Two Metal Gear fans named Zac Fitzsimmons and @MetalGearDmodel have just launched a new Kickstarter to fund their research into deconstructing the Metal Gear D — the iconic bipedal tank that features on the box art of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and that also appeared as one of the game's final bosses.
In case you're unaware, during the development of the game, the Metal Gear 2 team created a real 3D model of the Metal Gear D out of various different SF3D kits, using it for both reference for sprite work and promotional purposes. So @MetalGearDmodel's and Fitzsimmons' aim is to basically find and locate the original pieces used to create the model, and then provide backers with a set of step-by-step instructions to help them create their own.
@MetalGearDmodel explains, "Like a lot of the other Metal Gear Solid fans, I first ran across pictures of the Metal Gear D model looking for the latest news on the series. The fans of the series in Japan were kind enough to take digital photographs or make scans of those two-page advertisements for Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake from the pages of MSX-FAN and MSX Magazine from 1990 which featured the large print photographs of the reference model which the game's production team made by kit-bashing for Metal Gear D."
He continues, "I had the same thought that a lot of the other fans have when they see pictures of the Metal Gear D model, 'That's cool. I'd like to have that model.' Then, after a brief pause, I'd move on from that thought and continue searching for news on the future of the video game series. It wasn't until I came across a message board post, on Junker HQ, from Jan 2013, by a fellow named Nick Derrington, that I learned where the model kit parts came from to make it possible to build Metal Gear D through kit-bashing."
Since then, @MetalGearDModel has dedicated a lot of time to researching the individual pieces needed and gaining enough reference materials to start the build (a process he has documented on his Twitter account). He and Fitzsimmons now just need a little bit of extra support from fellow Metal Gear fans to acquire the respective SF3D kits, which are fairly expensive today, given their rarity and age.
If you happen to back the project, you can receive a few different rewards depending on the selected tier. These include your name in the credits of future projects ($1), a poster of your choice ($25), or schematics to build your very own 'D' ($50). So far the project has raised £691 out of its £1,211 goal, with 23 days to go.