>>8404488Shellformer usually refers to a transformer that carries most or even all of its altmode as Kibble, which is parts of the vehicle mode that servers no purpose in robot mode. For example, this is First Edition Optimus Prime from the Age of Extinction toyline. His alt mode is made from moving the truck panels, or kibble, around his robot frame to for. His vehicle mode. With some light disassembly, you can remove his entire truck from his robot mode with no impact to either.
This is an extreme example however. Most shellformers only move some parts to the back to keep them out of the way or to replace them with fake parts that are more accurate to the toy's source material. Shellforming isn't an inherently bad thing depending on what you want from a figure. If you value accuracy, shellforming allows you to keep that without needing to integrate parts from one mode into another.
That said, it's often derrided as lazy since at that point, it would just be better to make separate robot and car toys. The appeal for most people, myself included, is the puzzle-play of turning robot parts into a vehicle and seeing how a vehicle's parts can become robot parts, like truck grill abs or feet made from front bumpers. Shellforming is then seen as a lazy copout to avoid spending more money on engineering a better figure.
