阿重建機 01號機 concept notes

阿重工業 (Ah Chong Heavy Industries): AT-AT Machine 01 — 阿重建機 01 號機 Concept Notes

1. Where does this 阿重工業 idea come from?

I’ve been playing with a small fictional universe I call 阿重工業 (Ah Chong Heavy Industries).

It began with a simple “what if”:

What if iconic mecha weren’t built for war — but for construction sites?

I love construction colour schemes — yellow-black, red-black, blue-black — they feel honest, hardworking, and grounded.

The idea is to create a lineup of construction machines based on iconic mecha designs. In this universe, 阿重工業 acts as the main corporation behind everything.

2. Future expansion of the project

This is a project that can grow alongside any of my future custom builds.

To avoid locking myself into only “construction” (and to leave room for other fun themes later), I created a fictional corporate hierarchy early on — before anything started — so the universe has structure and can expand naturally.

• Parent Company — 阿重工業 (Ah Chong Heavy Industries)
  • Handles all divisions: construction, defense, space, transport, etc.
  • This is my “umbrella company” for the decal lore.
• Divisions
  • Construction Division: 阿重建機
    • Handles excavators, bulldozers, cranes… and the AT-AT construction walker.
    • Realistic tone, matching the construction vehicle vibe.
  • Defense Division: 阿重重工
    • Handles military walkers, armoured vehicles, and weapon systems.
    • Good for when I customize kits into military-style machines.
  • Aerospace Division: 阿重航空 / 阿重宇宙
    • Handles spacecraft, satellites, and orbital construction machines.
    • Perfect for Star Wars ships or Gundam crossovers.
  • Energy & Utilities Division: 阿重電機
    • Handles power generators, reactors, and large utility machines.
    • Good for dioramas or “infrastructure support mecha”.

3. Define the 阿重工業 Zone Naming System (Technical Icon System)

To give the project a consistent “system language”, I designed a technical icon system for 阿重工業. The idea is simple: define names and icons for each Core Mechanical Zone, so the markings feel believable and repeatable across future machines.

Core Mechanical Zones

• Cooling Coil Unit
• Thermal Exhaust / Vent Stack
• Hydraulic Pump Line
• Structural Load Anchor
• Maintenance Access Hatch
• Power Conduit / Electrical Junction
• Pressure Regulation System
• Environmental Dust Intake / Filter
• Radiator Panel Warning Mark

I use Procreate to sketch my first draft:

I then use Affinity Designer 2 to finalize the icons:

4. 阿重建機 01 號機 — AT-AT walker

The iconic mecha from the Star Wars franchise — the AT-AT walker — is chosen as Machine No.01.

In this project, it’s reimagined as a heavy-duty construction walker with safety markings, company decals, and that unmistakable construction yellow. I call it 阿重建機 01 號機.

It serves 第 09 工區 (Section 09) — why 09? I use “09” as a nod to my founding year, 2009.

In this build, I’ll use the AT-AT kit from Bandai.

5. Water decal design

• Logo concept (Kanji integration): Put “重” in a stylized kanji inside the alphabet “A”, then place small “阿重工業” text under it.
• Logo design style:
  • Minimalist black & white — versatile for decals.
  • Stencil / industrial kanji style, vertical or angled.

Using the 阿重工業 aesthetic, I designed the main decals for the logo, 第 09 工區, 阿重建機, and 安全第一.

6. Colour setting, decal placement & weathering plan

• Once everything (logos, wording, safety markings, and water decals) is set, I sketch the AT-AT walker in Procreate and start planning colours, decal sizes/placements, weathering direction, and a clear list of to-dos and not-to-dos.
• This step is important to make the AT-AT — 阿重建機 — feel natural and believable.

7. Define Core Mechanical Zones on 阿重建機 01

Disclaimer: All zones are created by myself for fun and have nothing to do with the real machine or the Star Wars AT-AT walker.

• I identify the core mechanical zones on 阿重建機 01 and draw them onto a maintenance blueprint.
• This is important for me to refer to during the weathering process — different weathering methods will apply to different zones.

8. Clean shot before weathering

Before weathering it (in case I completely mess it up 😆), here is the clean shot to share.

Next up: I’ll write a selected Work-in-Progress post — not every single step, but the key moments that shaped the build.