Hironori Kobayashi

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Mr. Missing Link. Also known as Mr. Masterpiece. Previously Mr. Binaltech. Originally Mr. Arcee.

Hironori Kobayashi (小林 弘典 Kobayashi Hironori) is a designer at TakaraTomy. He joined the company in 1999, after impressing Hideaki Yoke with a scratch-built G1 Arcee toy he'd designed, and the first toy he created officially was Car Robots Speedbreaker (better known as Robots in Disguise Side Burn outside Japan).[1]

Among his main achievements are several Legends of the Microns/Armada toys, the Alternators/Binaltech toys (with Hasbro colleague Mark McCall), the Masterpiece toys and the Alternity toys. Kobayashi is currently part of the "Domestic Product" team, i.e. toys that are primarily intended for the Japanese market. Previously, his job description was "Head of Hero Character Team, BOYS Enterprise Department, Marketing Division".

Kobayashi is part of the (Japanese) domestic product team, and for the Revenge of the Fallen toyline he was responsible for modifications to the products aimed at the Japanese market.

He is currently the design lead of the Missing Link toyline.[2]

Known design projects

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Design

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Beast Wars Metals

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Car Robots/Robots in Disguise

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Legends of the Microns/Armada

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1-2-3 Transformers

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Playskool Big Adventures

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Binaltech/Alternators

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Masterpiece

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Transformers (2007)

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Sports Label

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Alternity

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Revenge of the Fallen

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Universe (2008)

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Disney Label

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Transformers (2010 toyline)

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Generations (2010)

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Dark of the Moon

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Mechtech Voyager


Generations (2012)

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Movie Advanced Series/Age of Extinction

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Deluxe Class
Voyager Class


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Or you could pick... WHAT'S IN THE BOX.
Or you could pick... WHAT'S IN THE BOX.

This item is currently scheduled for release, but is not yet available at mass retail.

Arcee

Color decoes

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Movie Advanced Series/Age of Extinction

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Deluxe Class
Voyager Class
Leader Class
Box sets


North American convention appearances

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Notes

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  • Kobayashi's first patent for Takara (filed in October of 1999) was for an unusual car/robot design that folded both forwards and backwards to change into its robot mode. It does not seem to have ever been made into a toy.[5]
  • He is also credited with designing the peculiar Anti-Gravity Pedestal Tenseg Base[6] flight stand.

References

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  1. ↑ While he is credited with designing the Beast Wars Metals version of Jaguar/Ravage, this was based on the pre-existing Transmetal Cheetor toy and thus not entirely his own design.
  2. ↑ Interview with Hironori Kobayashi on the Missing Link toyline for Transformers Generations 2024, translated at Soundwaves Oblivion
  3. ↑ 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."
    A subsequent interview in Transformers Generations 2015 named Kobayashi as the designer of Ironhide, confirming him as the designer in question.
  4. ↑ Interview in Transformers Generations 2015.
  5. ↑ https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1800/PU/JP-3068216/D50F00281736D73739C363319549EE6B291D34C23DF110D0CEE2621E35C64D5E/25/en
  6. ↑ https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1800/DE/JP-2021-022360/7D089FC30AFCC47C0336FBC3C48DB6A1DB823530F4BE76BE47CBB2A7923ABCB0/30/en
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Interviews

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