zeus project). Many drawings and sketches are done breaking the parts down in to castable components. There is much debate over keeping the piece count down, yet having the model be poseable.
The next step is to get the model in plastic. Almost every piece on the Atlas was machined out of blocks of plastic. For some pieces I would generate one, then make a mold and reproduce it to make Lefts and Rights.
Minor adjustments are made to the height, along with working out a walking pose.
Things going on in my life kept the Atlas in a state of limbo for a year and a half. The bulk of the model was done, but the detail needed to be added, and there were a few pieces missing.
Here are some pictures of the first finished atlas to be painted.

Click on an image to see a larger version.

I'm still working on this one..
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