Takio Ejima (江島 多規男 Ejima Takio, born June 6, 1964) is a designer at TakaraTomy. His first product at Takara was Crazybird from the "Flower Rock" series, and after joining the Overseas Transformers Product team in the Boys Enterprise department, he single-handedly created the all European Transformers during the period when the American Transformers line ended, until the advent of Beast Wars. After the Beast Wars Metals (the Japanese release of the Transmetals Beast Wars figures), he moved to the Girls Toy Department, but came back to Transformers during the Energon line. According to fellow designer Takashi Kunihiro, Ejima is "the man who created the most transforming robot toys in the world".
Hand-in-hand with developing the Turbomasters and Predators, Eijima created the concept of using light-piping for the eyes of Transformers toys.[1] He is also credited with coming up with the idea of the extensive use of ball joints seen towards the end of the Generation 2 toyline as a means of making toys more durable, thus complying with more rigorous safety standards. This idea opened up possibilities of robot toys with extensive articulation.
We all owe this man, so, so much.
Known design projects
Generation 1
1991
| Action Master figures
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Exo-Suit Action Masters
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Motorized Exo-Suit Action Masters
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Action Master Elites
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1992
1993
Generation 2
| Basics
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Deluxes
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Megas
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Ultras
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| Supers
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MicroVerse
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And...
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Beast Wars II
| Energon Class
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Combat Class
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Mega Class
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Command Class
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| Scout Class
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Deluxe Class
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Voyager Class
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Ultra Class
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 Sideways (the other design he's most proud of) |
| Leader Class
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| Deluxe Class
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Voyager Class
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The Ultimate Battle
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Transformers (2007)
| Real Gear Robots
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Deluxe Class
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Voyager Class
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Leader Class
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Universe (2008)
Revenge of the Fallen
Dark of the Moon
Generations
War for Cybertron: Kingdom
Studio Series
Legacy / Legacy: Evolution / Legacy: United
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What's needed: credits from Hasbro Pulse livestreams, virtual conventions, Hasbro designer social media (mostly Instagram), etc etc etc
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Convention appearances
Hasbro Pulse livestream appearances
Notes
The only designer who makes even cooler figures off the clock.
- He is reverently referred to as "The Big E" by the Hasbro design team.[12]
- Besides developing the concept of light-piped eyes, Ejima also holds patents for the Predator missile launchers[13] and megavisor system.[14]
- Ejima reused the engineering from the toy that would become Machine Wars Skywarp / Thundercracker for the bat version of Optimus Primal (the toys were applied for in the same patent).[15] Likewise, the basic class version of Terrorsaur shares engineering with the toys that would become Machine Wars Hoist / Hubcap and Mirage / Prowl. [16]
- Fellow TakaraTomy designer Shogo Hasui was assigned to do the large Combiner Class Constructicon Devastator toy, and had completed some early sketches, but Ejima subsequently took over due to scheduling conflicts.
- Off-hours, Ejima's main hobbies include gardening and creating striking, intricate, almost jewelry-esque articulated metal sculptures. Pictured right are a couple he slipped in to the bonus features of the Beast Wars Reborn behind-the-scenes DVD.
References
- ↑ 1993 patent for light piped eyes in action figures at the online directory of the Japan Patent Office
- ↑ *Interview with Shuhei Umezu for Transformers Generations 2022 translated at Soundwave's Oblivion
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Designer interview with Hisashi Yuki in Figure King No. 303 (April 2023 issue)
- ↑ Yuichiro Hira's name is on Inferno's patent, not Ejima's, but Ejima was credited as working on Inferno in a Figure King interview.
- ↑ Design notes on Studio Series Kup from Hasbro designer Evan Brooks on Instagram
- ↑ All designed in 1995, but not sold until 1997.
- ↑ Transformers Generations 2022 designer interviews
- ↑ Transformers panel at Hasbro Pulse Fan Fest 2021
- ↑ Bumblebee Ratchet design notes on Sam Smith's Instagram
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 August 16, 2022's Hasbro Pulse Transformers Fanstream on YouTube, with Ben MacCrae, Delaney Norris, Sam Smith, Evan Brooks, Isabella Weiss, and Mark Maher.
- ↑ Thanks from Ben MacCrae and Evan Brooks during the Hall of Fame ceremony at Hasbro Pulse Con 2023.
- ↑ Interview with Ejima in Beast Generations, p.122-124 as well as his various Hasbro Pulse livestream appearances.
- ↑ 1992 patent for missile launchers at the online directory of the Japan Patent Office
- ↑ 1993 patent for the viewfinder doohickey underlying the megavisor play pattern at the online directory of the Japan Patent Office
- ↑ 1997 patent for the springloaded mechanism used in the Machine Wars Basic jets and Beast Wars Basic Optimus Primal at the online directory of the Japan Patent Office
- ↑ 1997 patent for the springloaded mechanism used in the Machine Wars Basic truck and racecar molds as well as Beast Wars Basic Terrorsaur at the online directory of the Japan Patent Office
External links
Interviews