The Transformers: MPG
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The Transformers: MPG (トランスフォーマー MPG) is a spinoff line of The Transformers: Masterpiece, with toys designated as MPG-##. The series's title is an abbreviation of "Masterpiece G", with the "G" standing for gattai (合体, "combine"), "giant" (巨大化), and "great" (グレート).[1]
The line launched with a series of The Headmasters Trainbots that combine to form the first official Masterpiece combiner. These figures feature an emphasis on vehicle mode accuracy, being produced in collaboration with TOMIX, the train department of TakaraTomy's scale model oriented subsidiary Tomytec, and licensed by a bevy of railway manufacturers. Accordingly, the figures are mostly functional model trains at the HO scale,[2] which also puts them at the right scale for robot mode in terms of cartoon-accuracy. With its ninth release, the line pivoted toward aforementioned show-accuracy with a cartoon-focused interpretation of Masterforce headliner Ginrai. With the end of Masterpiece in 2024, MPG will serve as the singular toyline for such "high-end" product.
Fiction
MPG has received a smattering of fiction in the Japanese market, thus far focused on the initial Trainbot project.
The 2022 edition of the Generations series of Japanese guidebooks saw brand veteran (and MPG concept artist) Yuki Ohshima reprise his 2010s "Train Wars" series of Trainbot-centric stories. The initial three MPG toys were advertised in a prequel elaborating on their "childhood" being constructed by human scientists in Japan and their contentious relationship with their "big sister", the ninja android Nightbird.
In 2024, the TV Magazine comic for young readers Transformers Go! Go! produced a devoted "event" titled Shushupopo!! [3] to commemorate the conclusion of MPG's Trainbot project. In this mult-part special edition, author Haruka Oda introduced a whole new generation of children to the Trainbots, including some of the first characterization for individual members of the team in their entire 37-odd year history.
Toys
2022
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2023
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2024
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2025
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Design
| Mold | Designer | Notes |
| MPG-01 | Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy), Dai Ono (TOMIX), Yuki Ohshima (concept artist) | As stated in the Transformers Generations 2021 book |
| MPG-02 | Kōjin Ōno, Dai Ono, Yuki Ohshima | As stated in the Transformers Generations 2022 book (entire Trainbot project) |
| MPG-03 | Kōjin Ōno, Dai Ono, Yuki Ohshima | |
| MPG-04 | Kōjin Ōno, Dai Ono, Yuki Ohshima | |
| MPG-05 | Kōjin Ōno, Dai Ono, Yuki Ohshima | |
| MPG-06 | Kōjin Ōno, Dai Ono, Yuki Ohshima |
Notes
- MPG-01 Trainbot Shouki received an Excellence Award in the "High Target" (read: collector) Toy category at the 2022 Japan Toy Awards.[4]
References
- ↑ MPG hub on the TakaraTomy website
- ↑ Figure King 285: Interview With MPG-01 Raiden Development Team – English Translation at Soundwaves Oblivion
- ↑ Roughly, Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!!
- ↑ The 2022 Japan Toy Awards at the Tokyo Toy Show website.
