Takio Ejima

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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.

Known design projects

Generation 1

1991

Action Master figures Exo-Suit Action Masters Motorized Exo-Suit Action Masters Action Master Elites
Action Master Elite Omega Spreem

1992

Turbomasters / Road Corps
Predators / Jet Corps
File:G1Thunder clash toy.jpg
Turbomaster Thunder Clash

1993

Axelerators Skyscorchers Aquaspeeders Stormtroopers
Obliterator Clench
Lightformers Trakkons Obliterators

Generation 2

Cyberjets[1] Auto Rollers[2] ATB
Smokescreen (the design he is most proud of)

Beast Wars

Deluxes Megas And...
Deluxe Cheetor

Beast Wars II

Autorollers[2]
Autoroller Autolauncher

Cybertron

Deluxe Class Leader Class
Sideways (the other design he's most proud of)

Classics (2006)

Deluxe Class Voyager Class
Voyager Class Optimus Prime

Universe (2008)

Deluxe Class Ultra Class


Revenge of the Fallen

Combiner Class


Dark of the Moon

MechTech Deluxes


Generations

War for Cybertron: Kingdom

Titan Class


Studio Series

Deluxe Class Leader Class
  • 91 The Fallen (Revenge of the Fallen)[6]
  • The Fallen


    Legacy / Legacy: Evolution

    Deluxe Class
  • Decepticon Drag Strip
  • Scraphook
  • Decepticon Wild Rider
  • Leader Class
  • Transmetal II Megatron[6]
  • Commander Class
  • Decepticon Motormaster / Menasor
  • Menasor
    Others
  • "A Hero is Born" 2-Pack
    (Orion Pax and Alpha Trion w/ Vector Sigma)



  • What's all this about?

    This article on a real person associated with the Transformers brand is a stub and is missing information.
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    What's needed: credits from Hasbro Pulse livestreams, virtual conventions, Hasbro designer social media (mostly Instagram), etc etc etc


    Hasbro Pulse livestream appearances

    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.

    References

    1. *Interview with Shuhei Umezu for Transformers Generations 2022 translated at Soundwave's Oblivion
    2. 2.0 2.1 Designer interview with Hisashi Yuki in Figure King No. 303 (April 2023 issue)
    3. Transformers Generations 2022 designer interviews
    4. Transformers panel at Hasbro Pulse Fan Fest 2021
    5. Bumblebee Ratchet design notes on Sam Smith's Instagram
    6. 6.0 6.1 August 16, 2022's Hasbro Pulse Transformers Fanstream on YouTube, with Ben MacCrae, Delaney Norris, Sam Smith, Evan Brooks, Isabella Weiss, and Mark Maher.