COUNTDOWN: 6 Masterpiece toys that still have the magic!

Masterpiece Transformers have been undergoing significant changes in recent times.

First, there was a massive shift towards slavish cartoon accuracy, followed by a big reset of the line and a rebranding under the new name “MPG”. Since then, there’ve been all kinds of different offerings coming down the pipeline, from combiners to Diaclone repaints, Beast Wars and beyond.

Robots in disguise pic.twitter.com/Cymx71wU4l

— Sixo | Transformers (@SixoTF) August 18, 2025

Yet I recently got the chance to go back and appreciate some of the more classic toys as part of a display reshuffle, leading me to realise just how fantastic those older designs remain. At a time when it feels like every character gets a cyclical re-do after however many years, it’s refreshing to realise there are still Transformers releases that never go out of style. So today, here are six of those!

#6: MP-17/18/19

It’s not hard to imagine MPG looking towards the Autobot cars for fresh inspiration down the line, but let’s take a second to consider just how amazing the Masterpiece Datsun design truly is! The triumvirate of releases of MP-17 Prowl, MP-18 Bluestreak and MP-19 Smokscreen back in 2013 was just about as exciting a moment in Transformers collecting history as there ever really existed. Honestly, these figures hold up even twelve years down the road – as proven by their being given a new lease of life and updated paint jobs with the “+” makeovers some five years later. Of all of them, my personal favourite remains MP-18B, the Diaclone blue Bluestreak, which genuinely sits as a top-tier Masterpiece in my book.

#5: MP-33/35/37

MP-33 Inferno landed at a point where the shift towards cartoon-style Masterpiece toys became significantly more apparent. With noticeably less greebling, smoother edges, and distinct anime-flavoured attributes throughout the sculpt, it generated plenty of comment on release back in 2016. Yet none of that detracts from what an all-timer the design remains, especially as it boasts the kind of transformation magic that most toys just cannot claim. With three outstanding versions to choose from (even though it’s worth noting that Grapple and Inferno share roughly 50% of parts between them!), this design continues to burn bright even nine years on.

#4: MP-20/23

With so many of the classic cast of Autobots now done anime-accurate justice in Generations form, it’s often easy to forget what a legendary run the Masterpiece line achieved when representing the Ark crew for a good few years there. By the time things rolled around to Wheeljack in 2014, it genuinely felt like the design team could not miss when recreating the likenesses seen on screen, to the point where it still kind of blows my mind that a figure like MP-20 exists and is so darned perfect even now. Sure, it’s been eleven years now, and yes, the mainline equivalent is more accessible in many ways, but seeing that original licensed Lancia car in all its livery goodness can never not stir me.

#3: MP-9

Regular readers should know by now that I will never do one of these lists and pass up the opportunity to talk about how much I still love my beloved MP-9 Rodimus Prime. Inevitably, someone will remind us all what a crapshoot the figure was when it came to QC, and to be fair, I have my own very vivid memories of sanding down the inside of the trailer section to make the yellow spoiler slot comfortably – not fun! Yet I still maintain that had Rodimus landed with faultless production quality, it would be thought of *very* differently today, as the design itself is honestly mind-blowing in terms of how much it gets right. For one thing, it holds up as one of the definitive Hot Rod toys, yet still manages to cram in what remains the best take of his Matrix-bearing alter ego to boot. Others will vehemently disagree, but MP-9 truly earns the title of ‘Masterpiece’ in this humble writer’s book.

#2: MP-29

MP-29 Laserwave was a somewhat strange release in 2016, if only because several fan-favourite third-party options for the character already existed in Masterpiece-style at that time. Yet, as they frequently do, TakaraTomy casually dropped an outright banger of a figure and proved yet again that no one does it better, to the point where it is genuinely hard to see how another MP/G Shockwave could top what we have here. Supremely accurate in both modes, with a fun, repeatable transformation in between, this thing is simple elegance in toy form and remains great fun to pick up and play with. Maybe it’s logical to not even try to improve on it.

#1: MP-10

Come on. It had to be. Yes, there has been another version of the iconic Autobot leader in Masterpiece form since (soon to be two!). However, many of us still maintain that 2011’s MP-10 is the take to beat. With a ‘blended’ style of influences including cartoon, comics and toys, the mould somehow feels fresh even now, proving enjoyable to pick up, pose and transform some fourteen (sheesh!) years on. Oh, hey, and I say this confidently as someone who actually transformed all fourteen (coincidence!) versions of it. New Primes will come, but MP-10 is for life.

So that’s our list! Do you agree with our choices?

TTFN