Generations 2027: No More Primes! It is the Age of Evolution!

[Sabrblade]

"Generations" isn't the name of a line anymore (hasn't been since before Combiner Wars), it's now just an umbrella term the Transformers brand uses to refer to the collector-aimed retail lines. The last line to be called "Transformers: Generations" was the Thrilling 30 subline imprint.

 

[Stepwise]

Those were also extra helpful because for some (Origin Bee, Ramjet) the originals happened to also have gotten caught in the speed-yellowing phase. I wondered why they never bothered with a package refresh on SS86 Hot Rod, for which the prices had gotten absurd, to the point where the anniversary timeframe was reached and it made more sense to do a new release instead.

Was there a package refresh for Hot Rod? It's not a big deal now, I just thought there was one somewhere along the line that was almost the same but the box layout/art was a little different. (Maybe that's a Nevermore question.)

Seems to me that the two "concurrent" lines aren't Generations and Studio Series, but Generations (with a portion of its retail slots reserved for Studio Series) and Cyberworld.

This seems right. Generations: Studio Series seems to be how things are categorized at some stores.

Jumping back to the package refresh thing - I'm still wrapping my head around the shorter availability window. That's a messy pile of words and this might need to get shunted over to the "ask questions" thread . . . A few things sit on shelves long enough to physically get dusty, but it feels like instead of marketing things with the idea that "if I can't get that for my kid's birthday, I'll still be able to find it at Christmas," it's "better get it now, just in case they all get scooped up and shipped off to Ollie's." (and the closest Ollie's is a few states away for me.) If it was normal to have things on shelves for a longer time, we wouldn't be waiting and crossing our fingers for package refreshes.

 

[NovaSaber]

Well, I'm not going to start saying "CHUGURtSLUWCWTRPotPSSWfCLAotPNL".

 

[Platypus Prime]

I'm not even sure HOW to say "CHUGURtSLUWCWTRPotPSSWfCLAotPNL". Not without summoning something, anyway...

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Yeah, both AotP/AoE and Studios Series are still listed under "Gen" in computer listings, which I suppose could mean something other than "Generations" but that's a real stretch.

Examples

TRA GEN PRIME DLX ALPHA BRAVO
Product Number: G3581

Tra Gen LDR Animated Lugnut
Product Number: G3648

Tra Gen Studio Series Dlx IDW Nautica
Product Number: G3562

 

[LordGigaIce]

Yeah, so I don't think the idea that Hasbro uses the vagueness between SS and Generations to fudge guys in under retailers' noses holds any water. SS IS Generations, and the division between SS and whatever the ongoing Generations line is seems like an "informal" thing inside Hasbro. So it seems like everyone who was done under the Studio Series subline would have been done anyway.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Originally there was a very specific distinction: Studio Series was the live action line, while the other half of Generations was the "everything else, but mostly G1" line. Obviously that's no longer the case, which is where the line obsfucation comes from, but there was a method to the madness once!

 

[Platypus Prime]

Given that we have similar styles of combiners in both, and even members of a combiner team (if you count Shockwave/Bruticus) split between lines, there's no more distinction than there was back in the Reveal the Shield days when clearly G1 Jazz was shipping in a supposed 'movie' line.

 

[Princess Viola]

"Generations" isn't the name of a line anymore (hasn't been since before Combiner Wars), it's now just an umbrella term the Transformers brand uses to refer to the collector-aimed retail lines. The last line to be called "Transformers: Generations" was the Thrilling 30 subline imprint.

get in the locker nerd

 

[Princess Viola]

(i feel it is peak turbo nerd to go 'well the line hasn't been called generations since pre-combiner wars' since i'm pretty sure until like last year they still literally put GENERATIONS on the front of the damn boxes and tryna argue that that's not actually the toyline name it's just the UMBRELLA term is peak 'i am going to shove you into a locker nerd' tbh)

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

I'm not even sure HOW to say "CHUGURtSLUWCWTRPotPSSWfCLAotPNL". Not without summoning something, anyway...

FOR A THOUSAND YEARS I LAY DORMANT......

 

[Stepwise]

A nap that long sounds so nice right now . . .

 

[lastmaximal]

Was there a package refresh for Hot Rod? It's not a big deal now, I just thought there was one somewhere along the line that was almost the same but the box layout/art was a little different. (Maybe that's a Nevermore question.).

The only one I can think of is the one following the linewide packaging change (no plastic window). But I feel that that was so close to the first release that it seems more like a running change, and then years passed without another chance to get one. Especially with the toy-based Velocitron capsule one getting cut.

 

[Princess Viola]

Yeah IIRC that second run of Hot Rod was like only 3-4 waves after the original release.

 

[lastmaximal]

(i feel it is peak turbo nerd to go 'well the line hasn't been called generations since pre-combiner wars' since i'm pretty sure until like last year they still literally put GENERATIONS on the front of the damn boxes and tryna argue that that's not actually the toyline name it's just the UMBRELLA term is peak 'i am going to shove you into a locker nerd' tbh)

I'll set aside the.. critique of the correction and highlight the main relevant point from that : connecting to the discussion from LordGigaIce et al, Generations has been the general label for the collector-aimed portion of the line since at least AOE. That line had the same overall name and packaging style for everything (since that's where they debuted it, giant red rotated-90° TRANSFORMERS logo and all), but the stuff that wasn't one-steps and whatnot was flagged as "Generations".

This much is relevant to the discussion of "distinguishing between Generations and other lines" since the ones being differentiated between are all Generations style, for lack of a better term.

Phazer seems to be echoing retail rationale we've also heard of for some time, like Hasbro angling to get x number of toylines on shelves. This definitely sounds familiar, especially with the accompanying "retailers like 'new' product" idea that used to drive subline imprints (and now may drive shorter lines overall). I'm just not sure how things operate after all this time, but there may still be something to that.

Right now, as has been pointed out, it's more like two big categories, mirrored in the boring-ass stripping down of packaging design (black carded lines, white carded lines). The sublines for the white carded younger-audience lines are better defined, sort of. Authentics/Whateveritisnow is generic non-media-tied designs (and some tossed-in Evergreen-adjacents) focusing on a handful of iconic representative characters, Cyberworld is based on the show. The sublines for the black carded Generations style ones are facing this revamp where they purport to be more distinct.

This annoying (because it's so much harder to FIND things, even if the shelves aren't already 80% Yolopark and Blokees) homogenization may be part of an optimization process for what the retailers want, or something. "Sales suggest the demo for this location is older, so send us stuff from that range." "Studio Series or AOTP?" "Yup, thanks."

 

[Badgertron]

As someone who generally favours G1 toy deco, I wonder if this is going to lead to figures designed to be Sunbow accurate for the Studio Series line (maybe like the new Combaticons seem to be?), with more toy deco repaints being released later in the mainline.

 

[LordGigaIce]

As someone who generally favours G1 toy deco, I wonder if this is going to lead to figures designed to be Sunbow accurate for the Studio Series line (maybe like the new Combaticons seem to be?), with more toy deco repaints being released later in the mainline.

I wouldn't mind that. I don't generally like Sunbow decos, so a clear delineation that keeps space open for toy decos is appreciated.

 

[Andrusi]

Yeah, both AotP/AoE and Studios Series are still listed under "Gen" in computer listings, which I suppose could mean something other than "Generations" but that's a real stretch.

Oh, it's in reference to distribution problems--they're labeled Gen because none of them are shipping.

 

[LordGigaIce]

I'll set aside the.. critique of the correction and highlight the main relevant point from that : connecting to the discussion from LordGigaIce et al, Generations has been the general label for the collector-aimed portion of the line since at least AOE. That line had the same overall name and packaging style for everything (since that's where they debuted it, giant red rotated-90° TRANSFORMERS logo and all), but the stuff that wasn't one-steps and whatnot was flagged as "Generations".

I guess the whole Generations thing can be summed up on my end like this...

Up until AotP both Studio Series and whatever the Generations line was, had Generations logos on the packaging. They were both categorized as Generations product by Hasbro and retailers. And still are today, even with the Generations logos being taken off the boxes.

So "the line isn't called Generations, it's just an umbrella term" seems like a distinction without a difference to me.
As far as Hasbro, Walmart, Target, etc... are concerned, Studio Series and AotP are all "Generations," so however you wanna define that, it seems like it's one line.

Cordoning off part of that line as "Studio Series" seems like an informal division within Hasbro to give movie stuff its own space within Generations rather than being a totally distinct line.

While Hasbro has played fast and loose with lines to slip in things they couldn't fit elsewhere before, I don't think that's happening with SS and Generations today. It all seems to be one big "Generations" line, just with different sub-labels.

So I don't think Hasbro can be accused of playing fast and loose with retailers in this instance, because it's likely all Generations slots anyway. Take away the sub-labels and you have the same number of slots at retail.

Hasbro deciding to redefine the distinction between SS and the rest of Generations after that distinction got muddied shows that they see value in multiple flavours of Generations product at once, but I don't think retailers particularly care about that outside of how well it sells.

 

[The Predaking]

(i feel it is peak turbo nerd to go 'well the line hasn't been called generations since pre-combiner wars' since i'm pretty sure until like last year they still literally put GENERATIONS on the front of the damn boxes and tryna argue that that's not actually the toyline name it's just the UMBRELLA term is peak 'i am going to shove you into a locker nerd' tbh)

Remember when we argued over the Robots in Disguise brand being used in a toyline years after the main RID line ended?