'Transformers' Toys Live Up To Big-screen Robots

"The special effects are ridiculously complicated," he said. "You can't do that with a toy."

Fans say the "Transformers: Animated" series more accurately depicts how the toys transform in the real world.

But the character attributes are constant in film and on TV, based largely on the 25-year-old Transformers mythology, said global marketing director Greg Lombardo. So even though Bumblebee has changed from a Volkswagen Beetle to a sleek Camaro over the years, he's always been yellow-and-black — and friendly. Optimus Prime has always been the leading good guy and Megatron the leading bad guy.

Hasbro has created more than 2,000 different Transformers characters over the history of the brand, each with its own look and personality.

"What ends up happening is the writers and Michael (Bay) decide where they want to take the story and sometimes they need a Transformer that can be x, y and z," Lombardo said. "Then we work with them and say, 'Here's a character that fits the personality they're looking for,' and sometimes we create new ones."

Tons of new toys inspired by the film are set to fill store shelves this summer, including 24 robots, a Bumblebee plasma cannon and the giant Devastator, made up of six separate vehicles called Constructicons. BotCon guests got the first crack at buying the new toys.