[sto_vo_kor_2000]

Originally Posted by The Lizard

But there's not really any "smoking gun" I can find with that painting that's a single obvious design source.

So when all is said and done, I'm afraid I can't state for sure the origin and purpose of those robot paintings.

Thanks for the try bud.

Originally Posted by The Lizard

However, I will offer a couple final opinions about what those paintings are NOT...

They are NOT unused Takara designs for the Transformers line.

I knew that....with out trying to sound like a prick...theres very little I dont know about Transformers.

Originally Posted by The Lizard

Reasons:2. The alt modes in the paintings are all futuristic, non-realistic looking vehicles. In early 1985, the Transformers vehicle modes were still mostly based on normal earth machines (not counting the Dinobots and Insecticons of course)

Your forgetting about the "Jumpstarters".

Originally Posted by The Lizard

They are NOT designs for Takara robot toys that were going to be released in Japan in 1985. Reasons:

1. My main argument centers on this particular painting:


That basic robot form and particularly the vehicle form are totally recognizable as Daimos...

Daimos truck design and anime scene

There's simply no way that Takara could get away with a licensed design that looked so much like a well-known and unique vehicle from a pre-existing series. Not only in Japan is that true, but also in the US, where Daimos had been imported by Bandai/Popy as both a Shogun Warrior in 1979 and a Godaikin in 1983. Americans would have been fooled by the minor design changes of course, but not the Japanese. I don't think Bandai would have let Takara use such a similar design in either country.

That one I'm not so sure about.

Its one of my guesses that the painting may have been part of a presentation for selling the design and likeness to Takara.

Originally Posted by The Lizard

That's my Japanese robot-geek's opinion, anyway.

Again thanks.