Takara Tomy is kicking off 2026 with the first Transformers MPG of the year: Takara Tomy MPG-20 Hot Rod Style Gen [JP]—hot on the heels of MPG-19, a toon recoloring of the Soundwave Masterpiece figure from eons ago. As the reference designation suggests, it is the 20th Masterpiece G figure thus far, but it is the second in the Style Gen. sub-series. While this is a “Style Gen.”, I don’t see much radical styling, unlike the MPG-17 Optimus Prime Style Gen. It is pretty much the Hot Rod design we have come to know.
Style Gen. is about refining everything people already care about: transformation, proportions, detail, articulation, vehicle play, and weapon play. Translation: it still turns into a car, but now it does it in a way that does not make you feel like you are defusing a bomb. The transformation is designed to be intuitive and repeatable, so you can actually enjoy flipping it back and forth without losing your will to live.
It keeps Hot Rod’s big rear wing and flame patterns while pulling off a full transformation with no awkward leftover junk parts. To be fair, its predecessors, including the Studio Series figure, can do that, too. That’s a bit of a head scratcher when I read about this supposed “feature”. Anyhoo, the proportions aim to please fans across generations, and the joints are built for dramatic posing, not stiff museum behavior.
Accessories include two photon lasers, a saw blade, and the welding torch Hot Rod used in the show. It also has 5 mm joints all over, so you can plug in whatever chaos you want from your parts bin.
This is Hot Rod doing what Hot Rod does best: looking cool, driving fast, and acting like he owns the shelf.
Takara Tomy MPG-20 Hot Rod Style Gen. is priced at 19,800 yen [JP] (tax included) (about US$125). It is scheduled to be released in late September 2026.
Images: Takara Tomy [JP].