Mark Watts is an artist known for many of the original pieces of artwork seen on Transformers Generation 1 toy boxes. He is still active producing artwork of all kinds, working his TableArt Transforming Tables system, and doing commissions. He recently shared a new commission piece with us and since it had a really strong G1 vibe going, we decided to share it along to everyone else. The piece features G1 Devastator fighting his nemesis Omega Supreme – hovering out in space with tons of 80s vibes and laser blasts like you’d see on some original G1 box backs.
The even cooler thing about the piece is it was done using the same methods as the original – hand painted with acrylic and airbrush. So it really is dead on to the original art from our favorite toy line. You can see pics of each step to his process creating this after the break.
After that, head on over to Mark Watts website for some signed prints, to inquire about your own commission, or just check out his catalog of work! – www.markwattsstudios.com
Information from Mark Watts:
Mark Watts is the original G1 Transformer artist from 1981 and beyond. He illustrated about 50 boxes and related Transformer art.
New commissioned Transformer art just completed by Mark Watts in the traditional hand painted and airbrush style with acrylic paint. The same old school technique that was used on all the other Transformer art by Mark Watts.Title: Construction Devastator VS Omega Supreme
Commissions welcomed.
SMOG
The toy culture of the 80s was a kind of golden age. I mean, we have some great toys now… but the distribution and variety aren't quite there.
I mean, on top of all the imitators and OTHER toy lines… just think about how BRIEF the first generation of Transformers really was. How many figures came out in just a few short years? It's very different now.
zmog
JackKnife
Wish they would have that stuff again…really miss aisles of transforming robots that didn't look like they were made out of junkyard parts and broken glass.
RKillian
It seems to me, from seeing what he sells at his booth a few times, the telltale sign is how weirdly distorted it is. The minibots and Stunticons are prime examples. Most of my favorite art from the early years is recycled/recolored Diaclone art.
SMOG
I think you misunderstand… that was my entire point. I was at an age where giant robots, Japanese cartoons, and art styles were very serious business.
Remember, at that time, import and KO robot toys were in all the stores, so kids were seeing all sorts of "rebranded" stuff. Radio Shack's Galactic Man, Space Tank, Lion-Bot, Convertors, Cassette Man, Diakron/Diaclone KOs, and tons of model kits from anime series we'd never seen translated. Even before Transformers came out, I'd already seen how my Robot Machine Men Cycle-Man and Tank-Man had become subsumed into Tonka's Go-Bots.
Battletech had already been a thing (with all it's lifted mechs) since 1984. Robotech came to America in 1985, and with it also came a wider understanding that Hasbro had just been borrowing all these awesome robot designs from Japanese originals.
So kids like me had a general idea that all these robot designs were coming from somewhere else. At the time, I began to realize that my Construction Set was an a copy of the original Japanese version. It clearly had nicer art, while the Mark Watts Constructicons were simplified copies.
The Japanese original art is almost always totally superior to the US box-art. Between the clumsy art in the Marvel comics, and with all the robot KOs flooding toy shelves (often with the original art) I started to recognize that Japanese artists just had a better "robot sense".
Also interesting that the awesome KO Construction Set box-art came before the Devastator boxset, so I was exposed to it before the derivative Mark Watts version of Devastator was released on the market.
zmog
jacranky
Yeah, I would scroll up a few posts. That Construction vehicle robot art was originally Diaclone art by a Japanese artist that was then repurposed for your KO box set; not Mark Watts’ art. You can also tell because the styles are extremely different.
I have a Diaclone box set from when I was in Japan when I was a kid and it has that same art. This was well before Mark Watts coming into the picture.
cj37a
Very G1 Diaclonish. Very nice.
Fafnir72
I misundertood too. And yup, the originals are really Epic despite it's simplicity.
SMOG
I remember once around 1985 I was in a toy aisle. One one side were the Constructicons individually carded.
Directly opposite them on the other side was the KO Diaclone "Six-In-One Construction Set" which cost less than half the price for a full set. The box-art of each Constructicon was basically the same, except looking carefully, you could really see how the box-art on the Diaclone set was much more subtle, carefully painted, and comfortable. I was a bit perplexed why a KO would have superior art (not to mention that killer image of Devastator combined). At that point, it hadn't occurred to me that some guy was basically copying the original artwork… except more rigid, and with thicker, clumsier lines.
I bought the KO set.
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zmog
Bass X0
Sorry. I didn't call the two box-art battles from 1985 that I posted amateurish. Those are ones I think are of high quality when it comes to 1980s box-art. I'm coming across negative against him here, but I just don't care much for the new art. Going through the character art on botchthecrab.com, I'm pretty sure he did the late 80s artwork as well even though they are not on his website as having been done by him. He definitely improved a lot by 1987 but there are noticeable tiers to the quality of his artwork.
SMOG
I have to say… I never enjoyed this guy's art.
Even as a 10-year-old kid back in the day, I could tell the difference between original Japanese art and the US box art, which almost always lacked panache.
That is to say, I was a child, and I still knew it sucked.
zmog
microclone
that's just awesome, I'm nostalgic for it already.
Dormamu
My childhood just went 'squee'. Simply the best IMO.
Fafnir72
Was this an Oops? Emphasis on the bold red.
bradforj
Am I the only one who wants to see Mr. Watts do a piece depicting the first year Beast Wars toys battling it out?
Sovietbot
Diaclones Jumpstarters box arts.
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Greenspan
This is ALL KINDS of AMAZING!!!
The lucky owner of this commission is VERY lucky
Final Knight
I agree. People say that G1 character designs would look unrealistic if they were adapted to live-action form, but in truth, that "unrealness" is exactly what makes them alien and "beyond your wildest imagination".
blaine71274
I would love to have professional prints / copies of all of the box art.
toonbot
35 years have past and Mr. Watts is still Gggeeeeeeeeee1 accurate! Major props to the guy, a legend in my book.