Japan Equivalent: United (2010), Generations (Japan) (FOC), Legends (Thrilling 30)
In 2010, Hasbro replaced the Universe 2 (2008) toyline with Transfomers: Generations as a new catch-all for reimaginings of old characters or other toys that didn’t fit into the ongoing Transformers fiction. Generations debuted with two prongs: remade classic characters, and toys representing the characters in the new War for Cybertron video game series.
Initially only containing deluxe class figures, Generations picked up where Universe left off in recreating characters from Generation 1, thrilling older fans. Generations also housed a number of toys that otherwise only appeared in video games, much like Titanium featured formerly comic-only designs. During the first stretch of Generations releases, many toys from the Reveal the Shield subline of Transformers (2010 series) shared molds via redecoes with Generations, and represented old characters, causing some confusion among fans. To complicate the issue, some Generations and Transformers (2010) packaging looked very similar.
Generations got a facelift in 2012, and released a slew of new toys. The selection now expanded to include Voyagers and a new Legends class, distinct from the old one. Since the original Legends class had been supplanted by Cyberverse, the new Legends class are two-packs of small, new-design characters. The refresh included a large number of new molds related to the War for Cybertron game and its sequel, Fall of Cybertron. The new series also introduced a new combiner team mold, utilizing a standard connection that allows each limb figure to transform into any limb of the larger robot. By 2013, the series picked up where it had left off with classic characters, sprinkling in new characters from game or comic franchises as well. The toys from 2013 and 2014 are all co-branded as “Thrilling 30”, in celebration of the brand’s 30th anniversary.
The future of the Generations toyline is fairly certain. It will continue to contain homages to classic characters, and be co-branded with the complex Age of Extinction toys targeted at older collectors.
