>>6025908A lot of Transformers concept art is done by Chinese concept artists, actually.
Anyway,I think a lot of this busyness that comes in these modern designs is due to all of them being created through digital concept art. Back in the day of creating these designs on paper, there where limits to what you could do comfortably, or would want to do. They where also limited by what could be replicated by special effects. Nowadays an artist can just duplicate any bit they want over and over withou having to actually redraw it again. this is why you see so many designs covered in textures and patterns.
i'm guessing whoever did the concept art for the Mastodon or Triceratops submitted a couple exploratory drawings, and in one of them they where playing around with legs and made it look like it had multiple ones, maybe trying to do sort of an "living tank tread" look. Then whoever was in charge of art direction liked this and encouraged it. But thats just a guess.
