Transformers News

Seibertron.com's Comprehensive Unofficial Guide to BotCon 2012

Date: Thursday, April 19th 2012 1:46pm EDT
Categories: Collector's Club News, Event News, Site Articles, Site News
Posted by: Savage

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Okay, so you've decided to attend BotCon, but you probably have a lot of questions. Hopefully this article can put a few of your fears to rest and answer some of those questions. There are many elements to BotCon, including Hotels, Registration Packages, Exclusive Figures, Sales Room, Panels, Seibertron.com Meet ups, etc., and we are going to examine each one in some detail.

If you're attending BotCon, let us know here on Seibertron.com's event page on Facebook for BotCon 2012 at https://www.facebook.com/events/344112488979798/.

First up, Hotels and Travel:

Depending on the location, many people choose to fly to BotCon each year, others turn it into a road trip. If multiple collectors from your area are planning to attend, a carpool road trip can save everyone some money on gasoline. If flying is your preferred mode of travel, it is a wise idea to buy plane tickets early (often before BotCon Registration opens) to get the best price.

Every year, there are several hotels (2-3) that are within a block or two (or attached to) the convention center where BotCon is held. These hotels usually offer reduced prices for the convention. BotCon.com usually provides this information after the dates and location are announced. Bear in mind, however, that these are generally 4 or 5 star hotels. Even with the BotCon discount, you are looking at approximately $150 per night. Many people choose to stay at a cheaper hotel within a short driving distance. This can save you some money on hotel costs. However, you will also have to pay for parking at the convention center each day, and that can add up. Or you could take a taxi from your hotel to the convention. The major downside to an offsite hotel is that you miss out on a lot of the room-to-room trading and general hanging out that happens during the evening and nights in various hotel rooms. It's a lot easier to stay up until three am talking Transformers if your bed is right down the hall. Otherwise, you end up in ours...




Registration Packages:

Primus Package - This package generally costs about $340 (For club members, nonmembers pay more.) Also, prices vary slightly from year to year) and includes the following:

• Full admittance to the convention, sales room, panels, and autograph lines
• Admittance to the Saturday Night Awards Dinner
• Six-Figure Boxed Set
• One Free Attendee Figure

Minicon Package - Can only be purchased as an add-on to a Primus Package. This package is typically around $100, depending on the year and whether or not the person is a club member. Minicon Package includes:

• Full admittance to the convention, sales room, panels, and autograph lines
• Admittance to the Saturday Night Awards Dinner
• No figures

[i]Protoform Package - This package generally costs between $180-200, and includes:

• Full admittance to the convention, sales room, panels, and autograph lines
• No figures, no Awards Dinner

Iacon Package - This package is for NON-attendees who wish to purchase a boxed set and have it shipped to their home. The price is typically equal to the price of a Primus Package. However, with the Iacon Package, you do not receive the free attendee figure. It does however include domestic shipping. International shipping is extra.

General Admission - General Admission is available for walk-ins on Saturday and Sunday ONLY. Includes admittance to sales room, autograph lines, and panels.

*** Golden Ticket Packages - These are "Golden Ticket" versions of the Primus, Minicon, and Protoform Packages. For approximately double the regular Package Price, "Golden Ticket" Package Holders are allowed to purchase triple the regular limit number of Souvenir Sets from the Club Store, and receive front-row reserved seating to the Panels.


Picking Up Your Package:

If you are enrolled in one of the Customizing Classes, you will receive your Package on Wednesday for Early Pickup. If, for whatever reason, you are not arriving at BotCon until Friday or Saturday, but choose to register a package, you will be able to pick it up upon your arrival at the con. In previous years, Late Package Pickup began at 9:30am on Friday. Otherwise, you may pick up your Package (name badge, boxed set, convention comic book, etc) on Thursday evening. Times will be assigned by FunPub prior to the convention, so you will know when it is your turn to get into the first of many long lines.


Would you believe this was only half the line? It was.


Customizing Classes:

There is usually one class on Wednesday and one on Thursday. They are not included in the cost of any of the above Packages. They cost extra. You will be given one figure and the instructor will walk the class through customizing it. These classes are very small and fill up quickly. For 2012, the Customizing Classes sold out 10 minutes after Online Registration became available. If you are lucky enough to get into one of these classes, you will receive your name badge, boxed set, etc, on Wednesday instead of the normal Package Pickup on Thursday night.


Exclusive Figures:

The Boxed Set - Six figures in a box with certificate of authenticity. These are limited in number and available only to those who buy a Primus or Iacon Package. Primus Package holders receive them at Package Pickup along with their name badge, club comic, etc.

Loose Set - Primus and Iacon Package holders have the option to purchase an additional loose set of the figures from the boxed set. Many Primus Package holders choose to buy these to turn around and sell them to other convention goers to recoup some of the cost of their trip.

Free Attendee Figure - Each Primus Package holder receives one free figure at Package Pickup. This figure is usually a repaint of a mold used in the boxed set.

Souvenir Sets - Each year, the club provides two or three "Souvenir Sets" these are additional pairs (or trios) of exclusive figures. They usually complement the boxed set and/or a previous year's set. Souvenir Sets may be purchased from the Club Store after Package Pickup on Thursday night, or anytime throughout the convention until they sell out. If they do not sell out by the end of the con, the remainder will be sold in the Collectors' Club online store.




Speaking of the Club Store:

The Club Store opens Thursday evening after Package Pickup. Once you pick up your name badge, etc, you are free to get into the Club Store line. There is usually one line for cash and one for credit. The cash line has moved slightly faster in previous years. At the Club Store, you may purchase the Souvenir Sets, t-shirts, other TF memorabilia, other Club exclusive figures (like Astrotrain, Airrazor, Nightbeat, Punch/Counterpunch if he wasn't sold out, you get the idea). Friday evening, the Club Store booth will be dismantled and rebuilt inside the Sales Room on Saturday morning, where it will remain for the duration of the show. The Club Store accepts both cash and credit, however the cash line moves slightly faster.


The Sales Room / Dealer Room:

Primus, Minicons, and Protoforms gain admittance to the dealer room for a few hours Friday evening, and Saturday morning before General Admission opens. The dealer room usually closes at 5pm on Friday and Saturday, and at 3:30pm on Sunday (when the entire convention officially ends). Certain dealers in the sales room accept credit cards. Mostly big names like BBTS and TFSource. The smaller, private dealers are usually cash only.




Raffles & Drawings:

Once you pick up your package, you will find that it includes a few pieces of paper for voting for your favorite Transformers website (Seibertron.com!) in three categories (News, Layout, & Resources), and other feedback forms. You should definitely fill these out and turn them in to the Club Store. Over the weekend, slips of paper will be drawn and the names will be called out in the Sales Room. If your name is called, you win a door prize. These vary but are usually deluxe class figures or something of similar value. On Saturday the voting slips will be collected from the Club Store and tallied up. The winning website/s will be announced at the Saturday Night Awards Dinner and the webmasters will be presented with a small trophy.


Panels:

Many Panels are conducted on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. These generally include a Hasbro Panel (which includes sneak peeks at future figures, you do NOT want to miss this!), an IDW panel where they talk about recent and upcoming TF comics, a video game panel to promote and discuss the latest TF video game.

Your convention name badge will have a complete schedule of the weekend's events on the back of it. This will become your best friend. You can also view the complete schedule by clicking here.


Autographs:
Many guests will sign autographs. These are done at certain times (see the back of your name badge for times), and it is wise to get in line early, ESPECIALLY for guests such as Peter Cullen whose line will be exceptionally lengthy. Be prepared to sit in line for an hour or two. In previous years, people have been allowed to have two items signed and a quick picture taken.


Seibertron.com Meet-up:

One night (typically Friday), Seibertron.com organizes a meet up in one of the hotel (or nearby) bars. This event is for anybody who wants to come or happens to wander in. It is an excellent chance for Transformers fans to get together, talk Transformers, and make new friends in an open, relaxed atmosphere. If this is your first BotCon, or if you just want to make some new TF friends, this event is for YOU!

At BotCon 2012, the official 7th annual Seibertron.com Bar Meet up will be at Monduel's on Friday night (April 27th) around 8 or 9pm. For more information, please visit Seibertron.com's Facebook page for this event at https://www.facebook.com/events/412475178782279/.


Saturday Night Awards Dinner:

For Primus and Minicons only. This is the only time that food will be provided. The type of food varies from year to year. There will be food, socializing, and a small presentation that varies from year to year. For 2010, we are being treated to the induction of the first of the Transformers Hall of Fame. 2009 was a Stan Bush concert and sneak peek at a few scenes from "Revenge of the Fallen."

The show officially ends on Sunday afternoon at 3:30pm. Of course, many people tend to mingle, say their goodbyes, grab dinner on their way out of town, etc. BotCon is an amazing experience. Despite the exclusive figures, awesome guests, huge sales room, it is the people you meet at BotCon each year that will make it worth the trip time and time again.


Me, Geekee1, & Counterpunch


What You Can Expect Day By Day:

• Wednesday - Customizing Class
• Thursday - Customizing Class in the morning, Package-Pickup & Club Store line in the evening
• Friday - Sales Room open, Club Store open, Autograph lines, Panels
• Saturday - General Admission open, Sales Room & Club Store open, Autograph lines, Panels, Awards Dinner
• Sunday - General Admission open, Sales Room & Club Store open, Autograph lines, Panels

The complete schedule can be found here.

Well, that's all for now. I hope this guide has answered a few questions for you.

BotCon 2012 Updates: Josh Perez and Robby Musso on Artist Alley & Cosplay Info

Date: Wednesday, April 18th 2012 12:44pm EDT
Categories: Collector's Club News, Comic Book News, Event News, People News
Posted by: El Duque | Credit(s): BotCon

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Our friends at BotCon dropped to let us know about a couple of additional artist that have been added to the Artist Alley line-up, Josh Perez and Robby Musso! They have also tweeted the info on this year's Cosplay contest.

Cosplayers! Gonna be at BotCon2012? Make sure you go all out cause the best costume as decided by FP staff will get cover shoot 4 Issue 45! The three BEST costumes, as judged throughout the weekend, will be announced via Twitter pic by Sunday at Noon, with the winning costume announced at the 2PM Cosplay panel on Sunday! We'll need some help on deciding the winner, so make sure to comment on the pics when we tweet them out at noon Sunday!

Matt Frank Art will be Available in Artist Alley at Botcon 2012

Date: Tuesday, April 17th 2012 8:01pm EDT
Categories: Collectables, Comic Book News, Event News, People News
Posted by: GetRightRobot | Credit(s): mattfrankart.com

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Matt Frank has shown off a print that will be available at Botcon in Dallas TX. This is a faux cover for a "What If" Fall of Cybertron. Grimlock VS The Insecticons! Check out the image below or head over to MattFrank.com by clicking here.

You can also see more of Mr. Frank's art by viewing his Deviant Art page which can be found here.

MATT FRANK'S JOB HISTORY -
RAY HARRYHAUSEN PRESENTS - BlueWater Productions - Covers, interiors (2006-2008)
BEAST WARS SOURCEBOOK - IDW Publishing - Character art (2007-2008)
MARVEL HANDBOOKS - Marvel Comics - Art Refurbishing (2008-2009)
Challenge Games - Concept/Production Artist (2009)
BLACK PAW: RETURN OF THE DRAGON - Gleaming Scythe Productions - Character/creature design (2008-2010)
Chaotic Moon Studios - Concept/Production artist (2010)
GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS - IDW Publishing - Retailer Incentive covers (2011)
DUNGEON IN A DECK - Games By Gamers - Character design, creature design (2011)

BotCon 2012 Peter Cullen Autograph Guidelines

Date: Tuesday, April 17th 2012 4:35pm EDT
Categories: Collector's Club News, Event News, People News
Posted by: El Duque | Credit(s): BotCon

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BotCon has posted the following guidelines regarding obtaining Peter Cullen's autograph, which will be limited to 125. Please see below:

BotCon wrote:NOTE: The following procedure applies ONLY to Peter Cullen!

Mr. Cullen is very limited in the number of autographs that he can sign at any show. We are very fortunate that he will be attending BotCon this year. In order to be as fair to every fan at the show as possible, and to help you maximize your BotCon experience by not waiting in a very long line for Mr. Cullen, we will be instituting a random drawing for his autograph line. This is how the procedure will go:

1. Mr. Cullen will be signing 125 autographs.

2. Each person who is a registered guest at BotCon will have one entry in the autograph drawing. You do not need to do anything as we have entered your name into a database that will randomly pick the attendees that are eligible for Mr. Cullen's autograph.

3. General Admission attendees who purchase an autograph band will also be put into the drawing, provided that they purchase their autograph band before 11:00 AM, Saturday April 28, 2012.

4. After the list is generated (around noon) we will post it online at BotCon.com, tweet that it is posted and have a printed copy posted on the room-to-room trading board.

5. If your name is on the list, you will need to go to the info booth and receive your autograph ticket.

6. Names will be listed by last name, first name, city, postal code and country to avoid any confusion.

7. At 1:30 PM the line will start for Mr. Cullen's autograph. There is no reason to line up early, as Mr. Cullen will sign for each person in the line.

8. You will be allowed ONE item to sign, please have it out and ready to go when you get to the front of the line.

9. Please move along as fast as you can so that we can get everyone through the line in the allotted time. You can have a friend take your picture during the autograph signing but there will not be time to pose with Mr. Cullen.

10. These tickets are NOT transferrable. We will recheck the names drawn when you get to the front of the autograph line in order to audit that you were chosen in the drawing.

BotCon 2012 Artist Alley Update: Casey Coller & Matt Frank

Date: Tuesday, April 17th 2012 2:29pm EDT
Categories: Collector's Club News, Comic Book News, Event News, People News
Posted by: El Duque | Credit(s): BotCon

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BotCon has announced that Casey Coller and Matt Frank will be participating in this year's Artist Alley.

BotCon wrote:The BotCon 2012 Artist Alley will be filled with a number of amazing Transformers artists and our next announcement is no exception. Casey Coller, known for his work on IDW's All Hail Megatron, the Ironhide 4-part series and various projects for the Transformers Collectors' Club, will be on hand with a selection of amazing art prints for sale.

Be sure to stop by and check out Casey at the BotCon 2012 Artist Alley!

Blowout Sale Continues: Seibertron.com T-Shirts DINO ISLAND and PURPLE PLANET available again!

Date: Monday, April 16th 2012 9:46pm EDT
Categories: Auctions, Collectables, Event News, Site News
Posted by: Seibertron

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The insanity continues!!! You know the old saying "supply and demand dictate price"? Well, our loss is your gain! Seibertron.com is blowing out these shirts from previous years to move them before this year's BotCon so that everyone can have a chance to show their support of their favorite Transformers fan site and to make room for a new shirt in 2013.

This is your last chance to get one of these t-shirts. Buy one now before they're gone forever! Get your high quality t-shirt from Seibertron.com now now while supplies last! See you in Dallas, TX for BotCon 2012!

LIMIT QUANTITIES OF 5
Buy multiple shirts and save on shipping!

There are only certain sizes are available for each style. Extremely limited quantities are available. If you want one, this is your last chance to get the size you want. You can select your size from the dropdown menu on the eBay listing page.



Seibertron.com PURPLE PLANET T-Shirt - only $1 each




Seibertron.com DINO ISLAND T-Shirt - only $5 each




Seibertron.com G2 REDUX T-Shirt - only $1 each

Full BotCon 2012 Schedule Posted

Date: Monday, April 16th 2012 8:35pm EDT
Categories: Collector's Club News, Event News
Posted by: El Duque | Credit(s): BotCon

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The official 2012 BotCon website has been updated with the full schedule of events. Check it out below.

BotCon 2012 Script Reading "Bee in the City 2"

Date: Monday, April 16th 2012 4:13pm EDT
Category: Event News
Posted by: El Duque | Credit(s): BotCon

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Transformers Animated fans rejoice! BotCon has revealed this year's script reading will revisit the the Animated world with a sequel to 2008's "Bee in the City". See their tweet below:

BotCon wrote:BotCon 2012 presents... BEE IN THE CITY 2! The Script reading sequel, 4 years in the making!

JAGEX NYCC Footage

Date: Monday, April 16th 2012 12:20pm EDT
Category: Game News
Posted by: El Duque | Credit(s): JAGEX

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Our friends at JAGEX dropped by to let us know they have posted some of their footage from last year's NYCC. Be sure to check out JAGEX at BotCon later this month where they will be showing off the Transformers: Universe MMO. Video embedded below.

The Transformers Universe team will be at BotCon on the 26th April. To give an insight into what's in store here is a video from the last ComicCon with our special presenter, Jessica Nigri!

Ken Christiansen in Artist Alley at Botcon 2012

Date: Sunday, April 15th 2012 3:19pm EDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Event News, People News
Posted by: GetRightRobot | Credit(s): BadFlipBlog.blogspot.com

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Ken Christiansen of The Bad Flip Productions Blog, will be set up in Artist Alley this year in Dallas TX, at Botcon 2012. Ken will have lots of art for sale and will be doing commissions on site.

I'll have plenty of stuff for sale, the above image is the cover, and back cover to the new sketchbook, 20 pages, and some leftover vol. 1 will also be available - for a mere $15 each.

These will run you just $20 each, full color glossy 11x17" - by far I will have mostly Transformers images, (and even a few more than even what's shown above) but I'll have some of the Marvel images available as well, Predator, etc. Lots of original art will also be available, most of the sketchbook images, among other things - you'll just have to stop by to see what I have!

Also, I'll be taking commissions at the con, but I can also take some preorders, that you can pick up at the con, contact me for more details at ken@badflip.com. It's $70 for a 9x12" B/W marker sketch, a single (existing, no new concepts) character, usually waist up

To keep up with Mr. Christiansen's blog, The Bad Flip, click here.

Don't miss your chance to see a great artist flexing his talents in person. Keep it here at Seibertron.com for the most extensive event coverage from Botcon 2012!