The Transformers: Masterpiece

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The Transformers: Masterpiece (トランスフォーマー マスターピース) is a toyline of collector-focused toys that are mostly based upon characters from the original The Transformers cartoon, but manufactured with today's advanced engineering techniques. As a line aimed towards collectors, Masterpiece Transformers tend to be very expensive.

Though the Masterpiece line is largely developed by Takara/TakaraTomy with the Japanese market in mind, the line is also distributed by Hasbro in Asian markets outside Japan, and in Australia as Target and Toys"R"Us exclusives. Hasbro has also redecoed/retooled molds from this line for release in their own markets under various toy lines, and almost always as store exclusives. These Hasbro versions originally saw release as Walmart exclusives until 2009, when they were succeeded by Toys"R"Us. From 2013 onwards, Hasbro released its versions as a single cohesive line (instead of as part of other, contemporary lines), with a numbering system similar to the one used by TakaraTomy. However, by 2015, the figures were again co-branded as part of the Generations line, while still continuing their numbering system.

Scale and rate of releases

The Masterpiece line started at a slow pace in 2003, with new molds being released every two years or so, and with redecos/retools being released in-between. The figures that were released back then were exclusively of the larger main characters, and scale wasn't very consistent due to price constraints and their large size, with the results being that figures of certain huge characters (such as Grimlock) were too short compared to other characters they were meant to tower over (such as Convoy).

With the release of a new tooling of Convoy in 2011, the line was rebooted, featuring a smaller, more consistent scale based on MP-09 Rodimus Convoy, and a significant increase in releases per year. Rather notably, Masterpieces of the smaller characters were introduced.

Starting in 2016, Beast Wars characters were added to the line.

Sublines

In addition to the main Masterpiece line, there are three sublines based on other franchises:

  • The Brave Masterpiece line, with toys designated as MP-B##, which was cancelled after only two releases.
  • The Masterpiece Movie Series line, based on the live-action film series, with toys designated MPM-##; this line originally consisted of detailed redecoes of Leader-size toys from the 2010 Transformers toyline and was also cancelled after only two releases. It was later revived in 2017 for the 10th Anniversary of the first Movie, this time featuring all new molds. The revived line was released in conjunction with Hasbro (with the toys co-branded "Hasbro" and "TakaraTomy" on their packaging).
  • The Zoids Masterpiece line, with toys designated as MPZ-##.

For obvious reasons, neither the Brave nor Zoids Masterpiece lines are covered on this wiki.

Products

Generation 1

(Note: Characters from Beast Wars are considered part of the Generation 1 continuity family.)

Standard Takara versions

Special editions

Masterpiece Movie Series

Hasbro versions

Design

The Masterpiece line has had a number of designers.

Since MP-25, each Masterpiece figure has been designed as a team effort, led by Hironori Kobayashi, and any names given are within the scope of the larger team.

Standard Takara Versions

Mold Designer Notes
MP-1, MP-2 Hironori Kobayashi
MP-3, MP-6, MP-7 Hironori Kobayashi (initial design) & Shōji Kawamori (final version)
MP-4 trailer Hisashi Yuki Designed in one night![1]
MP-5 Hisashi Yuki Designed in twelve days[2]
MP-8, MP-9 Hironori Kobayashi
MP-10 Shogo Hasui[3]
MP-11 Hironori Kobayashi & Shogo Hasui
MP-12 to MP-21, MP-23 Shogo Hasui
MP-22 Shogo Hasui (initial design) & Hironori Kobayashi (final version) Kobayashi took over the design to enable the carrier to carry four car MPs[4]
MP-24 Hisashi Yuki Hisashi took on MP-24 in order for the other Masterpiece figures to be released on schedule[5]
MP-25, MP-26 Hironori Kobayashi (unconfirmed)[6]
MP-27, MP-30 Hironori Kobayashi As stated in the Transformers Generations 2015 book
MP-28 Vehicle styling by Yūya Ōnishi, main developer Tomoya Miyake, edits by Hironori Kobayashi As stated in the Transformers Generations 2015 book
MP-29 Hironori Kobayashi As stated in the Transformers Generations 2015 book
MP-36 Embellishments and refinements by Yuki Ohshima [7]

Live-action movie series

Mold Designer
MPM-1 Shogo Hasui
MPM-2 Shogo Hasui

Awards

The Masterpiece line won the 2016 Long Life Design award (PDF link) presented by the Good Design Awards.

References

  1. ↑ TakaraTomy Staff Interview - Hisashi Yuki on Masterpiece: Even more horrifying was the plan of reissuing MP-1 to go with Megatron - simply reissuing him wasn't considered to be appealing enough and it was decided to give him a trailer...I was told to come up with a proto (of the trailer) by the end of May, and I designed it in one night. [...] I couldn't shirk my task as the release date had already been set by backward calculation. I really did the best I could though there just wasn't enough time.
  2. ↑ TakaraTomy Staff Interview - Hisashi Yuki on Masterpiece: - I hear the first Masterpiece figure you created was MP-5 Megatron and you hold the fastest development record with it. [Yuki]: That is right. (*laughs) I was not assigned to be in charge of it initially, but due to the circumstance within the company I was unexpectedly handed down the project. The schedule came with it and I was stunned when I realised that I was only given 12 days, about 2 weeks...To make it worse, at the time of my receiving the task, even the product size wasn't decided. (*tears)
  3. ↑ TakaraTomy Staff Interview – Shogo Hasui on Masterpiece: - Tell us about the time when you began working on the MP series. [Shogo]: MP-10 Convoy was the first Masterpiece I was involved in developing. When the project was conceived I was mainly working on the products for the overseas Hasbro market, but was given a chance to develop a Masterpiece for the domestic market irregularly.
  4. ↑ TakaraTomy Staff Interview – Shogo Hasui on Masterpiece: - [Shogo] Ultra Magnus, who was selected to be MP-22, was a character I was dreaming of making into a product since the time of MP-10 development. I was happy to be finally able to work on him. As there had already been several real car MP figures and Ultra Magnus is a car carrier that can carry them, I considered Magnus as a certain milestone in the new MP series. I wanted the car carrier to have a capacity of at least 4 real car MPs while in robot mode his height needed to be as close as seen in the cartoon. The transformation process was expected to require lots of folding of the parts to achieve it, and solving that problem became a very important task. Upon agreeing on that point, Kobayashi took over to work on the transformation mechanism and (Ultra Magnus is) finished as he is now.
  5. ↑ TakaraTomy Staff Interview - Hisashi Yuki on Masterpiece: - So the idea was to ask the fans directly what they want first, then realise it as a product. [Yuki]: Yes. It turned out Star Saber was the winner. Hasui, the main series designer, was going to be in charge of the 30th anniversary MP originally. But he was fully occupied with Bumble and Wheeljack, and since Star Saber was a character I was attached to personally, I stood for the job eagerly.
  6. ↑ SDCC 2015: The Shogo Hasui Report: - I did ask about Tracks and he said he did not design him but he did say (I BELIEVE Kobayashi…again hard to understand) and slowly said Lead Designer. He also said that the same designer did Ironhide and he began to say another name (Ratchet) but stopped himself.
  7. ↑ Generations 2017 MP-36 translated article
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