Interview with MP designers Hironori Kobayashi & Shogo Hasui

[kurdt_the_goat]

As predicted SydneyY on TFW has saved my wife a lot of translation work! - Hironori Kobayashi Interview

And the interview of the other significant MP designer Shogo Hasui

[griffin]

So much great background info there, it's worthy of being its own news topic.

[DELTAprime]

I'm glad to read he realises the MP line is not the same line it was in the earlier years. I was worried he would take the series back to crap like MP-3 and MP-5.

[GoktimusPrime]

"I want the MP series to continue to make the fans' dream come true" <---indicative of TakaraTOMY's approach to Transformers in general IMHO.

[griffin]

Added link to first post and changed title to include the translated interview with the other significant MP designer Shogo Hasui, who worked on (grouped into their moulds & Japanese re-uses)...
MP-10 (Convoy/Optimus).... MP-10B (Black Convoy) (also to be used for BAPE and NGE soon)
MP-12 (Lambor/Sideswipe).... MP-14 (Alert), MP-12T (Tigertrack), MP-12G (Gen2 Lambor)
MP-13 (Soundwave & Condor/Laserbeak).... MP-13B (Soundblaster & Ratbat)
MP-15 (Rumble & Jaguar/Ravage).... MP-16 (Frenzy & Buzzsaw)
MP-17 (Prowl), MP-18 (Streak).... MP-19 (Smokescreen), MP-18S (Silverstreak)
MP-20 (Wheeljack)
MP-21 (Bumble/Bumblebee)
(did some early design work for MP-22 (Ultra Magnus), and worked on "Movie Masterpiece" Bumblebee & Starscream)

Hironori Kobayashi was the designer for these moulds...
MP-1 (Convoy).... MP-2 (Ultra Magnus, MP-4 (Convoy w/ Trailer), MP-1S (Sleep Convoy), MP-1B (Black Convoy), MP-1L (Last Convoy)
MP-8 (Grimlock).... MP-8X (King Grimlock)
MP-9 (Rodimus).... MP-9B (Black Rodimus)
MP-22 (Ultra Magnus)
(only worked on colouring for MP-5 (Megatron))
(Shoji Kawamori was lead designer on MP-3 (Starscream) with Hironori Kobayashi, but the modifications to MP11 were apparently done by Hironori Kobayashi)


Shogo Hasui has certainly been the most prolific with Masterpiece moulds/designs with about double of Hironori Kobayashi.

For the other three moulds not listed above, MP-5 Megatron and Star Saber were/are done by Hisashi Yuki, while MP-3/11 Starscream was primarily done by Shoji Kawamori.

[kurdt_the_goat]

MP-05 was done by Hisashi Yuki - that info will become widespread when the interview with him is translated; cause SydneyY mentioned briefly in a post on TFW, that Yuki states MP-05 was apparently designed in a mere 12 days!

MP-3 was also initially Kobayashi, then amended by Kawamori - then Kobayashi returned to it for the MP-11 modifications. Apparently that was motivated from dissatisfaction with the colouring, once the MP line was (more) clearly established to be about being accurate to the G1 source material.

[griffin]

Interview with Hisashi Yuki, who as noted above, had to work on MP-5 (Megatron) in under 2 weeks, and the upcoming Star Saber... plus had to do the trailer for MP-4 (Convoy/Optimus) in just one night (which would be why it didn't come with Roller).

This one is interesting for giving us some info about the size and features of the Star Saber Masterpiece... and that he really wants to do Ginrai to go with it.

[drifand]

Perhaps he shouldn't rush out mp-4 in just one night as missing roller in a "masterpiece" doesn't feel like a masterpiece.
Likewise many complain about megatron missing his rest of his weapons extension.

It felt they were just rushing out things.

I only say this because you can see starscream was redone in mp 11
And rodimus needed a version 2 fix
I wouldn't be clapping hands if they just rushed it out.
I do appreciate what they have done but they need to step back sometimes and check.

[griffin]

He does say that the rush on MP-4 and MP-5 was not his choice... he was told to do them that quickly because of TakaraTomy scheduling (which was disappointing to hear, as those two could have been a lot better if given more time).
Something they may have changed, as the release dates get pushed back on some items now, probably to make sure they meet a certain standard now.

[drifand]

MP-1 was voted robot toy of the year in a non transformer forum, they did very well. I know mp-10 is at the moment highly sorted over mp-1 but once things settled, people will realised mp-1 is no longer on production and would be considered holy grail.

I am surprised there are Megatrons still floating around under $200