Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)
Transformers: Generation 2 was the name for the toy series that debuted in 1993, two years after the last of the original Transformers figures were off the shelves in the United States. Generation 2 saw more-or-less simultaneous release in the US and European markets, but Japan would not start the line (or even have any Transformers product at all on shelves, for that matter) until 1995.
History
In its early inception, the line mainly featured re-releases of several "Generation 1" (a term that the fandom had given the original series) toys with new accessories and tweaked decos, alongside several molds that had been recently released as part of the European-market line, many of which would be re-released in Europe under the Generation 2 banner.
As the line continued, however, less and less "old" product was redecoed and recycled, and more and more new molds and play features were introduced. Among them were the Go-Bots (Hot Wheels-styled figures with simpler transformations and "precision" wheels), the Cyberjets (realistic fighter planes that transformed into robots with newly engineered and enhanced poseability), the Rotor Force (which featured firing plastic rotor weapons) and the Laser Rods and Laser Cycles (which featured light-up LED weaponry).
Multiple new versions of Optimus Prime and Megatron were also released: though Optimus' original toy saw re-release with tweaked deco and new accessories, Megatron received the first all-new mold of the line early on as a colossal tank, as making him a handgun no longer seemed feasible. Both characters would receive multiple toys over the course of the line, in the form of both new molds and redecoes of previous characters' toys. Late in the line's run, Hasbro would use the same general tactic, applying numerous Generation 1 characters to toy redecoes in the hopes of stirring up nostalgic interest.
The End of an Era
The series debuted to lackluster sales, despite featuring fan-favorites like the Dinobots and Constructicons. Some fans blamed color selections, but it seems far more likely that it was simply a case of bad timing combined with too much product "your older brother has in the attic". Kids still weren't into robots that turned into cars at the time, it seems, and the "older nostalgic" market (which can rarely sustain a major toy brand at nationwide retail even today) was outright microscopic at the time. Being up against the still-popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand and the ever-growing popularity of home video game consoles certainly didn't help.
Generation 2 was ended after about two and a half years, with several new products trapped in development limbo. A handful saw release in the European market (namely the Power Masters), but most of those canceled new molds stayed unreleased for years. As Hasbro had recently acquired Kenner, and the Transformers franchise facing extinction, the decision was made to shift the boys'-toy production to Kenner and take Transformers in a different direction to hopefully revitalize the seemingly-tired concept... Beast Wars.
Trivia
A Generation 2 exists within the fictional Unicron Trilogy universe, as a toyline! According to the online Cyber Key Code bio for the Cybertron Decepticon, Shortround, he is an avid toy collector whose prize pieces are Generation 2 Defensor and Menasor. However, it is not specified whether or not these items are actually Transformers toys like their real world counterparts.
