Botcon 2010 is Generation 2

[Dominic]

The difference here is that convention sets are offered once a year. Indulging in this sort of thing for a once a year set is a waste of resources. Unfortunately, making the stupidest possible TF convention sets seems to be Master Collector's MO of late.

If Marvel and DC only put out a few books a year, I would be less interested in reading their latest train-wrecks. (Even just counting arcs, DC and Marvel produce enough that they can afford one or two clunkers a years.)

Dom
-kind of dreading this year's comic actually....

[Mirage]

Geez Dom, kinda doing a 180 here aren't ya? You were damned excited at the start of this thread!

I personally can't wait. I think this is shaping up to be the best set since *whispers* '07. G2 has a HUGE place in my heart, especially the '95 line, which is what drew me back into Transformers. (Lazer Rod Prime, specifically). And the inclusion of Breakdown has me all but certain we'll see Sideswipe, who I think has the most popular revised color scheme of the G2 characters overall. The only question mark before was the whole not using molds they had used previously (see club Punch/Counterpunch) but if it's gonna fly for Breakdown then that's got my hopes up for Swiper.

As for the garish colors? Well, you couldn't really have a G2 set without them, could you? Unless you were going to do hardcore versions of Jhiaxus and the other comic characters. I think O6 is right. If you're being totally objective, of course the whole thing is hideous. But being objective isn't the goal here. This is a 100% nostalgia-driven fanwank. Look at these toys and think back to that "holy crap" moment in 1992 when you saw Transformers on the toy rack, having thought you NEVER would again, and think how that made you feel. That's the appeal of this set, pure and simple.

[Dominic]

Geez Dom, kinda doing a 180 here aren't ya? You were damned excited at the start of this thread!

That was before I realized how ugly all of the toys were going to be. (Granted, I should have figured it out sooner.)


As I have argued before, '07 was Hasbro's fault and nobody else's. Not every G2 toy had awful colors. The first wave Autobots, (old and new characters), were actually pretty good. Jazz was colorful, but not tacky. Most of the chrome-engineed new Autobots were okay. The same principle applies to the Decepticons, with Ramjet being no worse than G1 Skywarp.

This set it taking the worst of G2. And, like I said, it is a waste of a set to devote it to self-indulgence and wankery.


Dom
-remembers early G2 fondly.

[Onslaught Six]

Another possible toy, and likely attendee-exclusive: Classics Bumblebee in gold or red chrome as 'Bee or Hubcap. (They may even make a chrome one and name him Bumper, if the name is available.)

[Mirage]

This set it taking the worst of G2.

That's kind of a tough call based on two figures, isn't it? Okay, three if the Rapido rumor is true. And don't you dare be hatin' on Rapido.

And, like I said, it is a waste of a set to devote it to self-indulgence and wankery.

Botcon sets are supposed to be something else? For ~$500, I'd better get the wank of my life!

[Dominic]

Wow. First, Anderson and Predaking. Now, we demand memorable wankings from Brian Savage.

Wow.


Joking aside, I do not know of any rule that specifies convention sets have to be self-indulgent wankery. Many of the 3H exclusives were new characters. And, many of the old characters were not wankery so much as they were toys that Hasbro was unlikely to release. This year's, and 2008's exclusives come across as somebody going out of there way to be as over the top stupid as possible.

For $300+, I want more than over the top stupid.

'05: An honest, if flat effort. Thrown together at the last minute, but holds up pretty well.
'06: Wanktastic. Mitigated by it being the 10th anniversary of BW, but still pretty wanktastic.
'07: Delivered on what Hasbro did not bother with. Arguably the best set.
'08: Taking a stupid cliche and adding TFs to it. One of the most derivative and unoriginal "ideas" in the history of the franchise. But, it is *awesome* because it has TFs, because now TFs have the stupid cliche.
'09: Came across as a store exclusive or a desperate attempt to hold onto names by applying them to toys regardless of how well they worked with the toys in question.


Dom
-almost nostalgic for "Wreckers".....

[Onslaught Six]

'09: Came across as a store exclusive or a desperate attempt to hold onto names by applying them to toys regardless of how well they worked with the toys in question.

Last year's set was so unmemorable, I had to go look up what toys were in it just now to see what you were talking about.

[Mirage]

Joking aside, I do not know of any rule that specifies convention sets have to be self-indulgent wankery.

I'm still not a hundred percent sure what you mean by "self-indulgent". FunPub doesn't really have a vested interest in ANYTHING they've done, at least not for Transformers. What's wrong with putting a fresh spin on characters that only fans will remember or care about? I wouldn't mind seeing new characters again at some point, but we're getting a LOT more new characters thrown at us by Hasbro now (in various lines) than we were back in the heyday of 3H. If it's going to be a brand-new character, it had better be something damned special to justify it as a con exclusive.

'05: An honest, if flat effort. Thrown together at the last minute, but holds up pretty well.

Fair enough. Kind of an eclectic mix of characters, I guess, and only a couple of "must-haves". Ironhide is one of the strongest justifications for the set, and now his Universe iteration kind of cuts down on that appeal. Though the Botcon mold is arguably better in many ways.

'06: Wanktastic. Mitigated by it being the 10th anniversary of BW, but still pretty wanktastic.

Again, it's tough to fault them for giving the people what they wanted. Many fans were geeking out about Pre-Beast Wars forms for the characters from the time the show first aired, and this set finally made that happen. Not all of the mold choices were great, but the decos were outstanding.

'07: Delivered on what Hasbro did not bother with. Arguably the best set.

And, almost hilariously, now the ARE bothering with it. But you can count me among the '07 set owners who really doesn't mind. I don't buy the exclusives just to have something rare, that's douchey.

'08: Taking a stupid cliche and adding TFs to it. One of the most derivative and unoriginal "ideas" in the history of the franchise. But, it is *awesome* because it has TFs, because now TFs have the stupid cliche.

The one set I DON'T own. So no point in arguing that, I guess.

'09: Came across as a store exclusive or a desperate attempt to hold onto names by applying them to toys regardless of how well they worked with the toys in question.

I don't quite see where you're getting that. At worst, it's another set that suffers from less than spectacular mold choices. But one of the LEAST exciting choices (Flak from CYB Scattorshot) has one of the best color schemes and is far and away my favorite version of the mold. Landshark, admittedly did nothing for me. But while I wasn't crazy about the mold choice for Kup, I was actually impressed by the toy in person.

[Dominic]

I'm still not a hundred percent sure what you mean by "self-indulgent".

A better term would be "fan-indulgent". "Hey, wouldn't it be goofy-stupid-awesome to make a bunch of ugly toys like the ones we had as kids rather than the not-ugly toys we had? Dude, look how whimsical we are!" I would be fine with Rapido. That was one of the better colored toys from G2. (I only wish I got all of the Autobots and any of the Decepticons from that price-point.)

I wouldn't mind seeing new characters again at some point, but we're getting a LOT more new characters thrown at us by Hasbro now (in various lines) than we were back in the heyday of 3H.

I think you might be wrong on this one. I do not have the numbers in front of me, but Hasbro seems to be re-using characters more now than they did pre-"Unicron Trilogy".

If it's going to be a brand-new character, it had better be something damned special to justify it as a con exclusive.

Given that convention characters can have more developed character profiles, and be tailored to fit comics, it is very easy to justify new characters as special.

Fair enough. Kind of an eclectic mix of characters, I guess, and only a couple of "must-haves". Ironhide is one of the strongest justifications for the set, and now his Universe iteration kind of cuts down on that appeal. Though the Botcon mold is arguably better in many ways.

That set really reminds me of a gaming module. I have been meaning to write D&D or "Mordheim" style rules for those characters.

Many fans were geeking out about Pre-Beast Wars forms for the characters from the time the show first aired, and this set finally made that happen.

Exactly, wanktastic. And, the forms did not only did not make sense, they were forced in. (Note Megatron stripping himself mid-way through the comic.) Cheetor and Tigatron are just plain junk. They look like knock-offs.

But you can count me among the '07 set owners who really doesn't mind. I don't buy the exclusives just to have something rare, that's douchey.

I wonder how many people bought something rare just to get the characters they would have bought anyway? If I had bought that '07 set, I would probably be posting 1701 reasons about why Hasbro should have just released them at mass-retail to begin with....in my own blood on velum cut from my own flesh....all while complaining about a lack of mass released Thundercracker.


Dom
-has been tempted by that '05 set since '05.

[Mirage]

I think you might be wrong on this one. I do not have the numbers in front of me, but Hasbro seems to be re-using characters more now than they did pre-"Unicron Trilogy".

Well, they're re-using NAMES a lot more often now, that's for sure. But many of those name re-uses land on new characters. I wish Hasbro's legal department wouldn't force them to protect names that don't have any real meaning. Names like "Strongarm" and such have been rehashed so much they don't evoke any specific character anymore.

Given that convention characters can have more developed character profiles, and be tailored to fit comics, it is very easy to justify new characters as special.

In theory, that's true. Unfortunately, most of the club (and con) fiction I've read from FunPub kind of comes off as fanfic. Nothing *against* fanfic, per se. I've written plenty of it. But I don't really like reading other peoples', any more than I suspect they'd enjoy mine. That doesn't mean they *can't* do something cool with original characters at some point. I'd certainly be open to it if they tried.

And, the forms did not only did not make sense, they were forced in. (Note Megatron stripping himself mid-way through the comic.) Cheetor and Tigatron are just plain junk. They look like knock-offs.

I actually dig Tigatron a lot, for some reason. Megatron, too. After thinking about it though, I probably would have chosen different molds for ALL of the '06 figures. They really kind of shot themselves in the foot by limiting themselves to Cybertron molds. But even within those parameters, some better choices just off the top of my head:

Primal = Dirt Boss
Cheetor/Tigatron = Hot Shot (car)
Rhinox = Hot Shot (armored)
Rattrap = Brakedown
Dinobot = Vector Prime
Megatron = Scattorshot (tank)
Waspinator = Cyb Buzzsaw