2007-2009 easily. Only time in the franchise's history there was truly something for everybody.

 

Right there with you on that.

 

This is a topic that really wide open to debate and is bound to vary given each person's preference.

 

Trying to understand the meaning of "Golden Age" and so I googled it and the description is something along the lines of when great art/skill/activity at it's peak. If I used a broad brush that would be from 2006 to the present. If I used a narrow brush, I would say Revenge of the Fallen/Hunt for the Decepticons. Rotf Leader Prime is arguably the best mainline prime toy made. It has accurate modes in bot and alt. Battle Blades Bee is a quite awesome "little" deluxe. The fact that they tried (In some cases successfully) to merge the movie line with the classics/universe line was a testament to the creativity in the team. The interchangeable weapons between all the size classes showed that they thought about the toyline as a whole. So if I was asked, that would be my answer.

 

this.


I would just subtract Battle Blade Bee....

 

there were some cracking ROTF scouts too. Ejector, Divebomb, Windcharger, ICT, Powerglide (or was he DOTM? i forget)...

The thing is, i wouldn't have said it was one of my favourite eras - leader prime and the scouts were pretty much all i bought from that line, it just happens the good toys were standouts.



for me the TFA era was tops, but i'm a mong.

 

Fantastic post, Autobus!   Branding's what I do, and I'm not sure I could've said it any better.

The movies have been good for the brand in the short-term, but such things are never a good long-term strategy. A solid brand is like an old pair of slippers: comfortable. For instance, in whichever lines Iron Hide appears in, his look can be changed a bit, but he should always be unmistakably Iron Hide. Personally, I'd love to see The average financials from the Transformers toyline around '84 - '87, vs. '07 - '11, adjusted for inflation, of course. I hope that's only a little off-topic, because good brand strategy will always be at the forefront of my brain with topics such as this.

That typed, I think the TM Beast Wars and Cybertron eras had the best overall mainline toys since G1. When Cybertron came out, MPs and BTs were getting their legs, and it really felt like a rebirth of the franchise. I also enjoy how, right around that time, we could see the growth of the designers from Armada, to Energon, to Cybertron. It was incredible.

Have fun, all!

 

I would basically point to the period of 2006-2010. While we still get solid stuff, there was a wonder to that period. A time when EVERYTHING we, as long time fans, said "would never happen in a million years"...ACTUALLY HAPPENED!
Remakes of G1 characters with modern techniques? Check (and at this stage, even if not the greatest, Hasbro has actually hit just about every major G1 character to some degree or another)
Reissue Fortress Maximus? Check
High end collector figures? Check
Acknowledgment of more than just the current line and G1? Check
Minor comic or international characters gettting toys? Check

It was 2006 that was really starting to push stuff beyond the mainline into the broad spectrum of the brand's history (Beast Wars 10th, Classics, Titanium, and the tail end of Alternators). And 2010 was a DAMN solid year with HftD (Tomahawk, Dirge, Seaspray, and leader Starscream all great toys) with the launch of Generations (which continues to this day).
To me, it was really 2011 that we started seeing the "cracks" as the line's popularity started to wane a bit and market changes started to catch up to the brand.

 

2005 - 2009 was truly a time to be alive.

 

Many wont agree what I think but I Believe Transformers are entering a new golden age.

 

2007- Present for sure, the movies have been the biggest boon to tfs since the inception of this franchise. Who can dispute that? Look at Hasbro sales figures, they were up like fivefold from '06 during Cybertron to '07 after the first movie and only went up form there. You cant walk 5 feet in a Walmart without seeing Optimus or Bumblebees face plastered on some merchandised product. Now we have possibly the greatest revolution with Hasui's Masterpiece 2.0 line. So many sub-lines to satiate all facets of collector appetites. We've had already 4 successful major motion pictures, numerous tv shows, comics, etc. Thousands of fan sites. Ive never seen anything like it.

 

I'd honestly have to say the "second" Golden Age of Transformers was near the end of G2 and during the Beast Wars. We had some fantastic toys that had levels of articulation those of us who grew up with G1 had never dreamed possible. The Beast Wars cartoon was also there and it was very well written and to me was at times superior to what we saw in G1. Of course this second Golden Age was short lived once Beast Wars ended and Beast Machines started.

 

The years that gave us Beast Wars, Car Robots, Cybertron, Animated and ROTF were considered by me at least, the pinnacle of TF designs at the corresponding point in time they were released or coming to a close. If not for the cool designs produced during those years, would the lines that followed have been considered so poor?

 

cybertron /galaxy force line/ Universe line.....last main line where the plastics did not feel hollow/cheap/KO quality.
Movie wise...ROTF/HFTD....same quality as stated above.

everything after these lines has just gotten, lighter, cheaper, holllow limbness going on....etc

 

^^ This. I really started collecting around 2006 with Classics and from then until now I still think they are going strong on that front with the current Generations line, so no complaints there. But what really has me flat-out impressed time and again in terms of design, engineering, and just overall "WANT" factor is the current MP line that started around MP-08 and really MP-10 (I got Optimus before Grimlock). No other TF that comes out makes me say "must have" and spend time hunting, refreshing TRU website, or whatever else it is that must be done to secure one for my collection. None of the Classics, Animated, Alternators, or Movie line toys have ever had that same effect. If those aren't "Golden Age" TFs I don't know what are!

I mean, the MP line is a childhood dream come true. They are hitting all the right points for me.