Final BotCon 2015 "Oilmaster The Bounty Hunter" Exclusive Toy Revealed from this year's box set

SW's SilverHammer wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:I am just speechless. They weren't kidding with the last reveal topping last year's Scorponok.

And just so you all know Oilmaster uses no new tooling whatsoever from what I can tell (ok, maybe the head), that shell is a pre-existing mold. In fact, that very shell is made from the actual Double Pretender prototype, first shown at BotCon 1996. Unreleased back in G1, now sees the light as a BotCon toy!

Also worth nothing that only the shell seems to have made it to the hard copy stage, the inner bots never did. In other words, there were no molds for the inner bots to use.

Boss Fight Studios made the shell.

Then I wonder who supplied the specifications of the original mold

Don't know, but it is different in regards to it's sculpt in the legs, chest, head, and maybe the arms.

Rodimus Prime wrote:So, yet again, close to $1000 saved by not going to BotCon or getting a set. I'm still interested the add-on figures, especially if the aforementioned Rodimus will be included.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Overall, this set is very underwhelming. I absolutely disagree with Oilmaster being a bigger deal than Scorponok, and I didn't think Scorponok was a big deal. I wouldn't mind owning 1, but not for the price he goes for.

I think it would have been more creative to actually put the inner robots of Oilmaster into the last shell, and revealing them that way, instead of the long, boring, and uninspired way they did it.

The only figure I have a mild interest in is Battletrap, and only because I like the mold and the color. If he had Stepper's blue Micron weapon, it would be better.

So, yet again, close to $1000 saved by not going to BotCon or getting a set. I'm still interested the add-on figures, especially if the aforementioned Rodimus will be included.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:It'd be funny if it's just the springer mold repainted like cloud rodimus in polybags

JazZeke wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:So, yet again, close to $1000 saved by not going to BotCon or getting a set. I'm still interested the add-on figures, especially if the aforementioned Rodimus will be included.

I'm kinda bummed because I have a friend who lives in Chicago and we talked about splitting for this year's box set when they announced the convention would be in his back yard. But this set... there's nothing in it that appeals to me, just my luck. :\

Seibertron wrote:

JazZeke wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:So, yet again, close to $1000 saved by not going to BotCon or getting a set. I'm still interested the add-on figures, especially if the aforementioned Rodimus will be included.

I'm kinda bummed because I have a friend who lives in Chicago and we talked about splitting for this year's box set when they announced the convention would be in his back yard. But this set... there's nothing in it that appeals to me, just my luck. :\

So why don't you still come to BotCon as a regular attendee? Seems like an opportunity to get to hang with one of your friends, get to hang out with all of us from Seibertron.com, and opportunity to buy other Transformers toys in the dealer room still seems like a great trip, regardless of whether or not you get the box set.

Pete Sinclair / Botcon wrote:"it's an all new mold"

Seibertron wrote:

Pete Sinclair / Botcon wrote:"it's an all new mold"

If you look at the photograph from 1996 and compare it to the new mold, you can see the large amount of differences. I'm pretty sure a hinge for the "backpack" was not included on the original either. All G1 Pretenders had removable pieces (whether it was the back half of the figure or a removable panel) to accommodate the Pretender feature whereas this one has a hinged backpack which is a pretty nice feature.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:

Seibertron wrote:

Pete Sinclair / Botcon wrote:"it's an all new mold"

If you look at the photograph from 1996 and compare it to the new mold, you can see the large amount of differences. I'm pretty sure a hinge for the "backpack" was not included on the original either. All G1 Pretenders had removable pieces (whether it was the back half of the figure or a removable panel) to accommodate the Pretender feature whereas this one has a hinged backpack which is a pretty nice feature.

If that's the case then you might want to edit the news post since it includes a quote from Jelze saying it's the original.

Seibertron wrote:Botcon exclusives should be items like that. Bringing back old concepts, finding old molds for new purposes, being a way to bring products that would otherwise never see the light of day because it is the die-hard fans that continue to fuel BotCon year after year who would be able to appreciate unique items like that.

Seeing this product continues to give me hope that we will one day be able to purchase replica vintage G1 Arcee and G1 Unicron ... and now possibly the Spider Double Pretender (maybe with an Insecticon repaint?). Fingers crossed!

redoutlander wrote:"The Boss" Megaton is a good example of one that just misses the mark. The Prime breakdown molds never made it to the US shelves. This is why I want the mold. What I don't want is another odd repaint of Megaton that doesn't fit in with ANY fiction except being shoehorned into the club's comic.

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying I hate either figure. I just am being very critical because I want the Club to be something WORTH the money we spend on them. I vote(or not) on my dollar.

Seibertron wrote: I'd have to see mock-ups of a Voyager Cannonball to see if it's as good as an idea as I think it was.

That Bot wrote:I'm unclear on this. Is the gorilla a new mold or not? It doesn't look like the prototype shown in 1996, and I'm not aware of any other mold that could be used as the base for this. However, an entirely new mold seems way out of Botcon's budget. Somebody please clarify.

Desslok2201 wrote:I thought this year's botcon stuff was pointless... Until I saw this. Words can't convey how much I want this. If anyone is going this year and wants to unload this, don't hesitate to let me know, I'll gladly take it off of your hands. I was not expecting this at all.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:This botcon box set was like watching a train wreck.

Autobot032 wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:This botcon box set was like watching a train wreck.

Desslok2201 wrote:I think they missed an opportunity with Oilmaster's name. Are both robots Olimaster? It should have been a compound word, such as Throwdown, with one being 'Throw' and another being 'Down' and both called 'Throwdown' when in the shell. Just a thought.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Desslok2201 wrote:I think they missed an opportunity with Oilmaster's name. Are both robots Olimaster? It should have been a compound word, such as Throwdown, with one being 'Throw' and another being 'Down' and both called 'Throwdown' when in the shell. Just a thought.

It's a bit forced, sadly: his fiction debut was in Badlands, the comic included with Gen. Magnificus, which also give him his name (based on a Japanese blogger whose name translates to "Oil Master").

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Thinking TFCC has to be desperate enough to use a new mold for a Botcon toy. Probably because it's becoming a harder to convince fans to spend over $70 for each Botcon toy. that's just a repaint with maybe a new head.

Think TFCC is finding it harder each year to compete with Third party companies.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Thinking TFCC has to be desperate enough to use a new mold for a Botcon toy. Probably because it's becoming a harder to convince fans to spend over $70 for each Botcon toy. that's just a repaint with maybe a new head.

Think TFCC is finding it harder each year to compete with Third party companies.

Nah, I think it's more like trying to step up their game and surprise us with things we initially thought of as inconceivable. Besides, a Matryushka Doll for all intents and purposes, is easier to make than a whole new Transformers figure from scratch, especially if you have a model beforehand .

And I just read that Boss Fight Studios has been responsible for all the BotCon retools done in the recent years, like the new heads. Just another walk in the park for them.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:It'd be funny if it's just the springer mold repainted like cloud rodimus in polybags

I would actually prefer that. It most likely would be cheaper than the Cloud Rodimus figure.

I don't own any versions of the mold, but I might pick up all 4 of them now.

Rodimus
Springer
Sandstorm
Battletrap

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:It'd be funny if it's just the springer mold repainted like cloud rodimus in polybags

I would actually prefer that. It most likely would be cheaper than the Cloud Rodimus figure.

I don't own any versions of the mold, but I might pick up all 4 of them now.

Rodimus
Springer
Sandstorm
Battletrap

GO-GO Triple Changers!

Boss Fight are a group of former Hasbro employees that do freelance design work for Hasbro and Fun Pub. It's possible they knew what the original Pretender was supposed to look like. What's On Joe Mind? has had them on the show a few times.

I'm confused, were double Pretenders supposed to be different from the Pretenders who had shells that could transform and combine with the inner robot?

chuckdawg1999 wrote:I'm confused, were double Pretenders supposed to be different from the Pretenders who had shells that could transform and combine with the inner robot?

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Think TFCC is finding it harder each year to compete with Third party companies.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Think, Had the mecha gorilla pretender shell been fully articulated it would have been worth buying. With almost no articulation, it's a easy pass.

Think this is the way PWTT needed to design their pretender toys. With just creating fully articulated pretender shells. then using HasTak Legends class toys to fit inside the shells.