The Energon Pub

sppower wrote:I have a question:

I want to enter a film into the film festival, and actually attend the film festival. The brochure says this takes place on Friday night. Do I have to buy one of these massively expensive convention packages to get in? I don't want the figures or all the side events. I just want general admission and the film festival. Is there an option for this?

I don't think so. There is the Protoform Package($120 for club members or $170 for nonmembers)and consists of the following:
• Convention name badge and convention pin.
• Convention program with comic.
• Admittance to the sales room including the private preview of the sales
room on Friday and Early Bird privileges on Saturday.
• Admittance to all convention panels/seminars.
• The pre-convention tours are available for an additional charge.
• This package does not include the Awards Dinner event or Primus
Package figures.
There's usually a walk-in admission. One day only. I think it's around $15-$30. But I think it's only for the sales room. Not sure if you're able to participate in events like the video or art contests.

The Protoform Package price really isn't that expensive, and it looks like you should be able to get in to the film show. That is what I would think anyways.

Just like last year, I'm interested in these.
Just like last year, the $$$ is just too out of the ballpark.

Oh well.

Guys, I'm really not saying this to be a jerk, or start up lame drama...
But with the release of this news, these types of exclusives are reasonable and make sense to me--
the idea, the re-used molds, the way they will be repainted (however they are)...

Exclusives should NEVER be new characters that will then be unavailable to the mass market, like those 3 seekers.

Sowndwave76 wrote:Guys, I'm really not saying this to be a jerk, or start up lame drama...
But with the release of this news, these types of exclusives are reasonable and make sense to me--
the idea, the re-used molds, the way they will be repainted (however they are)...

Exclusives should NEVER be new characters that will then be unavailable to the mass market, like those 3 seekers.

And the uncanny sounds of whiny drama begin to stir his herd to vocal activity, dooming the other animals in the peaceful valley to see their waters muddied and grass destroyed by the ravenous nature of THE COMPLAINER.

this is the first botcon im attending. couple questions. does it cost money to get in? and if so how much and do i have to register?

I wonder what molds and colors they plan on using. Oviously there's the 3 we know of:Classics Prime, Cybertron Hot Shot, and Cybertron Crosswise.

-Prime will no doubt be Prime. I'm hoping for a Nemesis Prime color scheme.
-Jazz will probably use the Crosswise mold with the G1 Jazz color scheme. But I think it would look cool if they inverted his colors, black with like a red or yellow strip.
-GoldBug is assumed to be Hot Shot. I don't see it, but I could be surprized. He'll need a new head.
-Now that's the majority opinion, but I think GoldBug and Jazz will be reversed. Jazz' robot mode is closest to Crosswises, but I think GoldBugs vehical mode is closer to Crosswises. And Hot Shot as Jazz wouldn't look too bad.
-Moving on, Grimlock will probably will use the Classics mold. I don't see them using Energon Grimlock or any other dinobot-ish mold. Though I could see them using TM Megatron, but that may be going back to far. If they did, I think it would look something like this. But if they do use Classics Grimlock, I agree with the Trypticon idea. Black and gold would also look good.
-Starsceam I have no clue. I hope they don't use the Classics mold again. They used it last year. 3 times if you count the coneheads. And I really have enough of that mold. Unless they color him like Sunstorm. They I'd like, but it would be wierd having a Starscream that looks like Sunstorm. I wonder what mould they will use. The fact that there's also minicon with leads me to believe it could be Armada, or possibly Energon, Starscream. But I just don't see them using those molds for ovious reasons.
-Razorclaw, I don't know and I don't care. Why include a minicon?
-But what I've really been thinking about is faction symbols an eye color. They would have to keep the 'Bots with 'Bot symbols and 'Cons with 'Con's. Which would suck for Nemesis Prime since in my book he wouldn't truely be Nemesis Prime. He'd just be an evil Black Convoy. Nitpicking I know. For I color, I hope they switch it. Autobots with red eyes, Decepticons with blue. It would just help with the whole backwards thing.
-As for the extra exclusives, I'm thinking Megatron, Shockwave, Bludgeon, and Soundwave. Keeping with the backwards universe theme, the normally traitorous characters like Shockwave and Bludgeon would be loyal. And vica versa.

So that's just my thoughts on the possibilities.

So, are there any other Transformers conventions that take place in this area? Because right now, I can't believe the ripoff this one is appearing to be. I've been working hard for two days to overhaul this movie and enter into their film festival. That sounded like a good bit of fun. Otherwise, I was just going to do General Admission (which I've since found out only lets you into the sales floor).

I just got an email back from the Botcon people, who I'm sure have put a lot of work into making this convention the best it can be, but I have to say, at its current price point, this is highway robbery. Even if all I wanted to do was go to the sales floor and the film festival, I'd have to buy a convention package. Not only that, but I have to buy the top "Primus" package in order to even attend the festival/awards dinner. $335!

I don't care about their repaints. I could go to Toys R Us right now and buy each of those for ten bucks. In fact, I already have some of them. Why should I want to play $300+ for the same thing, but with a different paint job. They aren't even real characters.

Why does anyone pay this much money to attend this thing? Half of it is just Hasbro advertising their next year's worth of stuff, trying to convince us which figures to buy from them next. Why should we pay them to advertise to us? This is so rediculous.

There aren't even really any social events. Where are the group projects? Where are the costume contests? Why doesn't someone bring in a ton of cardboard boxes and craft supplies. If I'm going to a Transformers convention, a gathering of people who all have a lot in common with me, then I expect activities designed to encourage them to get to know each other. Why isn't there a room where people just bring their toys and play. That's what Transformers are for. Was this convention orginally run by Hasbro? Wasn't it a fan-operated deal before? Was it always this outrageously expensive?

I think it is cool that they get some of my favorite voice actors to attend, who I greatly respect, but I don't want to pay $300 to meet them. I just wanted to have some fun with other Transformers fans, pick up some new toys, and take in some fan movies while showing off my own. This doesn't even sound like it would live up to that description. Plus, $335. Ugh.

I hope Optimus has his colors inverted like in the comics.

can someone tell me how much one of these cost to attend?

Wow, wasn't expecting this thread to pop back up. Umm, it's all dependent on how you're planning on attending. Whether or not you're getting the Con Exclusives or not. A variety of things. There is normally general admission on the final two days that costs something like $20 which lets you get in, check out the dealer room and such. But you also don't get first dibs like the people who made reservations did.