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Now that Botcon 2015 has come and gone, I'd like to see what people have to say about it, especially everyone that actually attended.

Myself, I had a really good weekend. I ended up getting recruited to work at the Agabyss booth in between RIPT Apparel and TFSource, so if you stopped by and listened to me give my spiel about going across the street to "The Good Dealer Room", it's much appreciated. I loved talking with everyone that stopped by.

I will say, the attendance was REALLY low. It was very easy to get through the dealer room without bumping into people and most of the General Admissions were pretty much people that cheaped out on getting the Primus or Protoform Packages. So I have no idea how Hasbro is going to measure the success of brand exposure using General Admission numbers like they have in the past. I chalk that up to how far we were from actual Chicago as well as Blackhawk mania sweeping the city.

I was really looking forward to seeing a bunch of kids in the dealer room to get rid of my low value common stuff, but they never came. I think I seen maybe 20 kids stop by our dealer booth, so I was only able to get rid of a few PCC's and a couple other pieces. So that was disappointing, as I always get a kick out of the kids eyes lighting up when I say they can just have it instead of selling it. So I missed out on that this year, unfortunately.

Be ready for when Fun Pub gets home, as I don't think ANY of the souvenirs sold out. So if you are in the market for this year's figures, make sure to watch their store in the coming days. I seen a lot of people selling the Pretender for only $120 to $140 at the show, so keep that mind as well if that was the only figure you wanted.

I'm hoping more members that attended post their own thoughts on this year's show as well. So if you were at Botcon, let everyone know how what your thoughts are about it. Why was attendance so low?

I'd only been able to attend for about a day, though it wasn't too difficult given it's just about an hour's drive away. Though having said that, I feel like I didn't get the whole experience that most did having spent all weekend there, and that yeah it didn't seem quite as big an event as past years' cons have. No real idea as to why attendance was so low, except for maybe the fact that people who had been to the Pheasant Run Resort knew of its reputation and were smart enough not to buy into the misleading info we'd been sold off the website. Still, the elbow room was nice and I enjoyed the rather casual environment.

And I got to get a pic of this:

No other Seibertronians attended Botcon? I guess attendance really was down!

I was also surprised to see that there wasn't a booth set up for the site like they had at TFCon. Would have been nice to run into some people from here.

Ryan can only be in so many places as once. With TFCon, the panels weren't anything official, so he could devote his time to the store in the dealer room.

With Botcon though, he not only covered all the panels, he actually hosted one this year as well. So to do all that AND run a store in the dealer room would have been very difficult to do.

I get what you're saying though. I don't think any of the sites really picked their official hangouts after the con this year, as there weren't many options. Everyone pretty much ended up in the lobby by the poopy bar or in the room parties.

I kind of wish I had gone in retrospect.

If the club/organization had said that the set and theme was, "Crazy stuff and rarities over time that pique collector interests," I would have gone.

Instead I felt like it was some Guardians of the Galaxy gimmick thing.

My time is too limited these days to blindly trust others with it. If I had more details or more knowledge in general, I probably would have made the effort to go. This was a convention theme I wanted and supported happening. I feel like I missed out because I couldn't entirely discern that in time to schedule time away and devote income to it.

We went and had a blast like always. You should have come out CP! Despite some of the common areas smelling a bit musty, the hotel was nice and clean. The grounds were beautiful. Food was very reasonable. It had a kitchy indoor Bourbon Street area that I absolutely loved. I think attendance was probably pretty poor which means we aren't likely to have Botcon there again though. That and being an hour plus out from the airports probably doesn't help. Plenty of food places in walking distance along with Target and Wal-Mart across the street from each other less than a block away. Incredibly convenient for pretty much all your needs. As far as the items on offer, all pretty good stuff. No idea what I'm gonna do with the Diaclone/Waruder stuff just yet. Cool all the same. Each unique wasp is stunning in hand. So much deco! The unreleased G2 guys don't do much for me but they're both new molds that I'm pretty fond of. The Sgt. Hound has a tampo on his leg that spells out the name of my friend and possibly the world's biggest Hound fan. He's also friends with Pete. Totally awesome gesture and bit of trivia. Putting most of that aside, as usual, the people are the reason to go. The family is huge. It's hard to find time to spend with everyone but we try to make the rounds. Had an old friend come up to me that I met around ten years ago at a local meet up. His first Botcon and my first time seeing him in... eight years maybe? Caught up with some other old friends too. Watching the Hartman collection dwindle to nothing on the final day was interesting too. All in all, a great time! I'd love to revisit. I think the people that attend primarily for the toys are doing it wrong.

Flux Convoy wrote:You should have come out CP! It had a kitchy indoor Bourbon Street area that I absolutely loved.

I worry CP would get all New Orleans hipster on us someplace like that

ScottyP wrote:

Flux Convoy wrote:You should have come out CP! It had a kitchy indoor Bourbon Street area that I absolutely loved.

I worry CP would get all New Orleans hipster on us someplace like that

Honestly, I liked this one better. Drunken debauchery is a blast. However, this was clean, fairly quiet and didn't reek of vomit and bodily waste. Botcon is a touch more low key. Just a touch.

Making use of my accidental double post. I hope that perhaps we can start getting set finishing characters for the sub in the next few years. I understand wanting to continue to move forward and try new things. We're far past time to start filling gaps in previous sets though. My biggest complaint I have ever had with what we get from the club is the seeming lack of input we have. It sucks to be part of something that, I have always felt, should be a touch more closely knit to us, the customers and fans. Not having a voice in something I throw thousands at every year can feel frustrating. Luckily, I like most of the product we get.

^Quite the turnaround from the combative replies in "Botcon the Usual Suspects".

I'm in complete agreement (shocking, I know). I don't think I've ever said "Botcon isn't fun", it just needs quite a bit of work to fix some problem areas. From conversations I had with several people at Botcon, it finally feels like Fun Pub is serious about fixing these issues, especially the registration system. Yes, it's unfortunate it took 10 years to get here, but slow change is better than no change I guess.

So perhaps we can look at 2015 as a rebuilding year. Chances are they will probably go back to Pasadena or Dallas again next year, which is fine. I'm sure attendance will rebound and there will a large turnout again. If they go to California, I'll take another year off again as I have no interest in going to that dried out state. If they go Texas, I'll probably try to make it down there.

In the meantime, despite being unofficial, I'll enjoy TFCon Charlotte this year and TFCon Chicago next year. I already have the exclusives they are offering (leftovers from pass years), so it's not the toys that are drawing me there, it's the convenience and the people. Same reason I went to Botcon this year as I didn't come home with a single Botcon exclusive.

But yeah, back to agreeing with you. I can definitely understand what you are talking about with the exclusives and the choices made. Often the defense is that they only have certain molds available that year or there is a specific mold they really want to do and they work the story around it to flesh out the rest of the set (Scorponok last year, Oilmaster this year). I think that while such ideas as Scorponok and Oilmaster are great on their own, putting them in a box set ruins the flow of the set. Those are two toys that probably should have been offered as Club Exclusives, and that would have allowed a more cohesive and much better box set for both years.

Like with this year, half the set being Diaclone. Don't get me wrong, there is a rather large contingent of fans that wanted a Diaclone themed box set, but I don't think the fans would have picked the Waruders or Zaptrap for the set. Most want the G1 cars repainted in their Pre-TF colors. Yes, Burnout and Lift-ticket delivered in that regard, but having their "drivers" still paired with G2 Hound hurt that set.

What they do next year, who can guess? This is going to be an interesting transitional time in exclusives and I'm surprised more wasn't said about it at Botcon. Perhaps it was mentioned in the club panel (I missed it), but with the logistics changing this year it's a concern. What I'm referring to is everything that has been made for Transformers AND Botcon has come out of China the last 10 years. Combiner Wars figures are manufactured in Vietnam. The club already revealed that their Sub Service figures are all Combiner Wars figures. The club also revealed their free figure next year is Universe Ramjet, which will be made in China. The elephant in the room is how much longer with Fun Pub have access to older molds that are still in China?

So again, that may possibly limit Botcon 2016's exclusives in which molds they can use and I think using Combiner Wars figures in the Sub Service is an indication this could be coming. Logically, it makes sense for them to go for G2 Menasor, since G2 Breakdown is as Botcon-y as a Botcon exclusive can get (and Botcon has had previous Botcon exclusives in the last few sets). We've also seen the leaked images of box art for G2 Superion for G2 Menasor to fight as well.

They should have BotCon in my state again if they want better attendance numbers

They should have BotCon in my state again if they want better attendance numbers

LegendaryAntiHero wrote:They should have BotCon in my state again if they want better attendance numbers

While Pasadena may prove your statement valid, San Diego also proves it invalid.

Since 2016 isn't a movie year and 2017 is, it's more than likely that Botcon 2016 will be in Texas and 2017 will be Pasadena again.

They could surprise us all and do Providence again next year though. That would be AWESOME.

If they ever have it in Ohio again, I might attend, but that would be the only real incentive to get me to go. Conventions just aren't my thing. I've never gone to any form of a Comic Con, TFcon or BotCon, I usually don't have that level of funding at the ready, plus the thought of getting on a plane just makes my entire skeleton want to fly out of my skin.

Not to mention, I just fail to see a reason to spend that much money on an event that's going to sell me toys, when I could go do other more fulfilling things AND still buy the toys.

I'm not sure why they won't use Ohio more often. I heard Cincinnati wasn't the best experience for everyone involved, I get that, not the greatest city, but we also have Columbus (which would accommodate many) and Cleveland, which truly IS the mistake on the lake, but we do have the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (a nice attraction that people could go see on the side) as well as the really nice Metroparks Zoo and Martin Luther King Drive which is lined with beautiful parks and a fantastic botanical garden.

There is plenty to do in the major cities here, they just refuse to work with people on it, and I can't figure out why.

Oh well.

I was there. I bought stuff. I covered panels. My wallet still hates me. So it was good.

Autobot032 wrote:I'm not sure why they won't use Ohio more often. I heard Cincinnati wasn't the best experience for everyone involved, I get that, not the greatest city, but we also have Columbus (which would accommodate many) and Cleveland, which truly IS the mistake on the lake, but we do have the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (a nice attraction that people could go see on the side) as well as the really nice Metroparks Zoo and Martin Luther King Drive which is lined with beautiful parks and a fantastic botanical garden.

Now this is an interesting point. How much selling of the city should be done?

Obviously for someone like myself who'd be travelling from the other side of the world, knowing what the target city has to offer would be important, if I'm going to travel that far I'd like to do more than just go to a convention!

Would the same be said for those travelling only half a country away?

Of those who travel to BotCon, how many take the time to check out what the local city has to offer?

The reason I left my wife at home was because there was nothing for her to do once we arrived. If it's hosted in a large city - ANY large city - my wife could have her own vacation, just as I'm having one of my own.

Oh yeah, and Botcon was too much fun. I really need to make a point to go more often, even if it means spending a little less in the dealer room.

Burn wrote:Of those who travel to BotCon, how many take the time to check out what the local city has to offer?

My dad usually accompanies me on these BotCon vacations and, while I'm at the con, he goes sight-seeing. This year, he got to hang out with an old friend of his and together they went to go see a Cubs game, a Dodgers game, and plenty of sights in downtown Chicago. So while I get a convention out of the trip, he gets a much wider experience seeing what the surrounding location has to offer and has found enjoyment from each location every time thus far.

Burn wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:I'm not sure why they won't use Ohio more often. I heard Cincinnati wasn't the best experience for everyone involved, I get that, not the greatest city, but we also have Columbus (which would accommodate many) and Cleveland, which truly IS the mistake on the lake, but we do have the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (a nice attraction that people could go see on the side) as well as the really nice Metroparks Zoo and Martin Luther King Drive which is lined with beautiful parks and a fantastic botanical garden.

Now this is an interesting point. How much selling of the city should be done?

Obviously for someone like myself who'd be travelling from the other side of the world, knowing what the target city has to offer would be important, if I'm going to travel that far I'd like to do more than just go to a convention!

Would the same be said for those travelling only half a country away?

Of those who travel to BotCon, how many take the time to check out what the local city has to offer?

I think the host city should be oversold, honestly. Get some of the lesser known, but excellent attractions out there for the world to see. I forgot to mention, we also have a really nice casino in Cleveland, so there's more money to blow while attending a BotCon. (That's probably why they won't have it here. People will blow more money on gambling, less on buying.)

Hmm. Same for Columbus. They have a casino as well, a sizeable one, I might add.

Well, we might have to scratch Ohio off the list, then. =\

I had a great time while I was there, lots of great food (Portillo's & Giordano's are epic, baby!!!), and thought the convention overall was a success--what I got to see of it. I was a dealer helper with Captured Prey, and didn't get to go to any panels, but did get to browse the dealer room a few times and got some great stuff. I think the highlight of the show for me was twofold, the custom class & just meeting people I hadn't seen a while or those who recognized me. Was a perfect show? No, but still an enjoyable experience.

Okay, I posted this on Twitter as well, and forgive me if this post is in the wrong place, but I'll ask again here, since I assume someone from the club must be looking in on all this.

I realize ahead of time that this is a ridiculous question, given how things have traditionally gone, but even if we don't have the location for the show, could we at least please have next year's dates? I'm asking because Power-Con (the He-Man convention) is scheduled for June 4th and 5th, and since that is so close to the weekend that has been BotCon the last two years, I'm worried that there will be some conflict. I would like to attend both shows, and I would hate to double book, as their registration goes live in two weeks. BotCon is my first priority, but if I register for Power-Con, I wouldn't want to cancel and be out the registration/exclusives money. If I knew the dates for BotCon before August 15, I'd be able to make a better informed decision. Heck, I don't even really need the specific dates, I just need to know that it's NOT going to be June 4 & 5.

So, if anybody from the club is watching, a little help, please? Thanks.

Hmm, where to post this? I guess here works.

Check out a few alternate bios that were written for the BotCon 2015 Waruder 4-pack (Yay! Just squeaked in as "official"!):
https://twitter.com/The_TF_Club/status/815245714766774277

If you've read the "Coalescence" prose story, one of them might already be familiar...

Um, gah don't necrobump!

Jk

These are pretty cool. I like these better than the original concepts, which is meant as a compliment to these and not a knock on those. The Skywarp one is especially fun to me.

Now that I'm completely unofficial, as is this bio, the "other" unused bio for the yellow Waruder:

Predacon®
Buzz SawTM
Aerial Surveillance
“Scurry away with fear, land-vermin. Buzz Saw sees you all!”

Hovering at altitudes of 20,000 feet, the PREDACON known as BUZZ SAW keeps its eyes focused on the forests and deserts below. Highly advanced infrared sensors and telescopic vision detect any and all motion with chilling accuracy. Zeroing in on an enemy MAXIMAL®, the PREDACON dives, aims a powerful air-to-ground “sting” missile, and fires before the target even realizes an attack is imminent. The missile instantly releases a toxic payload, shutting down the MAXIMAL's locomotive functions and inducing a complete temporary paralysis. BUZZ SAW then grabs its prey with its terrible titanium talons and carries it back to the PREDACON ship, Darksyde, where a swarm of Cyber-Bees drain the MAXIMAL's internal energon supply for future PREDACON nourishment.

Like its evil partner, the wicked WASPINATORTM, BUZZ SAW can exit the planet's atmosphere at any time. However, it prefers to exploit the aerial advantage over the land-based MAXIMALS, causing it to rarely venture far from orbit. This is most seen while tracking its most loathed foe, the MAXIMAL Berserker BARBEARIAN, whose razor-claws have smashed open countless of BUZZ SAW's storage hives in a quest to reclaim siphoned MAXIMAL energon.

STRENGTH: 7
INTELLIGENCE: 6
SPEED: 8
ENDURANCE: 5
RANK: 6
COURAGE: 5
FIREPOWER: 7
SKILL: 6