I had always drawn a lot of pictures as a young boy. I would copy things I enjoyed. Playing with Transformers and G.I.Joe was really fun in the mid 80's. Everything was coming to age. With the development of better manufacturing methods and equipment, high tech was beginning to become more affordable. It is also always in high demand. Electronics we a new commodity . Plastic toys were flooding the market. These new toys were pretty sophisticated compared to early toys. The detail and movability was getting pretty good. One my fondest memories as a child was playing with G.I. Joe toys. I would try to replicate the cover art. I would also try to illustrate my own versions of the very impressive front panel cover art. Action figures we very sought after. They were advertised all the time and were mainstream toys. The originals now can be worth quite a bit of money. Mcfarlane toys were popular at the turn of the century. His comic book line Spawn turned into a successful movie. There are some very impressive toys in 2018. Some manufacturers that I am following are Iron Studios and Hot Toys. These toys are amazing. Some priced over a thousand dollars.
One of my favorite action figures was the Hasbro's 1987 Battle Android Trooper or B.A.T.S. He was really cool. One of my first more developed illustrations was of this character. I drew a picture of another character a year earlier called Zandar. He was like this swamp mercenary. The first illustration was not bad for a inspired 9 year old. My inability to copy some of the more difficult parts is clearly scene. Drawing B.A.T.S. a year later was great. I was very pleased with the second go around. Not many mistakes and it is a fairly decent render. I will always love this drawing.
Thanks for viewing
