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I'm only able to do it because I'm either on my way home from work or on the way in when they reveal the info on Twitter. As soon as they reveal it, I'm posting it here, which is why I don't always put a link to the sourceQuote:
Originally Posted by griffin
Last reveal...
Oilmaster... With pretender shell.
Oilmaster is a repainted of Swerve
I'm at work using my phone, so I can't do a picture at the moment, I'll try to do one asap
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that is one hell of a backpack on the shell!
More pics up at tformers.com.
It looks so ridiculous that I want it.
I like the idea of it, and would have loved this if it were done by 3H... but being in the hands of FunPub, it's tainting the excitement a little for me.
But I accept that it is a necessary evil, as they are the only people who would get approval to produce these sorts of things officially.
Just noting that Boss Fight Studio were responsible for the Pretender shell. They are the ones producing the various new heads for FunPub, and they've been doing full figures of non-Transformers characters in the past... and this is a fairly simple design (a solid piece of plastic with a hinge on the back and moving arms and head).
So with Hasbro approving this pretender shell, it opens up the door for more non-convertible items that are done by a third party - like more pretender shells and even Actionmasters.
It's more of a Targetmaster Pretender than a Double Pretender :p Guess it beats two crappy legends scale figures.
Hmmmm.....
I just thought.... doesn't the TFSS have a secret Legend sized figure in it.... Alot to splash out on for a Legend... but another of these....
Good point, there does seem to be a lot of room in there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Krayt
This is a pretty big deal I think. last year a Headmaster re-tool, this year a whole new pretender shell, I've never really had a great love for pretenders but I think they've done really well with this. I hope the final model clips shut, but otherwise I think it's great.
That is kind of cool, being the only new pretender toy with a shell since the 80's .
And what's better than a new toy design? An UNRELEASED design!Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord_Zed
the brochure is up, a total of $us1009, for the boxset, golden ticket & Frank Welker VIP ticket
http://www.botcon.com/BotCon2015/StCharles2015.pdf
$us120 for custonising class.
may have airport shuttle bus
wow, the golden ticket has gone up $100 from last year!
but it does include some Frank Welker extras that make it less appealing to get the Frank Welker Package as well. It's good of them to provide the two options.
it's pretty exciting, wish I was going.
The inclusion of the Pretender shell has piqued my interest, but much like Scorponok last year, I feel that it should have been a general release for the anniversary or something.
Hats off to funpub for pulling that off though, although it still isn't enough for me to want to give them my money ever again. If I were still a club member, I'd probably be pretty happy with this box set. Aside from that super lazy SG Stepper/ricochet/boredom character.
Wow, look at those prices!
I wonder if they will rush out the Registration for this weekend... or give people a week to digest the brochure.
I'm hoping it is next week, so that I'm back to be able to more easily register.
They said that they would be trimming back on toy numbers this year, but maybe they only meant the at-show toys, as the boxset figures have double the amount of loose sets to last year, which would mean a LOT less boxsets than last year if the total number was indeed reduced.
Last year had 1600 boxsets and 250 loose sets.
This year has 500 loose sets, which would mean about 1350 boxsets if they have the same total number as last year.
The boxset price is lower than I had predicted, but not by much.
The two pre-con tours are pretty much what I expected, as there isn't too much for tourists in Chicago.
The increase in Golden Ticket price AND an additional 10 tickets available, is a lot of extra money for them... which I hope is helping pay for the guests like Welker.
Seeing that you get an autograph and photo with Welker for the GT, plus close to the front seating at his panel (just a couple rows back from the front for the VIP pass holders), I'm not sure if I might get the VIP pass now.
The exclusive pin and print isn't that desirable as they will probably just end up in a box somewhere as worthless trinkets... but the personal signing of something is really the only thing I'd want, but maybe not for $200 (which is the only thing extra I would be getting for the $200). The Golden Ticket holders get an autograph card with his signature on it, which is all I care about when it comes to autographs.
I wonder if the Custom Class will have the alternate colour Pretender Shell with a small inner toy... just to get a little more usage from the mould.
The Saturday night dinner is a more formal event this year, which I like having something mature/serious at the convention.
As much as I'd like to get the VIP ticket, I won't be, I don't think its worth it.Quote:
Originally Posted by griffin
with regards to registration, why not ask a family member or friend to do it for you if you're still in Hong Kong?
If they start Registration at their usual time of around 7am EAST on Saturday, I should be okay to do it from here, as I'm likely to spend the day in Macau, and can leave as late as I want... but with the VIP pass no longer having the same appeal, while the GT is US$100 more, I just want more time than a couple days to decide what to do.
You just never want to find out later, that the VIP people were treated to something spontaneous and unplanned with Welker that you would have considered worth the $200 if you'd known about it happening.
When you take into account the exchange rate, the US$809 for just the Boxset and GT, is over a Grand in AU$. :(
Plus the cost of a pre-con tour and custom class, AND a set of the 7+ at-show toys... that's going to be another US$550-600 (or about AU$800), before a dollar is even spent in the dealer room.
I can imagine people with dealer tables are making less profit-after-expenses these days, as less people go to BotCon, and less people who do go are having as much money left to spend on non-Convention purchases.
(BTW fatbot, don't txt me if it does start this weekend while I'm away, but if I see it first, I'll send you a txt... just don't reply to it, as it will cost us both money.)
Some interesting bits about this year's BotCon.
Hasbro/FunPub are again prohibiting unlicensed/unauthorised toys based on Transformers characters... which they did a few years ago, but then went back to not caring in the last couple years.
Plus, Jon and Karl Hartman have decided to sell of the rest of their collection at this BotCon, covering 1998 to 2006 when they stopped collecting. It was also the year that they sold off half of their collection of pre-1998 toys, and a lot of good prices were had by many.
I'm surprised that they sat on over a thousand toys for the last nine years, and it is sad that it is them finally done with Transformers, after being such iconic collectors in the fandom, who set the bar in terms of sheer numbers and rarities.
The last of the Boxset toys (Oilmaster) has had its official pre-production images added to the BotCon website.
Wow, I would love to go shopping at the Hartman's booth.
Well you fellas better take out a loan so you can shop at the Hartmans booth. That is certainly going to be an interesting aspect of the dealer room this year.
Oh man, wish I could see that sale.
I imagine that at the end of the Sunday, anything unsold will be auctioned off like in 2006. There might not be a lot left that is of high demand, but it could still yield a bargain if it is something you personally really want.
This sounds like its going to be an amazing experience for those going.
Can I ask though, how hard is it to get to St. Charles, IL?
I can see flights to direct to Chicago, but not from Brisbane to St Charles.
I'm a complete newbie traveler and don't want a stressful "Amazing Race" style trip, but these convention toys, the customising class, and the dealer room sound really really cool. I'm also thinking that if I don't make up my mind quick-smart, then I'd miss out on the opportunity to book a customising class.
St Charles is like Ipswich to Brisbane... it is about an hour from the CBD of Chicago, and doesn't have a major airport.
To get there, you need to fly to Chicago, and find your way by road/rail to the Hotel - either by taxi, shuttle bus or trains.
Use Google maps. Search for ohare airport to st Charles & click on public transport. From memory, it's a train, then bus, then train, then taxi for travel time of 2.5 - 3 hoursQuote:
Originally Posted by reillyd
Thanks guys, good advice. I found a taxi finder service that estimates it at around 75-80 usd by taxi, but I'm guessing there would be cheaper shuttle runs to hotels than that.
From your experiences is it worth getting a golden ticket? 400 is a huge amount, and could buy an extra boxed set. While it would certainly be nice to buy extra souvenirs, I think two boxed sets is going to take up most of my luggage room anyway, unless there's some type of shipping service you all usually use to get your booty back home? Also do the panels run out of room pretty quick and that's why people get the VIP ticket for the first few rows?
Argh so many questions, lol. Also the day long customising does it run in conflict with the panels, or is it on an earlier day? Or multiple days?
Botcon emailed/tweeted/fb'ed that regstration will not be before thursday
I'm not the best to answer, this will be my first.Quote:
Originally Posted by reillyd
I can answer a few of your questions.
-Try to fly in a few days early (maybe spend a few days in LA).
-The panels don't generally fill out, unless there is an in-demand guest, or it is the Hasbro panel.
-Get used to waiting in queues.
-For getting to the airport & back, consider hiring a limo (this works well if you are not travelling alone).
-When you get into the dealer room Friday afternoon, try not to hyper-ventilate. If something is reasonably priced, grab it...if it's expensive wait till Sunday to haggle with cash.
-You can get items shipped back, but if you are creative with your packing you might be able to bring it all with you.
This is new to me. How do I get my hands on:
The Boss (Megatron)
Stepper
The convention box set is sold as a box set, those who buy the box set generally have the option to buy a loose bagged set while stocks last. The only way you can cherry pick from the set is if someone else offers the individual figures on the aftermarket.
These are the only figures revealed before the convention.
At the convention they reveal the exclusive attendee freebie figure and convention souvenir figures. there are normally 3 different souvenir sets sold in bags. they usually average out to $100US per bag.
the initial visit to the convention store only allows an attendee to pick up one of everything, which unless they don't want it themselves is all going to be for them. Golden ticket holders can get 3 or each of the exclusives, but they are paying an extra US$400 for the privilege so if you are buying these from someone be prepared to help cover the convenience tax.
I recommend reading through some of Griffins previous Botcon trip reports and botcon preparation posts.
here
here
here and
here.
There are only a couple people going to the convention and shopping at the club store during the convention weekend is a time consuming thing that will generally use up valuable time that could be used going to panels, getting guest signatures, meeting artists or checking out the art competition entries or any of the other displays around the convention. Keep in mind that if someone does offer to pick something up for you, they will need to travel with it as well.
Having said that, people here tend to be happy to go out of their way for others, if someone offers to pick stuff up for you, it's not guaranteed till they do get hold of it, they might get sidetracked with convention events, or the item might even sell out. Either way it's nice to make sure you make it clear how appreciative you are of their efforts, even if you end up with nothing to show for it.
Alternate avenues are through retailers like BBTS, the chosen prime, Tf source or maybe Robotkingdom.
@reillyd, if you do go, I recommend packing one big bag lightly and buying a box there for your second bag on the way home. packing and storage companies tend to sell boxes that exactly meet the maximum dimension requirements for international travel. you just need to make sure any connecting 'domestic' flights you have will accept the same bags. this is usually the case but worth making sure with your travel agent before you leave.
Keep in mind you should be able to bring your convention box set on board as your personal item as well as a small piece of carry on luggage(backpack). in the past I've taken either bubble wrap or Styrofoam sheet to wrap it in and put inside a large paper shopping bag to then carry on. a great way of protecting it during international travel.
I'm still on the fence about going, but will stop off at the travel centre this afternoon and see if I can get hotel bookings. I know registration will go up soon, but am worried that the customising class will sell out while I'm asleep.
If I can't enroll I think I'll just order a non attending package and ebay the attendee figure
Does it usually go quickly? I know Griffin you went last time - any idea how long it lasted before selling out?
back in 2011, the custom class sold out in less than an hour, but since then it is more than double the number of seats and Funpub have made the figure available as a pre-assembled unpainted figure which reduces the demand for the class. it still sells out, but I think it takes at lest a few hours now.
in past years I've shared my number with those planning on going and we've sms's each other as soon as we've seen that rego is open, it has allowed people to get on and register early.
I actively follow the club and Botcon on Twitter so if you like you can PM me your number and when I see it's live I can sms you to make sure you're up. it usually happens between about 7 and 9 am here. and might happen tomorrow, or it might happen next week, or some time later:rolleyes:
the brochure has been out for pretty much a week now so they are likely to pull the trigger on registration sooner rather than later.
My feeling is Saturday morning (our time), as they often like to open it up on Friday afternoon (their time)... so that their office isn't inundated with phone-calls for help.
They did say recently that it wouldn't be before Thursday (their time), so it is possible that they might open it up during their Thursday... which means any time from now really. But they had so many problems with their JoeCon registration last month, this one could be delayed for any number of weeks as well.
So keep checking their twitter, as last year they gave us about 8 hours notice before it started. And have your credit card ready with plenty of available credit.
BTW, if you are planning on going or getting a non-attendee set, make sure your membership is bought and activated before Registration begins.
Thank you for the kind offer UltraMarginal, that would be awesome. I'll send you a PM now.
I'm paying for my plane tickets on Saturday, and decided to go regardless. But it would be cool to get into the custom class nonetheless :)
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No need to worry this week
Quote:
Originally Posted by reillyd
are you going straight to Chicago or stopping off in LA first?
Either way, it's great news, one more Ozformer!
Highly recommended the custom class if you can get in. I did it with UltraMarginal in 2011, lots of fun!Quote:
Originally Posted by reillyd
Straight to Chicago a few days before, and then a four day stop-over in LA to see Universal Studio's Transformers ride, and Disneyland's Star Wars one.Quote:
Originally Posted by fatbot
My travel agent is trying to get me some accomodation close to the the convention, as Pheasant and the surrounding hotels are booked out. I should have booked earlier, but it was a spontaneous decision.
Fatbot has a reservation at a nearby hotel, so maybe he can put your name on the registration, and if he ends up sharing with me you'd have it all to yourself... and if he doesn't share with me (or if something prevents me from going), he still has a room to fall back on that he could share with you.
That way he doesn't need to cancel the registration - having your name added to it means you both could use it if you need to, or just one of you without needing the other to check-in under their name.
But that's up to him, so maybe talk to him about it.