Yeah, I have to say... while I know there were scads of little kids scrambling for those movie toys... I can count on my fingers the ones I bought... from ALL THREE films. Deliberate purchases from the Hasbro main line include Prime and Arcee... (because they somehow convinced me she's somehow a female, in spite of the toy giving no indications of such. They could have called her a MerMan and the toy would have been as on-target.)
I was sure I'd picked up some other Hasbro movie bots, but looking through the list, I know I skipped Megs, Ironhide, Barricade, Ratchet... and only wound up with a Bumblebee because of that multi-pack with three different 'generations' of Bumblebee.
I think bottom line, less screen time and character development — Jazz and Wheeljack come to mind — just don't leave you connected to the characters, and ultimately THAT is what makes me go to the store and buy them. Likable, developed, epic, personable, human, distinct characters... with bios, strengths, weaknesses, traits.....
Okay, that and great designs
What about you guys. How much do the characters personalities and voices come into play for your jumping in and buying an entire line? Or is it just the toys and gimmicks?