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BotCon

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BotCon
Location(s)Various places in the USA
Major eventsPanel discussions, interviews and casual chatter with Transformers writers, artists and voice actors
Transformers toys and media for sale
Convention-exclusive Transformers toys
Formal dinner with featured guests
Organized byFun Publications
Websitehttp://www.botcon.com
Display cases for upcoming Transformers at BotCon 2006

BotCon, briefly known as "The Official Transformers Collectors Convention" (or OTFCC), is an annual convention for Transformers fans and collectors. The convention has been held, in one form or another, annually since 1994.

The name "BotCon" comes from both "robot convention" and the names "Autobot" and "Decepticon" used in the toyline.

Featured BotCon guests are usually involved in the creation of Transformers media in some respect, whether voice actors from the animated series, artists or writers from the comic books, or actual Hasbro employees.

BotCon History

File:BotCon2006 Devastator.jpg
Custom figure of Devastator at the custom figures display of BotCon 2006

The first BotCon was held in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1994. Organized by brothers Jon and Karl Hartman, the convention had 180 attendees. BotCon 1995 was organized by Raksha, a prominent figure in the fan community, and 1996 by Men In Black Productions, headed up by Dennis Barger. In 1997, the Hartmans brought Glen Hallit, a fellow fan, into the fold, forming 3H Enterprises (based upon the first letter of all three organizers' last names).

At BotCon 2002, Hallit announced that 3H had secured the official Transformers convention license, as well as licenses to produce comic books and start a fan club. Within months, the Hartmans were pressured by Hallit out of planning or running the convention, leaving Glen Hallit as the sole organizer.

A few people dress up in costume for BotCon, but this is a rare occurrence

In 2003, the convention changed its name to "The Official Transformers Collectors Convention", OTFCC for short, due to the Hartmans' legal ownership of the BotCon service mark. The fandom had dueling conventions in 2004, as 3H held OTFCC in Chicago, Illinois while the Hartman brothers revived the BotCon name for a convention in Pasadena, California. In fall 2004, 3H Productions lost all its Transformer licenses, leaving the convention in a state of limbo. In early 2005, Hasbro announced on its official website that Fun Publications, owned by Brian Savage, had been given the convention and fan club licenses. The Hartman brothers were invited onto and accepted places in an advisory board for the new convention, along with other prominent fans Benson Yee and Rik Alvarez, and granted use of the BotCon name once again.

In 2002, BotCon sought to expand to Europe, holding its first ever official European convention in Cheshunt, UK. The event, which was held in conjunction with the main BotCon 2002 in the USA, had much less advertising, the registration did not open until only a couple of weeks before the convention, and the official programme only consisted of a panel discussion with Simon Furman. After 3H found out that attendance to the European BotCon had been much smaller than to the main BotCon, they decided it was not worth the bother holding two separate BotCons, and officially announced that BotCon will never be held outside the USA again.

Locations

BotCon gets special attention from Transformers licensees, as shown by this promo for the 2007 Transformers movie indicates
  • 1994: Grand Wayne Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana
  • 1995: Dayton Convention Center, Dayton, Ohio
  • 1996: Radisson Hotel Rosemont, Rosemont, Illinois
  • 1997: Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Rochester, New York
  • BotCon Japan 1997: Science and Technology Hall, Tokyo, Japan
  • 1998: Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California
  • BotCon Japan 1998: Sevencity Hall, Tokyo, Japan
  • 1999: Touchstone Energy Place, St. Paul, Minnesota
  • BotCon Europe 1999: Barnabas Center, London, United Kingdom
  • 2000: Grand Wayne Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana
  • BotCon Japan 2000: Trade and Industry Center, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2001: Durham Marriott Civic Center, Durham, North Carolina
  • 2002: Grand Wayne Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana
  • BotCon Europe 2002: Wolsey Hall, Cheshunt, United Kingdom
  • OTFCC 2003: Hyatt Regency O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
  • OTFCC 2004: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois
  • BotCon 2004: Pasadena Conference Center, Pasadena, California
  • 2005: Embassy Suites, Frisco, Texas
  • 2006: Lexington Convention Center, Lexington, Kentucky
  • 2007: Providence, Rhode Island, Hasbro's home city, the weekend before the live action Transformers movie is released.(6/29-7/1)

Special Guests

Over the years, BotCon has featured many individuals who have worked to bring the Transformers multiverse to life, including voice actors, animation staff, and Hasbro design team members. BotCon guests include:

Exclusive toys

One of BotCon's most popular features is an exclusive toy (sometimes two or more toys) sold to the guests. The toys are different every year, and will not be sold at retail anywhere in the world. The identity and design of the toys were originally kept a close secret until the opening of the convention, although in the later years of the convention the organizers often chose to reveal one or more of the exclusives ahead of time, due to repeated problems with stolen prototypes being sold on eBay.

In the past, the toys were sold individually as part of the convention registration process, however the current convention organizers are only offering the exclusives as part of a package deal, a move that has caused some contention in the fandom.

Although the toys are always unique, financial costs prohibit the creation of entirely new molds. As such, the toys are redecos of previously used toys given new identities, occasionally switching allegiances and even gender. In the last few years, minor remolds have been made to the exclusives, such as the more feminine-looking heads given to 2003 exclusives Roulette and Shadow Striker. After the convention, exclusive toys usually become valuable collector's items in the community, particularly among fans who missed the convention.

BotCon/OTFCC-exclusive toys include:

  • 1994
    • Breakdown - Turquoise and lavender Transformers: Generation 2 version of the Stunticon Breakdown. This toy was initially intended as a mass-release toy, but was distributed as a convention exclusive instead. A number of these toys were distributed the same year at a convention run by Whiz Bang toys.
  • 1995
    • Nightracer - Black redeco of Go-Bot Highbeam / Bumblebee. Nightracer is the first official female Decepticon released in the United States. The toy itself is in the same plastic colors as Go-Bot Bumblebee without the vehicle mode's metallic gold paint deco, but with a silver faceplate in robot mode and engine in vehicle mode. The convention's organizer, Jovanka Kink, hand-applied Decepticon logo stickers and painted blue racing stripes on the toys. A number of these toys turned up for sale by Whiz Bang toys without the decals, painted stripes, or packaging. Possibly for their 1995 convention.
  • 1996
    • Onyx Primal - Black redeco of bat Optimus Primal. Available in regular, dealer, and VIP box variations. This toy was also used as the exclusive for Men In Black's own convention, Transcon II (they consider Botcon 1996 as Transcon I) in 1997 in a fourth package variation.
  • 1997
  • 1997 Japan
    • Super Hybrid Model Galvatron - A non-transforming vinyl action figure. This toy was also available in a translucent orange "Lava Bath" version to the 1st 100 attendees.
  • 1998
  • 1998 Japan
    • Barbearian/Grizzly-1 - Brown redeco of Polar Claw.
    • Double Punch - Translucent red redeco of Beast Wars Scorponok.
  • 1999
  • 2000
  • 2000 Japan
  • 2001
    • Arcee - White and pink redeco of Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia. Blackarachnia's chestplate has been removed for this release; the original chrome piece shows through with the holes filled in. A number of these had a light-activated voice chip installed in the package containing dialogue by Susan Blu, the original voice actress for G1 Arcee.
    • Tigatron - Blue and white redeco of the Japanese-exclusive Beast Wars Metals X-9 Ravage figure.
  • 2002
  • 2002 Europe
    • Rook - Grey redeco of Windcharger, originally a European exclusive, later given away in the United States as well.
  • OTFCC 2003
    • Roulette and Shadow Striker - Silver and black, and purple and golden redecos of Robots In Disguise Side Burn, packaged together. These toys had more "feminine" headsculpts than the original toy.
    • Sideswipe - Red remold and redeco of Robots in Disguise Prowl.
    • Sunstreaker - Yellow remold and redeco of Robots in Disguise Prowl. This toy was only made available to attendees who reserved a room at a specific hotel for the convention weekend. Both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were remolded to remove Prowl's police siren bar.
    • Heroes of Cybertron Sunstorm PVC - Repaint of Starscream PVC, given away to attendees who pre-paid for registration to the next year's convention on the spot at OTFCC 2003.
    • Heroes of Cybertron Air Cavalry 6-pack - PVC set of Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, and 3 generic Decepticon seekers. All repaints of the same Starscream PVC mold.
  • OTFCC 2004
    • Megazarak - Black and red redeco of Armada Megatron. Originally intended as the 2004 hotel incentive, but eventually became the only exclusive available for sale at OTFCC 2004.
    • Sentinel Maximus - red & blue redeco of Armada Overload. This character is supposed to be a fusion of Beast Machines Primal Prime and BotCon exclusive Apelinq. This toy was not ready in time for OTFCC 2004, and was eventually shipped to purchasers several months later, now packaged as the first exclusive to the new Fun Publications club. Sentinel Maximus actually had three new mold pieces, as both the large "Sentinel Maximus" robot and the smaller "Hyperlinq"/"Apelinq" partner featured remolded heads (Sentinel Maximus's head was a two-piece mold).
    • Energon Spears - Attendees who filled out a survey at the Hasbro booth were given a pair of recolors of Energon Skyblast's weapon set. Available in a blue "Alpha" version and a purple "Omega" version.
  • Botcon 2004
    • Action Master G2 Breakdown - While OTFCC was held this year, the Hartman Brothers held their own "BotCon" convention, at which this toy was available. An Action Master likeness of the original BotCon exclusive, Generation 2 Breakdown, the figure is a redeco of the previously European-exclusive Action Master Sideswipe (as both Sideswipe and Breakdown transformed into Lamborghini'ss.) This fan-produced toy is not a Hasbro-sanctioned product, and as such is not official per se. In fact, convention organizers had to very carefully check the packaging of this figure to ensure that no Hasbro trademarks were used.
  • 2005
    • "Descent into Evil", a seven-figure box set, including:
      • Deathsaurus - Blue redeco of Robots in Disguise Megatron with a new head sculpt.
      • Buzzclaw and Dirge - Purple, black and yellow redecos (in different schemes for each figure) of Beast Wars Buzzclaw
      • Fallback - Brown, tan, and silver redeco of Energon Strongarm, intended as a renamed version of the G1 character Outback.
      • Ironhide - Red and grey redeco of Transformers: Energon Tow-Line with a new head sculpt.
      • Ricochet - Black and red redeco of the Generation 2 Cyberjet Jetfire mold, a new character.
      • Chromia - White and green redeco of Energon Arcee with a new head sculpt. Chromia was one of the female Autobots from the Generation One series. However, many fans have pointed out that Chromia's color scheme, headsculpt, and personality profile all resemble Moonracer, a different character entirely. According to convention representatives, they could not secure the Moonracer name, so they simply dubbed the character Chromia instead.
    • Flareup - an orange redeco of Chromia, and Ratchet - a white redeco of the Energon Tow-Line mold with the new Ironhide headsculpt and a new Energon weapon, sold together in a pack.
    • Virulent Clones - A pack of two blue redecos of Beast Wars Buzzclaw.
    • Flamewar - Black redeco of Energon Arcee, given free to pre-registered attendees. Flamewar does not have the new headsculpt found on Chromia and Flareup.
    • Legends of Cybertron Ramjet - White and blue repaint of Legends of Cybertron Starscream given away at the Hasbro booth.
File:Megatron-botcon.jpg
Botcon 2006 Megatron
  • 2006
    • "Dawn of Futures Past," a five-figure box set showcasing Beast Wars characters in their "original" pre-beast modes. All figures are from Transformers: Cybertron, and are equipped with a new version of the Planet X Cyber Planet Key, redecoed to resemble the Golden Disk. The set includes:
      • Axalon Optimus Primal - A recolor of Crumplezone designed to resemble Primal's original body, with a new headsculpt in his likeness.
      • Axalon Rattrap - Recolor of Ransack designed to resemble Rattrap's original body.
      • Darksyde Dinobot - Recolor of Longrack designed to resemble Dinobot's original body, with the head of Transformers: Armada Hoist, whom Longrack was a remold of. Hoist's head is highly evocative of Dinobot. Also bears a Predacon sigil.
      • Axalon Cheetor - Recolor of Clocker, designed to resemble Cheetor's original body (including cheetah-spotted seat covers), with a new headsculpt in his likeness.
      • Axalon Rhinox - Recolor of Landmine, designed to resemble Rhinox's original body.
    • Darksyde Megatron - Recolor of Cybertron Defense Red Alert with a new headsculpt in his likeness, and Darksyde Waspinator - a green and yellow redeco of the Machine Wars Skywarp mold, sold together in a pack.
    • Buzzsaw and Laserbeak - Recolors of the Energon Divebomb mold done in gold and red color schemes respectively, sold together in a pack.
    • Unit-2 (Tigatron) - Recolor of the above mentioned Axalon Cheetor as Tigatron. Given away free to pre-registered attendees.
  • 2007
    • "Games of Deception!", a five-figure box set set in the fictional universe of the Transformers: Classics comic strip published in the club's newsletter. The characters included are as follows.
      • Bugbite - Recolor of Classics Bumblebee in white and black, based upon the eHobby exclusive Go-Bot of the same name, who was in turn a recolor of the 2004 Takara reissue Bumblebee toy.
      • Dirge - Recolor of Classics Ramjet
      • Dreadwind - recolor of Classics Jetfire, with a new headsculpt in his likeness.
      • Thrust - Recolor and remold of Classics Ramjet
      • Thundercracker - Recolor of Classics Starscream (itself previously recolored as Skywarp)
    • An as-yet-unidentified free figure, available only to pre-registered attendees.
    • As-yet-unidentified two-figure packs, available only for sale at the convention.

Proposed/Unreleased Exclusives

A number of toys were planned over the years but never produced, for various reasons:

  • Cataclysm, a green and purple redeco of Transmetal Cheetor. This character actually appeared in the convention storyline and was thought to be the lower priced exclusive in 2000 until Apelinq was revealed instead. It is unclear whether or not Cataclysm was ever truly intended to be released, however.
  • Optimal Rodimus Primal, mentioned by the Hartmans at the organizer's panel at Botcon 2000, this would have been an updated version of Rodimus Prime made from the Optimal Optimus mold. Plans were nixed very early on as Primal Prime was going into its limited production run and Hasbro didn't give licensees the leeway they now enjoy. Optimal Rodimus Primal's events in the Wreckers storyline were revised for Primal Prime and Rodimus instead.
  • Hot Spot, a blue redeco of Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime as the Generation One character. The toy would have featured a new headsculpt for the robot's larger "Defensor" mode. This toy was originally solicited for OTFCC 2004, then pushed back for OTFCC 2005. When the license was removed from Hallit, all plans for this figure evaporated. A hand painted example was made and pictures can be found at Allspark.com.
  • Megatron, a red redeco of Robots in Disguise Megatron as an upgraded (and resurrected) Beast Wars Megatron. This toy would have featured a new headsculpt, and is rumored to also include his legendary rubber duck bath toy from the Beast Wars cartoon. Designs of this toy were part of 3H's OTFCC 2005 proposal, which never happened.
  • Devcon, a blue redeco of Energon Slugslinger as the Generation One character. This toy would have featured a new headsculpt. Designs of this toy were part of 3H's OTFCC 2005 proposal, which never happened.
  • Brawn, a green redeco of Energon Strongarm as the Generation One character. This toy would have featured a new headsculpt and snap on Energon gauntlets. Designs of this toy were part of 3H's OTFCC 2005 proposal, which never happened.
  • Roadbuster, an orange and green redeco of Energon Strongarm as the Generation One character. This toy would have featured a new headsculpt and Energon rifle. Designs of this toy were part of 3H's OTFCC 2005 proposal, which never happened.
  • Blue Balls Attack Team, from an anecdote shared by Karl Hartman on the now defunct BotCon Beyond message board, a planning session for BotCon had run much later than anticipated and an exhausted Hartman proposed a pair of blue repaints of Beast Wars Retrax. Obviously not a serious proposal.
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