In 1992, after almost two years without any new
Transformers in North America, Hasbro restarted the series as Transformers
Generation 2 (commonly abbreviated "G2").
The toyline was a mix of repainted figures from 1984-87 and completely new
figures with improved poseability, and would eventually fail rather miserably.
Even though many of the new figures were nice, many fans were upset with the
poor colour schemes on the rereleased figures, as well as the new accessories
many of them were equipped with. Many of the new figures were also repainted
over and over again, and one thing all G2 toys had in common was that the Tech
Specs - the short character profiles on the back of the packaging - were
terrible.
It didn't help that the Transformers Generation 2 cartoon was just an edited
version of assorted episodes from the original cartoon. The cartoon got new
computer-animated intro and outro sequences, but the editors also tampered with
the episodes themselves, adding annoying effects to make it appear the episodes
were presented by a "Cybernet Space Cube", which showed the action on its
screens, using mechanical clamps and arms to shuffle the frames around every
time there was a change in scenes. Even disregarding these off-putting changes
the G2 cartoon did a poor job of promoting the toys, seeing as half of the
characters that were features weren't among the rereleases, and those figures
that were rereleased had new paint jobs...
On the positive side there was a proper
Generation 2 comic book, but unfortunately it was cancelled after only 12
issues.
Generation 2 in the Nordic Countries:
The Nordic countries got some 80 % of the Generation 2 figures, and TransFans in
Denmark, Norway and Sweden could watch the cartoon on TV3 in 1994-95.
The Generation 2 comic book was not published in the Nordic Countries.