BotCon 2007
BotCon 2007 was the Official Transformers Convention in 2007, run by Fun Publications. It was held in Providence, RI from June 27 to July 1, though only the last two days were open to the general public.
Merchandise
Vast quantities of exclusive merchandise was debuted at BotCon 2007, in addition to "exclusive" merchandise from previous Transformers conventions and FunPub-run GI Joe conventions.
Convention-exclusive toys
- Convention Box Set - This set of five toys was only available to those who registered for either the 'Primus Package' or the non-attendee 'Iacon Package.' The set also included a badge, the Convention Comic, bio cards, and for the first 300 registrants, an exclusive Bug Bite pin. This set sold out (both boxed and bagged versions) well in advance of the convention.
- Bug Bite - A Black and white repaint of Classics Bumblebee with a purple tribal tatoo-style design on it.
- Dreadwind - A white and green repaint of Classics Jetfire with a remolded head.
- Thundercracker - A repaint of Classics Starscream that replicates G1 Thundercracker's deco.
- Dirge - A repaint of Classics Ramjet that replicates G1 Dirge's deco.
- Thrust - A remold of both sets of wings on the Classics Seeker mold, with the rest of the mold's configuration retaining elements from both Starscream and Ramjet. The deco replicates G1 Thrust's deco.
- Attendee-Only Bonus Toy - Mirage, an unpainted version of Classics Mirage with mostly translucent blue plastic, was provided as a bonus to those who picked up their 'Primus Package' box set in person.
- Convention Souvenir 2-Packs - Two sets of two bagged toys, with only 1,400 produced of each set.
- Alpha Trion and Weirdwolf - A purple, red, and white redeco of Vector Prime with a remolded head, and Cybertron Snarl redecoed to look like Weirdwolf.
- Springer and Huffer - Redecoes of Cybertron Defense Hot Shot and Armorhide, done to look like Springer and Huffer, respectively. Springer was singled out by Brian Savage for having an unusually high number of paint apps, even for a convention exclusive.
Comics
- Convention Comic: Games of Deception - A comic drawn by Alex Milne and written by Forest Lee, set in the same universe as the Club Comic Classics universe.
Guests
Hasbro employees
Because of the convention's intentional proximity to Hasbro's corporate headquarters in Pawtucket, RI, almost all current Hasbro employees that work on the Transformers brand made an appearance at the convention. <add notable people>
Movie Staff
Peter Cullen, voice of Optimus Prime both in the G1 Cartoon and the upcoming film, made an appearance at the convention, signing autographs and hosting a panel.
Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the writers of the screenplay for the movie, had several panels over the course of the weekend.
Rachael Taylor and Tyrese Gibson made an appearance at the movie screening
Additionally, Daniel Ross, voice of Starscream in the 2007 Video Game was there.
Musicians
- Stan Bush, performer of 'Dare', 'The Touch', 'Ground Zero', and 'Till All Are One', attended the con, performing a concert at the Saturday dinner, giving a panel, and playing Guitar Hero while inebriated. 'Allegedly.'
- Ernie Petragelo, lead songwriter of N.R.G. (the performers of 'Instruments of Destruction' from the 1984 Animated Film's soundtrack, was at the convention to sign autographs.
Comics and art
Events
FunPub scheduled a large number of events to take place over the course of the convention to keep attendees entertained and informed.
Thursday
Thursday was the day when the majority of preregistrants arrived. Events on Thursday included...
- A customization class featuring the creation of Overkill from the Classics Grimlock mold.
- A 3D Display class.
- The Newport Tour.
- A special early screening of the Transformers 2007 movie.
Friday
Friday was the first full day of the convention for most participants.
Major events included...
- Hasbro tour.
- Several David Kaye panels.
- A Stan Bush panel.
- A panel with [Movie Writer Guys]
- The Board Wars preliminary round.
- Autograph sessions.
- MSTF.
In addition, the sales room was open from 4 to 7 PM.
