Alex Kubalsky
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Alex" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Alex (disambiguation). |
Alex Kubalsky is a designer formerly at TakaraTomy. As an Australian, he was the only foreign toy designer working in Japan.
Currently he is working for Warner Bros. Animation as a toy and prop designer.
Contents |
Known design projects
An asterisk denotes that Kubalsky was particularly involved with/entirely responsible for the character design.
Classics
- Deluxe
- Bumblebee (with Eric Siebenaler)*
- Mirage (with Eric Siebenaler)*
- Voyager
- Optimus Prime (smoke-stack gun only)
Transformers (2007)
- Real Gear Robots
- Deluxe Class
- '70s Camaro Bumblebee (based on DreamWorks design, with Eric Siebenaler)
- Camaro Concept Bumblebee (based on DreamWorks design, with Eric Siebenaler)
- Longarm (based on movie prop, with Jared Wade and Eric Siebenaler)*
- Stockade (based on movie prop, with Jared Wade)*
- Swindle (based on Activision design by Ken Christiansen)
- Wreckage (inspired by DreamWorks design, head by Aaron Archer)*
Universe (2003)
- Chevy Swerve*
Animated
- Deluxe Class
- Arcee
- Blackarachnia (based on Derrick Wyatt design, with Eric Siebenaler)
- Bumblebee (based on Derrick Wyatt design, with Eric Siebenaler)
- Prowl (based on Derrick Wyatt design, with Eric Siebenaler)
- Rodimus Minor
- Sentinel Prime (based on Derrick Wyatt design, with Eric Siebenaler)
- Waspinator
- Voyager Class
- Blitzwing (based on Derrick Wyatt design, with Eric Siebenaler)
Universe (2008)
- Hound with Ravage (with Bill Rawley and Don Figueroa)*
Henkei! Henkei!
Revenge of the Fallen
- Scout Class
- Deluxe Class
- Voyager Class
Transformers (2010 toyline)
- Scout Class
- Deluxe Class
- Voyager Class
Notes
- Concerning the toys he designed while at Takara, Alex stated; "On all of (the figures) I designed full blueprints of the transformation. On some of them I was matching vehicle and bit references from Dreamworks and Cartoon Network for animated. In these cases I was sometimes adding a touch of my own character design work along the way. For any of the movie line figures that were not in the film I was generally doing my own characters but in the "Movie Style" I guess. The real Gear ones were always just my own little characters."
- Kubalsky intended Classics Bumblebee's robot mode to look like a typical teenager, dressed in a hoodie with pockets and wearing big chunky trainers.
- Although Kubalsky based movie Wreckage roughly on the transforming "Stryker" design dropped from the film, his head came from Aaron Archer; as Archer told the story at BotCon 2008, he in fact did Wreckage's head sketch in the airport five minutes before his plane had to take off from Japan (as he was visiting Takara's offices at the time).
- When designing movie Longarm, reference from Activision had not arrived, forcing Kubalsky to make up his own transformation scheme and robot design (which intentionally borrowed some elements from Generation 1 Hoist). By the time reference arrived, it was too late in the process to make any major changes, but Kubalsky was able to graft elements from the game model's chest and arms onto the newly-created design (which he felt worked out rather well).
- High Score 100/Twitcher F451's robot mode design was intentionally modeled on a gorilla.
- When creating Stockade, he imagined the character as being the "big brother" to the High Score/Twitcher mold, hence the roughly similar proportions and head design between the two.
- He designed Universe Swerve's robot mode and transformation entirely under a four-week deadline.
- Alex's favorite Transformers character and the first one he ever owned is Hound. When designing Hound's new Universe toy, he wanted to make sure the toy was "done right" while still "being true to G1", and even handled the deco guide for the Henkei release.
