BotCon 2015 news [Archive] - Ozformers Transformers Club of Australia (otca.com.au)

griffin

18th June 2015, 02:45 AM

As of 4 hours ago BotCon 2015 began an the first bit of news is the Custom Class toy - Galva Convoy... a purple Lio Convoy which was hinted on the box of Lio Convoy.
http://news.tfw2005.com/2015/06/17/botcon-2015-custom-class-figure-gala-convoy-293115

Also, there looks to be a 5th Australian here this year with some else on the tour today whom I don't think is a member here.

fatbot

18th June 2015, 03:12 AM

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo146/fatbot/92F48A98-8410-4CF7-9F22-0B71B76D4FA2_zpsyrc3qspd.png (http://s370.photobucket.com/user/fatbot/media/92F48A98-8410-4CF7-9F22-0B71B76D4FA2_zpsyrc3qspd.png.html)

Dunno if painting is complete or not

CHILENO20

18th June 2015, 03:44 AM

Galva convoy? Hmmm, whats his story?

Paulbot

18th June 2015, 07:31 AM

Beast Wars II Galvatron before he switched sides I'm assuming.... Or an alternate universe version who's a maximal.

Krayt

18th June 2015, 08:46 AM

Yay for unpainted sets when you register!!!

But damn... who wants to paint it for me?

reillyd

18th June 2015, 10:30 AM

Its fairly obscure to me, but I love the colour scheme and that it competes the Club trio. I can't wait to get my hands on it tomorrow. The book accessory looks like a fun addition.

Kinda wondering what they'll do for the attendee though. A fourth repaint?

CHILENO20

18th June 2015, 11:04 AM

The book, covenant of Primus me thinks?

Krayt

18th June 2015, 11:41 AM

Golden Ticket pickup should have just started....

**Drum roll***

The attendee figure is......

Krayt

18th June 2015, 11:47 AM

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/attachments/transformers-news-rumors/27523707d1434591916-botcon-freebe-zaptrap-image.jpgZAPTRAP!!!!!!!!

Has the blue mincon revealed earlier, red skrapnel looks like... (TFW2005 thread)

CHILENO20

18th June 2015, 11:53 AM

Another rather obscure choice but looks like the Funpub are really hammering out the insect bots this year. A redeco of Bombshell & Kickback as Salvo & Shothole maybe?

Paulbot

18th June 2015, 11:55 AM

The Diaclone homage that was mentioned/hinted at: Insecticon and pilot.

Nice idea but not "go out of the way and pay eBay prices" nice.

Krayt

18th June 2015, 11:56 AM

I gave someone 100US to pick it up, as thats what the deluxe attendings normally go for/level out too....

a legend/legion whatever had better save me some money!

MayzaPrime

18th June 2015, 11:58 AM

Well that is a little disappointing... but it does save me money :D

Krayt

18th June 2015, 11:59 AM

And the packs are apparantly....

4 pack of wasp
2 pk gen prime sgt hound (this is confusing me...**research.... sounds like scoop repaint = sgt hound)
2 black skids and red hoist

CHILENO20

18th June 2015, 12:01 PM

And the packs are apparantly....

4 pack of wasp
2 pk gen prime sgt hound (this is confusing me...)
2 black skids and red hoist

I'll guess we'll see what they look like shortly.

griffin

18th June 2015, 01:03 PM

I just came back from the pick-up, and finished taking photos (which I'll post up shortly).

From the comic, we have images and artwork to pretty much confirm all the at-show toys this year.

Gen2 2-pack (General Optimus from Gen VOY Roadbuster & Sgt Hound from Gen DLX Scoop) - 1,100 units.

Diaclone 2-pack (Orange DLX Hoist & Black DLX Skids) - 1,500 units.

Waruders 4-pack (DLX Waspinators - blue/red, purple/black, yellow, white) - 2,000 units.

Kreo Earth's Most Wanted (Kreons cartoon Dr Arkeville, comic Robot Master, cartoon Autobot Spike, cartoon Nightbird, Animated Sentinel Prime, Animated Headmaster) - 900 units.

Attendee figure - Zaptrap (red Legends Shrapnel - first time the attendee figure isn't a Deluxe, which is cheapening it a bit).

Custom Class figure - Galva Convoy (purple/black DLX Optimus/Orion Pax)

Plus the usual autograph cards and litho poster... which will be in photos coming soon. (I won't be offering to buy any of them)

reillyd

18th June 2015, 01:30 PM

I like the attendee, but I'm sure some fans are going to rant because it's a legends commander figure not a deluxe

griffin

18th June 2015, 02:04 PM

Images at Seibertron (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/botcon-2015-souvenir-toy-reveals-and-convention-comic-cover/33228/)... saves me processing my photos tonight (I'm getting sleepy).

MayzaPrime

18th June 2015, 02:16 PM

I like the attendee, but I'm sure some fans are going to rant because it's a legends commander figure not a deluxe

I wont rant :p

But I do prefer the deluxe, and I am happy to pay more. Flamewar is one of my favourite Botcon figures

Krayt

18th June 2015, 03:50 PM

I did some thinking, and this isn't the first non deluxe freebie. When this "format" started in 2005, flamewar was a scout, and then 2006 had Tigatron, another basic/scout.

2007 was the first deluxe, and all till now

BigTransformerTrev

18th June 2015, 04:11 PM

Megatran

18th June 2015, 07:11 PM

^ Anyone know what the unpainted Custom Class Galva Convoy looks like?

As of 4 hours ago BotCon 2015 began an the first bit of news is the Custom Class toy - Galva Convoy... a purple Lio Convoy which was hinted on the box of Lio Convoy.

Box of Nova Prime. :)

griffin

18th June 2015, 09:49 PM

Box of Nova Prime. :)

What ev-ah... :p

reillyd

19th June 2015, 01:14 PM

Has anyone else noticed that Tfsource, Robot Kingdom and BigBad had no third party in their ads? They're beautiful photography too, by the way, of Masterpiece figures.

There was a third party presence though, in a special event room for TheChosenPrime store, and a room full of prototypes. I went along hoping to see the unproduced Playwiththistoo prototypes, but only the one on show. The people there didn't know any details about the line, alas.

Tetsuwan Convoy

19th June 2015, 01:23 PM

I thought 3p were not allowed at all. I don't think 3P has a place at the Official convention, just seems a bit odd, since they have the license, it would almost be like them saying Hasbro is fine with 3p as well.

I'd also be very surprised to see PWTT there as well, considering how Aaron Archer is involved and the prototype they have looks a lot like Skullgrin.

Krayt

19th June 2015, 03:02 PM

THe 3rd Party things are backdoor deals in peoples hotel rooms....

Paulbot

19th June 2015, 03:37 PM

THe 3rd Party things are backdoor deals in peoples hotel rooms....

Although the word is even those "aren't allowed"

Trent

19th June 2015, 06:04 PM

Although the word is even those "aren't allowed"

Lol. Because that's enforceable :rolleyes:

DELTAprime

19th June 2015, 06:21 PM

Ryan over at Seibertron has a mini gallery up of all the Bot-con souvenir toys up. I just want to know if I can get the Skywarp repaint Waspinator without the other toys.

http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/minigallery-of-full-botcon-2015-souvenir-exclusive-set-only-at-seibertron/33245/

CHILENO20

19th June 2015, 06:48 PM

Paulbot

19th June 2015, 10:54 PM

I've not got into the Kreons, but that Autobot Spike Kreon is pretty cool. And this might be the only way a Robot Master toy is ever created.

The little "Waspinators" as pilots for the bigger "Waspinators" is an interesting idea too and way to make use of a character getting two very different Generations toys lately.

The theme though seems mixed which is nothing unusual I guess. Unreleased/produced concepts, a bunch of Diaclone references, and Battletrap.

Not overly sold on the names Burn Out and Lift-Ticket (discovered this is a GIJoe name) but they are growing on me as part of the "extended" G1 universe (even if these two mechs technically aren't Transformers).

Paulbot

20th June 2015, 07:20 AM

Combiner Wars Bruticus art and more intriguing line art. Titan Wars
http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/bruticus-artwork-in-combiner-wars-poster-plus-titan-wars-lineart-for-fort-max-blaster-and-more/33252/

Very interesting!

reillyd

20th June 2015, 08:03 AM

At the panel (which I'm sure Griffin will cover in more details, with glorious photos) the designer from Takara announced Diaclone is coming back as a brand and was being announced at Tokyo Toy Show. The designs for the original Car robots/ Diaclone toys were amazing. By the end of it he had a standing ovation.

doublespy

20th June 2015, 08:18 AM

I'm in still in bed but just got too excited to go back to sleep now....

Blaster looks like he has a third base mode of some sort?

Onslaught seems like a new mould.

That space shuttle guy is very interesting... I thought it's blast off, but the heas sculpt seems too heroic?

And...MY GOD Fort Max!

reillyd

20th June 2015, 08:20 AM

I saw Highbrow too on the blueprints, which I don't think siebertron had a picture of. I hope Griffin took a photo. I would have missed the blueprints entirely but for Grant showing me

BigTransformerTrev

20th June 2015, 08:56 AM

Blaster looks like he has a third base mode of some sort?

Kinda looks like a rock and roll sound and light stage

Handsprime

20th June 2015, 09:03 AM

I'm actually looking forward to blaster for a few reasons.
1. Blaster is awesome
2. We haven't had a proper CHUG toy of him yet (the only one we had was a redeco of Cybertron Soundwave)
3. This could also mean we're gonna get a CHUG Soundwave :eek:

Verno

20th June 2015, 09:03 AM

Do the little vehicles in this shot:

http://www.seibertron.com/images/events/413/r_DSC09155.jpg

Remind anyone of the little vehicles in this shot?:

http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/1/15/G1Gutcruncher_toy.jpg

tinyJazz

20th June 2015, 10:52 AM

Oh! Nice catch Verno! I'm seeing it.

I'm actually looking forward to blaster for a few reasons.
1. Blaster is awesome
2. We haven't had a proper CHUG toy of him yet (the only one we had was a redeco of Cybertron Soundwave)
3. This could also mean we're gonna get a CHUG Soundwave :eek:

Forget the cybertron redeco, we actually got a generations (FOC) toy (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Blaster_%28FOC%29#Generations) with a pretty decent headsculpt.

I'm all for a more G1 Blaster though. (still hoping Takara will make an MP version!) :D

Verno

20th June 2015, 11:21 AM

Oh! Nice catch Verno! I'm seeing it.
The dotted lines that connect the two shots continue down, but I haven't been able to find a pic online that shows what the shot below it is.

philby

20th June 2015, 02:12 PM

i don't know what kind of shows or sessions or whatever they have at this thing, but some people at tfw2005 have mentioned it would be interesting to ask hasbro about devastator now that the takara version has been shown at tokyo toy show. specifically about the elbows and stuff. is that something people like griffin etc who are there could do?

griffin

20th June 2015, 02:23 PM

The Hasbro presentation is in about 12 hours time, so they might say something about it then... and they aren't saying much before the presentation.

philby

20th June 2015, 04:31 PM

i meant questions from the audience kind of thing, if they don't talk about it can people ask them?

Paulbot

20th June 2015, 07:45 PM

Saw on Twitter a photo of the Hartman booth at BotCon.

https://twitter.com/lonelyhydra/status/611949937627037697/photo/1

TAAUBlaster

20th June 2015, 10:17 PM

Saw on Twitter a photo of the Hartman booth at BotCon.

https://twitter.com/lonelyhydra/status/611949937627037697/photo/1

Wow. Would love some of their RID and BW stuff!

griffin

21st June 2015, 12:22 PM

Hursticon

21st June 2015, 01:54 PM

Hall of Fame winners...

Favourite character - Prowl.

Favourite combiner - Predaking.

Favourite music - Vince DiCola.

Prowl and Predaking were a surprise. Music was 50-50 between Vince and the Gen1 music.

I'd be more disappointed in Prowl's win if Meatloaf hadn't taught me better (www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5hWWe-ts2s)...

Oh well, Primal is STILL getting an MP figure regardless - Congrats to both Predaking and Vince DiCola (Don't see why they couldn't of had joint winners though). :cool:

griffin

21st June 2015, 11:15 PM

Hall of Fame winners...

Favourite character - Prowl.

Favourite combiner - Predaking.

Favourite music - Vince DiCola.

Prowl and Predaking were a surprise. Music was 50-50 between Vince and the Gen1 music.

I forgot to mention the main inductee (because he wasn't in the fan-vote) - Frank Welker... who was given a Megatron statue instead of the usual Optimus statue.

fatbot

22nd June 2015, 02:11 AM

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo146/fatbot/53DF1163-3084-421F-BC78-B0C846D10C8A_zpsqf3to7rr.jpg (http://s370.photobucket.com/user/fatbot/media/53DF1163-3084-421F-BC78-B0C846D10C8A_zpsqf3to7rr.jpg.html)

Paulagnew trying out for the script reading

Krayt

26th June 2015, 09:12 AM

Geez... looks like NOTHING sold out at botcon!!!!

Everything is up in the Club Store to purchase... but may be limited in numbers...

Kinda makes me upset I "wasted" money helping with someones golden ticket..... but then again, it's probably cheaper than the Clubs postage!

griffin

26th June 2015, 01:09 PM

Yes, an email was sent out with a massive list of everything they had for sale at the convention (http://transformersclub.com/shop) (click on "BotCon" exclusives)... and still at full price.
If they could be trusted with postage, I'd recommend people here checking it out.
They even have for sale the Frank Welker VIP items - the pin, the poster & pin, and the signed poster & pin.

2015 BotCon Exclusive Generations 2 (General Prime and Sgt Hound) 2 pack
2015 BotCon Exclusive Diaclone Explorers (Burn Out & Life-Ticket) 2 pack
2015 BotCon Exclusive Waruders (4 pack)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Kre-O Earth's Most Wanted (6 pack)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Hat (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Assembled Class Unpainted Figure (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Lithograph " Journey to Nexus Prime" (Unsigned) (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Lithograph " Journey to Nexus Prime" SIGNED (1 Pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Oversized G.I. Joe Frank Welker Card UNSIGNED (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Three Panel Autograph Collector Card SEASON 3 (SIGNED) ( 1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive 3 Panel Autograph Collector Card Frank Welker Transformer UNSIGNED (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Comic Convention Program: TF Timelines Issue 11 "Cybertron: Most Wanted" (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Autograph Guest Cards Set 1 (guest cards NOT signed) (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Autograph Guest Cards Set 2 (guest cards NOT signed) (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Uncut Autograph Card Sheet of 8 Set 1 (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Uncut Autograph Card Sheet of 8 Set 2 (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Autograph Uncut CHASE Cards (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Frank Welker VIP Pass Non-Attending Package (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Megatron Lithograph UNSIGNED plus Megatron Cloisonne Pin (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive Megatron Cloisonne Pin (1 pc)
2015 BotCon Exclusive T-Shirt (Small, Medium, Large, XL, 2XL, 3XL)

griffin

26th June 2015, 03:47 PM

Some questions by TFW that have been answered by the Hasbro people at BotCon (http://news.tfw2005.com/2015/06/25/hasbro-discusses-future-titan-class-figures-combiner-wars-and-more-294895).

Nothing significant though as they were intentionally very vague in their answers.

griffin

28th June 2015, 07:50 AM

Someone has done up a comparison image (https://twitter.com/p2099/status/611777982454087680) of the BotCon toys with their Diaclone equivalents. (except Burnout and Lift-Ticket)

I'm surprised that FunPub didn't learn from Machine Wars about using more obscure elements of Transformers as the basis of most of their BotCon toys, despite saying that they wouldn't do that again... and yet here we have an element that wasn't even part of Transformers it is that obscure to Transformers fans.

Diaclone versions of Transformers would be one thing, which is already more obscure than Machine Wars, but having Diaclone versions of non-Transformers characters for a Transformers convention went over the top of most people's heads, including mine.
I still have no idea what the Waruders are in relation to the existing post-Diaclone Transformers Universe... and I imagine others didn't either, as they were the least requested set of BotCon toys by the Australians I was buying toys for while at the convention.

And not only that, they put the two Diaclone drivers in with Gen2 Hound instead of the Diaclone Burnout and Lift-Ticket... forcing people wanting the Diaclone pair to buy the Gen2 pair to get their Drivers.

They probably can't wait for next year when they can just use Combiner redecos for the next five years of BotCon, which should be guaranteed winners if they don't do anything obscure again.

griffin

28th June 2015, 05:57 PM

Thanks to the TFWiki, I was able to work out the various toy names this year, for anyone else who needs the names too...

Boxset - Megatron (w/ Scalpel/white, Heavyweight/?, Boombox/?), Packrat, Stepper (w/ Nebulon), Battletrap, Oilmaster (shell, car, jet)

Attendee - Zaptrap, Beet-Chit, Spy-Eye

Custom Class toy - Galva Convoy

Gen2 2-pack - General Optimus, Sargeant Hound (w/ Dia/?, Cline/?)

Diaclone 2-pack - Burn Out, Lift-Ticket

Waruder 4-pack - Parasite/purple (w/ Ripper), Mudfighter/orange (w/ Thrasher), Storm Rider/red (w/ Crusher), Paralyzer/white (w/ Buzzer)

Kreo - Autobot X, Nightbird, Doctor Arkeville, Robotmaster, Sentinel Prime, The Headmaster.

Megatran

28th June 2015, 11:25 PM

Was there any mention of the G1 Dinobots reissue at Botcon?

griffin

29th June 2015, 08:52 AM

Was there any mention of the G1 Dinobots reissue at Botcon?

They didn't mention any of the Platinums at all, and I asked about the Dinobot set... and was told to wait and see. (which means SDCC will have the reveals) :(

griffin

29th June 2015, 09:50 PM

The first of my BotCon archive pages for this year's convention - Animated with Derrick Wyatt (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15anim.html).

More to come. :)

Paulbot

29th June 2015, 09:53 PM

Looking forward to reading the set

Oh, and "(blue one I missed)" is surely Siren.

griffin

29th June 2015, 11:21 PM

Okay, I'll make a mention of it possibly being him.

The Club Magazine panel is now up (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15cm.html).

Megatran

29th June 2015, 11:36 PM

They didn't mention any of the Platinums at all, and I asked about the Dinobot set... and was told to wait and see. (which means SDCC will have the reveals) :(
SDCC is just around the corner. :)

I'll take a highly improbable stab & say the Dinobots will come in 2 separate boxes. A 3-pack of the original trio & a 2-pack of Swoop & Snarl.

griffin

30th June 2015, 12:05 AM

Custom Class page is done (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15cl.html).

UltimateGalvatron

30th June 2015, 11:42 AM

SDCC is just around the corner. :)

I'll take a highly improbable stab & say the Dinobots will come in 2 separate boxes. A 3-pack of the original trio & a 2-pack of Swoop & Snarl.

I'd buy the second pack, maybe the first.

griffin

1st July 2015, 05:12 PM

The rest of the Friday activities that isn't the Dealer Room or Welker photo session have now been done.

Japanese Gen1 with Kojin Ono (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15ko.html). (WARNING - very photo-heavy with about 100 photos)

Golden Ticket dinner (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15gt.html).

And the main page has the overall rating and good/bad/ugly elements now filled out (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15intro.html)... but the main page is something I work on throughout the whole process, as different pages remind me of various things to mention on the main page that I might not remember when I first work on it.

griffin

3rd July 2015, 02:32 PM

Four more pages done...

Dealer Room (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15dr.html) (WARNING - very photo-heavy with about 100 photos)
Art Contest Display & Costumes (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15art.html)

PANEL Gen1 Retrospective (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15gr.html) - Susan Blu & John Moschitta (St. Charles Ballroom)
PANEL Online Fandom (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15of.html) - hosted by several fans

I'm working my way through the Panels and Hasbro Product Display first (lotsa photos)... and will do the non-Transformers sections last.

UltraMarginal

3rd July 2015, 05:51 PM

That chosen Prime dealer really knows how to set up a premium display.

The Hartmans tables were EPIC. I don't really care about beast wars but I could imagine others tripping over their tongue just looking at that display. so much MISB.

griffin

4th July 2015, 01:01 AM

The big one - Hasbro Product Panel (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15hp.html)(WARNING - very photo-heavy with about 100 photos)

griffin

5th July 2015, 12:47 PM

Three more of the Saturday Panels are done.

1pm - PANEL Cosplay (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15cp.html) - about fan costuming for Transformers fans (I missed most of this)

2pm - PANEL The Japanese Perspective (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15jtf.html) - Andrew Hall hosting Transformers art in Japan

3pm - PANEL Collector Club (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15cc.html) - by FunPub

Paulbot

5th July 2015, 01:51 PM

2pm - PANEL The Japanese Perspective (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15jtf.html) - Andrew Hall hosting Transformers art in Japan

Re: the last two images. It's not a Minicon made to look like Leader-1, it's one of the CW Aerialbot limbs. And Prime has been repainted into Staks (http://www.tfu.info/Gobots/Guardians/Staks/staks.htm).

griffin

5th July 2015, 03:00 PM

Re: the last two images. It's not a Minicon made to look like Leader-1, it's one of the CW Aerialbot limbs. And Prime has been repainted into Staks (http://www.tfu.info/Gobots/Guardians/Staks/staks.htm).

Oops... I thought it was the Minicon from Armada that was part of the 3-pack that could turn into weapons.
Thanks for the info.

I'll have to see if I did an audio recording of that panel to see why he did up those Gobot decos of Combiner Wars toys.

TAAUBlaster

5th July 2015, 04:16 PM

The Hartman's collection looked amazing! I would've smashed the Beast wars/Beast Machines figures. They were all so cheap! :p

fatbot

5th July 2015, 05:45 PM

Oops... I thought it was the Minicon from Armada that was part of the 3-pack that could turn into weapons.
Thanks for the info.

I'll have to see if I did an audio recording of that panel to see why he did up those Gobot decos of Combiner Wars toys.

from memory it was for shits & giggles

griffin

5th July 2015, 06:35 PM

Ah, okay.
It's almost a tease then... not that FunPub won't be milking the Combiner moulds for years to come to need any more ideas.

The rest of Saturday.

4pm - PANEL Frank Welker (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15fw.html)

7.30pm - Awards Dinner and Auction (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15hof.html)

Sunday didn't have much to report, so there will only be two more "panel" pages to come... plus the Hasbro product display and the Wed/Thurs toy pickup and purchases.

After that it will just be non-Convention pages left... which are the bulk of pages this year, due to the extra 5-6 days travelling in America.

griffin

5th July 2015, 07:31 PM

Here's a youtube video I found of the Frank Welker panel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6vnDGyf1wE)... saves me uploading my short video clips that didn't have any of the really good bits.

These are two videos of the Script reading I found as well (here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dLtdQg3Auw) and here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgnjhyE4oMQ)), in case one has bad audio or video.

I couldn't find any videos of the Saturday night Auction hosted by "Blurr" as I think I was the only person there with a camera (the numbers were small), so I'll upload that one and post up a link here later.

griffin

5th July 2015, 08:24 PM

Here's the Transformers Hall of Fame video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqaGBO8XMOY), hosted by Megatron.

I had some trouble finding it because it is on the official Transformers channel, and they didn't use the word "Botcon" anywhere on the title or description (which was one of the search terms I was using).
Between that and the removal of the Collector Club details from the Hasbro toy packaging last year, it makes you think that Hasbro is now keeping their distance from the Club... even though they still want FunPub to keep the licenses as they still have a use to Hasbro for marketing purposes (the club and convention).
After all, why would they refuse to mention BotCon as the source event of the video and HOF at all in the description, considering how lengthy the details are, and has several links to Hasbro pages.

griffin

5th July 2015, 09:44 PM

The Sunday pages.

10am - PANEL Script Reading Auditions & the actual Script Reading (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15sr.html)

11am - PANEL The Art of Transformers (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15at.html) - a variety of official (comic) artists talk about their recent works.

I'll do the Hasbro product display next.

griffin

6th July 2015, 07:07 PM

Another six pages are done... the Hasbro display.

Hasbro Display 1 (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15hd1.html) (Wave 1-3 Generations)
Hasbro Display 2 (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15hd2.html) (Wave 4-6 Generations)
Hasbro Display 3 (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15hd3.html) (Devastator & SDCC Exclusives)
Hasbro Display 4 (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15hd4.html) (Robots In Disguise Legion, Warrior, 1-Step, 3-Step)
Hasbro Display 5 (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15hd5.html) (Robots In Disguise Deployer & Minicons, Rescue Bots)
Hasbro Display 6 (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15hd6.html) (Kre-O)

Make sure you scroll all the way down page 3, for what's after the SDCC items.

I want to do the Wednesday pickup and Thursday Club Store purchases next... but I want to take some more comparison photos first.

griffin

6th July 2015, 07:09 PM

I take it that there haven't been any missing photos yet or links that don't work, otherwise it would have been noted by someone by now.

Sometimes some files don't upload properly or completely, and I don't know about it as I don't usually go through all the online copies.

griffin

7th July 2015, 10:23 PM

I went through my videos and selected some of the better ones or more interesting ones to upload to youtube.

Charity Auction intro by John Moschitta. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05wx0vU-0k0)

Charity Auction item auctioned off by John Moschitta (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbIBn5ujukY).

Blurr ordering a burger at the Drive-thru (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV9MVUSGXJQ). (a bit blurry)

Not from BotCon...
Fireflies in the grass at night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMEU1AaCCNo).

My other videos were not anything unique enough to waste time editing and uploading, as there are already other videos on youtube of the good stuff.

Zippo

8th July 2015, 05:38 PM

Thanks for the write up griffin; I look forward to reading about your trip every year

griffin

9th July 2015, 12:56 AM

Almost all of the BotCon parts are now done.

Pre-registration Package (Wednesday (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15jun17.html#pu))
Club Store Toys (Thursday (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15jun18.html#pu))

That leaves the "before convention" page of the reveals and news prior to the convention, and the Friday-Sunday pages of what I did (which includes some minor BotCon elements that don't have their own pages).
And the Pre-Con tours, if they count.

The Intro page is also now done (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15intro.html), and it notes a couple of additions done to pages that were "completed" before.

Only half a day left until the SDCC news starts hitting fansites, which was my deadline to complete this... because when SDCC starts, what happened at BotCon is pretty much of no longer of much interest to most fans.
It takes a while to do, but I love reliving the trip all over again by doing this... it's like getting extra value for your money on such an expensive trip.

griffin

9th July 2015, 05:04 AM

Three of the five BotCon days completed...

June 17th - Wednesday (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15jun17.html) - Convention Tour & Package pickup (link to tour not yet done)
June 18th - Thursday (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15jun18.html) - Custom Class & Club store
June 19th - Friday (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15jun19.html) - BotCon day 1 & Golden Ticket dinner

griffin

9th July 2015, 06:41 PM

The remaining two BotCon days are done, so if you just want to experience the BotCon portion of the trip (except the pre-Con tours because they haven't been done yet, but they weren't even Transformers related anyway), click on the Wednesday page in the post above and just follow the links through to the end.

June 20th - Saturday (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15jun20.html) - BotCon day 2 & Awards dinner
June 21st - Sunday (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15jun21.html) - BotCon day 3

I think I should have the remainder done by the end of the weekend (for anyone who is actually planning to go through the entire trip from start to finish).

griffin

14th July 2015, 12:55 PM

For those who bought a non-attending set, they must have sent them out last week, as people in America are just receiving theirs (http://news.tfw2005.com/2015/07/13/botcon-2015-non-attendee-sets-arriving-297008).
So give it another couple weeks to show up here, depending on the shipping method they use.

And on related news, FunPub must have been given permission by Hasbro to give official names to more of the unnamed Gen1 cartoon Seekers... by announcing that they have named the remaining two unnamed Rainmakers - Ion Storm and Nova Storm (http://news.tfw2005.com/2015/07/13/fun-pub-announces-the-yellow-and-blue-rainmakers-names-297009) - with some bios and art released with the names.

For those unfamiliar, or confused over all the unnamed Gen1 cartoon seekers, there were two "famous" teams of Generic Seekers in the cartoon...

The Welcoming Committee (in the first episode, against Wheeljack and Bumblebee) - Sunstorm, Bitstream, Hotlink - two of which FunPub were allowed to officially name for their 3-pack set in 2013 (which was mistakenly called the Rainmakers 3-pack).

The Rainmakers (in the episode Divide and Conquer) - Acidstorm, Ion Storm, Nova Storm - two of which FunPub were we now allowed to officially name.

It is worth noting that the artwork on the three Rainmakers that were posted up with this news looks to be using the Generations Armada mould... so it could be the new Seeker mould to be pumped out en-masse by FunPub, after they stated that the Classics Seeker mould was now retired.

MayzaPrime

14th July 2015, 01:51 PM

Krayt

14th July 2015, 02:21 PM

so who's got shipping info so far?

I had heard nothing, and emailed yesterday as i'm changing delivery address and would have updated if they still had it. This morning I have a shipping notice, and same day US are getting theirs.

Krayt

16th July 2015, 07:24 AM

Grrrr.... Botcon squeezing on shipping, saying checkout didn't charge enough

Tetsuwan Convoy

16th July 2015, 08:38 AM

Grrrr.... Botcon squeezing on shipping, saying checkout didn't charge enough

Lol. Tell them to get their shit soryed out. Bloody amateurs. If they were based in Australia, I'd have reported them to fair trading so many times.

MayzaPrime

16th July 2015, 10:46 AM

Grrrr.... Botcon squeezing on shipping, saying checkout didn't charge enough

Good to know that I wasn't the only one that got that email... :mad:

UltraMarginal

16th July 2015, 10:58 AM

Seriously!!

they are a business, and don't have a proper shipping calculator. Tell them they can give you a full refund if they are going to try that on you. you are paying as much for a boxed set as an attendee at the conference, shipping should be free.

griffin

16th July 2015, 03:19 PM

Grrrr.... Botcon squeezing on shipping, saying checkout didn't charge enough

Good to know that I wasn't the only one that got that email... :mad:

What is the figure/amount extra that they are charging?

If it was me, I'd say to them...

If they stop us non-American customers from claiming back a refund of excessive charges to Shipping, despite telling us that they would voluntarily do it, why should we be paying extra when there is an under-charging of shipping?

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-general-discussion/1001243-pete-happy-address-concerns-about-any-actual-perceived-missteps-funpub-8.html#post11583067
(half-way down the post, after Pete's quote)

Surely they make enough profit from shipping charges that they aren't entitled to, to cover the rare occasions that it is under-estimated.

(so far I've been brushed off by two of their senior staff about the matter... so it is poor form that they are continuing to prove that they check all orders & shipping but only proactively chase up people for more money, without proactively chasing up people with a refund.)
:mad:

griffin

16th July 2015, 06:47 PM

Just noting that all of the Convention related pages of my Adventure report (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15intro.html) are now done, with just the three pre-BotCon pages left to do and the two Pre-Con tours (which aren't Transformers related).
The "before (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc15/bc15bf.html)" page took a while to do, but today's semi-rant in the post above gave me the introduction I needed to finish it off nicely.
(the "before" page is a time-line archive of the news and announcements in the 8 months leading up to the Convention, plus my planning for the trip with some tips for long-distance travelling)

When the remaining pages are done they will be noted in the BotCon topic that is in the meets section, as those pages aren't BotCon news, so would be off-topic posting it here.

Krayt

16th July 2015, 10:37 PM

They charged 50, asking for 12.95 more.

But it's already posted and out of Chicago....

griffin

17th July 2015, 12:42 AM

They charged 50, asking for 12.95 more.

But it's already posted and out of Chicago....

That's what disgusts me about them.
They confess to checking all the orders to see how much shipping was paid, and chase up people when they are short by about $10, but keep quiet on the orders that they see have over-paid by $50-70.

griffin

24th July 2015, 05:22 PM

I just found that the BotCon site had photo galleries of this year's convention (http://www.botcon.com/BotCon2015/bc15imagegallery.cfm) (like usual - I just didn't remember to look as FunPub and Pete have been rather quiet since BotCon this year).

Things worth noting...
- Dealer Room photos taken from the second floor windows, which I should have thought about doing, because I saw them and wondered what they were for. You get an idea of how big the dealer room is from those photos, and also how empty it was, as most years it is like "sardines" busy.
- Photos of Frank Welker during the photo and autograph sessions, plus him receiving the Hall of Fame award (which no one else was allowed to take photos of).
- the Golden Ticket dinner/reception, with one lady who was in as many photos as the actual guests... because she caught our eyes all night (fatbot and I, and the guy who was at our table)... and obviously caught the eye of Lanny (the photographer).
- a couple of costumes that I missed seeing, but not very "robotic" ones, as it took me a moment to work out who they were (Animated Lockdown and TFPrime Knockout).
- and you get to see the walk-in crowd lined up at the start of Saturday... which looks like a lot, but I've seen bigger queues in previous years that stretch around the whole block of the convention centre.