KÅjin ÅŒno
Kōjin Ōno (大野 光仁 Ōno Kōjin) is a TakaraTomy employee born on May 11, 1959 in Tokyo. He worked for Takara for several decades prior to the merger with Tomy. Ōno was one of the main designers for the Microman and Diaclone toylines, and designed many of the toys that were later licensed to Hasbro and repurposed as the first Transformers toys. His name is sometimes transliterated as "Koujin Ohno", "Kouzin Ohno"[1] or "Kohjin Ohno".
Among Ōno's designs were the first "car to robot transforming toy", the toy that later became the Autobot Sunstreaker, and the former largest Transformers toy ever, Fortress Maximus. Later Ōno played a key role in the introduction of the Beast Wars toy line to the Japanese market and designed toys for both the 2007 live-action movie line and its successor, Revenge of the Fallen.
He currently oversees the Masterpiece toyline.[2]
Toys that Kōjin Ōno is known to have had a hand in designing
Diaclone
Generation 1
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
2010/Scramble City
The Headmasters
Super-God Masterforce
Victory
G-SHOCK × TRANSFORMERS
Masterpiece
- MP-52 Starscream
- MP-53 Skids
- MP-54 Reboost
Notes
- Ōno has something of a soft spot for Skids' alt mode the Honda City R, having owned a red one in his youth. Reboost is that you?
References
- ↑ Several of the US patents for the early Generation 1 toys that originated from Diaclone transliterate his name as "Kouzin Ohno" when listing him as the designer.
- ↑ Generations 2021 interview
