Homage

Everybody knows where this art comes from.

In fan terminology, an homage is an item featuring design elements specifically and intentionally resembling previous works. This could come in the form of a newer toy resembling a legacy character or a comic cover parodying an iconic one for example. Sometimes, toy homages are given different names from their predecessors if the rights to the name are lost via trademark murkiness, or if the name has already been applied to a non-homage toy within the same series.

Conversely, in order to protect trademarked names, Hasbro and Takara often reuse the same names repeatedly, often on very different toys or very different characters within the official fiction. Since use of the term "homage" within the fandom is almost exclusively in reference to visual similarities, these name reuses alone are not considered homages.

Examples

Internal homages

Toys

The following is an extremely non-exhaustive list of toys that visually reference older characters. Because characters that share a name are often given homage decoes, this list focuses on toys that do not also share a name. Generally speaking, only one example is given for any particular toyline. For information on other toys, see the relevant character page.

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  Scavenger homages the Constructicons.
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  Wheeljack's design homages Sideswipe.
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  Inferno's deco homages Red Alert.
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  King Atlas was originally intended to homage Dai Atlas.
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  Downshift's design homages Wheeljack.
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  Energon Skyblast's design homages Generation 1 Jetfire.
• Shockblast's design homages Shockwave.
  Shockblast's design homages Shockwave.
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  Brakedown GTS homages Kup.
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  Cybertron Smokescreen is actually a double homage: While his deco is (obviously) based on Generation 1 Smokescreen, his robot mode, especially the colors of the helmet, is based on Action Master Rad.
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  Cryo Scourge's paint scheme is somewhat reminiscent of Cryotek.
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  The Japanese exclusive Chromia White Version homages the Super-God Masterforce character Minerva.
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  Fracture homages the GoBots character Crasher.
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  Booster X10 homages Generation 1 Laserbeak.
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  Backtrack would have homaged the GoBots character Night Ranger.
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  Reverb homages Inferno.
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  You might think Nightbeat homages the Generation 1 character of the same name, but he's actually decoed to look like Packrat.
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  At Toy Fair 2010, Hasbro declared that Transformers (2010) Hailstorm was designed as an homage to Generation 2 Mindset.
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  Firetrap's color scheme homages Generation 1 Brawn.
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  Shattered Glass Starscream's color scheme homages Jetfire.
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  Shattered Glass Thundercracker's neon color scheme is a homage to his Generation 1 self's European Action Master toy.
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  Ultra Magnus was redecoed as an homage to Roadbuster.
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  Breacher's overall design and colour scheme are based on the ATV Micromaster base. He was even listed as Groundshaker, the ATV's driver, at one point.
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  Darksteel homages Quickstrike.
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  Over-Run homages Drag Strip.
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  Dead End homages his fellow Stunticon Wildrider.
• Hyperspeed Wheeljack homages the pre-Transformers Diaclone toy that would later inspire Exhaust.
  Hyperspeed Wheeljack homages the pre-Transformers Diaclone toy that would later inspire Exhaust.
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  Shattered Glass Treadshot Homages Armada Side Swipe.
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  Megatron was retooled as an homage to the Sharkticons.
• Cryofire Predaking's color scheme was (seemingly) inspired by Cryo Scourge.
  Cryofire Predaking's color scheme was (seemingly) inspired by Cryo Scourge.
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  Cloud Roadbuster was designed as an homage to Energon Ironhide.
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  Platinum Edition Blitzwing's color scheme homages Flywheels.
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  Daburu homages the Beastformer White Leo, right down to the eye patch.
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  Magna Convoy homages Diaclone Powered Convoy…
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  …and so does Delta Magnus.
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  Ultra Magnus's vehicle mode homages Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus.

Comic book and other artwork

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  The beginning...
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  ...not really the end (despite the title)...
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  ...the end...
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  ...another beginning...
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  ...Oh come on.
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  ...and (almost) the end...again.
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  It's at least in scale now.
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  Fight for the king, For the hammer and the ring, Fight for the ancient story.
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  Fight 'til we die, In a battle in the sky, Fight all the foes before thee.
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  How to introdump and mean it.
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  How to homage and mean it.
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  Guest appearance...
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  ...and fully-fledged crossover.
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  Iconic...
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  ...subtle...
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  ...derivative...
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  ...grammatically challenged.
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  Classic...
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  ...celebratory...
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  ...commemorative...
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  ...rather random...
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  ...faithful...
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  ...par for the course...
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  ...borderline parodic.
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  Just like old times.
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  Disposing of an old toy...
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  ...working out the kinks for a new one.
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  A-hunting we will go, A-hunting we will go, Heigh-ho, the derry-o, A-hunting we will go.
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  Objection!!!
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  Open, dammit, open!
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  Oops, broke it.
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  Eye of the Storm...
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  ...Eye of the Club?
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  Alas, poor Bludgeon...
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  ...really?
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  We never knew him.
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  It's Starscream's turn now.
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  An iconic battle...
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  ...and a massive callback, many years later.
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  The ending of said iconic battle...
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  ...and the callback's ending.
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  This is a weird road...
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  ...what, no giant gun overlooking the valley from atop?
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  The Scraplets got wet! They're completely useless now!
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  Sometimes homages tell a lot about a character...
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  ...while other times, they're just done for the sake of it.
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  Journey's end mirroring its beginning.
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  Borrowing from the same inspiration as the "Alas, poor Bludgeon" cover...
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  ...while this one specifically references many elements otherwise unique to the previous image.
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  It's the nature of time, That the old ways must give in.
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  It's the nature of time, That the new ways comes in sin.
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  When the new meets the old, It always end the ancient ways.
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  Choked!
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  Choking!
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  Choked again!
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  Choking again!
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  They're the best there is at what they do...
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  ... but what they do isn't very nice.
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  The original...
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  ...the reaction...
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  ...and the imitation.
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  You are indeed brave, good Sir Knight, but the fight is mine.
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  Oohh, had enough, eh?
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  Look, you stupid bastard, you've got no arms left!
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  PEACE THROUGH
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  BOTTOM TEXT
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  This is slightly obscure.
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  This is even more obscure...
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  ...but hailing from the same country probably helps.
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  Did you know that Teal'c is a Shockwave fan?
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  He goes to so many garage sales.
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  This is also extremely obscure...
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  ...and to be perfectly honest, a French flag would have made a little bit more sense.
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  Prime needs to work on his aim.
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  I always thought Blurr was a bit of a pirate at heart.
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  Raindrops keep fallin' on my head.
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  But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red.
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  Galvatron's dream of a planetary disco is achieved.
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  ALL HAIL GOLDBUG!
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  A classic Generation 2
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  A Generation 2 Classic

Homages to external properties

Not every reference in Transformers fiction is an homage to an older series or character; Transformers fiction references external brands as well. Such references often take the form of comic covers or interior panels that bear an intentional visual similarity to classic or well-known comics or films, though this is by no means a hard and fast rule. Below are some notable examples:

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  Marvel UK started with an homage right with its second issue, homaging the cover of EC Comics's Weird Science #16.
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  When there's something strange in... southern Peru...? Susan Hoffman's assistants look a lot like The Real Ghostbusters.
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  One of the few instances where the "external property" element (in this case Marvel's 25th Anniversary frame) actually appears on a Transformers cover itself.
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  A direct homage to the Transformers cover...
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  ...whereas this one specifically homages the cover of Marvel's Thor #373, which also featured the 25th Anniversary frame.
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  The cover of Transformers: The Wreckers No. 1, in which the various character poses are meant to evoke the cover of Marvel Comics' Giant-Size X-Men #1.
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  The cover of Dreamwave's Armada #18 homages the cover of Marvel's Uncanny X-Men #135 by John Byrne, which itself homages the cover of X-Men #56 by Neal Adams.
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  The New Dimension Comics exclusive cover of Infiltration #1, which homages the cover of Marvel's Fantastic Four #1. Fantastic Formers?
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  The cover of The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye #1, homaging DC's Justice League #1, in which everyone is grumpy because Rodimus pushed them out of the way and hogged the group shot.
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  You really thought they stopped there?
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  Hey, DC themselves homaged and parodied the hell out of this one too ([1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]), so why not?
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  It's Over! Finished!
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  It never ends.
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  The Apocalypse Comics exclusive cover of IDW's All Hail Megatron #1, in which Megatron royally pisses off the Joker by imitating him.
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  Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 29 referencing the poster for Up.
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  Pawns of the White Queen Lord Imperious Delirious. Homage to Marvel's The New Mutants vol. 1 #39.
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  The Apocalypse Comics exclusive cover of IDW's All Hail Megatron #12, in which Megatron gives up being a... superhero?
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  The New York Comic-Con exclusive cover of IDW's The Transformers #12, in which Sideswipe throws the most awkward punch ever, and First Aid pets invisible dogs.
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  I wish they all could be California girls.
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  Not actually the Prime Syndicate of Seibertron.
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  Who put this thing together? Me, that's who! Who do I trust? Me!
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  I don't think there's one word that can describe a man's life.
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  He has a point.
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  Me Grimlock no get chaos theory.
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  Clearly indication that a sequel will happen.
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  He lives in the negative space.
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  Brought to you by the GODDAMN Miller.
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  That one time Rob Liefeld doesn't blatantly swipe someone else's art, but instead does a straightforward homage with the original artist credited...and it's himself.
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  Starscream homaging issue #16 of The Immortal Hulk
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  Not really the Official Handbook of the Hasbro Universe.
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  Still, at least they actually got John Byrne himself to do it.
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  Still running...
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  ...more running...
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  ...and it's a wrap.

Real life

Sometimes it's not a fictional scene that's being homaged, but a photo or event from real life, or from real life iconography.

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  Homaging the iconic World War II photo "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima".
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  Homaging the iconic Uncle Sam "I want you for U.S. Army" World War II recruitment poster.
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  Homaging a poster from Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.
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  Homaging the music video of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by the English rock band Queen (though the original version of this pose was the cover of their second album, Queen II, photographed by Mick Rock).
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  Homaging the cover of the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie.
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  Homaging the cover of the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles.
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  Homaging the cover of the single "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden.
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  Homaging the cover of the album The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.
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  Homaging the cover of the album Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf.
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  Homaging the layout of a magazine.
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  Homaging Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci.
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  Homaging Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci.
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  Homaging the appearance of a Silver Age cover.
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