BotCon 2016 news and reveals

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Originally Posted by llamatron

saw some display photos looks like the G2 Megatron is cast in translucent green?!?!

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Yes, with the camo deco print on the surface... but the load-bearing parts are solid grey plastic. It has the really nice bright blue face from the comic
though, so if the green plastic had been solid green instead of translucent, it would have looked really nice as a comic version.
(it's supposed to be a holographic version)


Here are my sample photos from the final day of the final BotCon (Sunday).
Since there were no news panels or guest panels, there isn't really
anything significant to report... other than the revel of a lost concept design from Gen1, and some Hasbro exhibit toys being transformed to show their other modes.

The first panel of the day was the Artists panel, which like last year, was just a Q&A session.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z82.jpg

The next panel was the Japanese artist panel, featuring Hayato Sakamoto (with Andrew Hall and Ken the interpreter).
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z83.jpg

From working on the MTMTE comic, he showed us some concept design drawings of some non-toy characters used in the comic.
This one was Agent 1-13 from Issue 44 (apparently - I haven't read it yet).
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z84.jpg

This one is Sunder, who was given the description of a creature from horror movies like Freddy Krueger (hence the claws).
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z85.jpg

This was an early idea for the Unite Warriors Constructicons mini-comic, which has them building a candy house, and have the humans in a cage,
ready to eat... which was why it was rejected in favour of the Crystal City version.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z86.jpg

And this was a lost concept design that was apparently patented, but never got past design stage.... a version of Powermaster Optimus that has
the cab being able to turn into a jet as well.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z87.jpg

The last panel on the last day of the last BotCon... was about people reflecting on the history of the event over the last 22-23 years.
Plus there was acknowledgement of the remaining seven people who have maintained a perfect attendance of all 22 BotCons, earning a
commemorative shirt that has 22 on the back.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z95.jpg

My friend Tim Finn, who shared his story about attending the very first BotCon in 1994 as a teenager.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z96.jpg

And finishing up with some words from the joint founding father of BotCon - Jon Hartman - who came this year because it was the last one.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z97.jpg

Back at the Dealer Room and Hasbro Exhibit for the final hour or so, some of the toys that Hasbro put in the display case on Saturday that only had
one set in one mode, were transformed into the other mode for today.
So we have the Technobots in their robot modes...
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z88.jpg

...and the SDCC 3-pack in vehicle mode.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z89.jpg
.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z90.jpg

Then in the very last minutes of the very last day of the very... well, you get the idea... some of the 2016 Club exclusive toys were put into the
BotCon display case - Skywarp, Ramjet, Megatron & Ratbat.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z92.jpg
.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z93.jpg
.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z94.jpg

The items sold out by the end of the Convention, which actually sold out during Saturday, so they didn't sell out of anything else on Sunday.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z91.jpg

That's it from me for now. Soon I will be on my way back, and then there will start getting onto posting up all of the info and photos I have to share.
Since it was a short adventure for me this year, there are "only" about 1600 photos this time, so should hopefully no take as long to start posting
up the transcripts from the panels and the various photos.

So is this actually the last BotCon ever, or just the last one run under the current format by FunPub? If it's the latter, then it's obviously not the first time that BotCon has undergone a "change of management." If this really is the last one ever, then that is sad. :(

I want a whole 3 figures from this year club lineup. The two Armada Starscream remoulds and G2 MP Ratbat. This really seems like a bad final lineup for Funpub.

Any word on if Hasbro is bringing the convention toy production in house? I bet they get one of their new partners with exhibition experience to take over the convention part.

I'm pretty thrilled to get a brand new Pretender Shell from the club, which I didn't expect (Optimus is a recolor of Oilmaster, but Megatron is new tooling and they won't be able to repaint and spread the cost). I hope it's proof of concept, because I love the Pretender concept

David Kaye was wearing a very sharp purple shirt at his panel with Venus. A great little nod by him.

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Originally Posted by reillyd

I'm pretty thrilled to get a brand new Pretender Shell from the club, which I didn't expect (Optimus is a recolor of Oilmaster, but Megatron is new tooling and they won't be able to repaint and spread the cost). I hope it's proof of concept, because I love the Pretender concept

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Not a new shell.... It's the Grand shell from Grand Maximus (Masterforce Fort Max repaint

I do like this little space generations is occupying right now. Combiners, citybots, and headmasters were the toys that grabbed my attention the most growing up.

My thoughts are that the BotCon name will be retired. I expect a Hasbro (not transformers specifically) convention will replace it but i do not know this.

Sunder could be scary if it had a "Sunshine" (scify all alone movie) vibe going on. But generally a moon buggy in any Transformers universe is not fear inducing.

Is the casino night a great event?
And what sort of things are for sale at the charity auction?

What was The Art of Transformers panel?

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Originally Posted by Verno

What was The Art of Transformers panel?

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Four random comic artists just doing Q&A - no reveals or news.
They had one like this last year as well, probably because IDW wasn't at BotCon either.

Some sample scans of this year's BotCon comic to tide you over until I start getting some Panel Images and Info done...

The "Unit 3" character...
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/za05.jpg

The new Megatron with his Predacons...
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/za06.jpg

A nicely drawn panel of Unicron's head, which stood out among the many other panels that looked rushed and 2-dimensional.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/za07.jpg

Magnaboss, with Tigatron and Unit-3 as the legs (Silverbolt as the core, Prowl & Ironhide as the arms).
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/za08.jpg

Tripredacus...
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/za09.jpg

And the penultimate moment, talked about throughout the Beast Wars cartoon - the final, absolute surrendering of the Decepticons after the "Great War" of Generation One.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/za00.jpg

I will do up a review of the comic later, to explain the events leading up to that moment... and the epilogues that followed.

I was also able to make time to put stickers on my (Custom Class) Ratchet and Medix toys on Sunday night, but was left with three stickers that weren't noted on any of the guides or displays in the Custom Class (the three black ones in the middle of the top sheet for Ratchet).
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z34.jpg
(ignore the separate hood to my Ratchet, as I messed up the assembly in the Class, and haven't been able to fix it yet)

I had a suspicion that those three black stickers were related to the toy face of Gen1 Ratchet (the one in the windshield of the toy, and was an Easter Egg of the Masterpiece Ironhide toy)... but couldn't figure out where they go on the toy.
Andy (my room-mate) was able to figure it out and showed me where they go, giving the toy an alternate head (like the Beast Wars Beast Heads).
To me, the square angry head makes me think of the robots from Futurama, but ends up being a bonus Easter Egg for the Custom Class Ratchet toy.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/z00.jpg

(looking right now, I see that someone on TFW2005 figured it out as well over the weekend)