The Eggmobile

Perhaps no machine has appeared in the Sonic series as much as Eggman's personal mode of transport, which has over the years sported a number of design changes, attachable weaponry, and notable appearances. A series staple, the little hovercraft has appeared in games, cartoons, and comics as Eggman's vehicle of choice. Let's take a look at it, shall we?

Games: Design Evolution
The title of this topic is actually a bit misleading, as throughout the series, Eggman has employed a number of Eggmobiles, rather than one singular machine. Usually, each new game sees the doctor in a new variation of his iconic ship.

Design 1: Sonic 1, Sonic 1 GG, Sonic 2 GG, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Sonic Pocket Adventure, Sonic Advance (X-Zone)

The first, and perhaps most recognizable iteration of the Eggmobile was- true to its name- ovular in its design, resembling an egg. This design set the precedent for future designs- Yellow and black caution tape, grey coloration, and (usually) a small central windshield at the front.

Notably, this design was also used in AoStH, where it was dubbed the "Egg-O-Matic Hovercraft." Mean Bean Machine, being based on AoStH, followed suit with the same design. This design was also used in early issues of the Sonic Archie comics.

Based on concept art, and the Genesis version of Sonic 1, this Eggmobile also has a walker mode on land. Eggman uses it briefly while escaping Final Zone before taking off and flying away.

Also notable is that this is the first boss of the Gamegear version of Sonic 1- Eggman simply tries to fly into you with the Eggmobile, without any attachments or mechs.

Design 2: Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Spinball, Sonic Pocket Adventure

Before I begin, allow me to clarify my reasoning for skipping over Sonic CD. Each mech appeared to be a self-contained machine, rather than a derivative of Eggman's Eggmobile. Additionally, Eggman would often escape in a jetpack, rather than detaching from his machines as per usual. This is why I feel the Eggmobile proper did not appear in that game.

With that out of the way, this iteration of the Eggmobile would begin a new trend for the machine- In Sonic 1, the Eggmobile had weaponized attachments. But in Sonic 2, the Eggmobile often attached itself to larger machines and mechs, which it would control. This new method allowed for bigger and more varied bosses, and would become the standard operating procedure for Eggman boss fights from this point on.

It was reused for a bonus stage in Sonic Spinball later.


Design 3: Sonic Drift

Used only in Sonic Drift, this variant of the Eggmobile has aspects of the first and second designs. The protruding windshield of the second design, with the basic shape of the first.

Note that the slightly different vehicle in Sonic Drift 2 is referred to as the "Egg Typhoon", and as such, it will not be listed as an Eggmobile for the purpose of this list.

The Egg Typhoon, for comparison against the similar Eggmobile from Sonic Drift:


Design 4: Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Sonic and Knuckles

This simplified Eggmobile was a dramatic turn from the bulkier designs of the past. Abandoning the ovular design for a spherical one, this version of the ship also had a darker color scheme from the usual grey.

Notably, Sonic actually pilots an Eggmobile of this model in Launch Base Zone. Mecha Sonic also takes this ship for a spin in Sky Sacntuary to impede Sonic's progress. And of course, Egg Robo utilized this when fighting Knuckles. By far, this has the distinction of being flown by the most characters.

Design 5: Sonic Chaos

The cylinder design for Sonic Chaos's Eggmobile isn't given tremendous focus, as most of the bosses in this game are Badniks, rather than Eggman himself. However, the Eggmobile does appear, and becomes the "Killer Turkey-gou" walker as the final boss, and perhaps the most ridiculously-named thing in Sonic history.

Design 6: Triple Trouble

Eggman's snugly strapped in to this Eggmobile, with what appears to be a large blue harness connected to large jet engines in the back. Again, as in Chaos, the bosses of this game were Badniks, so this Eggmobile only appears in the intro and before/during the final battles.

Design 7: Sonic 3D Blast

A change from the usual short windshields, Eggman is fully enclosed in this version of the Eggmobile. This ship itself is surprisingly small, and lacks the usual roundness of the Eggmobile design. Eggman is essentially sitting on a large flat circular platform with a glass dome keeping him inside.

Design 8: Sonic R

Though this design greatly resembles the original Eggmobile, it lacks the original's wing-like protrusions on either side.

Like the Eggmobile of Sonic Drift, this vehicle hovers rather than flies, and can bypass water, making it a formidable racer. It can also fire missiles for ten rings.

Design 9: Sonic Adventure

A bit sleeker and more comfortable-looking, the Eggmobile of this game isn't given quite as much focus. But with a mammoth ship like the Egg Carrier hogging the spotlight, that's unsurprising.

Eggman is fought considerably less in this game than previous installments, and the Eggmobile takes the form of the Egg Hornet, Egg Walker, and Egg Viper for three boss fights.

Interestingly, Eggman does battle you in the normal Eggmobile while assisting Chaos 6, where he throws freezing bombs down at you.

Design 10: Sonic Shuffle

Not much to say here. The Eggmobile only appears occasionally, as Eggman causes mischief for the players.

This design bears resemblance to the SA1 model, with some slight differences.

Design 11: Sonic Adventure 2

For most of the game, this is playable in walker mode. The standard flying Eggmobile only appears in a single cutscene, where the familiar grabbing claw is used to attempt to steal the Master Emerald.

As a playable mech, it's quite versatile, with its lock-on lasers, cannon, and hovering capabilities. Just ignore the fridge logic of "Why doesn't Eggman just easily fly to his destination instead of walking there?" and you'll have a good time playing as the dastardly doctor as he aims for world domination!

Design 12: Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2

Used in the first two Sonic Advance games, this Eggmobile continued the trend of smaller, compact design. I don't have a lot to say about this one, honestly.

Design 13: Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog

Used by Metal Sonic in Sonic Heroes, and by Eggman in Shadow the Hedgehog, this Eggmobile is standard fare. The most notable thing about it would be the sheer size of the mechs it attaches itself to, leading to truly gigantic bosses such as the Egg Albatross.

Design 14: Sonic Battle

The strangely red Eggmobile used in Sonic Battle only appears during the boss fight with Eggman, and it really packs a whallop, with bombs and homing missiles.

Hacking the game to play as Eggman made me realize how truly overpowered this machine is when playable, and not plagued by mediocre AI.

Design 15: Sonic Advance 3

Playable as player 2 in the final battle, Eggman takes to space to aid Super Sonic against the rampaging G-Mel. While he can't attack directly, Eggman can charge his ship's energy to give Sonic the opportunity to attack the rogue robot.

Design 16: Sonic Riders

Forgive the grainy image quality.

The Eggmobile gets a minor cameo at best, used by Eggman to board the Babylon Rogues' ship and to steal Jet's key device in two cutscenes. Still, it's a brand new design specifically for the game, so it merits mentioning.

Design 17: Sonic 2K6

Luxurious and spacious, the 2K6 Eggmobile is large enough for Eggman to stand up and walk around in. Eggman travels in style with this ship, befitting of his refined image in this game.

Design 18: Sonic Unleashed

A throwback to the classic look of the Eggmobile, it's round, with those familiar yellow, black, and grey accents to its color scheme. Ever the fun-loving supervillain, Eggman even takes his Dreamcast with him on trips!

His robot assistant, SA-55, rides along in a small dashboard compartment.

Cartoons
AoStH

Robotnik loves his Egg-O-Matic Hovercraft. He goes so far as to call it his favorite invention, and can frequently be seen utilizing it, complete with new weaponized attachments made specifically for the cartoon!

For all the creative liberties AoStH took, the Egg-O-Matic was a very faithful adaptation of the game's concept, and it was really cool how they continued the tradition of its adaptability with new weapons as the series progressed.

Sonic OVA

A ship obviously inspired by the Eggmobile, but only ever called "Dr. Eggman's ship" in the dialog. It's mainly used as a mode of transportation rather than an attack vessel, though Eggman does memorably shoot down the Tornado with one of its rabbit missiles.

He also gives Sera a lift in it, at her request. Aww, how sweet of him!

Sonic X

X's Eggmobile has wings and spike-like protrusion at the bottom, along with the familiar color scheme and caution-tape setup. Usually just a transportation device for Eggman, as he rarely battles with it, with or without attachable weapons.

Notably, in the SA2 adaption of the show, he never goes into the games' walker mode, and simply floats and flies to his destinations.

Naming Conventions
One final matter to clear up is the subject of the Eggmobile's name.

In a model sheet for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the ship is only referred to as "Eggman's Mobile."

Meanwhile, AoStH and Archie had taken to calling this the "Egg-O-Matic Hovercraft", a name that the fandom has embraced even to this day.

Sonic Adventure's sound test refers to the ship in the various boss themes as the Eggmobile, the first in-game reference to this name. However, even before this, earlier entries in the series had also used the name "Eggmobile" in official reference materials in Japan, with the formatting usually "Eggmobile (Name of Mech)." There are exceptions to this of course, as the mechs in Sonic 2 were officially named with a "(Something) Eggman" format, such as Drill Eggman, Water Eggman, Hammer Eggman, etc.

I've seen the term "Eggpod" thrown around by the fanbase a good bit, but I'm not sure if there was ever an official reference to this name. Any word on that?

Conclusion
I know it's an odd topic, but I find the evolution of this machine an interesting one. Eggmobiles have been in the series since day one, and they continue to serve as an iconic constant in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

So... discuss the Eggmobile and its many derivatives here.

 

I think what he's getting at is that Old Man's ship resembles Eggmobile design conventions far more than Eggman's own ship does in the OVA. The shape, color scheme, etc. are all closer to the game designs than the bulky purple hovercraft Eggman himself drives.