The Transformers: Masterpiece
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.
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.
Sublines
Two sub-lines emerged, one designated as MP-B## and being based upon the Brave franchise (not covered in this wiki), and another with the MPM-# designation to represent live-action film series Transformers (see below).
Products
Generation 1
Standard Takara Versions
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MP-10 Convoy
(9-24-2011) -
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MP-17 Prowl
(9-28-2013) -
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MP-24 Star Saber
(03-21-2015) -
MP-25 Tracks
(2015) -
MP-26 Road Rage
(2015)
Special editions
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MP-8X King Grimlock
(12-2009) -
MP-3G Starscream Ghost Ver.
(6-2010) -
MP-4S Convoy Sleep Mode
(6-2010) -
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MP-12T Tigertrack
(7-2013) -
MP-11A Acid Storm
(2013) -
MP-12G Lambor G-2 Ver.
(2014) -
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MP-05G 30th Anniversary Megatron
(12-2014) -
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MP-18B Bluestreak
(?-2015)
Live-action movie series
Hasbro versions
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20th Anniversary Optimus Prime
(2003/2004) -
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Masterpiece Starscream
(Classics, 2007) -
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Masterpiece Rodimus Prime
(Transformers, 2011) -
Masterpiece Optimus Prime
(Transformers, 2012) -
Masterpiece Thundercracker
(Transformers, 2012) -
MP-01 Acid Storm
(2013) -
MP-02 Soundwave
(2013) -
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MP-03 Grimlock
(2014) -
MP-04 Prowl
(2014) -
MP-05 Sunstorm
(2014) -
Year Of The Goat Soundwave
(2015)
Design
Hironori Kobayashi was the designer on most of the first nine Masterpieces that Takara/TakaraTomy released, from MP-1 Convoy/20th Anniversary Optimus Prime to MP-9 Rodimus Convoy, excluding MP-5 Megatron and the trailer of MP-4 Convoy "Perfect Edition". Shogo Hasui took over the reigns from MP-10 Convoy up to 2014, when it was reported[1] that Kobayashi would retake the design role that year.
Masterpiece Megatron,[2] MP-4 Convoy's trailer[3] and Star Saber were designed by Hisashi Yuki in order for the other Masterpieces to be released on schedule. He designed Megatron in twelve days, and the trailer in one night!
References
- ↑ New Designer for 2014 Masterpiece Series Transformers, from TFW2005.
- ↑ 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)
- ↑ 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.
