Quote Originally Posted by SharkyMcShark View Post
The Aerialbots were a wash because of this - three of the limbs were essentially the same figure (all four, if you're counting the UW release). Same goes with the Stunticons. I will concede that the Protectobots and Combaticons were at least insulated from this because of the variety of alt modes making up the team.
These are all issues that they've inherited - for better or worse - from their G1 counterparts.

And fans go nutters when the toys aren't G1 enough for them. Just as Combiner Wars Blast Off and Groove.

I think the main drawback of having an overarching gimmick is that it starves the line of diversity.

Correction: the pink slice in the 1987 pie chart is meant to represent "gestalts"
Lines like TR had even less diversity than 1990 where 64% of TFs on shelves were Action Masters and 36% were Micromasters (I'm counting sets, not individual 'bots). 1990 in Japan probably had the lowest amount of diversity in Transformers since every toy released in that year with the sole exception of Metro Titan were Micromasters.

Having said that, TR obviously wasn't the only Transformers line released in mid-2016 to the end of 2017 - we also had Bayformers, Rescue Bots, MPs, RID, Rescue Bots etc. This is quite different from 20th Century TF lines where there would typically only be just one overarching line. Like sure, 1987 G1 had greater diversity than TR, but it was also all we had. But yeah, as far as diversity within Generations itself, these overarching gimmicky sublines can arguably reduce line diversity. Or improve line dedication/focus depending on how you look at it - but I'm guessing that more fans prefer diversity (which is totally understandable; a lack of diversity just makes things rather bland)