BotCon 2012 a bust?

[Shadowpanther]

Its time Hasbro gives someone else a chance with the convention and club license. FunPub just needs to go away.

I so agree with this. You would figure that with the Club Being the exclusive club of Transformers that they would get all the News and such. Yet Fanpub/club is a major let down.

 

This is a rare event in that I'll defend FunPub. Did FunPub pull some major f'ups, yes. Won't deny that. They should of had their license pulled for shoddy security.

 

However, on the subject of breaking news in regards to Transformers, they can only do that if Hasbro lets them. Even if FunPub loses the club license and someone else takes over, the club will still be in the same spot if Hasbro decides to release news and big reveals to other outlets (IGN, SD/NYCC) over their own official club.

 

Mediocre news at Botcon is the least of their issues, although if Botcon is going to be Hasbro's personal trade show you'd think they would reserve the best news for it.

 

There's the whole cc security issue, supposedly resolved. There's the constant shifting of date for Botcon. It's supposed to be a family friendly event, yet it's in April, when most families still have school to schedule around? There's the excessive focus on their (usually poorly conceived) exclusive repaints. Why do we hear about the exclusive toys for 6 months, yet about the guests long after preregistration is over? Why an all-inclusive box set, rather than individual figure options like 3H used to do it? Too much emphasis on soaking the fans for every cent they can, not enough on making the money spent worth it. I

 

And then there's the fact that Scourge, a repaint I've been eagerly awaiting, is going to be a TFCC exclusive used in that stupid "subscription" service. So we'll have to buy 6 figures to guarantee the one we want. Another way to take advantage of the fans. I might have broken down and ordered Scourge (with a prepaid cc, of course), but no way am I signing up for this.

 

As far as I'm concerned, FunPub is the worst thing to happen to TF fandom. So yeah, I want the license taken away, and frankly I'd rather have no club or convention than ones run by them.

 

1-Maybe Hasbro is dis-pleased with the way TFCC/fun pub is running the botcon convention,thus hasbro spites them by revealing the bulk of the TF news reveals at SDCC & NYCC. Maybe TFCC/Fun pub refuses to pay for the hasbro & takara employees traveling exspenses,time,food & hotel fees. maybe TFCC/Fun pub prefers un-official live panels & limits the official lisensed live panels to only 50 minutes & only one live panel slot.

 

2- Fun pub said because of the G.I Joe 2 movie being in theathres the 3rd week of june 2012. this caused the g.i joe convention 7 botcon to swap conventions dates. so the G.I Joe attendees could have a convention on G.I joe 2 movie release date. possible to see the G.I Joe 2 movie while the g.i joe convention is taking place this year. Fun pub basically screwed over the TF fans & botcon by giving them the awful joe convention date this year. Hasbro not showing that many newer TF stuff is all fun pubs fault. toy fair in nyc in 2012 happened the 3rd week of february. their was no way hasbro could get that much newer TF product in a 2 month time span after toyfair in manhattan. Had botcon 2012 taken place in it's normal july 3rd week convention date,we would have seen more newer TF test shots & projects TF art/test shot pics.

 

3- Who's to say hasbro or takara had plans to release a Scourge repaint using the RTS Optimus deluxe repaint? Hasbro has been cancelling later waves left & right,their is no guarntee this scourge would have appeared in the late 2012/2013 generations toy line. For all we know TFCC/Fun Pub is the Hero in this situation for rescuing or releasing a RTS Scourge toy that hasbro/takarta cancelled or had no plans to release to begin with. FWIW,even if Takara had plans to release a united Scourge using the RTS deluxe optimus toy,the import sites would have spiked the mark up price to around $40. the $40 price is what TFCC/fun pub is gonna be charging for this Scourge.

 

4- I agree 100% times a billion. it sure seems like TFCC/Fun pub is being run by ruthless veteran scalpers or ruthless business men. I'd not a fan of the penatly games that get played. nor the extremly high prices they charge for convention toys,club figures,the club subscription & so forth.

[Blitz-Wing]

No fan club offering convention services is EVER going to completely satisfy the fandom. That should be accepted as fact. No matter who picks up the license, they will be at the mercy of Hasbro not wanting to fully cater to the fandom and limiting what is available. Hasbro is the root of the problem. FunPub just stumbles through it.

[Shadowpanther]

No fan club offering convention services is EVER going to completely satisfy the fandom. That should be accepted as fact. No matter who picks up the license, they will be at the mercy of Hasbro not wanting to fully cater to the fandom and limiting what is available. Hasbro is the root of the problem. FunPub just stumbles through it.

 

From what i've read on the Top 5 TF news sites/forums. The top 5 botcon compliants are all Fun pub & not hasbro

 

the Top 5 botcon complaints:

 

(1) funpub clearly is over charging for botcon conventions toys & club toys. compared to the prices the two hartmans & glen charged when they held the botcon convention liscense.

 

(2)Fun pub while being limited to TF mold choices by hasbro. Fun pub is still in charge of applying colors & persona's to the mold hasbro allows them to use. some/most of the times the molds are great,it's just that the colors & persona's are awful.

 

(3)Fun pub is clearly in charge of the TF boxes that get packaged with the TF convention toys. It's clearly fun pubs fault their is a huge box set with five plus figures. it's fun pubs faults why the souvenir figures are thrown in cheap plastic bags.

 

(4)Fun pub,clearly likes to enjoy playing penalty games. examples: (1) having a 5 days botcon convention. 5 days are for those who paid over $330 for a box set of figures,2 days is for those who pay $20 at the door as regular attendees. (2)club members who pay $40 for the club membership dues but can't afford to go to botcon. are offered a stay at home shipped to your house box set of convention toys for the same $330 price as those who attend the convention. those who attend the convention get the freebie toy that scalps for over $75 on ebay. those who attend botcon the $330 price goes towards 5 days of attendee admission. other attendee perks is the free HOF dinner,access to the live panels,access to autograps,access to freebie stuff at the door,etc.. (3)anyone can order from the TFCC/Fun pub TF ordering site. if your not a member & haven't paid the $40 club dues & want a item on their site. then TFCC charges you a forced penalty fee of $40 more added to you order. basically forcing you into membership dues because you might have wanted to buy a generations thunderwing that no one had on the internet for sale but TFCC.

 

(5)TFCC/Fun pub calls the Club dues toy a freebie toy. but this is a total lie. because all the $40 club dues gets you is a 10 page club magazine counting the front & back covers.that ships out 6 times per year. members are clearly paying the $40 club dues for a $10 retail deluxe toy.

[Breaker]

I think they should just do away with Botcon and JOEcon and combine them. Just come out with Hasbrocon. It would still be dominated by TF fans. No wait! Then the ponies would sneak in!!!

[MikePrime]

I think they should just do away with Botcon and JOEcon and combine them. Just come out with Hasbrocon. It would still be dominated by TF fans. No wait! Then the ponies would sneak in!!!

 

 

If it were "fangirls only", then it would be alright. I wouldn't want to be around men who like MLP:FIM.

[puma]

This is getting annoying and out of hand. This used to be my happy place. not it frustrates and angers me more and more every day.

 

No fan club offering convention services is EVER going to completely satisfy the fandom. That should be accepted as fact. No matter who picks up the license, they will be at the mercy of Hasbro not wanting to fully cater to the fandom and limiting what is available. Hasbro is the root of the problem. FunPub just stumbles through it.

 

From what i've read on the Top 5 TF news sites/forums. The top 5 botcon compliants are all Fun pub & not hasbro

 

the Top 5 botcon complaints:

 

(1) funpub clearly is over charging for botcon conventions toys & club toys. compared to the prices the two hartmans & glen charged when they held the botcon convention liscense.

 

(2)Fun pub while being limited to TF mold choices by hasbro. Fun pub is still in charge of applying colors & persona's to the mold hasbro allows them to use. some/most of the times the molds are great,it's just that the colors & persona's are awful.

 

(3)Fun pub is clearly in charge of the TF boxes that get packaged with the TF convention toys. It's clearly fun pubs fault their is a huge box set with five plus figures. it's fun pubs faults why the souvenir figures are thrown in cheap plastic bags.

 

(4)Fun pub,clearly likes to enjoy playing penalty games. examples: (1) having a 5 days botcon convention. 5 days are for those who paid over $330 for a box set of figures,2 days is for those who pay $20 at the door as regular attendees. (2)club members who pay $40 for the club membership dues but can't afford to go to botcon. are offered a stay at home shipped to your house box set of convention toys for the same $330 price as those who attend the convention. those who attend the convention get the freebie toy that scalps for over $75 on ebay. those who attend botcon the $330 price goes towards 5 days of attendee admission. other attendee perks is the free HOF dinner,access to the live panels,access to autograps,access to freebie stuff at the door,etc.. (3)anyone can order from the TFCC/Fun pub TF ordering site. if your not a member & haven't paid the $40 club dues & want a item on their site. then TFCC charges you a forced penalty fee of $40 more added to you order. basically forcing you into membership dues because you might have wanted to buy a generations thunderwing that no one had on the internet for sale but TFCC.

 

(5)TFCC/Fun pub calls the Club dues toy a freebie toy. but this is a total lie. because all the $40 club dues gets you is a 10 page club magazine counting the front & back covers.that ships out 6 times per year. members are clearly paying the $40 club dues for a $10 retail deluxe toy.

 

1) they order less than 2k per figure. just like with 3rd parties, they don't get great price breaks and the buck gets passed on to the fans. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY THE TOYS UNLESS YOU WANT THEM. and with people willing to pay the prices, Fun Pub/3rd Parties will keep making these figures in limited runs and charge for it.

 

2) Hasbro owns the brand. THEY DO WHATEVER THE HELL THEY WANT TO DO WITH IT. FunPub is trying to cater to fans and give them random and obscure characters that Hasbro won't brother doing. They can't win 100% of the time with each character and set. NO ONE CAN WITH A TEMPERAMENTAL FANDOM LIKE OURS.

 

3) what is your point?! some people like a nice box to display their collectables. Botcon exclusives have been boxed long before FunPub starting making them.

 

4) there's no gun to your head or anyones head that makes you have to buy anything they produce. There are scheduling conflicts and issues they have to work around which i'm sure involves other people than yourself when deciding location and when. again, YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE IN THIS LIFE.

 

5) nothing gets by you does it? refer to my point 1. as far as the wording goes, it's not rocket science to figure out you're buying the toy and not the magazines. Still, a human being has to write the articles in there, draw the comics, put the magazine together, and then ship it to your mailbox so you can rant about it 10 minutes after you read it. That takes time and money. It's not like the God's of magazines sends these issues down from the printing heavens.

 

 

i'm getting tired of posts that just continue to :deadhorse . A lot of people are angry with fun pub still because they invited a hacker into their network, gave him a beer and some chips, and all of our CC info. I get it. But i'm not going to dwell on it. I'm trying not to anyways.

[Breaker]

Bro your just asking for a text wall right back.

[Blitz-Wing]

ShadowPanther, I see a theme with you. End it now. This is just going in a huge circle. Understand that HASBRO holds all the cards and FunPub is just doing a mediocre job of running it. Hasbro controls what characters are used, what colors are used and what molds are used. FunPub simply gets permission from Hasbro to do it that way. In the end, it's all Hasbro. Am I defending FunPub? Not at the least. They have their own demons, such as minimizing their financial risk by doing everything on a shoestring.

 

You want change? Don't bitch at FunPub or here. Bitch at Hasbro. And from what I've read in articles and heard from other reputable sources, you haven't seen anything yet on what Hasbro's plans are for 'fans'. Don't ask me to elaborate on that, because I won't.

[puma]

Bro your just asking for a text wall right back.

 

i know. i like to gamble sometimes...