BotCon 2022 Nashville, TN August 25-28

ZacWilliam1

Well-known member
Citizen
Animal cube things are... vaguely interesting and I've flirted with buying a few of the Japanese ones that are pretty reasonable price wise but never quite decided to bite. Not interesting enough to make me care in this context at all, which is good.

-ZacWilliam, wonder if there will be faux-TF fiction attatched or if they will be solidly their own made up IP
 

CEEFAX

John Carpenter of Mars
Citizen
This seems like quite a savvy move. Chinese company 52toys have been quietly making waves with their BeastBox/MegaBox lines for a while now and are not only very collaboration-friendly (with guest designers like former Takara designer Alex Kubalsky and Japanese metalwork artist Yuki Tsuboshima, along with licensed MegaBox releases ranging from Getter Robo to Aliens to TMNT), but also seem to be keen to increase their international presence (partnering with BBTS in the US and putting pop-up stores in shops like JUNGLE in Japan).
I flipping love these things. White Noise (the owl in the first picture) is my favourite transforming toy purchase of the year thus far.
 

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Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
Deco influences:

Terracons
Albitron - Albitron
Dragonfire - SG Rodimus

Guardians
Siberius - the early Tigatron deco that was used for both SG Cheetor and Mutant Tigatron
Motley Roo & Josey - SG Soundwave & SG Ravage
 

CEEFAX

John Carpenter of Mars
Citizen
At the risk of waffling, here's a bit about each mould for anyone contemplating these who isn't familiar with the line:

Croc - Makes for a super cute crocodilian, but the box mode lacks a little IMO and the engineering, whilst not particularly complex, feels the most like a 3rd party Transformer of the moulds I own (perhaps unsurprising as it and the shark that it shares most of its transformation with were guest-designed by Cang Toys/Jiang Xing).

Dragon - Stunning sculpt and intricate transformation from guest designer Yuki Tsuboshima (https://www.instagram.com/yuki.tsuboshima/). Limited articulation in dragon mode, something he focused on much more in his subsequent contribution to the line, the Kirin.

Tiger - An older design that sat unreleased for a while before feeling a bit dated when it finally came out. Charming, but a little simple and clunky.

Kangaroo - The most recent mould of this particular selection. I don't actually have this one, but it seems very expressive in animal mode and makes a real solid-looking cube. From what I hear, the transformation is enjoyably involved. The gloves sadly do not store in box mode, but the joey does.

Outside of Botcon, if you're interested in checking out the line and are looking for a starting point, you really can't got wrong with any releases of the parrot, owl and beetle moulds - all by Japanese garage kit maker Raichokobo (https://www.instagram.com/raichokobo/), and I'm personally a sucker for the Jawbreaker/Thrashard/Bloodstone dinosaur/kaiju mould. Also, the clear plastic storage boxes they come with connect at the tops, bottoms and sides to slowly build a wall across the back of your desk - this is an incredibly satisfying thing but can be detrimental to your wallet.

Yeah, that was pretty waffle-some.
 

PrimalxConvoy

NOT a New Member.
Citizen
I don't understand why these are for Botcon. They don't really transform into anything and/or interact with any other TFs in cube form. They look like they were dialled-in for the event...

There are a few of the cube bots that have a decent third mode, such as the two recent beetles (which have fan jet-modes reminiscent of BW TM Waspinator) and a (tortoise?) with a hidden "tank" mode?

PicsArt_1624143683875.png

PicsArt_1624144118398.png
 

Kup

Active member
Citizen
I get that this is a weird situation. BotCon used to be semi official, then official, then not official, then official, and now back to not official.

I kinda expected something along the lines of Action Master G2 Breakdown. Things that kinda transform, okay I get. I’m just not sure we’ll be talking about or remembering this set 5 years from now.

I’m trying to be positive. These just don’t grab me. What am I missing?
 

Haywire

Collecter of Gobots and Godzilla
Citizen
...Before time began, there was...the Cube!...

Idk, as far as I know, the company that makes these doesn't engage in the blatant IP infringement that other third-party companies do. If the folks behind Botcon now want to court Hasbro to regain official status in the future, this seems like a safe company to partner with now to get a con-exclusive transforming figure set that shouldn't step on anyone's toes.
 

G.B.Blackrock

Well-known member
Citizen
I think that's likely exactly what's going on. They're being intentional about using color schemes that call back to SG characters, but that's as far as they seem to dare referencing old stuff without stepping on anyone's actual intellectual property rights.
 

PrimalxConvoy

NOT a New Member.
Citizen
...Before time began, there was...the Cube!...

Idk, as far as I know, the company that makes these doesn't engage in the blatant IP infringement that other third-party companies do. If the folks behind Botcon now want to court Hasbro to regain official status in the future, this seems like a safe company to partner with now to get a con-exclusive transforming figure set that shouldn't step on anyone's toes.
But there just doesn't seem to be ANY connection to TF lore. There's no explanation or back story. It just seems to me that this company dumped some excess recoloured stock (possibly designed for anyone wishing to sell an exclusive) with Botcon's admin and called it a day.

I also don't get which (SG?) characters those cube things are meant to represent. Could anyone shed any light on them please?
 
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G.B.Blackrock

Well-known member
Citizen
But they're just doesn't seem to be ANY connection to TF lore. There's no explanation or back story. It just seems to me that this company dumped some excess recoloured stock (possibly designed for anyone wishing to sell an exclusive) with Botcon's admin and called it a day.

I also don't get which (SG?) characters those cube things are meant to represent. Could anyone shed any light on them please?
I wouldn't say that they "represent" those characters, but for example, the kangaroo uses SG Soundwave's colors (and it's joey uses SG Ravage's).
1654213283841.png
(image from BotCon's FB page)
 

PrimalxConvoy

NOT a New Member.
Citizen
Wait, there are STILL people who won't gather because of covid? Like, for real?

Yes, of COURSE many, right-thinking and intelligent people have chosen to still wear masks (especially in close proximity to others and/or inside or near a conversation, etc) and socially distance while outside, at work, etc. Even though it's starting to change (and we can't avoid people on crowded trains), most people over here, in Japan (which has one of the lowest amounts of Covid in the world) have chosen, and still choose to adhere to such perfectly normal ways of behavior:

- https://english.kyodonews.net/news/...ists-should-follow-japan-face-mask-rules.html

- https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/t...rism-coronavirus-japan-opening-back-up-slowly
 

Tuxedo Prime

Well-known member
Citizen
Yes, of COURSE many, right-thinking and intelligent people have chosen to still wear masks (especially in close proximity to others and/or inside or near a conversation, etc) and socially distance while outside, at work, etc. Even though it's starting to change (and we can't avoid people on crowded trains), most people over here, in Japan (which has one of the lowest amounts of Covid in the world) have chosen, and still choose to adhere to such perfectly normal ways of behavior:

It should be noted that even in the Before Times, the populations of Japan and Taiwan tended to mask up during fall-winter sickness season anyway. I figure that they were on to something, and intend to carry on in similar fashion even after the local all-clears. (Ironically that might make me the nonconformist in time, but so be it.)
 


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