Quote Originally Posted by Tha_Phantom View Post
Just had a discussion with another collector about classifying the Buzzworthy toys.
From what I've read on TF wiki and studying the packaging they should be viewed as a subline, not their own line.

For instance, the Buzzworthy Bumblebee (the core class toy that is clearly Bumblejumper) should be viewed as WFC Trilogy > Buzzworthy > Bumblebee
The WWII Bumblebee should be viewed as Studio Series > Buzzworthy > 26BB WWII Bumblebee

Just as SS86, Siege, Earthrise and Kingdom are sublines, so too is Buzzworthy. The only difference is that Buzzworthy is a subline across multiple lines. At least that's how I read it.

I would go further to say that the Buzzworthy Bumblebee line is less a subline and more a packaging refresh / rerelease.

By way of comparison:
We have the 1990s "Classics" rereleases of G1 toys. Do we consider them distinct from the G1 line, or a variation of the G1 line?
Is the Transformers Universe repackaging of Energon Steamhammer a distinctly separate release to the Energon release or a case of packing variation?
Did the Unicron Battles, Powerlinx Battles and Primus Unleashed packaging refresh in Armada, Energon and Cybertron respectively represent a separate subline or a simply packaging refreshment? If it was a subline, what do you do with figures that were in both sets of packaging?

I think these questions can be helpful when trying to distinguish between which version of a toy you have, but trying to create a hard and fast rule for it is difficult.

I would personally say it was a packaging variation of an existing line, but wouldn't object to those who considered it its own thing as long as they weren't trying to push their own interpretation as the "correct" interpretation.