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| [[File:ClassicsPrime Voyager.jpg|thumb|310px|"A bogstandard retail toyline targeted towards adult collectors? How silly, like that would ever be comercially viable in the long term..."]]
| | #REDIRECT [[Transformers: Generations (toyline)#Overview]] |
| '''CHUG''' is a common fan [[Abbreviations|acronym]] derived from the ''[[Transformers: Classics|'''C'''lassics]]'', ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)|'''H'''enkei]]'', ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|'''U'''niverse]]'', and ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|'''G'''enerations]]'' toylines, although it also designates later series following the same aesthetic and design philosophy. If we were to be pedantic, the complete terminology should be "'''CHUGRtSUT30LCWUWTRPotPSERK'''" but, since it doesn't roll off the tongue all that well, distinctive sublines of ''Generations'' series are often just contained within the term.
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| These lines are all unified by being modern re-imaginations of classic ''Transformers'' characters, most often from [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]] but also occasionally including later eras like ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'', ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'', ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'', ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'', and ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]''. Sculpts and engineering are also shared between these lines, with groups like the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s and the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s having their individual characters being sequentially released across the span of different CHUG series. Prior to the launch of what is now known as the ''[[Prime Wars Trilogy]]'', these lines didn't really have any line-wide gimmicks, unlike most mainline ''Transformers'' series.
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| If seen as a single unified toyline, CHUG can be considered the longest running series in the ''Transformers'' franchise, having been in production since 2006.
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| ==Toylines generally accepted as CHUG==
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| ===Pre-Unification===
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| Until 2017, as was common in other Transformers toylines, the figures released on most international markets by Hasbro would sport different decos from those released under [[TakaraTomy]] in Japan, with the latter toys being known for frequently featuring a greater degree of cartoon-accuracy in comparison to the sometimes either more generic or, later on in Combiner Wars and Titans Return, more toy-oriented decos of their American equivalents.
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| ====Hasbro====
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| *''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' (2006 - 2007)
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| :Initially conceived as a brief filler line between ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' and [[Transformers (2007 toyline)|the first live action film]], ''Classics'' was Hasbro's first attempt at producing a series consisting primarily of modernized Generation 1 characters in Deluxe and Voyager sizes, all of them being new original molds. Some ''Cybertron'' figures redecoed into G1 characters were also included in the Legends price point, and ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Constructicon Maximus]] was redecoed into [[Devastator (G1)#Classics 2|Constructicon Devastator]]. As an homage to the original toys, most figures featured the interesting inclusion of [[rubsign]]s. Despite its short run, the series proved to be successful enough to lay the foundations for the later ''Universe'' and ''Generations'' toylines.
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| *''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' (2008 - 2009)
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| :Directly following up on the success of ''Classics'', ''Universe'' was a substantially bigger and more intricate toyline, heavily expanding on the original concept of modernized G1 characters with various new molds and also expanding its scope in its second year--the 25th anniversary of the [[Transformers brand|brand]]--with the introduction of some figures based around ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' and the [[Beast Era]]. These figures were generally more complex than those introduced in ''Classics'', a design choice which is commonly attributed to the concurrent [[Live-action film series|live-action movie]] toylines. This line was also supplemented by redecoes of various molds from older lines, particularly ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]''. Every figure was labelled to indicate which 'sub-series' it was a part of - for instance, [[Dropshot (G1)#Universe (2008)|Dropshot]] was labelled 'Classics Series' while [[Overload (Armada)#Universe (2008)|Overload]] was labelled 'Cybertron Series' - despite both being redecoes of [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|the same mold]]!
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| *''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' (2010 - )
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| :From 2010 on, ''Generations'' became Hasbro's umbrella term to designate all upcoming releases based on the same concept. Initally limited to the Deluxe price point, it was later expanded to include figures in other sizes as well. As the years have gone by, the ''Generations'' toyline has been developed into different sublines (see below) but all have remained conceptually based on updating older characters with more modern engineering.
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| *''[[Reveal the Shield]]'' (2010 - 2011)
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| :Concurrently available with the original run of ''Generations'', ''Reveal the Shield'' was a confusing [[subline imprint]] by Hasbro that incorporated both figures originally intended for the ''Generations'' line (with some sculpts shared between both lines) and Movie-verse characters under the same label. Most notably, these all featured [[rubsign]]s, hence the title of the toyline.
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| =====Generations sublines (pre-unification)=====
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| [[File:TR_Trypticon_Robot.jpg|thumb|320px|right|"... Well, damn."]]
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| Starting from 2015, Hasbro began to develop each year of Generations into a set of themed sublines, with the idea being to explore more specific eras and characters (such as ''Titans Return'' being primarily dedicated to [[Headmaster (technology)#Generation 1|Headmasters]] and ''Kingdom'' mainly focusing on the [[Beast Era]]) while still nonetheless interweaving these with the release of more common characters that are not necessarily a part of that given theme - for instance, each of the three years of ''Prime Wars'' had a different toy based on Generation 1 [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] while each of those also ventured into different parts of the franchise.
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| *''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' (2015 - 2016)
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| :The first of the ''[[Prime Wars Trilogy]]'', ''Combiner Wars'' was a subline entirely centred around [[combiner]]s, simplifying the Deluxe and Voyager figures to incorporate a ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)#1986 (Scramble City and Transformers 2010)|Scramble City]]'' style of combination. Significantly more figures were released for ''Combiner Wars'' than any other CHUG line until then, including [[Dead End (G1)|a significantly larger amount of repaints]]. Some new Legends Class and Leader Class molds were released, along with redecoes and retools of various ''Thrilling 30'' figures. This line's Titan Class figure was [[Devastator (G1)#Generations|Devastator]], and another fan poll resulted in the creation of [[Victorion]]. Box sets, containing a whole combiner each, were released for the first time.
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| *''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' (2016 - 2017)
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| :The second subline in the ''Prime Wars Trilogy'', ''Titans Return'' focused around the titular [[Titan Master]] robots, most of them being directly based off the 1987 Generation 1 [[Headmaster (technology)#Generation 1|Headmaster]]s. Various [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]] and [[Powermaster]] figures became Titan Masters too, along with some characters which had never been "-masters" in the first place. Two box sets were released for this line, generally including more obscure characters, while the two Titan Class figures for this subline were [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/toys#Generations|Fortress Maximus]] and [[Trypticon (G1)#Titans Return|Trypticon]]. A handful of Titans Returns figures, based on the main cast of Headmasters, would be overhauled with toy-inspired decos and re-released in G1-styled packaging as part of the [[Transformers: Generations (toyline)#Retro Headmasters|Retro Headmasters]] subline in 2020.
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| *''[[Power of the Primes (toyline)|Power of the Primes]]'' (2017 - 2018)
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| :''Power of the Primes'' is the third and final installment in the ''Prime Wars Trilogy'', spotlighting [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]s and using [[Prime Master]]s (loosely inspired by the concept of [[Powermaster]]s and including shells based on [[Pretender]]s) as a unified play pattern. The combiner mechanic of ''Combiner Wars'' also returns. As an additional gimmick, Leader Class figures are formed by a Deluxe-sized robot representing the character before getting the Matrix, plus an armor that turns them in the proper Leader character. The Titan Class figure for the subline is [[Predaking (G1)#Generations|Predaking]].
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| ====Takara====
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| *''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' (2008 - 2009)
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| :Concurrently available with Hasbro's ''Universe'' line, ''Henkei! Henkei!'' was [[TakaraTomy]]'s Japanese equivalent for both ''Classics'' and ''Universe'', featuring more cartoon-accurate paintjobs and pack-in mangas. These figures all had various areas cast in [[Vacuum metallizing|vacuum-metalized plastic]], whether it made much sense or not. Some exclusive Takara releases would be sold under the name ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)#Gentei! Gentei!|Gentei! Gentei!]]'' instead, a small subline that is generally considered to be part of the ''Henkei'' range.
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| *''[[Transformers United|United]]'' (2010 - 2012)
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| :In the style of ''Henkei'', ''United'' would be Takara's primary equivalent for Japaneses releases of ''Generations'' figures for a while. Much like ''Henkei'', these would also go on to feature more show-accurate paintjobs.
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| *''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' (2014 - 2018)
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| :From 2014 on, ''Legends'' became Takara's own umbrella term to designate its ''Generations''-based releases, also following in the same show-accurate tradition of ''Henkei'' and ''United''.
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| *''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' (2015 - 2017)
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| :Takara's equivalent for the Deluxe and Voyager combiner teams of ''Combiner Wars'', strangely enough being released as their own individual line. The non-combiner Leader molds were simply sold as regular ''Legends'' figures.
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| ===Post-unification===
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| Starting in 2017, Takara's ''Legends'' line was dropped and suceeded by the release of Hasbro's regular ''Powers of the Prime'' in Japan, with both the Japanese and international markets getting the same standardized figures for the first time since the beginning of CHUG. This merge was officialized in 2018, with every Generations packaging now sporting the logos of both TakaraTomy and Hasbro.
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| =====Generations sublines (post-unification)=====
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| *''[[War for Cybertron: Siege]]'' (2019 - 2019)
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| :''Siege'' is the first installment in the ''[[War for Cybertron Trilogy (franchise)|War for Cybertron Trilogy]]'', with its defining characteristics being the Cybertronian vehicle designs and the presence of battle-damaged paintjobs across most figures. The series also features the return of [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]s and [[Micromaster]]s (the former under the name "[[Battle Master]]s"). The Titan Class figure for the subline was [[Omega Supreme (G1)#Generations|Omega Supreme]].
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| *''[[War for Cybertron: Earthrise]]'' (2020 - 2020)
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| :''Earthrise'' is the second installment in the ''War for Cybertron Trilogy'', shifting the focus from Cybertronian vehicles to Earth vehicles. The Titan Class figure for the subline was [[Scorponok (G1)/toys#Generations|Scorponok]].
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| *''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom]]'' (2021 - 20??)
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| :''Kingdom'' is the final installment in the ''War for Cybertron Trilogy'', featuring new incarnations of characters from the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' franchise.
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| ===Gallery===
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| <gallery>
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| File:ClassicsStarscream_toy.jpg|''Classics'' [[Starscream (G1)/toys|Starscream]], a figure which would get redecoed for many other CHUG toylines. Note the rubsign.
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| File:Henkei_Starscream_toy.jpg|''Henkei! Henkei!'' [[Starscream (G1)/toys|Starscream]]. Note the cartoon-oriented deco accented with chrome, distinguishing it from the original Hasbro release.
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| File:Sunstreakeruniverse2008toy.jpg|''Universe'' [[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys|Sunstreaker]], cleverly designed to function back-to-front as his brother [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys|Sideswipe]].
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| File:Generations_Drift_toy.jpg|''Generations'' [[Drift (G1)|Drift]], the first CHUG figure based definitively on an IDW-original character.
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| File:TF2010_deluxe_SpecialOpsJazz.jpg|''Reveal the Shield'' [[Jazz (G1)/toys|Jazz]]. Note the rubsign.
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| File:Unitedtoy-AutobotJazz.jpg|''United'' [[Jazz (G1)/toys|Jazz]]. Note the metallic plastic.
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| File:Generationstoy-VoyagerSpringer.jpg|''Thrilling 30'' [[Springer (G1)/toys|Springer]], one of the first Voyager Class CHUG [[Triple Changer]]s released. Based on [[Nick Roche]]'s ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' design.
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| File:TF-Legends-LG-19-Springer.jpg|''Legends'' [[Springer (G1)/toys|Sprung]], featuring a more animation-accurate colour scheme
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| File:Defensor Combiner Wars.jpg|''Combiner Wars'' [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]], made up of [[Groove (G1)|one Legends Class figure,]] [[First Aid (G1)|four]] [[Streetwise (G1)|Deluxe]] [[Rook (Generations)|Class]] [[Blades (G1)|figures]], and [[Hot Spot (G1)|one Voyager Class figure.]] '''EACH SOLD SEPARATELY.'''
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| File:Unite-Warriors-UW-03-Guardian.jpg|''Unite Warriors'' [[Defensor (G1)|Guardian]], released exclusively through [[TakaraTomy Mall]].
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| File:TitansReturntoy-Hardhead.jpg|''Titans Return'' [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] and [[Duros|Furos]]. Note the [[Titan Master]] and vehicle mode cockpit.
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| File:PowerOfThePrimestoy-Jazz.jpg|''Power of the Primes'' [[Jazz (G1)/toys|Jazz]]. Note the combiner peg peeking out from underneath his chest.
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| File:WFCS-Voyager-Soundwave.jpg|''War for Cybertron: Siege'' [[Soundwave (G1)/toys|Soundwave]]. Note the "battle damage" deco.
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| File:TF-WFC-E-Voyager-Grapple.jpg| ''War for Cybertron: Earthrise'' [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]].
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| File:WFC-Kingdom_Leader_Megatron.jpg|''War for Cybertron: Kingdom'' [[Megatron (BW)/toys#War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Megatron]].
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| </gallery>
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| ==Toylines loosely considered as CHUG==
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| [[File:PCC-toy Huffer.jpg|thumb|200px|upright=2.2|CHUG or Bayverse? Guess it's up to [[you]] to decide!]]
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| *''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' (2003 - 2005)
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| :Although debuting a good three years before ''Classics'', the 2003 ''Universe'' toyline could be seen as a very early version of what would become CHUG, featuring a handful of attempts at replicating characters from previous eras in a regular retail line like [[Red Alert (RID 2001)|Red Alert]], [[Skywarp (G1)/toys#Universe|Skywarp]], and [[Devastator (Universe Ultra)|Devastator]] - these were, however, limited to redecos instead of actual original sculpts and were often interspersed with more generic repaints, hence why the line is often disregarded as not necessarily being a part of the abbreviation. Still, considering how some of the released toys do match the aesthetics of early ''Classics'' and 2008 ''Universe'' figures, it sounds fair to say they aren't completely negligible either.
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| *''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' (2005 - 2017)
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| :Being the umbrella name for [[BotCon]] and [[Fun Publications]] exclusives, Timelines does encompass some sets and figures that fit in with the regular CHUG toylines (particularly as most of the molds used to come from those toylines). However, it also often goes for direct tie-ins with other continuities, such as ''Beast Wars'', ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' and ''Animated''.
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| *''[[Power Core Combiners]]'' (2010 - 2011)
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| :The ''Power Core Combiners'' hold a strange place in terms of continuity, with Hasbro themselves admitting they aren't particularly tied to any specific series. On one hand, the line follows the CHUG premise of reinventing classic characters (mostly combiners) with modern designs and packaging sporting the same graphical patterns of the concurrently released ''Generations'' figures. On the other hand, most of the characters were exclusively featured in Movie tie-in media, like [[Smolder (PCC)|Smolder]] in ''[[Transformers: Cyber Missions]]'' and [[Bombshock (PCC)|Bombshock]] in ''[[Transformers Classified]]''. Complicating matters further, they were released as ''United'' figures in Japan, under the ''United EX'' label, making them very explicit CHUG derivatives in that region but maybe not in the rest of the world. Even the character designs themselves look like a middle ground that could go in either direction, with most figures being relatively chonky and colorful like those of ''Generations'' and yet also occasionally featuring the more alien-esque head sculpts and wedgy limb greebling that you would generally expect from Movie characters.
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| *''[[Transformers Cloud|Cloud]]'' (2014 - 2015)
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| :Much like PCC, ''Cloud'' is a somewhat confusing toyline to pin down. It was released as a separate series from ''Legends'' with its own story and continuity, but it also tries to reinvent the classic G1 characters... By mostly reusing the ''Generations'' sculpts of other previously reinvented classic characters, like by turning [[Doubledealer#Generations|Doubledealer]] into [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Cloud|Starscream]] and [[Springer (G1)#Voyager|Springer]] into [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Cloud|Hot Rodimus]]. Still, its aesthetic is certainly compatible with most of CHUG.
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| *''[[Transformers (2014 toyline)|Transformers]]'' (2014 - 2015)
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| :This small line, with the generic title ''Transformers'' (though it was named "Classic" and "Generation One" on Hasbro's website), included redecos from some of the "CHUG" toylines listed above, most of them being released alongside the [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Age of Extinction]] figures. It also included some redecos of ''Movieverse'' and ''Prime'' toys. However, it had no new molds and an odd release cycle, which made it unknown to many fans.
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| *''[[Transformers Authentics|Authentics]]'' (2017 -)
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| :Following in the footsteps of the above toyline, Hasbro created a dedicated "[[evergreen]]" design series for merchandise and budget markets, also based around the most popular characters that can be easily marketed without the necessity of any attached tie-in media. The series also had a couple of unique molds released under the ''Authentics'' subline, all of which are even simpler and more rudimentary than those of ''Cyber Series'' - though they still fit into the niche of customizers and collectors of smaller ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (toyline)|Cyberverse]]''-scaled CHUG figures. The [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Power of the Primes|''Power of the Primes'' version of Starscream]] is also directly based on his evergreen design.
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| *''[[Studio Series]]'' (2018 -)
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| :For the best part of three years, Studio Series was a toyline exclusively focused on the [[live-action film series]], with most collectors merely treating it as a natural sucessor to previous movieverse toylines - however, this suddenly changed with the emergence of ''Studio Series 86'' in 2021, a set of ''Generation 1''-based figures meant to celebrate the 35th anniversary of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', with characters like [[Scourge (G1)/toys#Studio Series|Scourge]] being released in Studio Series concurrently alongside teammates like [[Cyclonus (G1)/toys#Kingdom|Cyclonus]] in ''Kingdom'', and even some toys such as [[Kup (G1)/toys#Studio Series|Kup]] and [[Blurr (G1)/toys#Studio Series|Blurr]] sharing multiple engineering traits with their previously released CHUG versions. The result is a set of figures that, despite being somewhat more overtly G1 than what's usually common for Generations (for instance, the ''Kingdom'' version of [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Rodimus Prime]] released on the same year is a tad more stylized than its SS86 ''Hot Rod'' counterpart), are still almost unanimously considered as perfectly fitting pieces for a CHUG collection.
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| ===Gallery===
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| <gallery>
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| File:TFU03-toy Skywarp.jpg|''Universe'' [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], redecoed from ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]].
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| File:TL Sunstorm-toy.jpg|''Timelines'' [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]], redecoed from the aforementioned ''Classics'' Starscream.
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| File:PCC-toy Combaticons.jpg|''Power Core Combiners'' [[Bombshock (PCC)|Bombshock]] with [[Combaticon (PCC)|Combaticons]]
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| File:Takaratomy-cloud-Starscream.jpg|''Cloud'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]
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| File:TF2014toy-LegionStrafe.jpg|''Transformers'' [[Swoop (G1)|"Strafe"]]
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| File:Cyber-Battalion-Shockwave.jpg|''Cyber Series'' [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Cyber Series|Shockwave]]. Despite its rudimentary articulation and engineering, it was cherished as the closest to a CHUG Shockwave [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Siege|for a short while]].
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| File:Authentics 5inch Optimus.jpg|''Authentics'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]
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| File:TF-Studio-Series-86-04-Deluxe-Autobot-Hot-Rod.jpg|''Studio Series 86'' [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Studio Series|Hot Rod]]
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| </gallery>
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| [[Category:Fan terminology]]
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| [[Category:Toys]]
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