>>6783082AoE? This has been a thing since the first movie line.
As someone who's been collecting for a long time, the reason for this separate, simplified line is easy to see; the movie designs were just too complex to be adapted to the level of complexity Hasbro was keeping the mainline at in the UT days. Concept Camaro Bumblebee may not be super complex, but compare it to Armada or cybertron hot Shot, figures a 5 year old would work with ease, and realize that effectively Bumblebee was its equivalent on store shelves,and you see the issue.
If you ask me, with the movie line's uncertain future, Hasbro should use the opportunity to take back the reigns of TF design and stop relying on movie/cartoon/comic designs steering the ship, unless those designs are made with transforming toys in mind. The best "simple" Transforming figures were Armada, they were robust, fun figures that are still perfect for kids.
