You're using an example that is the exception, though, not the rule. (For the WFC toys I imagine it was for video game recognition + stores didn't want unidentifiable vehicles on their shelves at the time.) Every other deluxe Generations toy besides those was packaged in vehicle mode. At that time only the smaller (again, to suggest increased value, that they were "bigger" than they actually were) and the larger toys (to allow for more unconventional alt mode sizes that wouldn't fit in a normal package: see RtS Lugnut) were packaged in robot mode, the "regular"-sized Transformers were not, and even that was a change from a few years prior.

Only in late 2012-2013 did basically everything start to be packaged in robot mode-- when the big "downsize" occurred and we started to see more obvious cost-cutting measures like more hollow parts, clipped-on wheels, and "Made in Vietnam" vs. "Made in China". I'm not saying there is a 1-1 correspondence here, but the general trend does favor my hypothesis.

 

I've always preferred alt mode packaging. I GET why they started doing bot mode only but on the whole it's made opening my TFs a bit less enjoyable.
I feel like I got a better sense of how the transformation worked going from alt to bot.

Every time I get a third party figure that comes in alt mode I get REALLY excited.  

 

in 2013 generations was mostly packaged in bot mode whereas prime deluxes were packaged in vehicle mode, and their sizes were pretty close to thrilling 30 deluxe size

 

So much this! And tech specs!

 

I have to agree. Yeah, packaging the toy in robot makes it clearer that yeah, it's a character from Transformers, and I'm totally fine with it for a "Cybertron mode" line like Siege. However, as mentioned, there was the fun of unfolding the vehicle/animal to see what the robot looked like.

Mostly, I miss the bios, though. Bold of them to package the figure in robot mode because "it's not just a vehicle, it's an iconic character", then completely omit the bio. The bios were fun and weren't just one sentence or even just "this scene that happened in a movie", they told you about the character and described a part of a larger story.

 

I recall reading an interview with someone at Hasbro, during Beast War, maybe Beast Machines, anyways, in this interview they said that toys were designed before packaging and packaging had to be made to fit the tallest, longest and widest figures, and those were never the same figure, but that was when they did every figure in alt mode. With the advancements in engendering that allow transformer toys to expand and collapse it may just be easier to pack them in the more standard-ish sized bot modes.

 

I think it only works if the vehicle mode has more care put into it than the robot mode.

And in Siege, it’s definitely a “robot mode gets all the love” line, except for Ultra Magnus.

 

As someone that reboxes their figures after they've had their stint out on display, being packaged in alt mode makes the task far easier. Getting those 'T' ties stretched across, behind a waist and into a tiny hole buried deep in the plastic tray can be an utter shit sometimes.

That said, they do look more interesting when packed in robot mode and it makes it easier to check for QC issues before buying.

I should imagine though that packing in robot mode is quicker during production. Those figures don't transform themselves to alt mode after being assembled and they can't usually be assembled directly into alt mode. So it probably saves time, and thus money, to pack in robot mode.

 

2013 Prime deluxes were Beast Hunters; they were all packaged in robot mode, with the exception of the Predacons, who were bigger. 2012 Prime deluxes were in vehicle mode.

 

I'm gonna have to agree here as well. I like it as well when they are already in alt mode. Sure,....I like to transform them in alt mode myself. Then other times its a hassle to transform the figure to fit it on my shelf when I'm pressed for time at times.

 

i stand corrected but most beast hunters deluxes were larger than their rid counterparts thanks to the extra molding so the correlation between size decrease and packing in bot mode still doesnt really track