Botcon 2014 discussion - Pirates vs Knights

Ancillary, non-main-line stuff. Star Wars TF, Speed Stars, Titanium Series, Robot Heroes, that sort of thing. They're kinda neat, but we all know they're not really that important. Admit it, you know it's true.
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BWprowl
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Re: Botcon 2014 theme

Post by BWprowl »

JediTricks wrote:The sword doesn't look like a pirate sword, the peg leg doesn't make a lick of sense, the crest doesn't look a damn like a pirate hat, and the colors don't seem piratey either.
The sword's distincly a cutlass or scimitar of some sort. Regardless of whether you feel the crest is hat-like enough, the face-sculpt also has a grizzled, pirate-esque beard sculpted into it, a definite visual cue.

His color scheme actually is part of the overall theme, as being a blue-and-white robot lion, he's a fairly blatant homage to 'Pirate Lion' from Battle Beasts.
I rarely see any TF where plating looks like clothes, even when intended, and this is no different.
If you can't see it, that's on you, but plenty of other people have commented on Thundertron's piratey coat-tails, so I'd say your outvoted on that one.

So, to recap:
Piratey scimitar
Piratey coat-tails
Piratey peg-leg (and in a franchise where tons of guys are missing hands, I hardly see how this "doesn't make sense")
Piratey hat-crest
Piratey beard
Color scheme and alt-mode that are one giant homage to a previous character who was also a pirate

...yeah, Thundertron's pretty dang piratey. Not sure why you're so adamantly insisting that he isn't, unless you're just trying to keep an argument going. One thing I LOVED about Thundertron was how well his toy conveyed his theme and identity.

Anyway, more on-topic, I'm pretty unimpressed by it. Cannonball's one more for the "Why did he need a new toy, his old one was fine" pile, even more so given that with a new toy of Cannonball, they COULD make it an obviously brand-new guy with the name applied to him, given his backstory (he's the Dread Pirate Roberts). Ferak's pretty sad, that is not the level of paint-job I expect applied to a 300% mark-up, 'premium' fan-collection toy. They couldn't even be bothered to pick out the outline of his face, it's just a solid red block!
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JediTricks
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Re: Botcon 2014 theme

Post by JediTricks »

BWprowl wrote:The sword's distincly a cutlass or scimitar of some sort.
It's clearly not a cutlass, it's a vague scimitar but that's really a runner-up here.
His color scheme actually is part of the overall theme, as being a blue-and-white robot lion, he's a fairly blatant homage to 'Pirate Lion' from Battle Beasts.
A blatant homage to something the majority of the audience isn't familiar with, great plan, totally worth sacrificing sales.
I rarely see any TF where plating looks like clothes, even when intended, and this is no different.
If you can't see it, that's on you, but plenty of other people have commented on Thundertron's piratey coat-tails, so I'd say your outvoted on that one.
Again, sales seem to indicate the vote's with me on it, just because a handful of vocal fans say otherwise.
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BWprowl
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Re: Botcon 2014 theme

Post by BWprowl »

JediTricks wrote:A blatant homage to something the majority of the audience isn't familiar with, great plan, totally worth sacrificing sales.
You're right, no one cares about Battle Beasts at all, that's why there's been TWO revival lines for it in the past year.
JediTricks wrote:Again, sales seem to indicate the vote's with me on it, just because a handful of vocal fans say otherwise.
...how does Thundertron not selling in any way indicate that his pirate theme wasn't apparent? That's an incredibly odd leap to make. You could easily say he didn't sell because the character wasn't in the show the TFPrime line was promoted by, or because he was a new, unfamiliar character from a third, unestablished faction, or because (much as I loved him) his toy had some pretty clear issues, particularly in beast mode. To say "The figure didn't sell that means the pirate theme was unclear" is just...complete nonsense.

Dude, loads of people who aren't you can clearly see that Thundertron is meant to be a pirate. I'm sorry if you somehow missed all the various visual cues I've already rattled off and now feel the need to voraciously defend the fact that you didn't see it, but get over it.
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Re: Botcon 2014 discussion - Pirates vs Knights

Post by Sparky Prime »

And the next figure in the lineup is... Energon Scorponok, repainted to his G1 colors and has a new Heasmaster head, who will be Lord Zarak's son, Olin Zarak. Botcon also notes that the new head is originally a 1987 Headmaster mold, but has a new cartoon accurate face. Guessing Scorponok will be on the Knight side, since I don't see the pirate symbol on him.
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Re: Botcon 2014 discussion - Pirates vs Knights

Post by 138 Scourge »

Man, nothing else in this set has interested me too terribly much, but that Scorponok is pretty neat. Maybe not "buy a BotCon figure" neat, but "would totally buy it at retail" neat.
Dominic wrote: too many people likely would have enjoyed it as....well a house-elf gang-bang.
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Re: Botcon 2014 theme

Post by Tigermegatron »

BWprowl wrote:
JediTricks wrote:A blatant homage to something the majority of the audience isn't familiar with, great plan, totally worth sacrificing sales.
You're right, no one cares about Battle Beasts at all, that's why there's been TWO revival lines for it in the past year.
JediTricks wrote:Again, sales seem to indicate the vote's with me on it, just because a handful of vocal fans say otherwise.
...how does Thundertron not selling in any way indicate that his pirate theme wasn't apparent? That's an incredibly odd leap to make. You could easily say he didn't sell because the character wasn't in the show the TFPrime line was promoted by, or because he was a new, unfamiliar character from a third, unestablished faction, or because (much as I loved him) his toy had some pretty clear issues, particularly in beast mode. To say "The figure didn't sell that means the pirate theme was unclear" is just...complete nonsense.

Dude, loads of people who aren't you can clearly see that Thundertron is meant to be a pirate. I'm sorry if you somehow missed all the various visual cues I've already rattled off and now feel the need to voraciously defend the fact that you didn't see it, but get over it.
:lol: ,TFP Thundertron didn't sell well,due to it being released in the last wave. The Last wave of any TF toy line,Has a high rate of getting under ordered. The BH Theme was taking over in early 2013,So USA Retail stores didn't want to get stuck with the old fad shelves/pegs warmers that was the TFP Rid toy line stuff. :lol:

:lol: ,From my perspective more than 80% of the TFP-RID-BH toys were epic wastes of Plastic. While I & Probably others Felt TFP Thundertron was a toy full of problems. TFP Thundertron was slightly better compared to the other 80% TFP-Rid-BH toys that most called wastes of plastic. :lol:

Under ordering of the last wave of the TFP Rid toys was so low. That those USA discount retail store chains like marshalls,Ross,TJMaxx,Ollies & Big lots. All sold the last wave of the TFP RID 2012 toys at the same time. The discount retail stores sold the last wave of TFP Rid toys for Half+ price.

I think the only high quality worth getting toy in the TFP-RID-FE-BH toy line was the $29.99 Weaponizers Optimus Prime toy.
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Re: Botcon 2014 discussion - Pirates vs Knights

Post by Tigermegatron »

I saw the TFCC 2014 Energon Scorponok earlier in the day from one of those top 5 TF fan based news sites. This is simply a thing of beauty. The colors,transforming headmaster & homage are all top notch.

However I am not willing to spend over $400 to get the TFCC stay at home box gift set. Nor am I willing to buy this for a insane high mark up.

I am not a fan of TFCC insanely high Convention & club prices. I miss the 3H era when Botcon toys cost a fraction of the TFCC Prices.

It's times like this,I really miss the CHMS KO site that sold the KO toys of the TFCC convention & club toys. That were all sold for a fraction of the price.

I would have liked this to be released by Hasbro at the normal $26 USA retail Generations 30th toy line prices.

I think it's a safe bet to start speculating that their might be a repainted.retooled MF Black Zarak in the TFCC Souvenirs/add on SETS.
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Re: Botcon 2014 discussion - Pirates vs Knights

Post by BWprowl »

Sparky Prime wrote:Guessing Scorponok will be on the Knight side, since I don't see the pirate symbol on him.
Nah, he's listed as 'Decepticon Pirate Scorponok'. He most likely lacks the symbol because this is just meant to be a remade Classics/Generations Scorponok that fans want, but sold in this year's exclusive box and loosely tied in with whatever story they're cooking up for it.
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Re: Botcon 2014 discussion - Pirates vs Knights

Post by Sparky Prime »

BWprowl wrote:Nah, he's listed as 'Decepticon Pirate Scorponok'.
Ah, didn't see that listed on the site before.
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Re: Botcon 2014 discussion - Pirates vs Knights

Post by Sparky Prime »

Botcon's 5th figure in the set has been revealed: Ginrai. Using the Classics version of Optimus Prime, his paint job is based on "Fire Guts" Ginrai from Super God Masterforce with the Knight symbols from this years Botcon on him.
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