Seems to confirm what we've suspected, that the MP line i now going in two separate directions based on the character. Starscream and Skids being the perfect examples of the split.

Bit of a shame as somewhere in the middle is my sweet spot... Skids still does more for me than Starscream, even though I have both on order.

 

You'd still prefer the better articulation and swappable faces of recent releases, when it comes to Skids?

 

I do appreciate multiple faces. The articulation I can take or leave. Butterfly shoulders and ab crunches I seem to rarely use on my figures that have them - though I do like figures that can 'take the knee'.

 

Thanks for sharing this translation, @Sam

I hope things stay toon accurate, but it sounds like it’ll be a case by case basis going forward

 

Some interesting things in there. If I may read between the lines a little.

Skids doesn’t have enough going for him to be cartoon accurate or warrent the inclusion of mythical faceplates and accessories.

@RichP hit the nail on the head with the case by case approach. It may boil down to how popular the character is and how much Takara wants to factor into a budget for said character.

I’m curious about “transformation mechanism.” Does that mean that Skyfire will transform himself at certain stages or there will be an option for a VF-1S with Strike Parts conversion?

Sounds like there’s a focus on movie characters. Is the 86’ Series the testing ground for new MP development?

I could be totally off base but it all seems exciting.

 

Makes me suspect that if Raiden is followed up by Devastator, he'll take a lot from the toy. Which makes some sense considering the cartoon model. Guess we will see though. Can't think of any other Transformers that would be too hard or odd looking to take most of the design from the cartoon. Hoist maybe with his round limbs but I hope not!

 

After reading the article’s translation, I’m interpreting this picture of Skids with the older MP carbots in a different light. Maybe it WAS a hint to the idea that the MP line is heading back to that earlier aesthetic. Not sure how I feel about that. I love me some toon robots.

 

It’s just a standard buzzword Japanese company salespeople and marketing teams use to say “new” with more words.

 

It seemed implied to me that Skids would go more for toy accuracy given the limited appearances in the cartoon and being the 1st MP Skids in the line. MP Starscream 2.0 was implied to be cartoon based since they hadn’t gone completely cartoon accurate with their previous versions. That’s what I got out of the article.

 

I think they were referring to Skyfire's gerwalk mode in the interview, as shown in Day Of The Machines:

 

I took it transformations more in that style versus numerous small parts and panels like Sunstreaker and Hound. They're using Prowl and Sideswipe as the basis of what they want, hopefully not the hollow though. Its sound like he wants the transformations simple enough that people wont be afraid to flip back and forth. My only problem with that is I don't really think of "masterpiece moments" where I go 'oh, that was pretty cool". Hopefully he can strike a balance like with Starscream (hopefully).

As far as the movie stuff Onishi did ss86 Hot Rod, is not out of the question we see a 2.0 at some point and Ono worked on the Galvatron either one of those would be safe bets at this point.

 

I mean, it makes sense as Skids was essentially a nobody, lol. Regardless, happy is coming out for those that like that sort of thing but man, that does not look good at all.

 

You're welcome! I really enjoy these books. The design sketches are the best part for me. I love seeing the process.

You're welcome! Are you referring to Skids himself or the book? I think the book is available on AJ now with international shipping. When I bought mine it was not available on AJ yet and I bought it from HLJ. But I was completely raped with shipping charges. Worst I have seen yet so I would go for AJ if you can.

I don't have Facebook so I can't use that link. Do you know if @oblivion01 has translated more interviews? There are at least 3 large interviews in the book. One with Ono which I think is the one that's translated, one with Takashi Kunihiro that I think is about Unicron and MPM-12, and one that looks like it's about the SS86 and WFC designs. There are also two articles on the 1986 movie. One is quite long and shows all the concept sketches for the cast so I assume it's about the development of the 86 movie character designs. I wish I could read them myself!  

 

Soundwaves Oblivion
12h ·

I've translated Kōjin Ōno's interview from the HeroX Generations 2021 book:

Kojin Ono
Masterpiece Team
● Profile:
Kojin Ono was born on the 11th May 1959 in Tokyo and joined Takara in 1980. A legendary member of the team (as well as being the oldest active member) who has been integral in the Transformers development since Microman and Diaclone. He is currently a member of the Masterpiece team.

● Have fun with the new direction of the upcoming Masterpiece toys.
Masterpiece Skids / Reboost

- Do you feel the Masterpiece series has entered a new stage with Skids?

The overall series has been changing with the likes of War for Cybertron and I felt it was time to go in a new direction. I discussed this approach at length with the whole Transformers team. I took the lead with Onishi (Yuya) and considered several directions. I considered previous products such as MP-12 Lambor and MP-17 Prowl as a good starting point.

- Mr Ono, speaking of Skids, isn’t that an item that you worked on in the Diaclone series?

I had a lot of fun working on it. Skids is a Honda City which was a popular car at that time, I even owned one. The decisive factor for Skids development was that the car had recently celebrated its 40th anniversary which attracted a lot of attention, especially with the current 80’s boom. Technologies have improved dramatically since the Car Robot series and we have more options at the development stage. As this is a high-target product we also have a different budget. There are plenty of movable parts to achieve a range of articulation and in vehicle mode we were very particular over the detailing. Another focus was the cost. We wanted to achieve a high quality product with a relatively inexpensive price tag. Maintaining the play value without including unnecessary accessories was a difficult balance.

- You are demonstrating your commitment to real cars with the opening and closing doors and bonnet.

The Car Robots had similar gimmicks and it was something I wanted to revisit. It’s the same reason that a figure can be placed in the driver's seat. It's also why I included the Motocompo, but since it was not included with the original Skids, it's instead being included with the new character, Reboost.

-It’s unique to release two colour variations simultaneously.

The simultaneous release of multi-coloured products for general retail is a first for the Masterpiece series. Our marketing department is also considering new ways for promoting products; they are currently making a special website and PR videos for our Transformer products. I hope this effort will generate great results.
Masterpiece Starscream Ver 2.0

- Can you please tell us about Starscream Ver 2.0?

This is another product that I have history with. This product is based on the cartoon, a completely different approach from Skids. Now we are exploring a new direction with the Masterpiece series and we will continue to take on challenges according to the character and how the final product will look.

- Was the tail section most particular for this version update?

This time round the challenge was to fold all surplus parts within the robot form. From the design sketch drawn by Oshima (Yuki), we wanted to work out how to hide the horizontal and vertical stabilisers which the robots in the cartoon don’t have. I eventually came up with the idea that we should fold the “vertical stabilisers” in the main wings. Another new feature was the recreation of the “alternate transformation” or hovering form. As this was frequently used in the cartoon I definitely wanted to be able to recreate the look.
What's the future for the Masterpiece series?

- Could you please tell us about your future lineup?

I wanted to release a Transformer unique to Japan so I chose to focus on Raiden who was “born” in Japan. The rights to the vehicle designs are split amongst several Japanese Rail companies so I was overjoyed when we received permission. We are currently in the process of development and have considered various options in order to release Raiden. As a start we are focusing on Shouki. We hope you can't wait to see the completed Heavy Union Warrior Raiden.

- You mentioned that Skyfire was under development in the Masterpiece series.

It’s been in the works for a while now, it began when Convoy Ver 3.0 was in development and we have now inherited the project. With the release of the Siege version I pushed back the schedule. During its development we set up 3 goals. First, it has to be a big Transformer, it has to be cartoon accurate and it has a transformation mechanism to switch to the alternate transformation mode. I had the idea of a “giant flying base”. In the cartoon he was portrayed as a transport plane so we plan to include miniature figures of Convoy, Meister and Wheeljack in order to recreate these scenes.
Memories of Transformers The Movie

- As “Transformers the Movie” is heavily featured in this book, is there anything you can tell us?

The 1986 products that appeared in the movie were the first actual Transformers we developed. It was at this point that toy development completely changed. I was given the design in robot mode and vehicle mode and was told to “make it like this”, so at first I was a little resistant (laughs). Since we didn't have the internet back then it was difficult to develop a three dimensional product from limited sources. When I saw the final movie I did feel a little regret. The ‘86 series is currently undergoing a resurgence. I’m sure Kunihiro shares my opinion.

- Speaking of the Movie, the unreleased Unicron looked rather impressive.

That was most regrettable. At that time the US market accepted high priced products so we were enthusiastic about making the largest Transformer yet. I’m a movie buff so when I received the prototype voice tape I was surprised it was actually Orson Wells’ voice! This was the first time we had the actual voice cast on tape. WFC Unicron is the ultimate item that could only be released now. It’s fitting that Kunihiro, who was a rookie back then, was able to finish it now as a veteran.

 

I don't have Facebook, but I can see it. It's public, so try it.

I occasionally get messages on sites I can normally access, saying I need to log in, but it's temporary and I'm back in after a while.

You can't see comments on posts, but you can see content.

 

I was referring to the book, which I did find the AJ link doing a bit of research. Thank you for letting me know you did get it from HLJ (I was thinking of them) but yeah forgot about the shipping costs. So thank you even more for your sacrifice.

 

Thank you for posting that!

I've tried a few times and Facebook keeps telling me I need to log in to see that page.  

 

Weird. I find it's hit and miss when I get that message. I'm on my phone, so don't know if that's part of it? Pain in the ass if you can't just get public stuff...

 

For this alone Ono is 1 of the GOATs, I don’t remember the last time a designer was cost-conscious and the prices for Skids/Reboost are refreshingly lower than I thought they’d be(as in, keeping the cost passed to consumers down while keeping relative quality high as opposed to charging a fuckton more).

 

Skids is a welcomed break on the wallet for sure. For some reason, I’m stil stuck on accessories. Good that he omitted a lot of accessories because Skids never had any to write home. But I find it interesting of how much extra accessories and faceplates really factor into the overall cost. I would love a deeper look into what makes up a MP. It is great that Ono is thinking about us in relation what the character relates to his popularity position in the cartoon.