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BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

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BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby Sabrblade » Sat Mar 16, 2024 1:58 pm

Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
Weapon: Saber Blade
The countdown to BotCon 2024 has begun.


Initial announcement
- The BotCon 30th Anniversary takes it back to where it all began this summer in Ft. Wayne, Indiana! -

This year marks not just the 40th anniversary of Transformers, but also the 30th anniversary of THE Original Transformers Collectors’ and Fan Convention… BotCon!

The show returns to Ft. Wayne, Indiana this June 27-30 for an anniversary celebration Transformers fans will be talking about all year long!

From our friends at Agabyss, the show promoter for BotCon:

You can make your reservations through our partner hotel, Courtyard by Marriott starting today. The convention itself will be held right across the street at the Grand Wayne Center, site for BotCon 1994, 2000, and 2002. Since those 3 conventions, the Grand Wayne Center has been expanded in to a new, much larger facility with amazing state of the art amenities. This is going to be the Transformers event of the Summer!

Make your reservation today through our online link and stay tuned for pre-registration later this month!

Please note, we have also opened Vendor and Artist registration. Vendor booth size has been expanded to a 10x10 space and the rate for a single booth and multiple booth options has been reduced/reworked this year to give any vendor more budget options. All of the details are in the online listing. Any questions, please contact us. You can secure your spot today by using the Vendor/Artist check out options below.

BotCon 2024 hotel block:
https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1706644612362&key=GRP&app=resvlink

Vendor Registration
https://www.agabyss.com/vendor-booth-space-for-botcon-2024-1

Artist Registration
https://www.agabyss.com/artist-table-space-for-botcon-2024
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First guest announcement
BotCon ‘24 UPDATE

A NEW BotCon website is on the way. It will return tomorrow... after today’s messages. In the meantime let’s get a preview of the new exciting news we are rolling out this week - here and now!

Our first guest is Bumper Robinson! He provided the voice of BUMBLEBEE and BLITZWING from Transformers Animated!

Autographs start at $40 and pictures start at $30. All the details will be listed on the guest page.
Need your hotel room still? The block is filling up fast! Make your reservation now at https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1706644612362&key=GRP&app=resvlink

Artists & Vendors, response has been amazing so far! Don’t wait, lock up your spot today at https://www.agabyss.com/botcon/

See you all back here tomorrow for the new site launch and details on all the great ways to attend BotCon ‘24!

Oh, and remember, Kids 12 & Under are FREE! Kids don’t have to pay to be a kid at BotCon!
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Attendee Registration opens
BotCon Attendee Pre-Registration is now LIVE!

ALL of the details can be found on our brand new website over at BotCon.com. Here are the bullet points before you go and check it all out!

* Daily passes are being pre-sold this year, listed at $40/$40/$25.

* The $99 weekend option returns for 2024. Like last year, this pass includes Friday-Sunday admission and Thursday evening early BC store shopping. 4 Days of BotCon activities!

* This is the big change. There are now TWO Premium package options. One for the budget-oriented and one for those that want some EXTRA extras! Make sure you choose the one that best fits what you want! PREMIUM PACKAGES ARE YOUR BEST CONVENTION VALUE FOR SURE!

* There are 3 custom figures this year, with various options depending on the package you choose. Make sure you look over the Premium/Weekend options before purchasing tickets. The Thursday class is ONLY open to Weekend/Premium members. There is also now a Saturday KIDS ONLY custom class available to add to your registration.

* Check back for additional add-on’s as they are made available.

* As revealed yesterday, the voice of Transformers Animated BUMBLEBEE - Bumper Robinson - is our first guest announcement! More guests to be announced starting next week!

Final notes:

- Kids 12 & Under are FREE! Kids never have to pay to be a kid at BotCon!

- NO HIDDEN FEES at registration. The price listed is the price you pay!

- All guest autograph prices will be announced well before the show and we strive to make our guests both accessible and affordable!

Since 1994, BotCon has been the PREMIER Transformers fan convention, offering hundreds of OFFICIAL exclusives and special guest appearances. With so many various types of comic-cons and themed shows out there, just know that BotCon will continue to be a fan friendly event that gives fans and families an awesome convention experience at an affordable price!
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Second guest announcement and more registration details
Our NEXT BotCon 2024 GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT!

One of the most iconic voices in Transformers history, the spawn of Unicron himself, the one and only... BEAST WARS TARANTULAS AKA Alec Willows!

He will be joining us for all 3 show days at BotCon 2024 June 27-30 at the Grand Wayne Center Ft. Wayne, Indiana

BotCon offers you something others shows don't. AWESOME SWAG! From the Badge & Lanyard you get to attendee priority admission, when you sign up for Weekend or Premium Admission you get a FULL convention experience!

Spotlight on Premium and Premium Plus-
Premium ($229.95) includes:

* Badge/Lanyard
* Limited 2 figure Exclusive BotCon 2024 VS set
* Thursday Night Early Access to the BotCon Store and Exclusives
* Early Admission entry to the BotCon 2024 Vendor Room
* Convention Comic Program
* Exclusive BotCon 30th cloisonné pin
* Exclusive BotCon 30th art print
* Premium Access to ALL BotCon guest panels and guest autographs (prices for autographs determined by guests and listed WELL in advance)
* Early access to preorders for Botcon and Agabyss Exclusives
* 3 Raffle tickets for show prizes

Upgrade to Premium PLUS ($329.95) to receive:

* Limited Edition BotCon Crystal Wolf Freki & Crystal Armor Sturla
* Signed Guest Art Print (MULTIPLE guests)
* Priority seating for all panels
* 5 additional raffle tickets for show prizes

Don't wait! Grab your PREMIUM package today so you are all set to attend BotCon 2024. The ORIGINAL Transformers Fan Convention.

www.BotCon.com
https://www.agabyss.com/botcon/2024/

And don’t forget. Admission for Kids 12 & Under is always FREE at the show. Kids never have to pay to be a kid at BotCon!
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"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
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Re: BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby o.supreme » Fri Mar 22, 2024 2:35 pm

Motto: "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"
Thats a cool Map up above showing the locations of all prior Botcons. I attended in 98 , 00, 04, 11, & 13.

2000 was the only time I traveled out of California to attend a Botcon, and it was Ft. Wayne. A strange little town. Not sure how Botcon started there, or how it was organized there so many times (I think The Hartmans are from or near there?) ... Anyway 2000 was awesome, especially since it was the year Car Robots premiered. ...It will be cool for those that can go this year...

I couldn't even make TF Con in Los Angeles, even though its been there several times the past few years, something always comes up. As I keep saying about my sports teams "There's always next year" :( .
Bucket/Want List: Botcon 2016 Customization Class Ratchet (G2 Deco), or Customization Class Ratchet (Marvel Comics Deco) **would also be willing to pay for an Unpainted Botcon 2016 Ratchet, TT Legends Fortress Head (only) with working Electronics

Wish List of Modern Combiners: Road Caesar, Monstructor & Dinoking (proper size to fiction), Landcross, Guard City, Battle Gaia, & G2 Defensor. Wish List of Titans:Metrotitan,Majin Zarak
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Re: BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby Sabrblade » Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:03 pm

Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
Weapon: Saber Blade
Another update:

Guest announcement, custom class info, & more
BotCon 2024 Thursday Roundup!

First up, our NEXT Guest announcement - “ME GRIMLOCK at BotCon this summer!”

You won’t want to miss meeting Gregg Berger, one DINOmite guest for sure! Check his Bio for all the details on his Generation 1 work on Transformers

Early Bird Pin - EVERYONE that registers by April 21st will get an exclusive collectible pin. NOTE! This pin is one of a series of EIGHT different pins, so if you want to get the whole set at BotCon make sure you get signed up by the 21st!

Additional details on this year's Custom Class offerings are now available.

* Thursday will feature the G1 Hound mold to be customized in to C-110 Jungle Shadow!
* Friday is the G1 Hot Rod mold to be customized in to G1 Side Burn.
* Friday Night/Saturday (Kids Only) is the all-new Beast Wars character Bumblebeast

Each custom toy will include an amazing bonus feature, whether it be a new accessory or head sculpt. You know the legacy of the BotCon custom class toys, so you don’t want to miss out on this! You can order the classes through the add-on options when you order your Daily, Weekend, or Premium Pass. https://www.agabyss.com/botcon/2024/

The Convention Hotel - It’s filling up fast! Make sure to reserve your room today! https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-hotel/

Check out BotCon.com for additional information and updates.

We hope to see you this June 27-30th in Fort Wayne, Indiana!
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I'm guessing the Bumblebeast figure will be made from the Kingdom Waspinator mold (most likely using Legacy Buzzsaw as the color base), while the other two use the Retro G1 reissues of Hot Rod and Hound.
"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
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Re: BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby Sabrblade » Tue May 07, 2024 5:04 pm

Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
Weapon: Saber Blade
Playing catch up with more announcements.

Announcement of Transformer Animated-themed merchandise, and the return of the Art Contest
Transformers Fans! June 27-30 at the Grand Wayne Center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana...

The poet
The multiple personality
The toxic righter of wrongs
The boom dropper
The rat
The hippie
The juvenile joke

From the Cybertronian sewers to the back alleys of Iacon, find out what these 7 Animated misfits have in common this Summer at BotCon ‘24!

Check out BotCon.com/news for more info on this all-new Transformers Animated merchandise offering, our current list of guests including Gregg Berger (G1 Grimlock/Skyfire) and Bumper Robinson (Animated Blitzwing/Bumblebee), details on the RETURN of the BotCon Art contest, how you can get a FREE bonus souvenir pin just for attending, and to order your Daily/Weekend/Premium passes today!

Don't miss THE Transformers 40th anniversary celebration of the year!
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Hotel update, vendor list, Animated theme update, and... some foreshadowing!
BotCon 2024 Wednesday Roundup!

Our weekly roundup one day early because… reasons!

* First up, The Courtyard by Marriott is SOLD OUT. We will be opening another block at their partner hotel, the Hampton. Right next door. The rooms will go fast so make your reservation as soon as the block goes live tomorrow!

* BotCon ‘24 Vendor list. We already have more vendors signed up for this year than each of the previous two years! We expect a fully sold out exhibitor hall in Ft. Wayne Indiana June 27-30. Check out your first look at the Vintage and Modern retailers that will be on site at the show!

* NEW Transformers Animated??? Fans have been wondering who the new Transformers Animated character is from last weeks update. Let’s be clear, there was only one Derrick J. Wyatt. We would never attempt a new design because if it’s not from Derrick (or by extension his former Hasbro peeps) it’s not ‘Animated’. That said, he was always very receptive to the BotCon repaints of his models in to new characters. In fact he was a key part in both the BotCon 2011 set and Timelines Issue 6: The Stunti-Con Job. Featuring Dead End from Jazz, Drag Strip from Arcee, and of course Toxitron from Optimus Prime.

So while the team leader for our group of misfits hasn’t been announced yet, that leader does have a second in command. And she has close ties to Toxitron as well. With the help from Trusted Transformers Animated artist Josh Perez, we bring you the newest BotCon Animated character - Number 2! She along with her cohorts will be featured on an ALL-NEW BotCon Transformers Animated T-Shirt and Poster!

* As far as the ‘reasons’ we mentioned earlier? Tomorrow, prepare to see an image like you have never seen before. And then at BotCon ‘24, let’s just say that any kid from the 80’s is going to feel like they stepped in to a time machine when they see what is planned for an exhibit/sale. Fans and collectors are not ready for this reveal!

Daily, Weekend, or Premium Pass available via https://www.agabyss.com/botcon/2024/

Check out BotCon.com for additional information and updates. We hope to see you this June 27-30th in Fort Wayne, Indiana!

NOTE: Early Bird Pin - EVERYONE that registers by April 21st will get an exclusive collectible pin. This pin is one of a series of EIGHT different pins, so if you want to get the whole set at BotCon make sure you get signed up by April 21st!
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Note that that new Animated character, here referred to as just "Number 2", is a virtual redeco of Animate Elita-1 (the original Autobot form of Animated Blackarachnia), and seems to be a creation of artist Josh Perez. Due to BotCon no longer being a licensed event, "Number 2" cannot be considered an official Animated character.



The special announcement hinted at in the above post
Transformers 40th Anniversary
1980's U.S. Branded Merchandise EXHIBITION & SALE!

This is going to be unlike anything anyone has ever seen before! At BotCon ‘24 June 27-30 there will be an ACTUAL 10x20 Bedroom set up in the Exhibitor hall featuring the largest exhibit of 1980’s U.S. G1 branded merchandise ever seen on display.

But that’s not all. Weekend/Premium attendees will have FIRST opportunity to purchase from the collection. That’s right, it is ALL for sale!

Please visit https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-vendor-information/ for all the details on sale times, requirements, and more.

Do not miss the once in a life time opportunity to get your picture in the room, see this amazing selection of branded merchandise, and take some amazing items home with you as well!

Notes:

* New hotel block as been added. Click the hotel tab.

* April 21st is Early Bird deadline

* Artists announcements will be starting here shortly.
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Tentative schedule
Autobots & Decepticons. The BotCon ‘24 Tentative schedule is now online! Check it out here: https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-schedule

Remember, you only have until the end of the day April 21st to get your FREE Early Bird items for pre-registering by Sunday night. Don’t delay, sign up today!
BotCon 2024 Schedule

Please check back for final Panel & Event Descriptions.

Note, this schedule is TENTATIVE. All times & events are subject to change.



Thursday June 27th

9:00am – 2:00pm – Shadow Tracker Custom Class

10:30am – Vendor Registration/Exhibit Hall Set-up

11:00am – Line tickets released for Branded Merchandise sale/Sneak peek.

4:00pm – Premium/Premium+ Package Pick up

4:15pm – BotCon Store Opens for Premium/Premium+

5:30pm – Weekend Pass Package Pick up / BotCon Store Access

7:00pm – 1980’s Branded Merchandise Pre-Sale

9:00pm – Registration/BotCon Store Closes

9:00pm-11:00pm – Movie Night (Title TBA)

11:00pm – Exhibit Hall Set-Up Closes


Friday June 28th

8:00am – Late Package Pickup

9:00am – Late Registration

10:00am – VIP/Premium/Weekend Pass entry

11:00am – 5:00pm – Energon Bag Toss Qualifiers

11:00am – 11:50am – Artist Panel

11:30am – General Admission

11:30am – 3:00pm – ‘Side Burn’ Custom Class

12:00pm – 12:50pm – Panel TBD

1:00pm – 1:50pm – Panel TBD

2:00pm – 2:50pm – Panel TBD

3:00pm – 3:50pm – Panel TBD

4:00pm – 4:50pm – Transformers Animated: Script Reading

4:00pm – 8:00pm – Friday Evening ‘Bumblebeast’ Custom Class.

5:00pm – Vendor Room Closes

7:30pm – Energon Bag Toss (Tournament)

9:00pm-11:00pm – Movie Night (Title TBA)


Saturday June 29th

9:00am – Premium/Weekend Pass entry

9:30am – General Admission

11:00am – Art room opens featuring Drawing classes & Kids Bumblebeast customization.

11:00am-11:50am – Panel TBD

11:00am – 5:00pm – Energon Bag Toss Qualifiers

12:00pm – 12:50pm – Panel TBD

1:00pm- 1:50pm – Panel TBD

2:00pm – Cosplay Contest

2:00pm – 2:50pm – Panel TBD

3:00pm – 3:50pm – Voice Actor Panel

4:00pm – 4:50pm – New Product Reveal

5:00pm – Vendor Room Closes

7:00pm – Energon Bag Toss FINALS – Awards Presentation

8:00pm – Premium+ Pre-function

9:00pm-11:00pm – Movie Night (Title TBA)


Sunday June 30th

9:00am – Showroom opens (All)

10am – Premium+ Art print pick up at BotCon store.

10:00am – 10:50am – Panel TBD

10:00am – Carnage in C-Minor Rock out

11:00am – 11:50am – Panel TBD

12:00pm – 12:50pm – Panel TBD

1:00pm – 1:50pm – BotCon panel

3:00pm – Vendor Room Closes



Robosen Megatron coming to BotCon 2024
Available on display at BotCon ‘24 June 27-30 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana! You won’t want to miss this in person, exclusively presented by Robosen!

Check out the reveal video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voWMMrM2GRg
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Summary of events
The magic continues this summer for Transformers fans at BotCon ‘24. Preregister now for additional perks!

BotCon ‘24 will feature:

* Thousands of Transformers toys for sale

* Show exclusive Transformers items

* Art & Cosplay displays and contests

* Robot fans & collectors from around the world

* Transformers 80’s branded merchandise sale & display

* Games & Attractions for kids of all ages

* Interactive tutorials for aspiring artists & customizers

* Video & Media Room

Order your tickets and plan your trip today!
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"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
User avatar
Sabrblade
God Of Transformers
Posts: 39358
News Credits: 441
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:22 pm
Location: Tampa, FL
Strength: 7
Intelligence: 10
Speed: 7
Endurance: 8
Rank: 9
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Firepower: 7
Skill: 9

Re: BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby Sabrblade » Sat May 25, 2024 9:57 am

Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
Weapon: Saber Blade
Another round of catch-up.

Exhibit hall update, hotel update, and more
Sold out, selling out, will sell out.

The first ‘Sold Out’ is what every collector wants to hear! We have a jam-packed Exhibit Hall with Transformers vendors from across the country. Our 16k square-foot exhibit Hall is in fact totally sold out. This is our largest exhibit hall since 2016. If you are a vendor/artist, and would like to be placed on our waiting list, please visit https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-vendor-information/ for more info.

Attendee’s, we have opened a third hotel block at the Courtyard but this is our final block between the Courtyard/Hampton, the two host hotels for BotCon ‘24. Don’t delay, get your reservation in today. https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-hotel/

BotCon 2024 guests:
* Gregg Berger - G1 Grimlock
* Bumper Robinson - Animated Bumblebee
* Alec Willows - Beast Wars Tarantulas
* Monday 5/13 - We announce our next VA guest!

We have some amazing product announcements planned for later this month, and we fully expect many of these items to sell out at BotCon. Be sure to grab your Premium, Weekend, or Daily pass right now! https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-tickets/

Don’t miss out on the largest Transformers fan event of the Summer! Celebrating 30 years of BotCon and the 40 years of Transformers.

And remember, Kids 12 & Under get in for FREE! Kids never have to pay to be a kid a BotCon!
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Fourth guest announcement: Paul Eiding
From the Big screen to the Biggest Transformers fan event of the Summer, you can meet Paul Eiding (G1 Perceptor) and Gregg Berger (G1 Grimlock) at BotCon ‘24 in Ft Wayne, Indiana June 27-30.

Before the convention, you can check them out May 15, 18 & 19 in select theaters for the 40th anniversary presentation of the first four episodes of the classic Transformers cartoon! Paul and Gregg will be taking on the additional roles of Cliffjumper, Hound, Thundercracker, Ratchet, and others as they participate in a script reading overlayed with the very first episode of Transformers. This is a Transformers first!

See them in theaters and then see them in person at BotCon ‘24!



More about the Art Contest
Ready for the upcoming art contest at Botcon!?

We’re looking forward to seeing the custom creations from Transformers fans and attendees at BotCon ‘24. Your art can include photos, custom figures, drawings or paintings, dioramas, or any other artistic expression of your love for Transformers! Visit here for more info: https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-art-contest/

The very first fab display of Transformers fan art was at BotCon ‘94. Check out these images from past years contests and let us know if you have a favorite from years past!

BotCon 2024 - Fort Wayne, Indiana - June 27-30
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Retrospective video
Wait for the beat to drop! Featuring a historical review of some of the nearly 200 official BotCon exclusives that have been produced since 1994. All images/clips are property of their respective owners. BotCon '24 this June 27-30 in Fort Wayne, Indiana! Visit BotCon.com for more info and to order tickets. #Transformers #BotCon #Convention #Cosplay #Toys #Optimus #Megatron #Exclusives
The video won't embed, so click the link above to view it.
"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
User avatar
Sabrblade
God Of Transformers
Posts: 39358
News Credits: 441
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:22 pm
Location: Tampa, FL
Strength: 7
Intelligence: 10
Speed: 7
Endurance: 8
Rank: 9
Courage: 8
Firepower: 7
Skill: 9

Re: BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby Sabrblade » Sat May 25, 2024 9:58 am

Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
Weapon: Saber Blade
And today's biggest news of all!

BotCon 2024 exclusives revealed to be OFFICIAL Transformersᵀᴹ product!!!
BotCon ‘24 Yolopark Transformers EXCLUSIVE - Delta Magnus Vs Sunstorm.

This 2 figure “House of Magnus” AMK Transformers BotCon Vs set is included with ALL Premium packages.

Stay tuned for a week full of reveals as we announce our artist alley lineup, additional details on various BotCon events, and the BotCon ‘24 Badge/Lanyard, Exclusive Pin Set, and 24x36 Animated Poster.

Visit BotCon.com for all the show info! BotCon ‘24 June 27-30 Fort Wayne, Indiana. Kids 12 & Under are FREE!
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"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
User avatar
Sabrblade
God Of Transformers
Posts: 39358
News Credits: 441
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:22 pm
Location: Tampa, FL
Strength: 7
Intelligence: 10
Speed: 7
Endurance: 8
Rank: 9
Courage: 8
Firepower: 7
Skill: 9

Re: BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby Sabrblade » Sun May 26, 2024 10:04 am

Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
Weapon: Saber Blade
Designer commentary for these two figure's decos:

https://twitter.com/JesseWittenrich/status/1794712433896096246
They've been revealed!

I was very happy to do the concepts & color callouts for this year's @BotCon exclusives from @yolopark! Sunstorm missed his 20th anniversary but since the model kit doesn't convert, I wanted to pay homage to his '03 HoC toy anyway!
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https://twitter.com/JesseWittenrich/status/1794716658554281999
I do admit I am picky about my Delta Magnus/Powered Convoy colors :-P

A lot of times companies make the cab & trailer the same blue, so I wanted to make sure that the @BotCon exclusive model kit Delta Magnus was absolutely the right blue. @yolopark did a perfect job matching it!
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"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
User avatar
Sabrblade
God Of Transformers
Posts: 39358
News Credits: 441
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:22 pm
Location: Tampa, FL
Strength: 7
Intelligence: 10
Speed: 7
Endurance: 8
Rank: 9
Courage: 8
Firepower: 7
Skill: 9

Re: BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby Sabrblade » Sat Jun 15, 2024 6:02 pm

Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
Weapon: Saber Blade
Catching up on more updates.

Transformers Animated poster for Premium package attendees
Let’s talk BotCon Premium Ticket Package!

- Full access and early admission for all 4 days at BotCon.
- BotCon ‘24 Yolopark Transformers Exclusive 2-pack VS set.
- BotCon ‘24 Animated themed promotional 24x36 poster - Sewer-Side Squad
- BotCon PREMIUM badge and Lanyard - Breakdown design.

This and so much more! Details are at https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-tickets/
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Guest announcement - Aaron Archer
- BotCon Special Guest UPDATE -

Today through Friday, we are going to spotlight the professional talents that will be guests at BotCon June 27-30 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Today we are starting with one of the biggest!

Aaron Archer, the creative force behind numerous Hasbro Transformers toys and stories, will be joining us Friday - Sunday at BotCon ‘24!

As a staple of BotCon all throughout the 2000’s/2010’s, we are looking forward to having Aaron join us in Ft. Wayne as the 40th anniversary celebration of The Transformers rolls on!

Get your Premium, Weekend, or Daily passes over at BotCon.com. Kids 12 & Under are FREE.
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Guest announcement - Josh Perez
- BotCon Special Guest UPDATE - Josh Perez

You know him, you love him, and you are probably well aware of his Bumblebee obsession! The Dyemooch, Josh Perez will be with us at BotCon June 27-30 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Josh has been involved with Hasbro and numerous other Transformers licensees for over 20 years! We are thrilled that he will be joining us Friday - Sunday at BotCon ‘24!

He will have a number of prints available for sale, doing commissions, and signing his two latest projects, one of which has already been announced - The Sewer-side Squad BotCon ‘24 Exclusive poster!

Get your Premium, Weekend, or Daily passes over at BotCon.com. Kids 12 & Under are FREE!
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Guest announcement - Robby Musso
- BotCon Special Guest UPDATE - Robby Musso

His art has influenced so many things Transformers! Comic art, illustrations, toy packaging, and toy design - he's done so much of all of it! Robby Musso will be with us at BotCon June 27-30 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Robby has been working with Hasbro and numerous other Transformers and toy licensees for over two decades! We're excited that he will be joining us again Friday - Sunday at BotCon ‘24!

He will have prints available for sale, as well as a glimpse at his personal endeavor: Divine Circuits!

Get your Premium, Weekend, or Daily passes over at BotCon.com. Kids 12 & Under are FREE!
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BotCon 2024 exclusive pin collection
BotCon Set of 8 PRIMETIME Incentive PINS!

Something new for BotCon this year. We have produced eight stylized ‘1984’ semi-truck lapel pins available exclusively to attendees at BotCon. Each pin is limited to 170*. To get the full set of 8, check out the attached image for how to achieve each pin!

The number one way to ensure your best chance at all 8 is a Premium Pass of course! Premium/Premium+ attendees will have first access to the vendor room and all related events. To order a Premium pass visit: https://www.agabyss.com/botcon/2024/botcon-2024-pre-registrant-premium-ticket-package-2

To upgrade your Weekend pass to Premium, log in to your account and use this link: https://www.agabyss.com/botcon-2024-pre-registrant-premium-ticket-upgrade-for-weekend-and-vendors

One of the PRIMETIME pins will be available exclusively at BotCon ‘24 Sponsor Yolopark’s booth! It’s no coincidence the pin is in the BotCon ‘24 Yolopark exclusive Delta Magnus colors! Learn more about Yolopark here: https://yolopark.com

LASTLY, The FINAL hotel block has been opened. We have a very limited number of rooms over at the Hilton. You can make your reservations here: https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-hotel/

We will see everyone in just over 3 weeks!
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Promotional video
BotCon attendees… Ultra Magnus sends orders to watch the following video communication, whether here on earth or on Moonbase 1. So uncover your receptors and take a listen to Perceptor!



More videos





Announcing a new Animated story starring Bumper Robinson as Bumblebee
Who remembers that final episode of Transformers Animated? Megatron was finally captured and Optimus along with his crew returned to Cybertron victorious! But that victory did have a cost! Check out this NEW edit on that final scene and then get ready for an ALL-NEW Animated adventure starring Bumper Robinson at BotCon on Saturday June 28th! - And you can still grab your Premium/Full Weekend Tickets at BotCon.com.


Final schedule and... Shattered Glass M.A.S.K.?!!!!
Available EXCLUSIVELY at BotCon '24 by Ramen Toy. Shattered Gullwing w/ Mads Hawking in "Shattered" Suit. With only 200 produced this great 80's styled vehicle & figure's NEW deco was inspired by the BotCon original concept of Shattered Glass, which was first introduced at BotCon 2008. This amazing item, along with other show exclusives will be in the BotCon store starting Thursday Night. Premium and Weekend Pass holders get to shop Thursday evening, so if you haven't gotten that Premium or Weekend Pass yet, make sure to grab yours today! https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-tickets/

We have posted the FULL show schedule as well. You can see that here https://www.botcon.com/botcon-2024-schedule/
Ramen Toy
Only at BOTCON, the Shattered Gullwing,
https://www.agabyss.com/botcon/
Click on the link above to purchase your tickets for the show.
The Shattered Gullwing will be available starting Thursday (6/27) in the Botcon store for Weekend and Premium package holders. Any remaining quantity will be available throughout the rest of the weekend.
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"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
User avatar
Sabrblade
God Of Transformers
Posts: 39358
News Credits: 441
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:22 pm
Location: Tampa, FL
Strength: 7
Intelligence: 10
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Endurance: 8
Rank: 9
Courage: 8
Firepower: 7
Skill: 9

Re: BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby Sabrblade » Thu Jun 20, 2024 1:20 pm

Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
Weapon: Saber Blade
Surprise announcement!

Hartman brothers' collection sale!
Last Minute MASSIVE surprise announcement! - Jon & Karl Hartman 3rd and Final collection sell off!

Turns out you can’t have a BotCon 30th Anniversary without the largest selection of BotCon 90’s EXCLUSIVES & BotCon 90’s PRE-Production items for sale ever in one place! Not to mention probably the most extensive collection of original art from the 1980’s Marvel Transformers comic run since Andrew Wildman brought his pages for sale back at BotCon ‘97!

This incredibly rare one-of-a-kind collection will be on display starting THURSDAY night June 27th at 9:00pm for Premium/Weekend attendees. A selection of items will also be available FOR SALE/SILENT AUCTION STARTING THAT NIGHT!

If you have signed up for a daily admission or were planning on walk-in, it’s not too late to register for a Premium/Weekend Pass RIGHT NOW at https://www.agabyss.com/botcon/2024/

If you already have a weekend pass and want to upgrade to premium you can do that here: https://www.agabyss.com/botcon-2024-pre-registrant-premium-ticket-upgrade-for-weekend-and-vendors

You don’t want to miss this sale! You’ll never see something like this again. BotCon ‘24 June 27-30 at the Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. BotCon.com
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"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
User avatar
Sabrblade
God Of Transformers
Posts: 39358
News Credits: 441
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:22 pm
Location: Tampa, FL
Strength: 7
Intelligence: 10
Speed: 7
Endurance: 8
Rank: 9
Courage: 8
Firepower: 7
Skill: 9

Re: BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby Sabrblade » Wed Jul 03, 2024 12:33 am

Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
Weapon: Saber Blade
BotCon 2024 report

BotCon 2024 has come and gone, and what a weekend it was!



Thursday

Thursday began with the first custom class of the weekend at 9:00am, with the first of three custom class figures. I didn't go to any of the classes, so I'll just cover the three class figures here in one go. The three figures were as follows:

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Jungle Shadow from Retro G1 Hound
G1 Side Burn from Retro G1 Hot Rod
Bumblebeast from Legacy Beast Wars Buzzsaw

Jungle Shadow was the figure for the first custom class, and he included a special new accessory in the form of a custom-made 3D-printed Targetmaster and an adapter meant allow this Targetmaster to attach to the G1 Hound mold in vehicle mode and to be held in hand in robot mode (though, since I didn't take the class or see the figure in person, I sadly couldn't get any pics of this custom Targetmaster). The idea behind Jungle Shadow is that he is a third Autobot Targetmaster meant to go with G1 Stepper and Artfire from 1987.

G1 Side Burn is pretty self-explanatory, being a G1-molded version of the Robots in Disguise 2001 character of the same name, in homage to the 2011 TCC Side Burn figure that was a redeco of Classics Rodimus (though, the homage isn't as strong here since the G1 Hot Rod mold doesn't have the exposed car engine on his chest like the Classics mold did, which reflected the exposed car engine that was on the robot mode chest of the original RID 2001 Side Burn figure).

Bumblebeast fulfills the longtime fan wish for a "Beast Wars Bumblebee" toy that actually turns into a bee (complete with a new 3D-printed headsculpt), something that Hasbro/Kenner never did make because they never could have made it, what with the name "Bumblebee" having been unavailable during the Beast Era and un-trademarkable on an actual bee toy since it would have been considered a description rather than a name (much like how there can never be a toy of Hound that turns into an actual hound dog; a hound named "Hound" or even "Autobot Hound" is too generic to pass legal).


Anyway, 10:30am began registration for vendors and exhibitor hall setup.


At 11:00am, Jesse Wittenrich started giving out tickets for a special event that was to begin later that evening. To go along with this event, he also showed me some copies of a third volume of the BotCon: Beyond the Convention guidebook.

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However, unlike the first two volumes, the contents of this book are not actually BotCon-specific. Rather, the pages of this book cover a sprawling array of vintage 1980s Transformers memorabilia and other non-toy merchandise, ranging from bedding to clothing to books to games to video tapes to costumes to cookie jars to stationary and so much more. Here is a sample of its contents:

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Jesse also told me that there is actually going to be an enhanced version of this book (a "Volume 3.5", so to speak) set to be released later to Amazon, which will have even more Transformers memorabilia coverage within it. So while the book is BotCon-related in name only, I'd still very much recommend folks checking out this book to see such a grand collection of Transformers history compiled into one tome. If nothing else, the Amazon version coming later will definitely be the one to get, as this BotCon 2024 version is just preview of the main edition yet to come.


2:00pm started the sign-up for Energon Toss Tournament, which was a bean bag toss competition that was held throughout the entire weekend. I didn't participate in it, but I saw so many people of all ages, from young little kids to full grown adults, having a blast tossing bean bag into target holes set up in the convention center's main lobby.

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Starting at 4:00pm, registration package pick-up opened for both Premium and Premium Plus attendees. I went with Premium since the extra perks for Plus didn't appeal to me. I was actually surprised to see so many more registrants in the Plus line than there were in the Premium line, so I guess many more really wanted those extra perks.


At 4:15pm, the BotCon Store opened. Most of the items available were leftover stock from the previous two BotCons of 2022 and 2023, as well as a few new items. Namely, the Shattered Gullwing from Ramen Toy (a Shattered Glass take on M.A.S.K.), a BotCon legacy box set containing four BeastBox figures from BotCon 2022 (Ligerstrike, Dark Klawd, Boxx Monkey, and Dragonfire) as well as a green/black/purple version of the custom-made Targetmaster meant for Jungle Shadow (once again, I failed to get a pic of this too), some new T-shirts, and some other new odds and ends. Anything left over after the convention should be put up for sale on Agabyss's website eventually.

The main exclusive of the event was the new "House of Magnus" 2-pack from Yolopark, consisting of Sunstorm and Delta Magnus. This was the only brand new exclusive toy set for this year, so there were no souvenir figures or even an attendee freebie. The reason for this is because it took a whole lot of doing in order to get the license with Yolopark to make an official exclusive for this year. All the money went into the 2-pack.


At 5:30pm, registration opened to Weekend attendees.


At 7:30pm came the aforementioned event for which the 11:00am tickets were given. The vintage 1980s merchandise covered the third BotCon guidebook was actually all brought to the convention and laid out on a long table. Those who had gotten tickets were given first access to look over this collection and pick out specific items that they wished to purchase. Anyone who didn't have a ticket could do so as well, just after those with tickets who got to stand at the front of the line. While the items were sold on a "first come, first serve" basis, they were all given limits as to how many per person could be purchased, so as to give everyone a fairer chance to pick and choose what they wanted.

I myself had a good look over this collection, and while a few items did catch my attention, none of the ones I took interest in actually worked anymore. Since they were essentially non-functional paperweights, I decided to instead just save all my money for the dealer room instead, and chose nothing from this collection of memorabilia. That said, everyone else seemed to get whatever they wanted, and there was plenty of merch to go around.

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By 9:00pm, registration and the BotCon store closed, as the merchandise sale ended. But, that wasn't to be the end of things for the evenings, for a special screening of certain Beast Wars episodes was to begin shortly after. These episodes were to be Tarantulas-focused ones from the show's first two seasons, with Alec Willows playing emcee for the screening and providing commentary on the episodes. However, the screening was unfortunately canceled due to two unforeseen factors. First, there was some equipment failure that prevented anything from being played. They had to order all new equipment that wouldn't arrive until the next day. And second, Alec Willows himself couldn't make it to the convention center because of some sort of personal issue at the airport that he had to take care of.

To make up for the cancelation, those who had come to the screening were given the exclusive lapel pin of Fire Guts Ginrai that was given only to early-bird registrants, as well as BotCon 2024 postcards featuring the Transformers Animated artwork "The Sewer-Side Squad" drawn and colored by Josh Perez.



Friday

8:00am was late package pick-up for anyone who couldn't make it to the con the previous day, followed by walk-up registration at 9:00am for anyone who wasn't able to register online ahead of time.


At 9:30am, the dealer room opened for Premium and Plus attendees. To my surprise, I had gotten there early enough to be first in line for the dealer room. Weekend attendees were later let in at 10:00am. Also at 10:00am was the late sign-up for the Energon toss tournament.

The dealer room was absolutely packed with an impressive amount of vendors, carrying figures from virtually every single Transformers series, as well as a few third-party items (most notably at Agabyss's booth) and some non-Transformers items from various anime and tokusatsu series or other sci-fi/comic book series. A massive gallery of photos showing every booth can be found in this Facebook post from BotCon (Official).

One of the most notable booths was the one hosted by Jon and Karl Hartman, the original organizers of BotCon from 1994 and the 3H years of 1997 to 2002. They had a TON of old-school BotCon items from the 3H years and were priced very reasonably, considering what these items tend to go for on the secondary market.

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At 11:00am began the first panel of the day, "The Art of Transformers", hosted by Robby Musso and Josh Perez. They talked about many of their Transformers works and answered many questions from fans. Some notable points I observed during this panel were some Transformers art credits that haven't yet been acknowledged:
  • Josh worked on the package art for the Generations Comic Edition figures, doing the ink and colors for the art drawn by Marcelo Matere
  • Robby did the early package art for Bot Shots, the package art for Titans Return Kickback and Brawn, and did early development work for Cyberverse Rack 'n' Ruin.
  • Robby also designed the Earthrise Battle Masters that turned into roads. He even named Soundbarrier.
  • Robby designed the Transformers/X-Men Collaborative figure Ultimate X-Panse. He had originally wanted the head to be based on Professor X wearing his Cerebro helmet, before the head was changed to look like Cyclops instead.

Also at 11:00am was the qualifying rounds for the Energon Bag Toss tournament. Then at 11:30am was general admission and the customization class for Side Burn.


At 12:00pm was the next panel, and it was both something special and something... recycled. It was a repeat of a panel previously held back at BotCon 2015, the "Origin of Transformers" panel that was originally hosted by TakaraTomy designer Kojin Ohno. This time, however, Ohno was not present, so Derek Bigesby of Agabyss hosted the slide presentation himself.

But, if I recall correctly, the first time this panel was given back in 2015, no photography or video recording was permitted. This time, anyone could take pics or video of the slides, so that was a great benefit. The presentation consisted of concept sketches, prototype pics, and artwork of old Diaclone, Micro Change, and Generation 1 toys all originally designed by Kojin Ohno. It was quite an eclectic range of Transformer design history.


The next panel began at 1:00pm. Hosted by Jesse Wittenrich and Pete Sinclair (who, I repeat, is NOT in charge of BotCon; Hany Agaby of Agabyss is), the panel was a rather brief one for the convention comic, BotCon Unlimited #3.

In the lead-up to the convention, the revelation of the Yolopark 2-pack led many to hope/believe that the convention comic would be a Transformers story starring Delta Magnus and Sunstorm. Alas, that was not the case. Having said that, one might then think that the comic would simply be the next chapter of the BeastBox storyline begun in 2022 and continued in 2023. It was not that either (though, a couple of character from that storyline did make single-panel cameo appearance on the last page of this year's story, which was a collage of multiversal images).

What, then, was this year's convention comic story? Well... It was a Mickey Mouse comic. A parody of Steamboat Willie titled "A Mechy Mouse Picture Cartoon: Steampunk Willie". Yes, it was a steampunk take on the classic Mickey Mouse cartoon with lots of easter eggs and cameos of exclusives from BotCons past thrown into the background (with art drawn by Josh Perez). And, of course, it was unlicensed, with a full disclaimer noting that it has no official affiliation with The Walt Disney Company.

The premise for this story was actually first conceived by artist/filmmaker Lance LaSpina, who had originally pitched the idea to Disney years ago. When doing research to see if the steampunk idea for this take on Mickey had been previously thought up by anyone else, Pete and Jesse found Lance's concept art online and reached out to him. Working things out with Lance, they were able to get his permission to use his character designs for Mickey, Minnie, and Captain Pete in this comic. A retail version of this comic is even set for release later on, with cover art drawn by Lance himself (the convention cover is drawn by Robby Musso). The convention comic is a heavily abridged version of the original cartoon's story; the retail version to come later will be a much longer, more expanded version.

Of note to Transformers fans was the presence of a certain Transformers character found on both the convention comic's cover and on the final page of the comic's story: Gaea.

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One might wonder how BotCon was able to use her since the comic isn't a licensed Transformers work. Well, it turns out, Gaea isn't actually owned by Hasbro at all. Rather, she is a character that is fully owned by the BotCon brand. While Gaea made her first official appearance in the TCC magazine's 2015's Shattered Glass storyline "Another Light", she had actually made her first debut at the unofficial BotCon convention way back in 2004 (the official con that year was OTFCC 2004), appearing on merchandise like T-shirts, art prints, and the back cover of the BotCon 2004 program guide.

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Because of this, BotCon is free to use her as they please, placing Gaea in a similar position as the likes of Circuit Breaker and Death's Head in regards to legal ownership of the character.


At 2:00pm was the cosplay panel. I did not go to this one.


3:00pm was Aaron Archer's panel, the final one of the day. He brought with him a slide presentation consisting of preproduction and production documents for the Transformers: Armada toyline. Lots of fascinating design stuff to be found in this.


After that panel, a Transformers Animated script reading was planned to start at 4:00pm, but had to be postponed until the next day, as some of the voice actors hadn't made it to the convention just yet.


Also at 4:00pm was the first customization class for Bumblebeast. The vendor room then closed at 5:00pm.


Another movie screening was set to begin at 9:00pm that night. This time, they were able to play it. Gregg Berger was the emcee for this screening, and he provided commentary on it. What movie did they play? Why, none other than the seventh Police Academy movie, Police Academy: Mission to Moscow. Why? Because Gregg Berger was in it, of course!

...Oh, you meant, why that movie instead of a Transformers film? Well, because BotCon legally cannot screen any of the Transformers movies. Because the convention is a paid event, if they were to try screening a Transformers movie, Hasbro would intervene with a cease-and-desist. BotCon doesn't want to get in trouble with Hasbro and Paramount, so they opted to instead pay tribute to Gregg Berger by showing a movie that he was in.

Now, I have to confess that I actually did not go to this screening because I was too tired to stick around for much longer after the dealer room closed. I instead left the convention center to go get some dinner and go back to my hotel to wind down, relax, and prepare myself for the next day. But from what I heard, those who did go to the screening had a lot of fun.



Saturday

The dealer room opened for all registered attendees at 9:00am. Once again, I got there early enough to be close to the front of the line; third or fourth if I remember correctly. General admission was let in at 9:30am.


At 10:00am, "how-to-draw" classes and the kids-only customization class for Bumblebeast began. I didn't do the drawing classes, so I've nothing to say much there.


At 11:00am, a panel for the non-toy merchandise was hosted by Pete Sinclair, since he was the one who put the collection together for the convention. People mostly just asked him questions about the memorabilia and what all else might be put into the "Volume 3.5" BotCon guidebook.


Also at 11:00am was Round 2 of the Energon bag toss tournament.


At 12:00pm was the Yolopark Q&A panel. This panel was hosted by Derek Bigesby of Agabyss and gave an overview of Yolopark the company and their Transformers products before going into the "House of Magnus" exclusive 2-pack featuring Sunstorm and Delta Magnus. The main takeaways I got from this panel were these two points of interest:
  • The Yolopark 2-pack took five and a half months of planning in order for it to get officially made and released at the convention.
  • They originally considered doing a set of BotCon characters, but then decided against it because they didn't want to do a set of characters that most buyers wouldn't know or care about. So they went with the more familiar Delta Magnus and Sunstorm. For Sunstorm especially, they went with him because there hasn't been a new toy G1 Sunstorm in a long time.

1:00pm marked the first voice actor panel of the weekend, hosted by Animated Bumblebee (and more) himself, Bumper Robinson. Most of the questions asked of him were about his long acting career, dating back to when he was a child actor in the 1980s. The few points of interest I gleaned from this panel were:
  • When he auditioned for Animated Blitzwing, he had to come up with all three voices for him on the spot, having been surprised by voice director Sue Blu at the audition that Blitzwing would have three different voices. He auditioned doing one voice, then was told that he would have another, and then another.
  • While this isn't Transformers-specific, he confirmed for everyone here that, despite what the Internet may claim, his middle name is not "Clarence" (he did not say what it really is, though).

At 2:00pm came the Robosen panel, hosted by a sales representative from Robosen and the voice of Grimlock himself, Gregg Berger. These were the interesting parts I picked out:
  • Robosen Megatron took about 4–5 years to develop.
  • Robosen has two more Transformers in the pipeline. One to be announced by the end of the year, and one to be announced next year. Those of us in the room were the first to hear about this. The sales rep hinted that the two forthcoming Robosen Transformers will be "expanding the universe on both sides," suggesting one Autobot and one Decepticon.
  • Robosen gave Gregg something like 150 lines to record for Grimlock. During the recording session, Gregg added some lines and some dialogue edits of his own, to better enhance his performance, knowing how the character would speak these lines. Though, neither Gregg nor the sales rep could remember any of the lines that Gregg added himself.
  • Also during the session, Gregg ad-libbed some lines for the intelligent Grimlock from "Grimlock's New Brain", much to the surprise and confusion of Robosen who had no idea about that episode or why Gregg was suddenly giving Grimlock a British accent.
  • Gregg also did about three takes for every line, recording for four hours straight just to get the lines right.
  • It was confirmed that there will be no Elite versions of Grimlock or Megatron, just the Flagship versions. This is because Robosen's market tends to prefer the "bigger and better" versions.

Also at 2:00pm was the Cosplay Contest, held in the main lobby right outside the panel room. I was at the panel so I didn't go to this, but I and everyone in the panel room could hear on the yelling and cheering going on at the contest.


At 3:00pm was the Product Reveal panel. Back at BotCon 2022, this panel was mainly about third-party items and a few officially-licensed items. At BotCon 2023, it was about evenly split between third-party and official licensees. This year, however, it was predominately official licensees, with only a single third-party item shown off (which was the already-revealed Overture from Mastermind Creations, offered exclusively at Toy Dojo's booth in the dealer room).

The officially-licensed items shown off at this panel were new Transformers products from Blokees, Killerbody, and ThreeZero, all with Hasbro's official company logo in the corner of each slide. This entire panel has actually been uploaded to YouTube and can be viewed in full below, courtesy of YouTuber Deluxe Baldwin




At 4:00pm was the 40th Anniversary panel hosted by Paul Eiding and Gregg Berger. They talked a lot about their careers, their history with the Transformers brand, and the 40th anniversary table reading that they did for the theatrical screening of the first episode of the G1 cartoon. Of note, the two were the only voice actors in that table read who did not reprise any of their original voice roles, as they filled in for the dearly departed Casey Kasem, Don Messick, John Stephenson, and Ken Sansom, as well as the absent Corey Burton and Victor Caroli. Other points of interest I observed were:
  • Gregg and Paul were brought into the voice acting business by Hanna Barbera casting director Gordon Hunt, who saw them both in a stage production of Cloud 9.
  • Gregg's favorite version of Grimlock that he's played is actually the Fall of Cybertron video game version. He loved how much darker, dramatic, and more cinematic that version was, and always wanted to try taking the character in that kind of direction.
  • People often think that Gregg and Paul get warm feelings of nostalgia from getting to see their old friends and fellow voice actors from the G1 cartoon, but the truth is that they actually don't get any such feelings of nostalgia because they both always see everyone so often all the time, both at various voice acting jobs and at many other conventions. They never spend enough time apart from everyone to miss everyone because they're always seeing one another at different gigs.

The voice actor panel ended around 4:45pm to let the previous day's rescheduled script reading commence. It was a Transformers Animated story set after the events of Season 3, titled "Bee in the City 3: The Sewer-Side Squad" (the "3" in the title was a goof because they had forgotten that there were two other "Bee in the City" script readings at last year's BotCon, in addition to the two official ones from back in 2008 and 2012, respectively). The story featured a motley crew of criminals banding together to save Cybertron from the multiversal machinations of Tarantulas. It ended with time being reversed and all events of the story being undone and erased. The cast for this script reading included the following:
  • Bumper Robinson: Blitzwing, Erector, Bumblebee Prime
  • Alec Willows: Tarantulas, Rattrap (though, I think they meant *Rattletrap* instead, since this was an Animated story)
  • Paul Eiding: Perceptor, Beachcomber
  • Gregg Berger: Sky-Byte, Toxitron, and a surprise out-of-universe appearance of G1 Grimlock at the end (singing a mocking parody of the "I Love You" song from Barney and Friends that poked fun at David Kaye having been cast as Animated Grimlock instead of him)
  • Katie Lastra (fan participant): Number 2
  • Derek Bigesby: Narrator

5:00pm was when the vendor room closed again. The script reading ran past then, so those of us at the reading were already out of the room when it closed and couldn't get back in until the morning.


7:00pm marked the final round and awards for the Energon bag toss tournament, as the other intervening rounds had been held earlier at 2:00pm and 4:00pm. Like every other round, I didn't witness any of the tournament.


9:00pm was another movie screening. This time, Bumper Robinson was the commentary provider, as the movie was one that he was in: The 1996 made-for-television movie Generation X, based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name, which was itself a spinoff of the X-Men. Like the previous night's screening, I didn't stick around for this one either, as I was too hungry and tired again. Like before, I left to get some supper and went back to my hotel.



Sunday

Sunday began with the dealer room opening for everyone at 9:00am. Once again, I was first in line, which was very unusual for me since previous years typically had the line form well before my arrival. Still, I'm not one to complain about getting enter the dealer room first.


There were only three panels this day, and the first was at 11:00am. It was Alec Willows's panel, where he talked about Beast Wars, his time voicing Tarantulas, and much about his acting career both on the screen and the stage. Of note, around the time he was recording for Beast Wars's first season, he was also busy with a stage play that was touring the United States during the same time. The man was a real trooper, even fighting health problems he was having back then, too.


At 12:00pm was actually a pretty fun panel. This was a panel hosted by a fan who went over the history of the live action Transformers movies and the effects they had on the brand overall, including some fairly light jabbing and firmly tongue-in-cheek remarks about the movies and Michael Bay's particular contributions to each film.

Once that presentation was over, another man stepped up to host the panel. This man was one of the prop guys who worked on both Age of Extinction and The Last Knight. He brought with him some actual props that were used in those movies for everyone here to see and even wield in hand. He brought with him three swords that were used in the King Arthur battle scene at the beginning of The Last Knight, and the actual Cemetery Wind bag that was used to carry the Seed in Age of Extinction. I myself got to hold two of the sword props. They were really heavy and really cool. Me and two others all held them and did some Three Musketeers poses with them. Here's what the swords looked like:

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I didn't get any pics of the bag, but it was really high-quality material and had a mean-looking Cemetery Wind logo on it.


At 1:00pm came the final panel of the day, the BotCon panel. This was hosted by convention organizer and Agabyss owner Hany Agaby, as well as Derek Bigesby. They took plenty of feedback from everyone in the audience and asked us questions as well. Questions were asked about exclusives, about third-party vs. official product, about convention dates and times-of-year, and more. This year's BotCon was very well received with good times and good relations had all-around. They even announced where and when the next year's con would be:

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After that panel, there was one more hour before the dealer room closed at 3:00pm. I ran back inside to make some final purchases, and to talk with Aaron Archer at his booth about a few things.

First, I was requested by an online acquaintance to ask Archer about a statement he had given way back in 2003 at Orson's World on TFW2005. In this original statement, Archer had stated that the original color scheme for Armada Powerlinx Demolishor was planned to have been based on G1 Sixshot, before it was ultimately changed to the red color scheme the final figure ended up having.

Over on TFWiki, the toy write-up for Powerlinx Demolishor suggests that Archer might have meant Six-Gun instead of Sixshot because Archer apparent said that Demolishor's gun hands made him think of Sixshot, when Sixshot doesn't have gun hands while Six-Gun does. When I asked Archer about this, he explained to me that, back when he was working on Armada during that time, he was not a big enough fan of Transformers to know all that much about Generation 1, and assured me that he would not at all have known about Six-Gun back then. He said that he had known about Sixshot back then only because Takara had recently reissued the G1 Sixshot toy back during 2002, so Sixshot was fresh on Archer's mind at the time.

He also rationalized that the most likely reason Powerlinx Demolishor's original Sixshot-based deco was changed was due to Powerlinx Cyclonus having already had a green color scheme, and his bosses at Hasbro possibly felt that there would have been too much green for that part of the toyline's Super-Con range. He also suspected that the green deco for the later Energon Demolishor release was possibly recycled from Powerlinx Demolishor's original deco.


Relatedly, we also talked about how Tidal Wave's original purple deco was changed to the green one the Hasbro toy ended up having (as opposed to how the Takara toy kept the original purple deco). In addition to the notion of there having been too much purple in the line at the time, Archer told me that Tidal Wave's deco was changed by request of Samantha Lomow, who was his boss at the time. Back then, Transformers was still primarily targeting boys, while the color purple was still kinda felt by Hasbro as being a "girls' color", so there being "too much purple" in a "boys' brand" was a concern of Hasbro's at the time.


And finally is something really special, involving the mystery of what might very well be a discarded exclusive proposal. Back on Friday, I had previously approached Archer's booth to find him talking to three other attendees, who had just purchased some unpainted test shots of older Transformers toys from one of the vendors at the convention (one of which was a red test shot of ROTF Deluxe class Lockdown). But, among these production items they had with them was a most mysterious curiosity.

Rather than a test shot, this item appeared to be an officially-painted Transformers figure, but with a different color from the final version. It was Alternators Decepticharge, but with all of its flat yellow colored shiny metallic gold instead. It also even had the full-length gun barrel from the Binaltech Overdrive version instead of the barrel-less weapon of Alternators Windcharger/Decepticharge. The guy who bought this item showed it to Aaron Archer in hopes that he, Archer, might be able to identify what it was.

Archer examined it and looked it over thoroughly and meticulously. He was absolutely certain that it was not a fan custom, as he recognized the paintwork as being identical to the official in-house paintwork for the toy. In other words, the yellow was painted gold, but all of the black paint details were painted over the gold in all of the same places and patterns found on the official yellow version. Archer then grabbed his phone and contacted several of his colleagues, both former and current Hasbro employees (including Mark Maher, whom Archer said had been a painter for Transformers way back then), to try to figure out what this mysterious gold Decepticharge really was.

It wasn't until Sunday afternoon that I got back to Archer's booth to hear about his findings. After consulting several individuals over his phone, he had determined that this gold Decepticharge was most likely a marketing sample made in-house at Hasbro for a potential retail exclusive, a physical example that would have been shown off to various retailers for the offered proposal. What really tipped him off about this was the fact that all of the figure's joints were left unchanged from the normal retail version, as the joints would have been left unpainted yellow for this kind of proposal sample.

Evidently, no such exclusive was made, which according to Archer means that no retailer accepted the offer proposed. Exactly how this marketing sample got out of Hasbro and into the hands of the vendor who sold both it and the test shots to these guys is anyone's guess. And while I was not able get the names of the three who had purchased this gold Decepticharge, nor did I ever find out which vendor had sold it to them, they did allow me to take photos of it in its plastic Ziploc wrapping:

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Archer also felt that the gold would have originally been much brighter back when it was first applied to the sample, and that it has since dulled over time. Also notice that the underside of the car is left unchanged too (save for, again, the barrel on the weapon). Such an extraordinary discovery was completely unexpected and a delightful surprise.


The show closed at 3:00pm to give everyone the rest of the day to themselves, to wind down and pack up for the return trips home, or to do whatever else anyone needed or wanted to do before going home. There was no movie screening that night.



Overall, this was a great weekend, with a great show in a great venue. It was just all-around great.
"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
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Sabrblade
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Re: BotCon 2024 - June 27-30 at Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Postby Sabrblade » Sat Jul 06, 2024 9:47 am

Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
Weapon: Saber Blade
The BotCon 2024 exclusives are now available online at Agabyss.


BotCon 2024 Non-Attending Package
Couldn’t make the show? We’ve got you covered! We have a very limited number of select BotCon ‘24 memorabilia, so we have put it all here in one bundle so you can get it all!

- Exclusive Yolopark BotCon ‘24 ‘House of Magnus’ Vs Set featuring Delta Magnus and Sunstorm. 40th anniversary Transformers branded item.

- Limited Edition BotCon Unlimited #3 Comic Magazine starring Steampunk Willie and a troupe of BotCon inspired characters.

- BotCon ‘24 Guest character cups

- G2 Breakdown Badge

- BotCon ‘24 Lanyard

- Transformers Animated Police line up Post Card

- One of the highly sought after Prime pins inserted at random (some variants are no longer available).

This bundle is VERY limited so be sure to act fast!

Due to high demand and order volume please allow 3-4 business days for order processing.
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Botcon 2024 Legacy Set
Don’t miss out on this very limited BotCon ‘24 anniversary set featuring a selection of BotCon Beast Box Exclusive Figures and a ‘Breakpoint’ test shot from the all-new toy line ‘Light Points!’ You’ll clearly recognize who this transforming gun is inspired by!

The perfect anniversary item to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the very first BotCon exclusive.

This Legacy Box set contains:

-Botcon Beast Box Exclusive Figures:
  • Boxx Monkey
  • Ligerstrike
  • Dark Klawd
  • Dragonfire
As mentioned, it also includes a Light Point Test Shot transforming ‘Laser’ weapon. The gun actually lights up and is activated by a magnet on the side of the box (batteries not included).

This set is VERY limited so order yours today!

(And stay tuned for more information on the first wave of Light Points!)
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Botcon 2024 Agabyss Exclusive Shattered Gullwing
From Ramen Toy and Agabyss comes this dimension cracking exclusive! Shattered Gullwing includes Mads Hawking and sports an exclusive color scheme!

Mads Hawking leads a team of specially trained pilots and drivers in a covert operation to protect the people of the world from the evil and the corrupt. That is, on any other Earth.

On the "Shattered" Earth, Mads is far more interested in his own well-being than that of anyone else. Using the stealth mode of his transforming Gullwing vehicle, he can access any restricted zone - be it military, private, or financial - and escape without the authorities being able to track his movements. His high-tech helmet contains a mask that allows him to see in the darkest night and a VR interface that helps him control the Gullwing even when he's not behind the wheel.

The Shattered Gullwing features rolling wheels, translucent body and windows, and a transformation into attack mode with deploying wings, extending tail fins, and weapons that drop from beneath the vehicle. Mads Hawking is a fully articulated action figure with premium paint and removeable helmet.

Originally sold at BotCon '24, the limited Shattered Gullwing is now available to Agabyss.com customers while supplies last!

Due to high demand and order volume please allow 3-4 business days for order processing.
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"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
User avatar
Sabrblade
God Of Transformers
Posts: 39358
News Credits: 441
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:22 pm
Location: Tampa, FL
Strength: 7
Intelligence: 10
Speed: 7
Endurance: 8
Rank: 9
Courage: 8
Firepower: 7
Skill: 9


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Transformers Podcast: Twincast / Podcast #361 - Doppelganger
Twincast / Podcast #361:
"Doppelganger"
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Posted: Saturday, October 19th, 2024

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