You'll find that the better toys were ones where HasTak had more creative freedom in design and engineering. Toys like Tomahawk wasn't based on a pre-created movie model or previously existing toy. He was a whole new character and concept, so HasTak had the freedom to do what they liked, and that's awesome.

BH Shockwave on the other hand is based on a cartoon model. HasTak had the job of translating the cartoon model into being an action figure for children. Recent CHUGUR toys are nice too, but they too are based on existing G1 characters and toys. And in the case of CW and TR, accommodating their combining and Headmaster gimmicks respectively. But CHUGUR are still aren't as slavishly accurate to G1 as MP and as such they have relatively more creative freedom. Trying to make a gun Megatron with a non-MP budget is tricky, and we end up with the likes of toys like Classics Megatron with two massive shellformery "wings" on his back, or Reveal the Shield Megatron whose robot tummy is visible in pistol mode (although for a Legends Class figure he's actually a smashing toy! ). Combiner Wars Megatron on the other hand decided, "Bugger having a G1 accurate alt mode, let's make him a tank!" And while G2 Megatron was a tank, CW Megatron's transformation and robot form are nothing G2 tank Megs'. Making the decision to give Megatron his own original design worked a treat as it gave HasTak designers far more creative freedom to just work on making a great Megatron toy. And what a menacing end-boss CW Megatron was in Devastation!

This is why I often believe that Transformers usually work out better when they are designed as toys first and media characters second, not the other way around. With special exceptions like MP & CHUGUR, toy designers shouldn't be worrying about translating animation models into toys, animators should translate toys into animation models. MP and CHUGUR are lines whose core appeal is based on G1 nostalgia - fine. But the other lines don't necessarily have such a strong mandate on this. Lines like Transformers Prime and Robots In Disguise weren't as good as stuff like HFTD because they were needlessly based on animation models. Most of the toys in TFP and RiD2015 haven't struck me as good... mediocre at best. And some of the better toys like Arms Micron Frumble, were those that were only made for the toy line and never appeared in the show (thus they enjoyed more creative liberty). Voyager Class TFP Skyquake and Dreadwing on the other hand are just rubbish.