Reference sketch gallery

Neither Jim nor I could afford a VCR in early 1983, so we banked on the kindness of our friend Steve Harrison, who DID have one and had recorded the TV series. One afternoon we went through them and Steve would hit pause and I sketched like crazy before any...

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Deform catalog 1

They’ve been branded by many names over the decades: Super Deformed, Robo-chan, Choro-Q, and others. Over time, the blanket term “deform” has settled in as a reference point. It’s a classification for representations of a character or mecha that in some way distorts the original image, usually for cute/comedic effect....

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Deform catalog 2

Bandai Converge figure series, 2016 Scopedog Turbo Custom Bloodsucker 6-type A.T. set 5PRO Studio Robonimo figure series, 2018 Scopedog with Chirico Scopedog, Melkia colors Scopedog with Round Mover Scopedog Red Shoulder Custom with Vanilla Scopedog Turbo Custom Brutishdog with Fyana Bloodsucker with Ypsilon ArtStorm/Beaver B2FIVE figure series, 2019 Scopedog with...

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Deform catalog 3

Kotobukiya D-Style model kits, 2014 Scopedog Turbo Custom, Sunsa War Chirico type Scopedog Turbo Custom, Sunsa War Gregor/Baiman/Muza type Burglarydog Scopedog Berkoff Squad type from Pailsen Files, with Pailsen figure Cavico Choypla Series model kits, 2020 Scopedog Scopedog in Melkia colors Scopedog, tan version Scopedog, clear version Scopedog Red Shoulder...

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General products

When you think Votoms merch, the Armored Troopers jump right to the top as the most obvious products, whether they be toys or model kits. But there’s plenty more gas in the tank, as this wide variety of goods will demonstrate. All of these were released after the year 2000....

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Takara-Tomy products

When you give Armored Trooper Votoms more than a passing glance, you quickly find the Takara toy and hobby company built into its DNA. The concept itself originated as a joint production of Sunrise and Takara to generate toy and model kit sales. Takara released cutting-edge versions of both during...

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Modern garage kit catalog, Part 2

Hanketsuya through Nori Motors 1/60 Diving Beetle, Hanketsuya 1/24 Pentatrooper rifle, Hanketsuya 1/24 Shoulder Missile Pod, Hanketsuya 1/20 Solid Shooter, Hobby Japan 1/35 Erdspinne, 1/35 Order Buckler, Illusion 1/35 Bloodsucker, Imbecile 1/35 Masquerade Kong, Iron Fitting 1/35 Zwerg, Jinchiku 38cm (14.5″) soft vinyl Scopedog, Jungle 1/24 Light Scopedog, Junk Box...

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Supreme Survivor graphic novel, 1997

In the year 1986, it was my dream to one day draw a for-real Armored Trooper Votoms comic book series. I developed one and put a lot of it on paper (see it here) before abandoning that dream as untenable. There just wasn’t a path to make it happen. Ten...

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Defenseless City manga, Act 5

Story by Hiroshi Yamaguchi Art by Fumiaki Shibata Read Act 1 here Read Act 2 here Read Act 3 here Read Act 4 here Originally published in Cyber Comix Vol. 46 and 47 (Bandai, September & October 1992) To preserve better reproduction quality, these pages were scanned from the collected...

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Actic Gear toys by Takara-Tomy

Debuting in July 2005, Actic Gear was by far the biggest line of Votoms toys made by anyone, culminating in more than 50. By rendering them in 1/48 scale (just over 3″ tall), they landed in a sweet spot for maker and user alike: they were small enough to keep...

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Modern garage kit catalog, Part 1

Here you will witness an impossible task. The world of Votoms garage kits is so vast and deep, it may literally be impossible to catalog. When I decided to make a go of it, I dug into every online archive I could find and came up with over 550 individual...

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Tim Eldred art gallery

I’ve had the tremendous luck of having created Votoms art as both an amateur and a professional, from ‘zines and APAs to comics and box art. The full range is collected here, except for interior comic book pages – which I’ll get to in another article.   Fanzine cover, 1985....

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