Virtually every fan growing up with Transformers in the 80s was drawn to its unique aesthetic, which brought an alien world of shape-shifting cars and jets and other things to undeniable, imagination-stoking life. One of the most striking visual anchors for Generation 1 was the classic back-of-box mural depicting Autobots and Decepticons waging a pitched battle in space.
Schleinkofer recently passed away on April 20, 2025, of Lou Gehrig's disease, as reported by comics website downthetubes.net, from which many of these images are mirrored.
Schleinkofer's signature airbrushed style graced many works in the 70s and 80s, and he left his visually immersive mark on various franchises, including Battlestar Galactica, Sim City, and Robotech. His art also saw publication in the likes of Asimov Sci-Fi Magazine and Cosmopolitan. In the 90s, his work shifted more toward fine art and landscapes, as well as paperback covers via commission.
An interview with Schleinkofer was shared in 2013 on the alt.toys.transformers group, and can still be checked out.
You can check out David Schleinkofer's Flickr page here.
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