OTFCC 2003 - Dak Roland

Well, my daughter and I are back from the Official Transformers Collectors Convention, safe and sound. I have a head full of memories and information, I had a trunk full of toys, and I now have a wallet full of nuthin'. (Which is generally the sign of either a good time in the Dealer Room, or a person who can't budget money to save his life...) I'm still working on the full OTFCC report, but for the moment I thought I should post some comments about the various aspects of the 'con.

Vince DiCola

I had a one on one conversation with Mr. DiCola and during that conversation, I mentioned the new Transformers movie that was going to be in production soon. He stated that he did indeed know about it, and then he let me in on something. He is actively seeking the job of composing the musical score for the movie. I was exstatic! Here's to hoping that he gets the nod. His music has been a part of Transformers history, and hopefully will be for the future too.

Energon

Transformers: Energon is mainly targeted for the younger age groups. I missed part of the Hasbro panel where they started talking about it, but from what I could see, the 8-15 year olds will like it. It will be a direct continuation of Armada (Kind of like a season 2) and will take place 10 years after the close of events in Armada.The toys actually don't look too bad. Minicons will continue, and there will be a new faction introduced. Most Old-schoolers and those who've been looking for something better than Armada won't be likely to enjoy Energon.

Alternators

This is the line us old school G1-ers have been waiting for. The line will continue on for as long as the products sell, so it's up to us fans to keep it going if we like what we see. We're all aware of the Smokescreen toy (which I tried to get as many pics of as I could), and the upcoming Sideswipe Dodge Viper Convertible. Price-wise, we're looking at $20 per toy at the moment, and they will be available everywhere.

20th Anniversary Optimus Prime

$75, Light-up Matrix, Energy Axe, Megatron in Gun mode, classic anime style rifle, rubber tires, Diecast, spring like suspension, Chest opens like in the movie, ultra articulation, BIG BIG BIG toy...what else is there to say!? It ROCKS!

Exclusives

This years exclusives were pretty good. The Sideswipe/Sunstreaker repaints seemed lacking in imagination, as just about every kitbasher out there seems to have come up with a Sunstreaker/Sideswipe repaint. Decals are missing of course, so it doesn't feel like a complete toy yet. Oddly enough, there were many of those two exclusives that were miss packed with either 2 right or 2 left launchers. There was a make-shift Launcher Swapping Get-together in the dealer room.

The Car Robot sisters set was one of *the* highlights. Now, you'll hear some people say that it's just another recolor of the RiD toys, but these are different in the fact that the head has been resculpted to be feminine (as they are female characters) thereby giving them a unique place in BotCon/OTFCC history. They are not just repaints, but resculpts and completely new toys in my eyes. They themselves were worth the price of admission. (Nothing could be worth the price of having to drive through Chicago of course...that would have to be a completely new toy of Alpha Trion)

Dealer room

The Dealer Room was bigger than any previous room in the last 4 years..but there were really not that many more dealers this year. There was a lot of empty space, and it looked like there were some dealers who did not show up. It was kind of odd, but those who were there did have a nice array of toys and collectibles to choose from. Prices seemed to be about average for what you could pay online. I really couldn't complain.

Art Room

This was one of the coolest places in the entire convention. Some of the works displayed there were re-paints of toys into other "characters", but there were some interesting Dioramas, some phenominal paintings and line art. One fan/artist repainted several Gundam models into Cybertronian mode Transformers that looked just incredible. Another Fan created a "RiD Combiner Menasor" that was simply ingenious. I didn't find out who won, but I can assure you, it was a tough batch to choose from.

Mini-con

A new feature for this year was the "Mini-Con"...for those really young transformers fans and the parents who just want a break from all the "Mommy I want that!", "Daddy, I wanna goooo!", and "I wanna play!" stuff that parents eventually have to deal with. The Mini-con was a room set off from the main panel room that had Go-Bots toys, a Video player playing the new Go-Bots episodes that were produced so far, and of course, Cookies and refreshments for the kids and parents, plus lots of chairs for the tired parents to sit and rest their aching feet. (in case you're wondering, yes, I utilized the room and even watched some of the Go-Bots cartoon.)

Hasbro Panel

I missed the beginning of the panel, but from what I did catch, including the few chats I had at their booth in the dealer room, you get the sense that these people really do care about what the fans want. It wasn't just "Here's what we're hoping you'll buy", it was "This is something we know the fans, that's each and every one of you have been wanting. It's here because of the fans, for the fans..." kind of vibe. To all those saying "Habro Suxxors"...I only have this to say to you..."Get real." Hasbro really has gone out of their way to give us fans the Ultimate Optimus Prime, BAR NONE!

Script Reading

The highlight of the Convention. Apparently, since the comic was delayed, so the script reading was based on a preview of the new "Universe" comic and toy line. Two fans were chosen from a kind of Audition Contest to participate and they were actually pretty good! Seeing Gregg Berger and David Kaye play sword fight with the Role Play Dark Sabre and Star Sabres was nothing short of classic. hehehe

Voice Actors Panel

Again, we get a chance to talk and listen with those who literally bring our favorite characters to life. We had a stellar group of Voice actors, Gregg Berger, David Kaye and Gary Chalk. They relayed stories such as Gary's "Pull my finger" threats, to Gregg's remeniscing about Frank Welker's antics in the old G1/GI Joe recording sessions, and we even got to hear Beast Wars Megatron singing "Rubber Ducky". At times I was almost in tears laughing so hard. I asked my usual question this year of Mr. Berger, to have him tell us of his memories of Chris Latta and Scatman Crothers. He spoke very warmly of Chris and Scatman, and I think helped to open our hearts and minds to some incredible people who we were so very lucky to have perform for us on the Transformers, but have passed on. All in all, it was a great part of the convention.

Fans

The true reason for Botcons past, and OTFCC of today. I met a fantastic array of old friends, and made many new ones this year. I got to put faces to some names I know from the Hub and other message boards, and had a great time. My daughter even made friends with some girls her own age who were fans of Transformers themselves!

Final Thoughts

Overall this was a pretty good Convention. It had a number of problems of course, but considering the rough road that the convention has had in the last year...I'm not surprised. But it rates a B+ in my book at the very least. Not the best convention ever, but well worth going to. Next years will be at the same hotel in Chicago. so plans can be made in advanced to attend and save up for it. Seeing as it's going to be the 20th Anniversary, I'd be hard pressed not to attend!

Dak Roland
Friendly Neighbourhood Op