If you haven’t heard, BotCon announced the theme of the upcoming convention exclusive set, and it’s the Stunticons as how they would appear in the Transformers Animated universe. In addition to announcing that Derrick Wyatt, art director for the Animated show, had a hand in designing the set, the folks at BotCon also revealed the first toy — DEAD END. So, what do I think about it? In a word? LOVE.
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Stewart Trooper Figure at Star Wars Celebration V
Hasbro and HunterPR sent over some pics of the one and only Jon Stewart as a Stormtrooper. This was a special figure made specifically for today’s Main Event Q&A with George Lucas. Sadly, the production count of “JohnStu” (or “JonStew” or “Stewart Trooper” or whatever his official name is, there are several versions) is one, as in the one given to Jon Stewart himself, so don’t look for him in stores. Dang it.
Continue readingFrom the ASM Archives – OTFCC 2003 and 2004 Pictures
In an effort to bring over the content of ASM’s old site alteredstatesmag.com, we’re starting to (slowly) load up our gallery with pictures of old. These pictures haven’t been seen in years, as the gallery functionality on our old site was inadvertently corrupted after a server move. So, let’s walk down memory lane with these two galleries: OTFCC 2003, the Official Transformers Collector’s Convention held at the Hyatt in Rosemont, IL. Alternators and Energon were the big toylines, but we were starting to see the initial entries of Universe as well. Also included were the first looks at the OTFCC
Continue readingBotCon 09 – Thunderclash is….
… kinda bad. At least in the robot mode. Take a look at it. That chest is horrible — there’s too much white, the blue logo looks like a crayon scratching, and why they separated the Autobot logo from it, I have no idea. Ugh, I can’t look at that chest without getting upset by it. It could’ve been a lot better. However, the rest of the toy isn’t that bad. Thunderclash should have clashing colors, and this version doesn’t disappoint. I like the different uses of paint masks, although I miss the translucent pink from the G1 toy. Definitely
Continue readingBotCon 2009 Figure 4 – Flak
Flak has been revealed. He’s a recolor of Cybertron Defense Scattorshot, with a remolded head. I love this figure. This color scheme is great. The red stands out against the white and grey arctic camo, but it doesn’t overpower the figure. In fact, in a way, it makes it look like there’s more red than there actually is. I know people will complain about this mold still being on the shelves in some form or another (Universe Dropshot, Overload), but sometimes, these things can’t be helped. I wouldn’t be surprised if the choice for this mold was made long before
Continue readingAnd BotCon ’09 Toy #3 Is….
… Landshark! It’s based on Landmine from the Energon line, a toy I think I played with once or twice before needing to put him away because of space reasons. (Aside: I can’t wait to get a house.) If I remember correctly, it was a nifty toy. As for Landshark, I like it. If you want a comparison to the actual animal, I can see the angular lines to give it a shark look. I love the blue plastic used in the visor as it complements the green and orange. As for the motto… seems kind of meta, actually. Not
Continue readingBotCon 09 Toy 2 – Scourge
Scourge has been revealed at BotCon.com — and he’s a remold of Cybertron Sideways. My initial reaction was “Ugh, why?” But then I looked more closely. It… works. It does. The rounded nose of Sideways’ vehicle mode is reminiscent of Scourge’s G1 vehicle mode. And while I don’t understand why his beard is now white, Scourge’s new head is an interesting varation of the G1 character’s noggin. I think I like this one better than Kup. I did FAX in my order for a set when the registration forms were put online; let’s hope I got in.
Continue readingBotCon 2009 and TFCon 2009 News
Pre-registration forms for BotCon 2009 have been up for about 48 hours, and Fun Publications says 60% of the exclusives are sold out, as well as the Thursday customizing class. If you haven’t registered yet, head over to BotCon.com. The convention runs May 28-31, 2009 in Pasadena, CA. Also, TFCon has opened up their pre-registration as well! For $150 you get convention admission as well as one of the 500 exclusive Powered Master add-ons by FansProject. Other admission options are also available. The convention runs April 25-26 in Toronto, ON, Canada. Get registration forms and more information at TFCon.ca
Continue readingBotCon ’09 – Kup Revealed
So, BotCon.com revealed the first of the toys today, namely Kup. Wow. He sure is blue, although the image looks heavily processed and probably not representative of the final product. I hope it’s not, as it doesn’t seem to be the right shade of blue. The orange is a nice color to go with it… not sure of the deco used, but it’ll work, I suppose. He’s using Cybertron Red Alert’s mold with a new head. The new sculpt does make him look like a younger version of the G1 version we know. Don’t remember liking the mold all that
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