Going back through the releases over the past few years, it's clear that 2013 was really the turning point in the MP series.
Before 2012, we only had Grimlock and Rodimus that can still fit in somewhat with the new MPs. And then in 2012, they rebooted the series with Optimus and Starscream.
2013 shot the series straight into the stratosphere with brand new designs like Sideswipe, Soundwave, the cassettes, and Prowl. Variants like Red Alert and Tigertrack, Streak and Smokescreen, and Nemesis Prime were also done.
2014 was almost a dud year with only repaint variants like Soundblaster, Silverstreak, and G2 Sideswipe. That is until right at the end late in the year they released three brand new molds in Wheeljack, Bumblebee, and Ultra Magnus to end the year with a bang!
2015 was definitely the year of the repaint, with Diaclone colours emerging in full force with Exhaust, Bluestreak, Red BB, Clampdown, and Road Rage releasing. Only two new molds were released in 2015 in Star Saber and Tracks. But of course, the two big releases for me were the long awaited repaints for Skywarp and Thundercracker! Getting those two to complement Starscream was something I had waited a long time for!
2016 was another huge year, with brand new molds in Ironhide, Shockwave, Hot Rod, and Inferno with some decent retools/core colours in Ramjet, Thrust, Ratchet and Anime Red Alert. Of course Diaclone homages continued with Delta Magnus and Loud Pedal too. Looking back, I think 2016 ranks amongst their best so far!
Seeing the releases summarised year by year, I think Takara have really taken the MP series to another level over the past 3-4 years. I dont think many collectors would have envisioned what we have now back then. I think it truly is a golden time to be a Transformers fan, especially if you're a G1 cartoon or toy fan.