Is this the first time a Predator and its armour have been designed separately?

[Kailem]

For those who didn't already know, back in June when Fugitive was on display at CineEuropeAlec Gillis chimed in on Twitter to note that while Studio ADI designed the "naked" fugitive underneath, his armour and bio-mask were designed by the film's production designer and created by Quantum FX, which he also reiterated on Instagram a bit more recently when the movie was released.

https://twitter.com/alec_gillis/status/1007062322974679041

Does this mark the first time the two different "sides" of  a Predator character have been designed and built by two different effects houses like this?  And if so, what the reason for that was? I know it's normal to divvy up (usually special visual) effects scenes in films like these, but that's usually a case of workload and expertise. It just struck me as a strange thing to have the Predator and then it's armour and mask designed by two completely different groups of people, especially given that as far as I'm aware it's never been the case before on any of the previous Predator films.

[skull-splitter]

By two effects houses, yes, but since P2 large parts of the armor have been separate from the body sculpt for various reasons.

[Kailem]

Separate from the body sculpt yes, but not designed and created by completely different people than created the Predator underneath. That's what I mean by "separate". And that just seems really strange to me.

[skull-splitter]

The designs where done by someone elses studio and the work was then split between studios. It does help with the look they where going for, the other studio is just better at it than ADI judging from their work.

But it makes me wonder what ADI can put in their artbook...

[BigDaddyJohn]

So the two ally preds were also "dressed" by this same company ?

[Kailem]

I'd imagine they would have to have been. Going by Fugitive at least, it doesn't seem like ADI had any hand in designing the gear for any of the preds at all.

[skull-splitter]

So the two ally preds were also "dressed" by this same company ?

Their helmets at least, but the rest I'm not sure about.

I'm waiting for the ADI book of course.

[Kailem]

Yeah that's going to be a bit weird if there's next to nothing about the armour or bio-mask in there because they didn't actually make any of it.

[OmegaZilla]

Yes it is. Previously, design work for armour and creatures was entirely undertaken by a single company - Winston Studio for the first couple films, ADI for the AvPs, and KNB Efx for Predators.

[Kailem]

Did anyone ever give any reasons for why that was the case this time round?

[Corporal Hicks]

Alec talks a little about it in the next podcast, suggesting it might have been to do with tax incentives but there's no definitive answer because ultimately it went to another LA based company, rather than a Canadian one.