Attention, fans of Beast Wars: Transformers. It looks like Rhinox is popular enough to enjoy another Masterpiece-grade figure after his first appearance as the MPG-59 under the now-defunct Masterpiece toyline—even if it’s the evil version of him.
Folks, meet the new Transformers MPG-26 Destron Rhinox from Takara Tomy. It is based on Season 1, Episode 16 of Beast Wars: Transformers, titled “Rhinox’s Rampage” (or in Season 1, Episode 13, “Dark Designs,” in North America), in which Rhinox was turned into a Predacon. So yeah, Takara Tomy has made it real, so completionists, rejoice. Maybe? This makes it the second Beast Wars character to get the MPG treatment after Rattle (which is also super cool, btw).
Based on the original Masterpiece toy, the corrupted rhino wears a darker color scheme than the original, and the eyes can be changed to red to recreate his look after his Maximal spark was reprogrammed into that of a Predacon. In addition, it includes an interchangeable face and a beast mask for use in robot mode.
It is also supplied with a sword, two Gatling Hammers—each complete with Predacon insignia—for dual-wielding poses, and an adapter piece. One of the two included Gatling Hammers can be stored inside the body in beast mode, which is a callback to the original Beast Wars-era toy. As always, it comes in the original Japanese packaging, along with Japanese-language instructions and a character card.
The Transformers MPG-26 Destron Rhinox is expected to drop sometime in March 2027 in Japan for 35,200 yen—tax included [JP], and stateside around April 27, 2027, for US$224.99. Pre-orders are happening in markets on both sides of the ocean, if anyone is interested. Do note that Hasbro’s pre-order campaign will end in about 12 days or less.
Images: Takara Tomy [JP].