Artists on the Vintage Packaging Question.

[jmb410s]

Is there a thread/website/list that tells the artist/artists of the packaging for all the Vintage Toys. I purchased all of Rudy Obrero's prints for Castle Grayskull ect but was wondering who did things like Eternia, Snake Mountain and the Horde Playset?

[Mantisaur82]

Please let me know if I made some errors or left out something. Also I would be very grateful if someone could inform us about the artists who did box art for dinosaurs and Monstroid.

box art by William George:

Battle Bones
Bashasaur
Dragon Walker
Land Shark
Land Shark & Battle Armor Skeletor
Road Ripper
Road Ripper & Battle Armor He-Man
BattleCat & battle Armor He-Man
Panthor & battle Armor Skeletor
Scubattack
Tower Tools
Cliff Climber
Beam Blaster & Artilleray
Snake Mountain
Fright Zone
Eternia
Slime Pit
Spydor
Fright Fighter
Night Stalker & Jitsu
Blaster Hawk
Laser Bolt
Roton
Hordak & Grizzlor
Tytus
Megator

box art by Rudy Obrero:

Jet Sled & He-Man
Flying Fist He-Man & Terror Claws Skeletor
Battle For Eternia giftset
Screech
Screech & Skeletor
Zoar
Zoar & Teela
Point Dread & Talon Fighter
Night Stalker
Strydor
Strydor & Fisto
Wind Raider
Wind Raider & He-Man
Battle Ram
Attak Track
Panthor
Panthor & Skeletor
Battle Cat
Vattle Cat & He-Man
Castle Grayskull

box art by Joe Chiodo:

Mantisaur


box art by Larry Elmore:

MONOGRAM model kit Attak Track
MONOGRAM model kit Talon Fighter
MONOGRAM model kit Roton


I dont know who did box art for:

Bionatops (could be William George?)
Tyrantysaurus rex (could be William George?)
Tyrbodactyl (could be William George?)
Monstroid (????)

[Matthew L. Martin]

box art by ELMORE ???:

MONOGRAM model kit Attak Track
MONOGRAM model kit Talon Fighter
MONOGRAM model kit Roton

That would probably be Larry Elmore, who did a lot of work for TSR around that same time. And his website says that he did some work for Monogram and Mattel.

[Mantisaur82]

Yeah that is Larry Elmore, he was mentioned here as well.

http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/...scussion/page4

I agree, the name originally had me thinking something TOTALLY diffrent!
So when the vintage MOTU Monogram Model kit box cover illustration Pilots turned up I WAS THRILLED!!!

I have ALWAYS loved these pieces of artwork by Larry Elmore! I cant wait to have these figures to replace my customs of them I had made.

[TOKYONEVER]

box art by William George:

Battle Bones
Bashasaur
Dragon Walker
Land Shark
Land Shark & Battle Armor Skeletor
Road Ripper
Road Ripper & Battle Armor He-Man
BattleCat & battle Armor He-Man
Panthor & battle Armor Skeletor
Scubattack
Tower Tools
Cliff Climber
Beam Blaster & Artilleray
Snake Mountain
Fright Zone
Eternia
Slime Pit
Spydor
Fright Fighter
Night Stalker & Jitsu
Blaster Hawk
Laser Bolt
Roton
Hordak & Grizzlor
Tytus
Megator

box art by Rudy Obrero:

Jet Sled & He-Man
Flying Fist He-Man & Terror Claws Skeletor
Battle For Eternia giftset
Screech
Screech & Skeletor
Zoar
Zoar & Teela
Point Dread & Talon Fighter
Night Stalker
Strydor
Strydor & Fisto
Wind Raider
Wind Raider & He-Man
Battle Ram
Attak Track
Panthor
Panthor & Skeletor
Battle Cat
Vattle Cat & He-Man
Castle Grayskull

box art by Joe Chiodo:

Mantisaur


box art by Larry Elmore:

MONOGRAM model kit Attak Track
MONOGRAM model kit Talon Fighter
MONOGRAM model kit Roton


I dont know who did box art for:

Bionatops (could be William George?)
Tyrantysaurus rex (could be William George?)
Tyrbodactyl (could be William George?)
Monstroid (????)

Other artists than Rudy and George worked on the vintage packaging artworks, your list is not complete.
The year 1983 is a mystery for me, because Rudy already stopped to work with Mattel and George was not again on the road with the Motu line.
Packages like Battle Armor Skeletor/Screeech, Battle for Eternia, Skeletor/Screeech, Teela/Zoar, Skeletor Panthor, Panthor etc are not made by Rudy or George for sure.
An example, I took a closed scan of a part of the Battle Armor Skeletor Screeech Giftset's artwork and you will see the sign on it (this illustration is also signed, as the ones of Rudy & George... but not by them):


I was also thinking at the begining that all the packagings from the year 1983 were made by Rudy, but when I shown to him the packages of Battle For Eternia & Skeletor/Panthor he directly said to me: "he he, these ones are not made by me" lol
The Art style is very similar but it was really an other guy (guys?)
Concerning the sign that I am showing in picture, we can read something like: "Bart Don", "Bart Dor", "Bart Dan" etc, I tried many times to find a similar name on google to find an old artist working for Mattel by the past, but impossible, I can't say clearely who was this guy.

Also, about the end of the line, a lot of packages were made by an other artist than George William, but same thing, on my side I never find who exactly.
Take a look at the He-Man/Jet Sled, Flying Fists He-Man/Terror Claws Skeletor, Monstroid, Tyrantisaurus, Bionatops, Turbodactyl packagings etc all of them got a different art style than George William for sure.

Last thing about the mysterious artist of the year '83, I asked to Rudy if he was linked by the past with the next artist working on the packagings and he said not, he had no idea who he was also.

[Jukka]

When I last asked Rudy about all the artworks he remembers working on, here's what he had to say:

Hi Jukka,
Yes, I did

Castle Grayskull boxart
Battle Cat boxart
Wind Raider boxart 2 versions
Battle Ram boxart
Attack Trak
Screech

I think I did a Zoar package also although I can't remember for sure.

I did not know the other illustrators at all.
Hope this helps a little.

[TOKYONEVER]

About Zoar, true, you can see the R.Obrero sign on the artwork:


Concerning the Teela/Zoar Artwork, Zoar illustrated is a copy of the Rudy one but different (less detailed), it is why I am thinking that this one is not from Rudy (+ no sign on this one)


About Screeech I had no idea about Rudy worked on, thx for this info Jukka.

Also take a look on that for comparaison:

And now the Skeletor/Screeech Artwork, as you can see it is not the same artstyle at all, what I was explaining, the artist was not rudy on most of the 1983 boxes:

And the Battle Armor Skeletor/Screech did by, I think, an other guy again, the one I am speaking in my previous message:

[Tallstar]

I'm curious to hear who the "mystery artist" is that Emiliano mentioned a few weeks back on his blog. Apparently he created 4-5 times more art for MOTU than William George and Rudy Obrero combined.

[Mantisaur82]

WOW! This is great! There were even more artists tan you could tell by the art styles...some of them copy the others style very successfully... I thought that those fine differences are result of artist development (evolution of style) not different artists.

Can someone confirm that Spydor box art is done by William George? That's my favorite MOTU artwork and I really want to know who is the author.

[mexicantoys]

What about the back of the figures package

battle-armor-heman_cross_se.jpg

[beastor]

I actually went down to Rudy's studio to pick up some prints I bought from him. He showed me the original box art proofs he had from the 80s. One of them was a Screeech 2-pack (I can't remember if it was regular or BA Skeletor but I think it was the regular version). He told me that he actually had one of the first Screeech prototypes that Mattel gave him for reference but he lost it! He also showed me the original Attak Trak proof - I wish he was selling prints of that one!

Oh and I brought the Commerative Panthor and Skeletor set from from 2001 for him to sign. He told me he didn't do that artwork - he did sign the He-man and Battle Cat one for me.

[Jukka]

I'm curious to hear who the "mystery artist" is that Emiliano mentioned a few weeks back on his blog. Apparently he created 4-5 times more art for MOTU than William George and Rudy Obrero combined.

I believe Emiliano was actually referring to Errol McCarthy, who drew the He-Man cardback-art, Skeletor cardback-art and
most likely the Mattel PR-images such as this:



Errol worked at Mattel already on their Big Jim line.

[TOKYONEVER]

Regarding better the Skeletor/screeech #regular artwork, I think it is totaly right, Rudy did it, thx a lot for this info beastor

[Monteeg]

I was wondering...do you know if artists like William George and Rudy Obrero created art boxes for other toy series ?

I was seeing Bravestarr's Fort Kerium box art and it remembers me William George work...

[TOKYONEVER]

Rudy stopped to work with Mattel in 1982 (or 1983, not sure), I personaly never asked to him if I did more things for Mattel than Motu.
William George did a lot of artworks for other toylines, the most of the Bravestarr's artworks are from him, the most part for Captain Power also, Clash of Titans, Big Jim etc (I am speaking about "front" packaging illustrations of course)

[Monteeg]

Rudy stopped to work with Mattel in 1982 (or 1983, not sure), I personaly never asked to him if I did more things for Mattel than Motu.
William George did a lot of artworks for other toylines, the most of the Bravestarr's artworks are from him, the most part for Captain Power also, Clash of Titans, Big Jim etc (I am speaking about "front" packaging illustrations of course)

Thanks for your answer !

So, maybe I was right about Bravestarr's playset artwork.
His illustrations always inspired me...

[King Criss79]

I actually went down to Rudy's studio to pick up some prints I bought from him. He showed me the original box art proofs he had from the 80s. One of them was a Screeech 2-pack (I can't remember if it was regular or BA Skeletor but I think it was the regular version). He told me that he actually had one of the first Screeech prototypes that Mattel gave him for reference but he lost it! He also showed me the original Attak Trak proof - I wish he was selling prints of that one!

Oh and I brought the Commerative Panthor and Skeletor set from from 2001 for him to sign. He told me he didn't do that artwork - he did sign the He-man and Battle Cat one for me.

Very cool that you got to visit Rudy at his studio. I would love to make a stop there one day to see what he has "laying around." Doesn't seem like he has any different prints for sale either.. Just to touch up on this topic someone at one of the panels that worked for Mattel mentioned Rudy "dropped the ball"on the Attak-Trak painting and they were looking in a different direction. Anyways would still love to own a print of that piece.

[mexicantoys]

Anyone here knows if Rudy works in any Heman Movie poster?

[Penny Dreadful]

The unreleased Gyrattacker box art (courtesy of Grayskullmuseum.com). Guessing the painted art was done by William George?

[oICEMANo]

Anyone here knows if Rudy works in any Heman Movie poster?

The classic Masters movie poster was painted by the master Drew Struzan

[mexicantoys]

The classic Masters movie poster was painted by the master Drew Struzan

Thanks for the help, it looks like Mr. Obrero never painted any of the heman movie posters

[musclor.fr.st]

I remember seeing a picture where you see Rudy OBRERO holding a movie poster. And if I remember the note written below, it was written that OBRERO designed it. Unfortunatly I can't put my hands on it. I think it was a picture taken by the crew of the "Toy Masters" documentary

[Jukka]

I too remember seeing that Rudy had done a poster for the live-action movie. But it was just never used.

[musclor.fr.st]

Thank you Jukka, it was this one!

[mexicantoys]

OHHH , I knew I was right but it look more like a sketch than a final paint, wow anyway is awesome thanks for the help

L U I S

Ps... So this picture is from a ducumentary?

I too remember seeing that Rudy had done a poster for the live-action movie. But it was just never used.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n..._1555496_n.jpg