LE0KING wrote:Sabrblade wrote:So, how many here are looking to go to this thing? I'm definitely considering it.
I'm on the fence, I only live two hours away, but I've never been to one of these. It's probably worth it, but I don't know.
Lemme put it this way.
You enter a world of wonder and amazement as you are surrounded entirely by people who all know and love Transformers, whether it's G1, the movies, or anything in between. There's always someone to talk to and geek out with about our favorite robots in disguise.
And then you come to the dealer room, a magical reality in which row upon row, wall upon wall are filled with Transformers toys, and other nerdy toys, from all walks of life. Vintage or reissued, Hasbro or Takara, vehicle or beast, Diaclone or Microman, GoBots or Power Rangers, it's all there! And it's all for sale! A rare opportunity that eBay could never hope to amount to. Of course, the prices will vary depending on rarity or availability of certain items, but the vast variety in and of itself is glorious.
Not to mention the guests and the panels. Ever wanna hear a personal recount of a voice actor's or a comic artist's career, filled with anecdotes and inside info on all they've contributed to both the Transformers brand and to other works they've done? It's all right there! And depending on the popularity of some of the guests, you can get an autograph from them or even hang out with them at their booth. I myself got to have an up close interview with Japanese Transformers writer/artist Hayato Sakamoto at BotCon 2016, asking him questions about his work on the Legends and Unite Warriors fiction, as well as just making good conversation about the Japanese G1 cartoon continuity as a whole (although, the whole correspondence went through an English-Japanese translator, so it wasn't only between just me and Sakamoto-san).
And though he wasn't a guest to the con, I finally got to meet Jim Sorenson in person at the last BotCon. I'd seen him before at previous BotCons but never really got the chance to have a one-on-one conversation with him before the 2016 convention.
And really, at the heart of it all, it is the people you get to meet and hang out with that really makes these events special. Ryan once described BotCon as being like a family reunion that only happens once a year, but with a family of nerds who cmpletely get you and your enthusiasm with this toy robot hobby. It's one thing to talk to people online in message boards and forums, but it's another experience entirely to meet and be with the people you talk to online in person. It's all the more real.
Now, with this Pete's Robot Convention being a new thing that likely won't be as big a deal as BotCon had been for last several years, and won't have any of the exclusive merchandise or fiction that BotCon had been known for for the majority of its run, at the heart of it all is still a group of fans who love and enjoy the same toy robots as we all do. I want to support this con and encourage everyone who loved going to BotCon on a regular basis to give this con a chance as well. I hope to see as many of this site's BotCon regulars at Pete's Robot Convention, to come and enjoy the most that we can get out of it.