Vehicle and pilot design

Designing a vehicle and the person driving it is something I like to do as well, but coming up with ideas proved difficult.

My first vehicle and armour design was based on a vehicle designed to traverse a desert environment.

I looked at several mecha designs, but could never come up with a suitable one until I referenced insectoid anatomies and found the right kind of shape.

Based on a wasp, this was designed to move quickly over sand dunes and hide in them if need be.

The pilot was designed with a similar theme, sporting visual equipment and a poncho. He was designed to give a childish feel but with an adult role, to make him seem like part of another species.

However, the tank was a little too close to a Tachikoma from Ghost in the Shell and the pilot was generally not drawn well, so I decided to do something different;  

The vehicle is based heavily on the ships from the wipEout games, something of which influences me in many facets of vehicle design. 

The pilot's design is based somewhat on designs used for anti-g suits, but the pose was found from this reference. Unfortunately, the design isn't as good as I'd have liked, but it works well with Marek Okon's art style.