SG Cybertron Convention coverage

[griffin]

I would have loved to have covered this event myself, but with three Transformers events close together, I had to sacrifice one.

And some of the early photos are pretty random and with poor lighting.
So until some better coverage comes out over the next four days of the convention, these show us:

The big open convention hall (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/cybertron-con-2012-singapore-sneak-peek/24240/), set up with toy displays, plus some of the items available for purchase. (a lot of open space - must be expecting a big crowd)

More displays (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/cybertron-con-2012-in-singapore-coverage-begins/24241/), plus some new Movie model kits, and shiny prize figures (not sure what for though).

MP11 Starscream on display (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/cybertron-con-2012-coverage-mp11-starscream-and-mp11s-sunstorm/24242/), plus word that Sunstorm should be unveiled before the Convention ends.

JP Micron & TFPrime figures (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transformers-prime-arms-micron-on-display-at-cybertroncon-2012-singapore/24243/), including some packaging. Plus a couple more gold coloured TFs.


Added 12/3.
Press release from Cybertron convention (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/15000-fans-showed-up-to-opening-day-of-resorts-world-tm-sentosa-transformers-cybertron-con/24251/), showing off how many people showed up on the first day.

Generations FOC Starscream (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=13152) for 2013.

Presentation Panel (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/562581-more-hasbro-transformers-toy-reveals-cybertroncon-2012-a.html), featuring Asian exclusives. (list of the figures are detailed in post 6).
Plus a recap of the details here (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/cybertron-con-2012-coverage-recap-of-hasbro-takara-tomy-brand-panel/24253/).
And a short clip from TFPrime (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/cybertron-con-2012-coverage-transformers-prime-future-episode-clip/24255/) from the presentation.


Added 13/3.
TFPrime Voyager class Breakdown (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/prime-rid-voyager-powerizer-breakdown-revealed-174575/) prototype revealed.
Images of the new Evac toy (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/new-image-of-deluxe-evac-toy-174585/), both Legion and Deluxe, to be released at Universal Studios in May. (Legion Evac is in Wave 2 of TFPrime, but no idea yet if they are the same colour)


Added 14/3.
More images (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/a-closer-look-at-takaras-transformers-prime-arms-micron-am01-am06/24287/) of the TakaraTomy Prime toys & Microns.
Fastest Fingers (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/fastest-fingers-winners-cybertron-con-2012/24273/) (transforming toys) competition winners.
Model competition by 50 invited Artists (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transmissions-from-cybertron-con-vote-for-your-favourite-model-kit/24272/), and how to vote.

[Paulbot]

Seibertron.com has posted pics from this convention of a new Generations Deluxe FOC Starscream (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=13152) for release as part of the first wave of 2013.

[KaRNiV8L PRiME]

Not sure if this should be it's own thread or not... but Seibertron.com has posted pics From this convention of a new Generations Deluxe FOC Starscream (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/generations-starscream-at-cybertroncon-2012/24247/) for release as part of the first wave of 2013. And a Skywarp repaint might be close behind.

Dude. Just saw that!!! F yeah. Cannot wait to have another seeker army!

[ike_ike]

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/562581-more-hasbro-transformers-toy-reveals-cybertroncon-2012-a.html

loads of cool sort of new asia exclusive stuff!

[Paulbot]

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/562581-more-hasbro-transformers-toy-reveals-cybertroncon-2012-a.html

loads of cool sort of new asia exclusive stuff!

Quite a bit of stuff I'll probably want to get (Laserbeak, Dead End, Bluestreak, Thundercracker, Hoist [hopefully not as pricey as the last legend repaints], Springer, Prime Rumble). It's almost a What if DoTM had been successful in the US, but why is the Kup repaint Swerve? I wanted that to be Gears (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=204743#post204743) not Gears' repaint. I'll get it anyway :o

The "g1" DOTM Leader repaints are a surprise. And a deluxe TF:Prime Ironhide repaint being shown before the original is odd.

[griffin]

A recap of info from those pics, for reference (and for those not able to see the pics)...

Wave 5 Deluxe TFPrime (we don't even know what wave 4 is yet)...
Sergeant Kup (Ironhide redeco?)
Rumble
(if they showed us Wave 4, hopefully someone took a pic of it too)


The following are all Hasbro Asia exclusives - so may not show up here.
These are like a new Generations line, that features Gen1 characters across the different size-classes. (for markets like Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan)

Legions (each with a bonus weapon)
Bluestreak (Prowl redeco + gun)
Motormaster (Optimus redeco + sword)
Hoist (Trailcutter redeco + wrist cannon)
Thundercracker (Starscream redeco + arm gun)

Scout (Commander)
Sandstorm (Dune Runner redeco)
Dead End (Brakedown redeco)
Brawl (Breacher redeco)
Laserbeak (Skystalker redeco)

Deluxe
Springer (RotF Tomohawk redeco & new head)
Swerve (Gen Kup & new head)
Cliffjumper (Prime FE Cliffjumper redeco & new head)
Wheelie (Gen Jazz redeco & new head)

Voyager
Power Dive (RotF Highbrow redeco & new head)
Hotspot (Universe Inferno redeco & new head)
(Gen2) Megatron (RotF Bludgeon redeco & new head)
Brawn (Prime FE Bulkhead redeco & new head)

Leader
Starscream (RotF redeco)
Ironhide (DotM redeco)


Movie Trilogy Deluxe figures (revealed at US Toyfair - all are from the cancelled wave 7)
Bumblebee (minor redeco)
Soundwave (black redeco)
Ratchet (white redeco)
Wheeljack (white redeco)
Plus...
Evac (Was a Universal Studios exclusive, but looks to be released in their Trilogy series as well)

[SharkyMcShark]

ROTF Leader Starscream redeco? Where do I sign up

[swoop]

Quite a bit of stuff I'll probably want to get (Laserbeak, Dead End, Bluestreak, Thundercracker, Hoist [hopefully not as pricey as the last legend repaints], Springer, Prime Rumble). It's almost a What if DoTM had been successful in the US, but why is the Kup repaint Swerve? I wanted that to be Gears (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=204743#post204743) not Gears' repaint. I'll get it anyway :o

The "g1" DOTM Leader repaints are a surprise. And a deluxe TF:Prime Ironhide repaint being shown before the original is odd.

Since swerve is a asian market exclusive maybe hasbro US is sving gears for their generations line.

I'm really looking forward to see how the deluxe and voyager repaints turn out especially springer.

Was there a release date announced for these?

[5FDP]

Wow, that's a lot of redecos :eek:

1st Hasbro employee "How do you want to make these different?"
2nd Hasbro employee "Just give him a new head and gun"

[Hursticon]

Wow, this has shaped up to be one hell of a convention! :eek:
So much has been revealed and it has only been one day thus far, stunning reveals and interviews and an attendance of 15,000 people cueing up to 20hrs before the doors even opened! :D

I'd be curious to know what the average attendance of Botcon is, but more to the point, this convention is a major boon for the South-East Asian region; Good on 'em! ;):cool:


P.S. Really glad to see that the Highbrow mold will be seeing a second use! :)

[Shirokaze]

Wow, that's a lot of redecos :eek:

1st Hasbro employee "How do you want to make these different?"
2nd Hasbro employee "Just give him a new head and gun"

And the worst thing is, we fall for it EVERY time :(

Definitely keen on Swerve, Springer and Hotspot! :D

[Tallestblue]

Most of those sound really, Really awesome.

[griffin]

So much has been revealed and it has only been one day thus far, stunning reveals and interviews and an attendance of 15,000 people cueing up to 20hrs before the doors even opened! :D

I'd be curious to know what the average attendance of Botcon is, but more to the point, this convention is a major boon for the South-East Asian region; Good on 'em! ;):cool:

BotCon usually has an estimated 2-5 thousand, depending on the location. But it is only really marketed/pitched to the hard-core collectors - very little mass-marketing to the general public gets done (like this SG convention did). And you also have a greater "nearby" population in Singapore than you do with most BotCons. This convention was some very last minute advertising, so wasn't looking at being a "mostly collectors/fans" convention like BotCon markets itself.
Granted, the recent LA BotCons should have rivalled this type of attendance if marketed well, but Florida Disney, Texas or Cincinnatti... none of those recent ones had large local populations to just show up from like they did at Singapore (with just a weeks advertising to the local public).
(then again - the floorspace of BotCon wouldn't be able to accommodate more than 5,000 anyway... especially in the presentation room. And we already have queues of a couple hours for things, imagine the fan-rage if BotCon had 5-20 hour queues.)

[snaketales]

I soooooooooooo want a Hot Spot

[jazzcomp]

http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/transformers-roll-pore-convention-112000302.html

[Hursticon]

BotCon usually has an estimated 2-5 thousand, depending on the location. But it is only really marketed/pitched to the hard-core collectors - very little mass-marketing to the general public gets done (like this SG convention did). And you also have a greater "nearby" population in Singapore than you do with most BotCons. This convention was some very last minute advertising, so wasn't looking at being a "mostly collectors/fans" convention like BotCon markets itself.

Ah ok, I'd of honestly thought Botcon's attendance would've been a little larger than that - A pair of good points though about the local populations and advertising, I hadn't considered those. :eek:


Granted, the recent LA BotCons should have rivalled this type of attendance if marketed well, but Florida Disney, Texas or Cincinnatti... none of those recent ones had large local populations to just show up from like they did at Singapore (with just a weeks advertising to the local public).
(then again - the floorspace of BotCon wouldn't be able to accommodate more than 5,000 anyway... especially in the presentation room. And we already have queues of a couple hours for things, imagine the fan-rage if BotCon had 5-20 hour queues.)

So the venues wouldn't even be able to support such large crowds? - Evidently my perception of Botcon isn't too well informed; You're right about the lines though, it'd make for some hilarious Podcasts though. :p:D


I soooooooooooo want a Hot Spot

Me too dude, as well as Hoist and Powerdive! :D:cool:

[DjStaRScreaM]

O man - 2 starscreams + sunstorm comming up - wallet gnna get hurt

[Hursticon]

O man - 2 starscreams + sunstorm comming up - wallet gnna get hurt

Ooh yeah, 'cause you know they're not going to be cheap either although; It'll be cheaper getting them online than locally within Australia... If Hasbro AU even considers importing them. :o

[griffin]

I don't think the BotCon venues could comfortably hold more people, as they are crowded enough already (especially the dealer room and presentation room).
Just remember, they market their convention to major fansites and once they sell out of the (little more than) 1000 box-sets/full packages, we don't hear much from them.
They do some local TV commercials and radio advertising, but each year when I talk to comic stores and toystores nearby (in the days beforehand), they never know anything about BotCon. You'd think there'd be some targeted advertising at comic shops or even stores that sell toys, so that they can stock up or even have flyers near their TFs toys.

I've never seen on TV during the week of BotCon anything about it - either advertised or in the news... and the only time I ever saw first-hand some advertising, was in 2009 when *HASBRO* were promoting BotCon at the nearby shopping district.

Once FunPub sell their boxset packages (which ends up being about a 1000 people, when you take into account non-attendees and people buying up extras), they don't seem too fussed about how big or small the walk-in crowd is... as if it is just a bonus.
If they sold their full packages with the boxset being an add-on, they could attract more people who may not want the toys or afford them - and it wouldn't look like they are "sold out" of full packages once the boxsets sell out. There is almost a stigma to registering after the boxsets sell out, as if it isn't worth it.

Sorry... getting a bit off topic.

[Hursticon]

*snip*

Sorry... getting a bit off topic.

It's all food for thought mate, so no need to apologise ;):); but without further derailing the thread let me just say that it really does seem that FunPub's main effort with the brand is purely to make a profit from exclusive toys and that's it. :o

[Golden Phoenix]

Definitely keen on Swerve, Springer and Hotspot! :D

Agreed.

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/jimmey-11/emotes/takemymoney.jpg

I wish we had more Decepticons though. This is just going to make the Autobot shelf double the size of the Decepticon shelf.....

[griffin]

Added more links to the first post, covering the news postings from the last day here.

Including a written account (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/cybertron-con-2012-coverage-recap-of-hasbro-takara-tomy-brand-panel/24253/) of the Presentation we've seen photos from.

Some of the details that are new:


Today’s panel consisted of:


Hasbro Transformers Global Brand Director, Jerry Jiovin
Hasbro Transformers Global Brand Design & Development Vice President, Aaron Archer
Takara Tomy Transformers Design Legend Hideaki Yoke
Takara Tomy Transformers Executive Kei Ikezawa (missed his actual title)




Universal Studios Transformers: The Ride (toys)
3. Slide for Universal exclusive Evac, both Legion and Deluxe class figures
4. Slide for Universal release of DOTM deluxe Bumblebee and Optimus Prime (with Mech Tech)
5. Slide for Universal release of DOTM voyager Optimus Prime and Megatron
6. All Universal figures will be in special packaging and only available in the park stores in May.

Transformers Universe MMO/3rd Person Game
1. Launching the game online in late 2012/early 2013
2. Jagex Studios primary developer for game, Net Dragon developing game for China market
3. Expecting online and viral marketing campaign coming soon
4. Game features 4 playable characters in 6 different worlds/environments
5. Showed the trailer for the game
6. Slides featuring Defensor and Megatron shown along with some game screen shots

Transformers Rescue Bots
4. Plans in place to launch Rescue Bots in Asian markets soon

Transformers Kre-O Building Sets
1. Announced upcoming releases: 29 new Kreons figures and 16 new Transformer robot sets

Transformers Prime
2. Showed extended trailer – believe it was for season 2
5. Multiple slides highlighting the current Transformers Prime Robots in Disguise figures, one featuring the upcoming Knockout and Hot Shot figures (deluxe wave 3).
6. Introduced the Weaponizers – Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, initial release Fall 2012.
7. Prime remote control toys: Bumblebee and Knockout. Coming fall 2012.

Bot Shots
1. Describes them as “snack-sized samurais” with singular purpose to brawl.
2. Global launch of figures and online game: March 1. Player vs. player game launching May 1. Games not yet available in all markets.
5. Put emphasis on the chase variants of Bot Shots-clear versions

Transformers Generations
1. Transformers Fall of Cybertron game will be the big focus for the upcoming Generations figures
4. Interestingly, during the Q&A session, one fan asked if they’d be releasing a more game accurate colored version of Bruticus. Jerry said that they’re actually still working on the final colors for the initial release-are aware of fan comments online.

CYBERTRON CON REVEALS AND Q&A SESSION

End of Main Part of Presentation, on to Cybertron Con 2012 exclusive reveals.
• First up, Prime Robots in Disguise wave 5 figures Sargent Kup and Rumble.
• Next, Asia-only repaints for additional G1 characters.
• Big surprise: previewed 2013 Generations release of Fall of Cybertron Starscream.


1. Q: Are you planning on releasing any additional Leader class figures for the DOTM movie line?

A: No, but we missed an opportunity to produce a Leader Shockwave. Underestimate(d) the importance of the figure in the movie.

2. Q: Third party toy makers are producing some amazing toys. Any plans to collaborate with one to produce what could be the most incredible Transformer ever?

A: No. We do not condone what they do and would never work with them.

3. Q: Any plans for a release of a Generations Fall of Cybertron Grimlock?

A: Stay tuned…

4. Q: What other Generations figures are in the pipeline right now?

A: Right now, big focus is Fall of Cybertron figures-nothing else at this time but more to come afterward.

5. Q: Any plans for Dino from Dark of the Moon.

A: No, Ferrari would(n't) allow the license for it.
(shows that Hasbro didn't have final say on TF3, as they wouldn't have approved a movie model that they couldn't get permission to produce merchandise/toys for)

6. Q: Any plans for a Beast Wars or Victory revival (actually two questions)?

A: They’re working on a lot of new ideas that will extend show into new areas while bringing back original concepts from the past.

7. Q: What’s the working title for Transformers 4?

A: Just calling it Next Transformers movie for now.

9. Q: Any plans to produce the other Dreads from Dark of the Moon?

A: No, (the) movie line is mostly over for now.



Some interesting reading there.

[valkyrie_76]

*phew* Dont have to post up those pics then :D

With the convention itself, there has been lots of complaints regrading the content, size of the selling areas, overpricing items, stuff ups regarding the VIP tickets and their treatment and other gripes but to be honest it wasnt that bad. I did get frustrated at the organisation regarding the VIP/General ticket lines at the start but after that it was alright. And there was plenty of people going through there all day.

[Doubledealer]

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/562581-more-hasbro-transformers-toy-reveals-cybertroncon-2012-a.html

loads of cool sort of new asia exclusive stuff!

Those Asia exclusives are horribad. What's next? Classics Grimlock as Trypticon? :p

[Paulbot]

Those Asia exclusives are horribad. What's next? Classics Grimlock as Trypticon? :p

BotCon already did that well enough in 2008 :p

[SharkyMcShark]

Sad about no Dino toy. Even sadder they then didnt do an 'almost Ferrari' - I'm assuming Hasbro wanted to keep Ferrari onside for whatever reason.

I like the sound of most of those exclusives, especially the scout class ones. I'm assuming that Blaster from movie DLC Soundwave is going to be in there somewhere too (alternate head shown in instructions)

[valkyrie_76]

mp12 is lambor and potentual 30th anniversary fort max

[KaRNiV8L PRiME]

mp12 is lambor and potentual 30th anniversary fort max

Sideswipe doesn't really excite me. RK are saying it is available in fall topside. Saw a pic of TFP operation breakdown. That's exciting

[swoop]

I literally gasped when I read that, my girlfriend burst out laughing at me. I'm slightly ashamed but it doesn't matter because mp sideswipe is awesome and you know red alert and probably sunstreaker won't be far behind.

Fort max is cool and I hope it does get released, maybe it'll bring the originals price down

[valkyrie_76]

And nothing confirmed but TT is looking into it is MP Soundwave and Shockwave.

[swoop]

And nothing confirmed but TT is looking into it is MP Soundwave and Shockwave.

And its only the second day. Any other good news valkyrie?

[fatbot]

It's been confirmed that the next MP will be Sideswipe, then maybe Soundwave. They are also looking into reissuing Fort Max

[gamblor916]

It's been confirmed that the next MP will be Sideswipe, then maybe Soundwave. They are also looking into reissuing Fort Max

A red Lamborghini and giant tape deck? Please let it be so :eek:

[SharkyMcShark]

I don't have words for how excited I'd be for a red Lamborghini done in the Masterpiece style.

Hoping they're doing a more recent one like a Murcielago or Aventador but I'd settle for a Countach.

[Quickstrike]

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/562581-more-hasbro-transformers-toy-reveals-cybertroncon-2012-a.html

loads of cool sort of new asia exclusive stuff!

Some of this stuff is so weird! There's some potentially cool stuff there though. Wheelie could be great. He looks cool in my mind anyway.

[Paulbot]

MP Sideswipe isn't a Movie Masterpiece I hope!?! I'll be all over a MP Sideswipe that's cartoon accurate. I'll even buy a yellow repaint with a new head and no other changes if needed. I love the brothers.

And the possibility of a reissue of Fort Max?! This convention just keeps giving. Who needs BotCon I'm going to Singapore next year. :)

[kup]

From Big daddy number 1 boss Roller!.

Day 1 report for Cybertron Con Sentosa


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8XkSPb1jEQ


I woke up at 5am and got down to the Resorts World building on Sentosa island. Even though it was early, there were about 10 other fans waiting there. I met ran into a fan I had met yesterday while toy hunting at the China town square. A Phillipino fan named Allen.

About and hour later we all got into a line and waited and waited. We all wanted to be the first 100 so we could get the specially numbered optimus toys.

After more waiting a lot more people began to arrive. Then the media showed up and I was interviewed by 4 different media outlets. Since im a crazy mofo the various cameramen kept getting shots of me looking like a madman and I kept getting my new mates around me to cheer as well.

I then met up with Valkyrie, he came later as he wanted to sleep in. He had to wait for the general admission.



The Kreon mascots began walking around, with very sexy ladies in matching colours on their arms. I can forgive Optimus for leaving Elita 1 if he had that Chinese gal :D



The official opening began with a couple of cadets doing a ceremonial gun swinging exercise, they were throwing them in the air and spinning them. To really stupid girly music I might add. Then the bloke who runs Resorts world and some deputy of Universal studios spoke, very boring corporate stuff, a very basic mention of the franchise. After the speeches, an allSpark cube rose from the podium, very cool!

Then the first 20 in line were ushered in, we were led down down down into the depths of the building. The con is held in a basement level. We were told to wait in a corridor, 1 malay told the staff off, we had been waiting since the early hours of the morn and the bloke reasoned we needed a toilet break. So the staff said yes. Man the toilets are nice at Resorts world! What you would expect of a 5 star place. They even have a coolie in the sink area to clean up.

Bit of a stuff up on the organizers part. The VIPs were told to come forward and get there Kreo special and lanyards. Then instead of being let in, we had to rejoin the que. I just jumped back in my spot, I was no.12 in line and wasn’t going to the back.



We were finally let into the Con, as you enter there are walls with the TF timeline on them , short facts about each era, and cabinets of toys.





I ran past them all to the Merchandise zone, I got my Singapore Optimus and the media asked me to open mine on camera. Im a media whore :D My optimus is number 91, they were all randomly numbered, so even if you were first in line, you may not get no.1





I then looked at the merch. Surprisingly there was a lot of old toys. Beast Wars through to the contemporary line. And Henkeis for fifty dollars AuD.

I bought some stickers and keychains. I don’t have the cargo room to lug back a cheap Ehobby Gadep or Takara Unicorn :D I did see a see through BW Optimus that was cool.



Then lined up to the autograph signing by Yoketron hideyaki, youknow, the takara jap designer guy.

That line took about 50 mins, so bloody long. The sexy journo lady who interviewed me earlier brought a chap from the Straits Times to interview me. Same questions, where you from? Why you here? What do you expect? How much are you going to spend?



I fibbed and said I was going to spend heaps. Gotta play the part eh?

A Singaporean fan 2 in front of me realized he had the no.1 Optimus. His name is Boon.

Got Yoketron sans ink on my toy box. Sort of got a snap with him.



Then at 11.37 the MC announced that of the first specially numbered optimus primes, only 6 were left. So I guess the 100 people in the line, some were just waiting with their kids or mates, as it was only 1 optimus per customer.

Met up with Valk, we had a sit down, our legs are dead! I then went back into the merch area and saw that a lot of the vintage stuff was flying off the shelves. So many people, litereally hundreds. So I grabbed Ehobby blue cassessttes for $70. Met an expat kid from Oz, he had lived in Singapore for 15 of his 22 yrs. Says its great for toy collectors.

Then Valk and I had a look at the Timeline walls near the entrance, very impressive artwork. Most of it DW but looks cool when big. We chatted with a Malaysian fan who knows about Heroic deception.

Valk and I then had a quick lunch of tacos. He bought a Classics dragstrip for $19 off some kid.

We looked over at the Merch zone, it was swamped. They were asking people to be careful. Staff kept restocking the place with newere toys and shirts.

We went to the Hasbro Brand and Developments product panel

The Hasbro reps were Jerry Jivoin and Aaron archer, the Takara team were Yoketron and some other bloke, and a woman named Rei Ikizawa, Im not sure if she was a translator or part of the marketing team.

Hasbro said in 2012 they will be expanding on Digital gaming forTfs, digital books, Virtual worlds and new tv shows ( I assume they mean Prime season 2)

In May the exclusive Evac toy will be sold only in Universal studios. Also exclusive Deluxe optimus and BB and deluxe truck movie megatron will be sold. I think these are asian exclusives, maybe just the packaging is exclusive.

2 New games will be released, 1 wasn’t named. Produced by Dragex and Net dragon.

The Net Dragon 1 will be called “TF evolution” with 4 characters to play as , multi platform and expected 2013.

The also showed the superbowl trailer. Also a trailer for ‘TF evolution’ in Chinese.

Tf rescue bots was touched on, the trailer looked good. I thought it funny how JJ kept referring to children as ‘younger consumers’ Talk about snaring them in young with yer brand recognition Hasbro.

For the Kreo Line, 7 new buildsets expected. A kreo devastator was shown, 2 different pics, 1 was of a pilot and 1 was of wat looked like an actual combined Devastator in kreo form. The stop motion trailer was the best !!! so funny! It features BB and sam at traffic lights , some homeboy with doof doof music rocks up and jacks his car, then bb transforms and dances ,funny as baz!

In regards to PRIME , JJ says he grew up with G1 but Prime is the “best transformers series that’s ever been created.” Thunderous applause.

Some new toys will be released called ‘Weaponisers’ a prime and BB were showm, basically cannons pop out from their shoulders.

Possibily a Canada and Asian exclusive is the ‘Entertainment pack’ it had a Prime starscream and some Autobot with 2 human army figures.

Also remote control BB and CJ, that the remote can transform will be released.

For CYBERVERSE line, expect a wheeljack with Starhammer toy, and a Driller ship, both can light up when you transform them.

Optimus Maximus was shown in box and it can carry 9 cyberverse figures. Likely release “Fall of 2012” according to JJ.

BOT SHOTs the Sentinel Prime figure will be a chase toy. Clear bumblebee will also be Chase in wave 2. Acid storm is another rare one as its only 1 per every 3 pack or something, not very clear, but its going to be rare. They showed online screenshots of a new Botshots online game.



For GENERATIONS the Fall of Cyberyton trailer was shown, lots of applause.



tiny legends toys will be recoloured and be asian exclusives. So hoist from the Trailcutter mould. Deadend from Breakdown and a new Deluxe wheelie prototype was shown, looks damn good.

It was all grey but nice.



The sort of said off hand that there will be a 2013 Cybertron Con, but im wondering if that will be in Universal studios America for their ride.



Some FOC toys that will be coming out will be a deluxe Starscream, Jazz. They said that this was the 1st time they revealed this cool news.

Then Q and A time

JJ kinda got pissed at some fans question about the possibility ofHasbro working with 3rd party groups. He said no and that 3rd party stuff was “sensitive to Hasbro”

The colours Of FOC Bruticus was sort of addressed. They said they might change the colours again before release. “Fine tuning and feedback from the boards” was something that JJ said that Hasbro had looked into.

As for unreleased toys from Movie and Animated, JJ said that Hasbro would keep tabs on unrealsided toys and see if that can get them out someday.

A question regarding G1 reissues was answered quickly, no immediate plans for G1 reissues from Hasbro, Takara team said nothing.

Some loud kid asked what was the best toy that Yoketron had ever made. He laughed and asked the kid what was his favorite toy. Then said that recently he liked the VEhicon from the PRIME line he said “Vehicon, really cool” it was funny, hes kinda like Mr Miyagi.

Hasbro said that the reason there is no DOTM Dino toy is cause Ferrarri rejected their contract.

Beast wars was brought up, some bloke asking of any plans for Beast wars toys in thefuture. Captain Jonathan Archer said that while the line was close to him, Hasbro was concentrating on trying to keep the variety in TFs, to try and keep all the different fans happy. So inconclusive answer.

A fan asked about Tf Victory, the possibility of any reissue toys. Ms Ikizawa said if lots of fans made it clear there was interest they would consider it.

We looked at some of the customizer displays and the timeline wall. I still haven’t seen it all, will do it another day.

Then we got our photo with the optimus statue, you take the photo ontop of scaffolding, as optimus is like 2 stories tall, officially 22feet tall. I wonder how many metres that is.



We then went home as we were exhausted, got a cheap leg massage grabbed some roti canai and burger king and hit the hay.

So a very exciting day, the place was buzzing, thousands of people at the Con, met some nice fans. For the space inside the con, they should have had more stuff going on. They only have 1 media area, for movies and shows etc. It doesn’t have enough seating. Also the Merch area is too small and badly organized. 1 cashier for toys and 1 for stickers etc, so stupid lah!

[fatbot]

MP Sideswipe isn't a Movie Masterpiece I hope!?! I'll be all over a MP Sideswipe that's cartoon accurate. I'll even buy a yellow repaint with a new head and no other changes if needed. I love the brothers.

And the possibility of a reissue of Fort Max?! This convention just keeps giving. Who needs BotCon I'm going to Singapore next year. :)



I can't put the link on as I'm posting from my phone, but it's been announced as Lambor, the movie characters all kept their Anglo names




EDIT

Robot kingdom just posted a photo on facebook, it is G1 sideswipe, I'll put the link up when I get home

[valkyrie_76]

And its only the second day. Any other good news valkyrie?

No nothing else and I dont think there will be anything else for the rest of the convention. I will be heading to the ride tomorrow at Universal Studios and seeing what else there is.


*snip*

And the possibility of a reissue of Fort Max?! This convention just keeps giving. Who needs BotCon I'm going to Singapore next year. :)

Rumour is the next convention might either be next year or the year after but in China. It might coincide with the next movie.

And with the reissude Fort Max, its still at least two years away and things could have change either for the good or bad but with the new movie coming out and the TF franchise going gangbusters we may get it. TakaraTomy did say that they do try and listen to what the fans want but sometimes costs and being able to make the moulds/toys can restrain what they want to give out.

On another point, I do like the weapon microns. I did take some better pics of the microns themselves and I also do like how they can combine and create new and larger weapons.


*edit*
Oh I forgot, during the TT panel, they also mentioned that they will release Breakdown but I forgot to bring the pics so Ill do that tomorrow. There was nothing from the Hasbro side for this.

[Sky Shadow]

A lot of clever redecos. The only one I know for sure I will buy is Power Dive (I'm guessing they couldn't get the rights for 'Ransack'.)

[valkyrie_76]

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i354/valkyrie1976/P1060658.jpg

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Wow, looking at that is exciting.

A bit like looking at nekkid ladies...:o:p

[valkyrie_76]

Ill do some more pics tomorrow sometime

[Doubledealer]

*snippeh of Operation Breakdown*

What the, where did, how in the...That is freaking GORGEOUS. *falls over*

[Hursticon]

mp12 is lambor and potentual 30th anniversary fort max


And nothing confirmed but TT is looking into it is MP Soundwave and Shockwave.

I think you killed DD! :eek::p

Some really awesome announcements here, Sideswipe isn't particularly loud on my radar but I love the G1 toy (Of which I need to reacquire) and Lamborghinis; so a Masterpiece Sideswipe I'm definitely excited about and am very much looking forward to picking him up. :D

A 30th Anniversary Reissue Fortmax would be a dream come true for me and a very large number of others I imagine; that said though, I'm not going to hold my breath on its release as there are a number of big hurdles it'd have to traverse before seeing the light of day. :o

An MP Soundwave and Shockwave?, very curious indeed but quite awhiles off I imagine; it wont deter me from the 3rd party MP Soundwave in the meantime either but if TakTom do eventually come up with the goods, I wont have an issue with owning the 2. ;):cool:

[Paul Agnew]

Reissue Fort Max would rock my socks. Not too sure about the Wheelie repaint, but it might work if you try not looking at it too hard. Aside from that, I want them all. :D

[Zippo]

Some very nice news coming out of this convention.
Looking forward to importing a bunch of the Asia exclusives -- can any of the Hong Kong people help when released?

[valkyrie_76]

Takara Prime Boxes for Optimus and Bumblebee:

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i354/valkyrie1976/P1070418.jpg
http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i354/valkyrie1976/P1070417.jpg

[valkyrie_76]

Went on the Transformers ride today at Universal Studios at Resort World Sentosa and I must say it is brilliant. It has the best 3D effects and ride itself is like a mini rolleroaster. Went on it three times it was that good :D

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i354/valkyrie1976/P1070207.jpg
http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i354/valkyrie1976/P1070222.jpg

[valkyrie_76]

Got back to the hotel tonight and the manager asked "I seen this picture in the paper and it looked like you? Is this you at some convention?".

Yes that is Roller and no he isn't being arrested for stalking Yoke-san.....not yet anyway :D

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i354/valkyrie1976/P1070499.jpg

[Tober]

Got back to the hotel tonight and the manager asked "I seen this picture in the paper and it looked like you? Is this you at some convention?".

Yes that is Roller and no he isn't being arrested for stalking Yoke-san.....not yet anyway :D

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i354/valkyrie1976/P1070499.jpg

You have to get that picture home, block-mounted and framed.

[griffin]

That is pretty awesome... the face of the feature article on the Convention in their (main?) newspaper, is a dedicated Australian fan. Of the 15,000 odd fans attending day one, he is like "number 1".
There is not much else you can say about that.
Aside from a staring role in the next Transformers movie, how could you top it.

[griffin]

Added two new items to the first post:

TFPrime Voyager class Breakdown (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/prime-rid-voyager-powerizer-breakdown-revealed-174575/) prototype revealed. (It is supposed to have a July release in Japan... so I would have thought the figure would be in production by now, but they are showing us an uncoloured prototype instead)

Images of the new Evac toys (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/new-image-of-deluxe-evac-toy-174585/), both Legion and Deluxe, to be released at Universal Studios in May. (Legion Evac is in Wave 2 of TFPrime, but no idea yet if they are the exact same colour)

[Hursticon]

Got back to the hotel tonight and the manager asked "I seen this picture in the paper and it looked like you? Is this you at some convention?".

Yes that is Roller and no he isn't being arrested for stalking Yoke-san.....not yet anyway :D

*snip*

Congratulations man! - That's pretty damn awesome! :eek::cool:

[kup]

More from Roller live at the con:

Day 2


Arrived in late afternoon as the stuff on in the morning was nothing exciting, drawing tables and transforming the Prime toys comp.

Arrived for the last few minutes of the TF PRime cartoon panel, made up of Jeff Kline the Executive producer, Shuzo John Shiota-President of Polygon Pictures and Kathy Page - Production management.

I no nothing about PRIME, but I got a snap with them. Mr Kline is very fun. Page was shy and feck and Shiota wanted to bugger off.

Then the Takarat panel began. Takara Q and A panel was made up of Yoketron, Kikuchikara Takashi- the Deputy manager of Takara and Rei ikizawa - Marketing team (you can tell she learnt English from the hated British)

So they said that 30th Anniv. we may see a G1 Fortress Maximus reissue


Then later on at the Design talk, Archer,Yoketron, Takashi and Ikizawa , which was in the enclosed theatre they told the 40 people who were allowed in how the TF toys are constructed.

It was said that only certain people were allowed to handle the prototype models, less then 5 people.

Archer said In recent years the 2 companies have had alot more communication in the design stages. Approximately 15 years ago they began sending teams over to America or Japan for 6 weeks of exchange. Archer said he was one of the first. There are now 2 teams that are in regular communication.

Archer said the two teams have fun and are friends family and colleagues now. He then showed us photos of past meets on the powerpoint.

The talk then went over to Takashi and his gong :D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mRG2oAQhso

He spoke about , in his limited English the steps they went through to make MP10.

here is a very brief outline.

1. So initiallly Takara sat down and thought about possible characters to do. Soundwave and Devastator were considered.

2.They wanted to give some more playability to the toy, so Spike was included, initially they thought about including a mini Huffer toy, that could pull Primes trailer, like in Heavy metal war. But the cost would have been too high and the huffer toy tiny. So Spike was used as he shows the alliance between man and robot.

3. the next stage is seeing how difficult it is to Transform the toy on the then newest design.

4. They then check the design

5. Then once a design is chosen, it will usually take 1 month for the design to be checked and finalized.

A 3d Model was shown of Prime, the takara people check it very closely by doing cut aways and seeing inside the toy to see if the parts that will be used are strong enough and the thickness of parts.

I also noticed Yoketron nods alot to what people say, he reminds me of one of them water bird toys that drink the water up. He smiles alot for a jap.


Then there was some Q & A

Some1 asked about the Prime Line, why were the fist editions not released in the US. Archer said the US market caters to younger fans so the difficulty would be too high, the simplicity of RID would make it easier and more fun.

Someone asked the Takara panel what they found the most complex body part of a tf toy there was to remould. They said the face, the MC Edmond Khoo (he has been Mcing the whole event) said it was probably due to the facial expressions.

Another hasbro Q, What problems usually occur regarding vehicle licencing? He said some car companies want the car mode to look as authentic as possible.

For Animated fans, someone asked why there was no SLipstream toy. Archer said that in some markets it was difficult to market and flog female characters. Though Arcee from Prime is selling well.

Apparently the plastic for Has and TAk are the same, but Takara uses metal pins, archer said he wished Hasbro could, but i think he also said that safety laws prohibited this.

3rd party stuff was asked again, Archer said that only HASTAK made real TFS, he said he wishes the 3rd party groups were more creative so they could stop stealing their ideas.

Takara was asked if MP10 was designed with Ultramagnus in mind, answer is No.

That was the end of the panel.


The next panel was the learning to draw Transformers, it was hosted by Jose Lopez- Prinicipal designer for TF PRIME. Only 40 people were allowed in.

Valkyrie didnt come to this, so i went alone. I only knew 1 other fan in there , a Singaporean Indian but he was sitting on another table. We sat down and there were papers and pencils. It was difficult to hear Lopez for the first 15 mins, as he had no mic and there was noise from trailers they were playing and general Con noise.

He then told us that he worked on the Men in Black cartoon and some others.

Then he said that in meetings for Prime they were wondering what vehicles the characters should turn into, eg: optimus a car or truck this time around?

He said designing a charater for him was based on the script, He reads scripts before deciding what they look like.
ONce designed they decide on paints, they compare to real life paints.

When drawing TFs, start with a siloquette , ya know, the shadow, i cant spell it. So heroic guys have big shoulders, small head and small waist.
Autobot eyes more like humans with pupils, Cons more sharp.

For some character called Knockout they orignally wanted to have a fender on the waist front, but they couldnt as the character then couldnt move.
When designing , problem solving is neccessary, so they cheated for Prime Arcee regarding the scale of the toy.

He then asked the audience if they had any q's. No 1 said anything, so i jumped up and came right up to him, he was given a mic by now. And asked if i could have his autograph on one of the drawing he was making, he said yeah, but asked in a somber tone if i had any design q's. So i quickly came up with , whats yer fave design, he said Soundwave.

Jose speaks slow and as it was the end of the day and early evening, im sure he was very tired.
The rest of the talk was him instructing us on how to draw BB, then at the end he drew a wicked PRIME Megatron, then the PR lady said no one could have the previous sketches he had made. But he said I could have 1, so i got BB, i think some other people he gave them some as well. But the cool megatron drawing, the only 1 with any colour is for the Con.

I shook his hand and left.

That night i had dinner with very distant relatives. Had sugar cane juice, mmm yummy, cant get in WA

[kup]

Also forgot to mention in Day 2 report, some interesting news, I asked at the Takara panel what Yoketron thought of the Animated character based on him, big laugh from crowd and Yoketron looked happy. THe MC said it was a very cool question. Yoke said that he was happy that it was based on him. Even though the character had a short life, he was sure he would be back as a cool Jedi spirit ghost. He also said the Dojo in the show is based on his own house. The video of me asking should be up on youtube



Day 3


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm-o8QkCoVk

Didnt go to the Con till nearly evening, Valk and I went to Univeral studios all day.


We began in the Shrek zone and it was like a movie with moving chairs, very cool.

Then a Live Donkey show..... no not that kind you perves :D It was a 3d version of Donkey from Shrek in his own nightclub, so I was chosen to get up and speak to Donkey. Mcing this thing was a guy in period costume, or movie costume called Raol. He did a great job in trying to get the audiecne to participate.

omeone was doing the voice and asking questions while on the screen Donkey moved in sync

Very funny, he told me to recite an ogre plede of allieance , by sniffing my armpit. Then he made a fart noise, it was all so much fun.

Next was Jurrassic park, cool water ride, not enough dinos though. I got very wet but it was ok.


Then we went on the Mummy returns ride, kinda like Segaworlds old rides, half video half minirollercoaster

Then onto the scariest rides of the day, the Battlestar Galactica twin rollercoaster, human 1 was fast, the cylon 1 was upside down and topsy turvy, im surprised i had the balls to do it. I didnt throw up luckily :D

Then watched a WATERWORLD show, lots of explosions and water shooting, so cool! reminded me of Wonderland shows .

Then onto Transformers Ride woooooo !! So cool, just before the entrance is a statue of EVAC the characetr in the ride.

And a bB statue

Valk and I went seperately as if we had gone on together the wait would have been 50mins,

SO DAMN GOOD!!! The best use of 3D I have ever seen, better then the movies. Made you feel like u were falling and stuff. The EVAC car you were in helped with that too :D

So the story is EVAC a rookie Autobot, is helping transport a all spark shard to a new base. The humans inside the ride are his NEST helpers, also rookies. A video while waiting in the que has General moreshower, Wheelie and some other human briefing u. The cons attack while ur on route and EVAC must run from Megatron etc. You end up on building tops, falling off them, Going though street chases, so cool!!

You get eaten by Devastator and pretty much smash megatron. At the end PRime tells you that you are a hero, it felt so damn real that I swelled up with Cyberpride.

as the car returns to the entrance, a cool broken megatron and volkwagon are on the side walls.

Went on the ride 3 times, i thoroughly recommend it. Just wish EVAC toy was out now.

Went to the Con, we had a look at the Merchandise zone, which is thoroughly picked clean of all vintage stuff now. No more Prime Ratchets either.

I jumped onto the stage with the dancing 3d bumblebee, will explain it tomoz. so tired.

[UltraMagnus]

I am really really glad that the Singapore convention has been a success.

A few things people should note here because of the positives for Australia:

Collectors market is always Asia - US audience is primarily younger kids
15,000 turn up on one day to a convention in Singapore, they cant manage 5,000 in US not matter how much publicity it gets
Third parties are clearly on their nerves "i wish they came up with new ideas and stop pinching ours"
Fortress Maximus reissue announcement is 6 months after I told you all :)
Wait for a scorponok announcement to correspond
Wait till they host it in Hong Kong - guarantee 30-40k people

[Tober]

He spoke about , in his limited English the steps they went through to make MP10.

3rd party stuff was asked again, Archer said that only HASTAK made real TFS, he said he wishes the 3rd party groups were more creative so they could stop stealing their ideas.

Takara was asked if MP10 was designed with Ultramagnus in mind, answer is No.


Hey HasTak, you can see where this is heading.., right? :rolleyes:

[Lord_Zed]

Got back to the hotel tonight and the manager asked "I seen this picture in the paper and it looked like you? Is this you at some convention?".

Yes that is Roller and no he isn't being arrested for stalking Yoke-san.....not yet anyway :D

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i354/valkyrie1976/P1070499.jpg

Nice work Roller!

[kup]

I am really really glad that the Singapore convention has been a success.

A few things people should note here because of the positives for Australia:

Collectors market is always Asia - US audience is primarily younger kids
15,000 turn up on one day to a convention in Singapore, they cant manage 5,000 in US not matter how much publicity it gets
Third parties are clearly on their nerves "i wish they came up with new ideas and stop pinching ours"
Fortress Maximus reissue announcement is 6 months after I told you all :)
Wait for a scorponok announcement to correspond
Wait till they host it in Hong Kong - guarantee 30-40k people


I find that odd since one of the reasons that 3rd parties have been so successful is because they offer things Hasbro does not.

I have always said this and stand by it: The 3rd parties exist because Hasbro neglects the clearly profitable and significant collector side of the market. If Hasbro ever starts catering to that demographic with matching products, it would mean the end of the 3rd party movement.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I find that odd since one of the reasons that 3rd parties have been so successful is because they offer things Hasbro does not.

I have always said this and stand by it: The 3rd parties exist because Hasbro neglects the clearly profitable and significant collector side of the market. If Hasbro ever starts catering to that demographic with matching products, it would mean the end of the 3rd party movement.+1.
I'd gladly have bought, say, 3 different Scout Reflector robots that formed a single camera alt-mode if Hasbro/Takara had put them out, but as it is I've got the PE ones instead. It was 3rd party or nothing - even the lame half-track Perceptor remold never came out. If I'd seen an old G1 Reflector set beforehand I probably would have got that instead, which still wouldn't have netted HasTak any money. Same for City Commander - I'd totally pay Leader or even Ultra class prices for a Voyager UM and decent set of armor to go with him, but as it is it was CC or a naked Magnus.
I understand there's budget and safety concerns that Hasbro have to worry about, but they have also made a business choice to go with the 'Lowest common denominator' a lot of the time and neglect to cater to a niche market, so of course other people will fill the gaps. I'll happily buy from Takara/Hasbro most of the time, but if they aren't going to make something I want and a 3rd party will, well, that's money that wouldn't be going to HasTak anyway. I'm not looking for 'new ideas', I just want my Transformers collection done well...usually that means HasTak, sometimes it means someone else.

That said, there's a cut-off point with what I'm down with - outright KOs and even resizing a al Faith Leader goes a step too far for me to support that. It's one thing to make a new mold based on an existing (not to mention really old/'classic') idea, and another to just lift HasTak's designs straight up (IMO).
It's also stupid for the fans to keep asking Hasbro reps if they're going to work with 3rd parties - they're pretty obviously opposed to them, and it'd be nice for the fans not to rock the boat on this one.

EDIT - I'd totally get a reissue Scorponok.:cool:

[kup]

+1.
I'd gladly have bought, say, 3 different Scout Reflector robots that formed a single camera alt-mode if Hasbro/Takara had put them out, but as it is I've got the PE ones instead. It was 3rd party or nothing - even the lame half-track Perceptor remold never came out. If I'd seen an old G1 Reflector set beforehand I probably would have got that instead, which still wouldn't have netted HasTak any money. Same for City Commander - I'd totally pay Leader or even Ultra class prices for a Voyager UM and decent set of armor to go with him, but as it is it was CC or a naked Magnus.
I understand there's budget and safety concerns that Hasbro have to worry about, but they have also made a business choice to go with the 'Lowest common denominator' a lot of the time and neglect to cater to a niche market, so of course other people will fill the gaps. I'll happily buy from Takara/Hasbro most of the time, but if they aren't going to make something I want and a 3rd party will, well, that's money that wouldn't be going to HasTak anyway. I'm not looking for 'new ideas', I just want my Transformers collection done well...usually that means HasTak, sometimes it means someone else.

That said, there's a cut-off point with what I'm down with - outright KOs and even resizing a al Faith Leader goes a step too far for me to support that. It's one thing to make a new mold based on an existing (not to mention really old/'classic') idea, and another to just lift HasTak's designs straight up (IMO).
It's also stupid for the fans to keep asking Hasbro reps if they're going to work with 3rd parties - they're pretty obviously opposed to them, and it'd be nice for the fans not to rock the boat on this one.

Exactly! Well said.

[Hursticon]

I am really really glad that the Singapore convention has been a success.

A few things people should note here because of the positives for Australia:

Collectors market is always Asia - US audience is primarily younger kids
15,000 turn up on one day to a convention in Singapore, they cant manage 5,000 in US not matter how much publicity it gets
Third parties are clearly on their nerves "i wish they came up with new ideas and stop pinching ours"
Fortress Maximus reissue announcement is 6 months after I told you all :)
Wait for a scorponok announcement to correspond
Wait till they host it in Hong Kong - guarantee 30-40k people


Yep, you called it dude! :D
You make some great points there too dude, it'll be really interesting to see how HasTak decides to treat the Asian Market compared to the US/UK ones; there is a very clear contrast between the 2 IMO. ;):cool:

P.S. Even though I own a 110% complete G1 Scorponok now, I would not be opposed to acquiring a reissue of him; He's just too damn cool a toy to pass up! :D


That said, there's a cut-off point with what I'm down with - outright KOs and even resizing a al Faith Leader goes a step too far for me to support that. It's one thing to make a new mold based on an existing (not to mention really old/'classic') idea, and another to just lift HasTak's designs straight up (IMO).
It's also stupid for the fans to keep asking Hasbro reps if they're going to work with 3rd parties - they're pretty obviously opposed to them, and it'd be nice for the fans not to rock the boat on this one.

Exactly my stance on the matter also; The mind truly boggles at those who ever think HasTak are going to work with the likes of iGear or FansProject - Makes you wonder what's going through their minds?:confused:
(Spacepet on the other hand, is a different kettle of fish. ;):))

[griffin]

Added to first post....
More images (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/a-closer-look-at-takaras-transformers-prime-arms-micron-am01-am06/24287/) of the TakaraTomy Prime toys & Microns. Some very nice details on these toys coming out of Japan very soon.
Fastest Fingers (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/fastest-fingers-winners-cybertron-con-2012/24273/) (transforming toys) competition winners.
Model competition by 50 invited Artists (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transmissions-from-cybertron-con-vote-for-your-favourite-model-kit/24272/), and how to vote.

[5FDP]

Hang on... so a Fort Max reissue has been confirmed? :confused: I thought they were only looking at whether or not it's feasible to do.

[Hursticon]

Hang on... so a Fort Max reissue has been confirmed? :confused: I thought they were only looking at whether or not it's feasible to do.

Not so much officially confirmed but due to the longevity of muling over the idea that seems to of occurred with HasTakTom, there seems to be a bit of light piercing the darkness if you know what I mean. ;):)
(Fingers crossed at any rate! :D)

[fatbot]

Does anyone know the likely cost of the deluxe Evac? I have a friend heading to Singapore in June who said she'll get me half a dozen or so for myself and some others on the board

[griffin]

Was Fort Max actually mentioned as being a reissue, or as a whole new homage toy? After recent efforts to have it pass safety testing by todays standards failed (not to mention how much a reissue would cost now - if large recent Encores that are less than half the size of Fort Max are over $100, just imagine how expensive a reissue would be... and how difficult it would be to be posted from Japan)... is it even possible?

[griffin]

Does anyone know the likely cost of the deluxe Evac? I have a friend heading to Singapore in June who said she'll get me half a dozen or so for myself and some others on the board

Transformers toys that I saw being sold at Universal Studios and Disney in America were priced similar to our pricing, so a very hefty mark-up.... I'd expect about US$25-30. (but since we are used to that pricing here, it won't seem like a mark-up to us)

[kup]

Final Report from Roller:

"Attention Megatron, emercgency bulletin from Cybertron Con, shockwave reports, energon levels approaching critical"

So the final day of the Con was pretty lacklustre. Valk and I showed up in the afternoon again as the timetable said that the things on earlier in the day were all the general stuff, drawing tfs, Kreon activity area- u play with kreons or dance to the 3D bumble bee

We chatted with Mervin, a fan who was asked by Hasbro to supply some display pieces. He has boxed G1s and according to him, Hasbro wanted him to pull them out of the box. He said no, so his stuff wasnt on display.


valk and I lined up for the photo sesh with the Movie characters , people in costumes and gals dressed in transformy coloured sexy outfits.

I also got a snap with some of the shop ladies, as they had cool NEST shirts. The people manning the TF ride had cooler NEST uniforms and jackets.


It was funny to notice that the scaffolding platform where people could get a paid snap of themselves with OP statue in back, had some safety net


Overall a good first official Con for me, Im glad I came, no regrets about the lack of sleep or amount i paid for Prime.

Good to mix with fans from out of Oz, and lots of fun.

Things that could have been better , bigger shop area. More activities.

Mervin said that originally there were meant to be fireworks, laser show and other things, But insuracnce would not have covered it.

There was alot of unused space.


8 outta 10 for me

and 9 outta 10 for the ride.

[griffin]

He has boxed G1s and according to him, Hasbro wanted him to pull them out of the box. He said no, so his stuff wasnt on display.Casually asking someone to remove toys from sealed packaging, is pretty bad. Shows how little the people at that Hasbro office know about serious collecting. Iceburn mentioned to me yesterday that he also declined their request for borrowing some of his toys, because they wouldn't provide insurance.
They wanted to use thousands of dollars worth of rare toys, and didn't want to take responsibility for them.
Lucky they didn't end up asking me. I probably would have been okay with it if I was attending, but hearing about how dodgy it ended up being handled...

Good to hear that the convention was a hit for those who attended though, and good to hear that a few Australians made it too.
I'm so jealous...

[iceburn]

Sorry i couldn't meet up with the Aussie fans that have came down to Singapore.
After my wedding on 25th Feb and returning to work, I had a project that had over-run over the weekend when Cybertron Con began. I later caught flu and sore eyes after my project. Also, griffin has explained why I didn't turn up at the Con despite their failed attempts to lure me with "a $XXX hamper and $XXXX cash" for my contributions.

Well, was also tempted to go down on the last day but I didn't. Felt it aren't worth it at all. Kup..how were the displays?

[Sky Shadow]

Also, griffin has explained why I didn't turn up at the Con despite their failed attempts to lure me with "a $XXX hamper and $XXXX cash" for my contributions.

You turned down both a hamper of pornography and some cash for beer‽ :eek: ;)

[iceburn]

indeed... :P

[valkyrie_76]

*snip*
Well, was also tempted to go down on the last day but I didn't. Felt it aren't worth it at all. Kup..how were the displays?

Should have.....Roller wanted to catch up with you and I think we were the only two that went.

The displays were not that bad but I wish they had more Takara stuff in Pre and Post TF lines.

[kup]

Well, was also tempted to go down on the last day but I didn't. Felt it aren't worth it at all. Kup..how were the displays?

I wasn't there, I am posting on behalf of Roller who is no longer a member here.

Roller actually had a chance to have a brief chat with Archer and Hideaki Yoke. Some interesting 'off the record' stuff was said that really sheds light on Hasbro's recent decisions and overall mentality. Too bad Roller doesn't post here anymore but oh well..

Roller had some pics, I will see if I can get his permission to convert them and post them.

[iceburn]

The displays were not that bad but I wish they had more Takara stuff in Pre and Post TF lines.

I know why there aren't many Takara lines but I shall leave it as that. :)

[valkyrie_76]

I know why there aren't many Takara lines but I shall leave it as that. :)

Yeah I heard a few stories from a few of the people that were there.