Takio Ejima

Takio Ejima (江島 多規男 Ejima Takio) (born June 6, 1964) is a designer at TakaraTomy. His first product at Takara was Crazybird from the "Flower Rock" series, and after joining the Overseas Transformers Product team in the Boys Enterprise department, he single-handedly created the all European Transformers during the period when the American Transformers line ended, until the advent of Beast Wars. After the Beast Wars Metals (the Japanese release of the Transmetals Beast Wars figures), he moved to the Girls Toy Department, but came back to Transformers during the Energon line. According to fellow designer Takashi Kunihiro, Ejima is "The man who created the most transforming robot toys in the world".

Ejima is credited with coming up with the idea of the extensive use of ball joints seen towards the end of the Generation 2 toyline as a means of making toys more durable, thus complying with more rigorous safety standards. His idea opened up possibilities of robot toys with extensive articulation.

Toys that Takio Ejima is known to have had a hand in designing

Generation 1

1991

Action Master figures

• Bombshell
• Charger
• Powerflash
• Sideswipe
• Take-Off
• Tracks

Exo-Suit Action Masters

• Circuit
• Thundercracker

Motorized Exo-Suit Action Masters

• Rumbler
• Slicer

Action Master Elites

• Double Punch
• Omega Spreem
• Turbo Master
• Windmill

1992

Turbomasters

• Boss
• Flash
• Hurricane
• Scorch
• Rotorstorm
• Thunder Clash

Predators

• Falcon
• Skydive
• Snare
• Talon
• Stalker
• Skyquake

1993

Obliterators

• Pyro
• Clench

Axelerators

• Turbofire
• Rapido
• Skram
• Windbreaker

Skyscorchers

• Eagle Eye
• Afterburner
• Terradive
• Windrazor

Aquaspeeders

• Aquafend
• Deluge
• Jetstorm
• Speedstream

Stormtroopers

• Aquablast
• Drench
• Hydradread
• Rage

Lightformers

• Deftwing
• Ironfist

Trakkons

• Calcar
• Fearswoop

Generation 2

• Smokescreen (the design he is most proud of)

Beast Wars

• Cheetor
• Transmetal Optimus Primal
• and "every one of your favorite original Beast Wars figures" according to Evan Brooks [1]

Cybertron

• Sideways (the other design he's most proud of)

Classics (2006)

• Grimlock (with Eric Siebenaler)
• Optimus Prime (Voyager class) (with Don Figueroa, Eric Siebenaler and Alex Kubalsky)
• Megatron (Voyager class) (with Eric Siebenaler)

Universe (2008)

• Cheetor (with Bill Rawley)
• Powerglide (with Bill Rawley)

Revenge of the Fallen

• Constructicon Devastator (Combiner class)

Dark of the Moon

• Bumblebee (MechTech Deluxe)

Generations

Studio Series

• • Bumblebee Autobot Ratchet

Studio Series 86

• Blurr
• Kup

Legacy

• Decepticon Drag Strip
• Decepticon Wild Rider
• Decepticon Motormaster

Hasbro Pulse livestream appearances

• April 12, 2022's Fan First Tuesday | BACK-TO-BACK Transformers & Power Rangers Livestream, with Isabella Weiss, Rachel Fleming, and Mark Maher.

Notes

• Fellow TakaraTomy designer Shogo Hasui was assigned to do the large Combiner Class Constructicon Devastator toy, and had completed some early sketches, but Ejima subsequently took over due to scheduling conflicts.

External links

• Twitter page
• Translated interview from Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 1 on TFW2005.com