Shouji Kawamori

Birth place: Toyama Prefecture, Japan

A little known fact is that early in his career, Kawamori had worked with Takara on designing toys for the Diaclone series—many of which eventually went on to the Transformers line. Most notable of these designs were Battle Convoy (Optimus Prime), Datsun Fairlady Z Robo (Prowl/Bluestreak/Smokescreen), and Nissan Cherry Vanette Robo (Ironhide/Ratchet). In 2006, Kawamori returned to his roots by designing the Hybrid Style Convoy and Masterpiece Starscream toys.