I have a G1 Landmine which is every bit as crap as has been said. I also got Pretender Bumblebee which I thought was pretty good.
I didn't get the Pretenders for Grimlock, Jazz or Starscream. But they did sell the characters separately from the shells and I did get those. They...weren't great. But for those who missed out getting the originals, it was something.
In retrospect, I guess it was a sign of how far the line was sliding. Pretenders, micro-masters...there were signs well before Action Masters. As a kid, I seemed to miss them all.