Transformers line is officially called 'Autobot Alliance'

[jaydisc]

While Generations share the same red packaging as their cohorts, aren't they only ones labeled as Generations?

I like the way the Wiki has done the divide: There's Generations, PCC and everything else (regardless of packaging color) is Transformers 2010. Transformers 2010 sounds more like a working title, but they have lumped the Powerbots and Activators with the HTFD stuff.

I will likely follow the same model for iTFDB, but will use Autobot Alliance instead of Transformers 2010. It would really be good to see Autobot Alliance in writing somewhere though.

[Autocon]

I'm certainly not wanting to force people to associate toys into groups, away from their own pre-conceptions, as we often have toys from one packaged line fitting better into another line on the display shelf.

I'm just posting this as a news item so that members here are aware of what I'm referring to when calling something 'AA' or 'Autobot Alliance' (because it makes my cataloguing of figures in news postings easier).

Technically, when it comes to packaging/product-lines, there are just the two Transformers mainlines (Autobot Alliance, PowerCore Combiners), with the AA mainline being split into sublines (AA, AA-Generations, AA-Powerbots, AA-Activators).
Then there are the other non-Transformers lines - Speedstars Transformers and Crossovers Transformers.

As to how fans see lines and individual figures, based on the character or alt-mode, is entirely up to them.
Toys like Bludgeon, Seaspray, Tracker Hound, Sandstorm, Scout Windcharger, Mindset, Fallback (Outback), New Legends Optimus, Megatron, Starscream and Prowl, Voyager Grapple, etc. would all fit better into the Generations line, but as noted by Aaron Archer, Hasbro wanted a secondary product line for non-Movie characters, but could only get support for Deluxe class. Everything else is in the AA subline, including moulds that originated in the Movie lines.

It's just way too confusing to try to understand it all, and because of retailer requirements, we have characters being reworked after their initial purpose, to fit into the subline/storyline they ended up getting packaged in.

Best advice is to just ignore the packaging and bios and just go by the character name and personal preferences/imagination when collecting anything leading up the next movie.

glad i stopped at yellow packaging.

[jaydisc]

Interestingly, BBTS is now using Autobot Alliance to describe the Takara Tomy versions of the new toys:

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/m...&category=6506