Sid Burn wrote:How can crappy versions of the botcon seekers coming out at retail be good for botcon, the largest transformer show on earth?
You answer your own question with your description of what is finally being released to the general public (people like me).
If I had the money to participate in Botcon, I would expect only one thing from the exclusives: The best of quality.
There are many unique Botcon exclusives. Lot's of concepts have been put forth using and retooling molds to get members a version of something they want NOW, not down the road when Hasbro deems character and mold popularity profitable.
That's what you pay for at Botcon. You pay to have it NOW, whatever IT is.
If your reason for purchasing Botcon releases is to resell them later to make a profit, that's a chance you take.
If your reason for purchasing Botcon releases is to have something unique, you have that. And you even point out that in your opinion what we at retail are finally getting is a "crappy" version of what you shelled out money at Botcon to get NOW.
And just like you wanted something Botcon made available NOW, others want what Takara makes, in some cases because they too can get it NOW, and in some cases because they like the paint better than the Hasbro version.
As for KO, tell me you're not actually seriously complaining about knockoffs?
I have recently seen a number of KO reviews, in particular Seekers and City Commander armor. I would never consider purchasing a KO version, even if that's the only one available. They have no value to me. I see Optibotimus reviewing the KO Seekers, and his tone makes it clear that he truly does regret wasting time and money on them.
I am surprised to read and see similar QC issues with Takara Seekers.
As to what is good for Botcon, that's the biggest CONVENTION there is. It's up to Botcon to figure out what they can offer that will be unique to the collector world. Cornering the market on Seekers is very selfish in my mind. On the other hand, the G2 theme was brilliant. Do some in the general public (like myself) want G2 products on retail? Personally, I do not. But if others do, so what if Hasbro releases a "crappy" version of something from Botcon? It's not the Botcon version, you said so yourself. It is "crappy"!
And aside from what you GET from Botcon for going to Botcon that we (the general public) may never get or might have to wait for, you get the Botcon EXPERIENCE (it's a CONVENTION for goodness sake!). You get to sit in on panels I don't. I get to read about them, but I'm not there. You get to meet the people that make our hobby possible. I don't. I might get to meet them elsewhere, but it's not Botcon. You get workshops that no other convention offers. I'm not a kitbasher, but I'd love to attend the "build-a-bot" workshop. You get presentations of what's coming. You get to see prototypes and previews up close and personal (pictures don't do justice to the displays and presentations). You get to meet friends once a year and experience something only possible at Botcon. If that's not what Botcon is first and foremost about, then I don't know what the point of going is?
I'm done.