Now recovered from both the economic slowdown and the relative failure of Beast Machines, Hasbro put all its efforts towards its newest toyline in July 2002: Transformers: Armada. This toyline introduced a completely new concept into the saga of Transformers- Minicons. These small Transformers- even a little smaller than the Spychangers of Robots in Disguise- not only have their own individual vehicle and robot modes (and quite articulated ones overall, I might add), but can also "powerlink" to the larger Autobots and Decepticons to unlock different gimmicks. These "powerlinx" ports are the same on all the Transformers, allowing for any Minicon to attach to any Powerlinx port, enabling wonderful interactivity amongst the various toys of this line. Add to this the plethora of Minicons, which are indeed what make this line an "Armada", and you've got a idea that works.
And work it did. The Armada toyline surpassed even its predecessor Robots in Disguise on the sales charts, reaching levels in sales not seen since the mid-1980's. Of course, other media helped, too- in addition to the standard television show, other Armada products included its own monthly comic series by Dreamwave, puzzles, and Takara PVCs.
One of the controversial points of Armada, however, is its stance of "gimmicks over articulation". Although most of the Minicons are remarkably articulate (and, as a result, fragile), the larger Transformers commonly lack some major points of articulation. Although an upside to this is that tha larger Armada toys are very sturdy, the reduced articulation is due to both A. Dividing up the budget between both the larger Transformers and their smaller Minicon brethren; and B. The enabling of the larger TFs to not "sag" under the weight of added Minicons. Because of this, as well as the slightly more "kid-friendly" aesthetics of some of the toys, Armada definitely has its critics as well as its praisers.

Also interesting to note is that the size names of Armada have changed from the previous Transformer lines. Here are the names of the different size classes, and how much they cost in U.S. dollars:
- Mini-Con (3 for $7)
- Super-Con ($10)
- Roleplay ($15)
- Max-Con ($20)
- Giga-Con ($25)
- Super Base ($40)

(NOTE: Included in the Autobot and Decepticon reviews are how many Powerlinx points the figure has, and how many of them activate a gimmick. Also, all tech specs are taken from Transformers.com, as the toys don't come with them.)
 

Autobots (with their partner Minicons)

Airazor w/ Nightscream
Blurr w/ Incinerator*
Cheetor w/ Cliffjumper
Hoist w/ Refute
Hot Shot w/ Jolt
Hot Shot (Powerlinx) w/ Jolt
Jetfire w/ Comettor
Jetfire (Powerlinx) w/ Comettor
Laserbeak
Optimus Prime (Powerlinx) w/ Corona Sparkplug
Optimus Prime (Super Base) w/ Sparkplug
Optimus Prime (Super-Con) w/ Over-Run
Overload w/ Rollout
Red Alert w/ Longarm
Red Alert (Powerlinx) w/ Longarm
Rhinox w/ Armorhide
Scavenger w/ Rollbar
Sideswipe w/ Nightbeat
Smokescreen w/ Liftor
Star Saber (Roleplay)
 

Decepticons (with their partner Minicons)

Cyclonus w/ Crumplezone
Cyclonus (Powerlinx) w/ Crumplezone
Dark Saber (Roleplay)
Demolishor w/ Blackout
Demolishor (Powerlinx) w/ Blackout
Galvatron w/ Clench
Megatron w/ Leader-1
Nemesis Prime w/ Run-Over
Predacon w/ Sideburn and Skid-Z
Skywarp w/ Thunderclash
Starscream w/ Swindle
Terrorsaur w/ Ironhide
Thrust w/ Inferno
Thrust (Powerlinx) w/ Inferno
Thundercracker w/ Zapmaster
Tidal Wave w/ Ramjet
Wheeljack w/ Wind Sheer
 

Unaligned (with their partner Minicons)

Sideways w/ Crosswise & Rook
Unicron w/ Dead End
 

Minicon Teams

Adventure Team (Dune Runner, Iceberg, and Ransack)
Air Assault Team (Jetstorm, Runway, and Sonar)
Air Defense Team (Jetstorm, Runway, and Sonar)
Air Military Team (Gunbarrel, Terradive, and Thunderwing)
Destruction Team (Buzzsaw, Drill Bit, and Dualor)
Emergency Team (Firebot, Makeshift, and Prowl)
Emergency Team Redeco (Firebot, Makeshift, and Prowl)
Land Military Team (Bonecrusher, Knock-Out, and Wreckage)
Night Attack Team (Broadside, Fetch, and Scattor)
Race Team (Dirt Boss, Downshift, and Mirage)
Road Assault Team (Dirt Boss, Downshift, and Mirage)
Road Wrecker Team (Buzzsaw, Drill Bit, and Dualor)
Sea Team (Oceanglide, Stormcloud, and Waterlog)
Sea Team Redeco (Oceanglide, Stormcloud, and Waterlog)
Space Team (Astroscope, Payload, and Sky Blast)
Street Action Team (Grindor, High Wire, and Sureshock)
Street Speed Team (Backtrack, Oval, and Spiral)
 

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