So, we still have several days to go but I thought I'd throw out my opinions on the top 3 so far and just give my take on them. Let me preface this by saying this was a CUSTOM cannon contest, so there is no right or wrong and the creativity as well as skill shown by ALL the contestants is pretty darn impressive.
While this is a custom contest, I am a purist and my thoughts really come down to just one thing... how well does the entry fit into the Predator universe.
Here is how I feel the top three entrants (the top three at the moment) did in that ONE regard.
masteranubis - LOVE the execution. I feel like he got a lot of the overall feel of a "real" Predator cannon. Really dig the support arm as it reminds me of what we see in the movies. If there is any shortcoming in my eyes, it is that the cannon is too pristine and too precise (perhaps because of the milling. For me, the Predator gear is a mix of high tech and low tech with a small bit of organic shapes thrown in. In my opinion this cannon is missing the organic feel and has only a mechanical feel to it. I think knocking down a few of those sharp edges would have really gone a long way in changing that. I also love the very subdued color scheme. I think it fits right in!
quakevirus - In terms of pure art, this cannon takes the cake for me. Love the flowing lines and although they are odd, I actually like the spines! This cannon is the polar opposite of manstanubis' very angular and geometric cannon, perhaps too much so. This feels almost like a biomechanical device and I have never gotten that feeling from Predator pieces. I feel like this cannon would be better suited in the Mass Effect or MiB universe, or even something from Gieger... which is saying a LOT about the design as he is the master of all things biomechanical! I very much dig the subtle inclusion of greeblies on this piece!
Uratz - It is funny to me that once again we get a polar opposite from the last entry (and that is one of the things that makes this contest so cool; everyone's entry is VERY different!) For all of quakevirus' organic and flowing lines, Uratz' cannon captures the tech of the Predator in a big big way... and no one could ever accuse him of not adding enough greeblies! In fact for me, there might be a bit of overkill that takes this cannon to a point where it feels more like something from Doc Oc or Robocop than the Predator. Somewhat like manstanubis' entry, I think this one is missing the organic and may be a bit too highly detailed. I almost feel like we are looking at a Predator cannon with the outer shell removed to reveal the highly intricate inner workings!
So, who did I vote for? I voted for AVPfan7662. Why? I think there were some designs that were better executed, but in my mind, I think AVPfan7662 nailed what I think of when I think of a Predator cannon. A little mechanical. A little organic. Chunky details. A few sparse greeblies. LOVE it!
With all that being said, all of the entries are amazing and I couldn't create a bit of this... so you all have me blown away! Thanks for sharing your hard work with us! And don't take my comments as a "right or wrong" assessment. It is just my personal preference.