Hasbro and Takara’s most high-end collector-oriented Transformers toyline is about to maximize with a new figure.
Revealed through the website Dengeki Hobby, the next figure in the Transformers: Masterpiece toyline is none other than the Maximal Rhinox. Like other figures in the line, the upcoming toy is meant to perfectly capture the character’s on-screen likeness, in this case derived from the 1990s Beast Wars: Transformers cartoon. Images of the figure show him in both robot mode and his organic rhinoceros form, along with several add-ons and additional items to make the figure complete.
Rhinox comes packaged with his iconic twin chain guns, which were his prominent weapons on the CGI cartoon. Other accessories include an alternate face, a spark that can be held in his robot mode hands and even an extracting device that the Maximal used in the Beast Wars episode “Chain of Command.” Conversely, one of the guns can be stored in his beast mode, much like the original Rhinox toy. In robot mode, Masterpiece Rhinox is taller than the figures for Cheetor and Optimus Prime’s descendant Optimus Primal, released in the same line. Likewise, Primal’s gorilla form can ride on the back of Rhinox’s beast mode, just as he frequently did on the cartoon.
The prince for the figure is 35,200 yen, putting it at around US$235.00. This price range is roughly in line with the previous Beast Wars figures in the Masterpiece, with the toy representing the Predacon leader Megatron being the most expensive (costing between $300 and nearly $500). Likewise, the toy for the iconic Beast Wars Dinobot was also quite costly. Counting repaints of pre-existing toys, his status as MP-59 makes Rhinox the 59th overall Transformers: Masterpiece figure and the 10th figure representing a Beast Wars character. His inclusion in the line nearly completes the Maximal cast from the series’ first season, with Airazor and Rattrap being the only ones from this period of the cast who still lack Masterpiece toys.
The Transformers: Masterpiece toyline began in 2003, with the recent announcements for new additions to the line marking its 20th anniversary. These Transformers are geared toward adult fans and collectors due to their many features and typically complex transformations. Likewise, they’re meant to accurately capture how the Transformers looked on their respective cartoons or other source media. In the case of some Generation 1 characters, this has provided the first-ever truly accurate toys for these characters.
Beyond G1 and Beast Wars, there are also figures based on Japanese-exclusive Generation 1 Transformers and the Autobots and Decepticons from the live-action Transformers movies. These are also just a few of the high-end Transformers toys available.
Source: Seibertron.com
