First Edition was only meant to be like the Movie Preview Waves - a short-lived, limited edition set of figures. It was just more than most had originally expected, as the Movie Preview waves only one or two toys in them.

It was even a surprise to see Tomy release them in Japan, adding to the numbers in circulation. But in the end, it wasn't part of the main toyline... just a sampling of what to expect, possibly to bridge the gap between the TF3 line and the TFPrime toyline (which probably couldn't be ready any earlier than now).

Considering the lackluster interest in the TF3 toyline, I think Hasbro would have been relieved that they decided to do these First Edition figures, as they probably thought the Movie line would still be in full swing when they started designing those TFPrime toys a year or so ago.