It's been stated before "where the money is going". Besides, it's none of our business, unless we are going to run Botcon ourselves. I used to volunteer for a convention, and dude, that stuff ain't easy. Nor is it easily funded.

 

As for the "being used" comment", all I can say is I'm sorry you feel that way. And I can certainly feel for the fans who can't afford the set, or don't want to pay the price for it. I haven't been to Botcon in five-six years, and I've only been able to get 4 of the last however many exclusives from the years I didn't go. Do I feel cheated? No. Do I want more of the exclusives that were offered? Hell yes. But I'm not going to complain just because I either can't or won't pay 200-300 for Ironhide or Ratchet. Each of whom I HELLA want.

Bite me, 939. I'm tryin to make a point.

Bite you? I'd tear your f***ing face off if you talked to me like that in person you little prick.

 

Don't do it again boy.

 

(speak for yourself only in future)

Whatever, Comon Pete. Where's the beef? :danmit

 

Bite me, 939. I'm tryin to make a point.

Bite you? I'd tear your f***ing face off if you talked to me like that in person you little prick.

 

Don't do it again boy.

 

(speak for yourself only in future)

 

 

Least I'm not dumb enough to threaten someone on a board...

I think respect is a two way street JA. I have shown you far more than what has been shown by you towards myself and FP. You have accused us of being crooks, used comments such as "Outback probing" in an attempt to be humerous and so on. To be taken seriously, to have ones concerns be taken into real consideration, it is often best to use constructive criticism, not lobby attacks and blind insults at a persons business. Worse, it is done with a skewed point of view and done so using opinions, not facts.

It's been stated before "where the money is going". Besides, it's none of our business, unless we are going to run Botcon ourselves. I used to volunteer for a convention, and dude, that stuff ain't easy. Nor is it easily funded.

 

As for the "being used" comment", all I can say is I'm sorry you feel that way. And I can certainly feel for the fans who can't afford the set, or don't want to pay the price for it. I haven't been to Botcon in five-six years, and I've only been able to get 4 of the last however many exclusives from the years I didn't go. Do I feel cheated? No. Do I want more of the exclusives that were offered? Hell yes. But I'm not going to complain just because I either can't or won't pay 200-300 for Ironhide or Ratchet. Each of whom I HELLA want.

 

It would be a lot easier to swallow, if we knew definitively which was more - production costs or pocket lining. That's why, even though I love technological stuff, I'm not buying an iPhone - reports are it costs only $230 or so to make, and they are charging $499 for the cheap one.

 

It doesn't bother you in the least that you will be paying so much for at the least one straight repaint, with no retooling? That's not Dirge, that's Dirjet. Or Ramrge. Hell, I could walk over to my toy department, buy a Ramjet, go to Colpar Hobbies, buy perhaps $8 or $10 worth of paints, and have something that looks only slightly worse than those pictures, for less than 1/3rd of the price. THAT is what is bugging me. I will likely try to find on the 2ndary market a Starscream to repaint into Thundercracker, and I'll bet you money that it looks just as good as the Botcon ripoffs.

 

Had they remolded all figures to G1 goodness, since they are classics, and had proper paint apps, I would think that even $30 or $35 per figure would be reasonable, and $50 for the rumored Jetfire redeco. After all, Voyager sized. So, $170 or so would be reasonable to me, not $329. That's the number than concerns me, since I do not have the time or $$ to go to Providence for the 'Con, given that I have a family wedding to attend in August.

Wow.......you sure do know how to act like a pompous ass to the fans, eh?

 

There's no possible way that you and your gang of crooks are really, truly, needing to charge/steal as much as you are for this set. I'd love to get on my paycheck the profit you are going to be gleaning from the fans buying this set.

 

As a previous poster said, if you could "open the books", so to speak, and prove that you really do need more money than to buy every other classics figure at mass retail, for 5 figures, there would be a lot less Starscreaming. Especially from me. If it was proven that all you are making is a modest profit (after all, this IS America, viva reasonable capitalism), I would issue a public apology and quite likely move some stuff out of my collection to buy the set.

 

I'm also curious as to why your company couldn't even produce a proper Dirge - you have a Ramjet painted different colors. It's like taking Rodimus Prime and painting him bright red and blue, and calling him Optimus Prime.

 

First of all: The books of the convention aren't our business.

 

Second of all: Who decides what a modest profit is? One man's modest profit is another man's Outback Transufomah!. There's no scale for that and therefore no way for them to prove it, so opening the books would be pointless.

 

If people are buying, they're probably not charging too much.

I think respect is a two way street JA. I have shown you far more than what has been shown by you towards myself and FP. You have accused us of being crooks, used comments such as "Outback probing" in an attempt to be humerous and so on. To be taken seriously, to have ones concerns be taken into real consideration, it is often best to use constructive criticism, not lobby attacks and blind insults at a persons business. Worse, it is done with a skewed point of view and done so using opinions, not facts.

 

My concerns would be of no use to you, obviously, since so many people are lining up BLIND to buy your overpriced, inferior, products. If you want more respect from the rabidly pissed off section of the fandom, you could do a lot more in concern to answering our beefs with what your company has done. Why the straight, inaccurate, repaint? Why no needed remolds to make the character actually LOOK like what you are calling it?

 

The fact that you are charging so much for repaints is not respectful, either. I have NEVER held the position that you should charge $10 for the deluxe sized figures, and $20 for the Voyager. IN a previous post you might not have seen yet, I've gone as far to say that perhaps $30 or so and $50 for deluxe/voyager would be a lot more reasonable. I'd be willing to pay that, for a boxed set. The no box set doesn't count, especially since you have to be there to buy it.

 

The Outback probing was not an attempt at humor. That's a statement of what I believe you and your company to be doing. Because of your unethical business practices, there's no way in hell I would go to a Botcon now, even if you and your people DID remember that there are people in the middle of the country, and have one in Denver. Having it in Providence this year is logical, given the movie and that's where Hasbro is HQ'd, but the closest you have come to a very large, very well equipped as far as hotels is concerned city is what, Texas?

 

George Lucas saw fit to have the massive Episode I party here - so obviously people would travel to Denver.

 

Finally.........facts. We'd like to see some facts. But it seems like you don't care to offer them. A good business man would give out more information than you have.

Whatever, Comon Pete. Where's the beef? :danmit

 

Bite me, 939. I'm tryin to make a point.

Bite you? I'd tear your f***ing face off if you talked to me like that in person you little prick.

 

Don't do it again boy.

 

(speak for yourself only in future)

 

 

Least I'm not dumb enough to threaten someone on a board...

I can argue all day until one of us gets banned so what's it gonna be? You gonna realise you was being a complete jerk by saying "bite me" after you was put right, or are we gonna keep on to see who can get the last word in?

 

If you're any kind of a man you'll shut-up okay.

It would be a lot easier to swallow, if we knew definitively which was more - production costs or pocket lining. That's why, even though I love technological stuff, I'm not buying an iPhone - reports are it costs only $230 or so to make, and they are charging $499 for the cheap one.

 

It doesn't bother you in the least that you will be paying so much for at the least one straight repaint, with no retooling? That's not Dirge, that's Dirjet. Or Ramrge. Hell, I could walk over to my toy department, buy a Ramjet, go to Colpar Hobbies, buy perhaps $8 or $10 worth of paints, and have something that looks only slightly worse than those pictures, for less than 1/3rd of the price. THAT is what is bugging me. I will likely try to find on the 2ndary market a Starscream to repaint into Thundercracker, and I'll bet you money that it looks just as good as the Botcon ripoffs.

 

Had they remolded all figures to G1 goodness, since they are classics, and had proper paint apps, I would think that even $30 or $35 per figure would be reasonable, and $50 for the rumored Jetfire redeco. After all, Voyager sized. So, $170 or so would be reasonable to me, not $329. That's the number than concerns me, since I do not have the time or $$ to go to Providence for the 'Con, given that I have a family wedding to attend in August.

Let it be noted that I'm not going to Botcon for the toys, I'm going for the atmosphere, comraderie, and the hope that I can meet some of my fellow transfans that I communicate with on teh interwebs. The toys are just the "icing on the cake", so to speak.

 

And as far as the Dirge toy goes, well, all I can say is this: if I had the time and patience to paint up my own, I would. I did do a Cybertron Huffer custom recently, but as simple as he was to do, it took up WAY too much of my time to do. I think these will be neat TF toys to own and I'm not regretting my decision to go one bit. Heck, I decided to go this year before the toys were even announced.

 

As far as the price goes, yes it's steep, but as others have said Botcon has to keep the price on the sets that way for non-attendees, or else everyone would have them without benefit of having gone to the convention. Had I not gone this year, I wouldn't have paid that much for those figures. But I wouldn't be mad, not one bit. :)

 

I am glad to see, though, that you do have your priorities in order. Family is much more important than a convention. I'm lucky that I simply do not have any prior engagements keeping me from going (like last year and the year before), but if I had I would've done the same thing again. Besides, I may not have a chance to go to another Botcon again. ;)

Back on topic...

 

I bet the wages of the BotCon staff are lower than them of the Hasbro fat-cats - FWIW.