The Botcon experience, beautiful and ugly [Archive] - TFW2005

cromagnus

04-28-2008, 11:07 AM

Well, Botcon is over, but the lingering feelings remain. Some good, some bad. This is not a bitch-a -thon just observations. please feel free to comment.
So I figured I'd start w/ the highlights of my trip since they always out weigh the bad. This was my second botcon so I at least had some sort of comparison reference.
i met several Tfans who I have admired and been inspired by:
KingBotz- i enjoyed talking to him about his appoach to customs, radically different than what most people are doing. His Frenzy was spot on, and perhaps he's the only one who would even attempt such a feat. He seemed fine with losing to DAK's nova prime, as DAK is recognizably very talented and deserved to come in one of the top three places. I am really looking forward to what he will bring next year.
HiQ- Erwin built the papercraft hearts of steel bumblebee. Ever since he posted it last year I've been amazed. I enjoyed my conversation w/ him about his ideas and his chevy aveo transformer. It was so loose from being such a cool toy. Strong spirited and very articulate, erwin was a pleasure to meet.
Killa-b-killed-tfw bro who shops like I do and has a penchant for sealed G1.
Showed me that sleeve-less is the way to go and that I need to start taking Japanese language lessons.
The other awesome high was the butterfly exhibit at the cincinnatti conservatory. My girlfriend and I went on saturday to balance out all the plastic toy shopping. They had hundreds of butterflies in a greenhouse and as you entered they applied gatorade to your hand so the butterflies would land and eat. They loved yellow, and everyone who was wearing yellow had a passenger! super cool.
Oh but wait, There's the issue of the hyatt, possibly the most ghetto hotel ever. I don't have one good thing to say about it. especially at $150 a night.
Where to start?
Friday night, as soon as it starts to rain, my girlfriend and I begin excessively coughing in a no smoking room. i know all about mold and the bodies response to "spores" in the air and that was exactly what we experienced. My guess is the rain was seeping into all its familiar moldy spaces and then circulated via the air conditioning. Fucking Awesome!
How about the 10 OZ. bottle of aquafina in each room priced at $4.WTF!
The elevators were more like elephants: slow as molasses, loud, and very jerky.
Anyone get a continental breakfast? We tried but it tasted like ass; The bagels were dry and rock hard , the muffin crumbled to dust, and if you breathed in right before you took a bite you would choke on the dust falling off of it.Cup o' coffee? No problem that will be $2.75. Huh? 2 blocks away starbucks will help you out for a $1.25. Less than half of what the hyatt charged.
That brings us to the main issue I had this year. Food. Or lack of the edible kind.
Did anyone else eat at champs? I feel for you. the food was as piss poor as it gets. I spent $50 on a meal for two(that i had to order twice because the waiter lost our ticket) which included a chicken sandwich and a portabello melt. The chicken tasted like cardboard and my girlfriend barely touched it. the melt looked like it was made with the love from a prison inmate. I am a pescatarian and only eat fish,no chicken, no red meat, so i am accustomed to having a hard time finding places to eat while travelling. However there wasn't a single decent looking restaurant within a 5 block radius. For those who were car-less this weekend i sympathize. It nearly ruined our weekend, untill we drove twenty minutes out of downtown. Even then the food choices were mostly the same old fast food chains. I was very dissapointed, for such a big city it seemed dead. Saturday morning and there's like two people on every street. Where was everyone? am I missing something? So weird.
I can't say much about the dealer room. I heard a rumor that all the vintage japanese stuff was bought and sold between dealers before the showroom even opened. It sure seemed that way.
I bought a clear rijie mirage for $125. I told the seller that i had looked around the floor and he had the cheapest ones left at $125. That seemed to bother him alot(huh?) and no sooner had i reached for my wallet when a different seller walked by us. He stopped to urgently tell the other seller that everyone else on the floor is selling their rijies for $150 so he should too. He's like "really"?
and then jack's the price up to $150 right in front of me. I still got mine for $125 but the next guy didn't. I thought sunday the prices went down not up.
I thought that both sellers were class-less and lacked a rudimentary understanding of a buyer seller relationship. Talk your business between dealers behind closed doors.I don't want to know your working methods. It was almost like if every dealer is gonna sell their shit for this crazy price, then I should too. It seemed the smaller dealers had better deals.
But that is just the way it is, and I expected to see it in some form or another.
I bought some afa'd G1 off of a great seller whom I recognized from ebay. we had a great conversation and I learned a little bit to.
My haul certainly out weighed any of the bad aspects of the con, And I certainly had more great times than bad. I just hope next year for some closer food options that can actually be consumed, a cleaner, nicer hotel, and more boxed japanese/G1 toys. Peace

shadow panther

04-28-2008, 11:36 AM

trebleshot

04-28-2008, 12:17 PM

Did anyone else eat at champs? I feel for you. the food was as piss poor as it gets. I spent $50 on a meal for two(that i had to order twice because the waiter lost our ticket) which included a chicken sandwich and a portabello melt. The chicken tasted like cardboard and my girlfriend barely touched it. the melt looked like it was made with the love from a prison inmate. I am a pescatarian and only eat fish,no chicken, no red meat, so i am accustomed to having a hard time finding places to eat while travelling.

That's part of the problem right there. The Angus burger I had on Friday was excellent, as were three more orders for it enjoyed by my friends and the chicken pasta dinner enjoyed by another friend at the same table. Later in the weekend I was able to try some of their appetizers, which were equally good, and more affordable.

You're the first person I've heard to complain about the food at Champs. Everyone else seemed to rave about it. Sorry your experience was not as good.

Besides, there were more than enough people there with cars or willing to split cab fare to go 10-20 minutes away to one of three malls in the area with more than enough restaurants to satisfy anyone's tastes.

As for the hotel itself, I expected everything to be overpriced because it is the Hyatt, including the ridiculous $4 bottle of water and the $20 valet parking, even though there's a lot across the street that will let you park all day for $5. Aside from the creaking elevator with no A/C, I didn't really have any problems with the hotel itself.

Regardless, I'm not defending the Hyatt or discounting your experiences, I just wanted to show that it wasn't the only experience to be had.

megamus

04-28-2008, 12:41 PM

funkatron101

04-28-2008, 12:49 PM

I am sorry you did not get the deals you wanted. I know that I sold everything dirt cheap and did not go up on my prices. As a matter of fact, if you haggled I usually came down. I was not wanting to make money so much as to downsize my collection. Throughout the con I was giving stuff away to children and such. You will find dealers who have good prices but you need to get to them quick. As for the dealers buying up all the japanese stuff, you are right. It's one of the perks to being a dealer. I have gotten several items throughout the years this way. I do not see this changing. Sorry but I am just being honest. Once again, as was stated in another thread you need to scower the dealers room quickly and don't hesitate if the price is good.

Yep. Good dealers were out there, and you were one of them. I thought my G1 Soundwave and and Alternators Rumble were more than fair. Dealer to Dealer transactions are all a part of the perks of purchasing a dealer package. I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I did learn one lesson from you. Advertise, Advertise, Advertise. If you're going to have a parts party, it seems you have to be pretty committed to it. Foster and I were just trying to unload some stuff in between all of the activities, panels, and parties. It was hard setting up times, and the bulletin board on the second level just didn't cut it.

megamus

04-28-2008, 12:53 PM

I would have loved to see what you were selling. You can always come to our parts party. It's for everyone, bring your stuff and have fun.

xZAOx

04-28-2008, 01:04 PM

I did learn one lesson from you. Advertise, Advertise, Advertise. If you're going to have a parts party, it seems you have to be pretty committed to it. Foster and I were just trying to unload some stuff in between all of the activities, panels, and parties. It was hard setting up times, and the bulletin board on the second level just didn't cut it.

I would have loved to see what you were selling. You can always come to our parts party. It's for everyone, bring your stuff and have fun.

Definitely listen to the man, funkatron101.

That was my main "downer" about this year's BotCon - the room-to-room stuff didn't really seem to be in effect like in previous years. I saw a couple of other rooms on the board, and I went after convention hours, and noone ever answered their door. If you're going to put your room number on there, be prepared to either stay in there after convention hours steadily, or put down what hours you'll be there.

Or, do what works even better - haul your shit up to Megamus' room, like lots of us did each night :). Thursday night was freaking crazy!

cromagnus

04-28-2008, 01:06 PM

megamus I know you laid down the deals. I do believe there were tons of deals to be had by quality dealers. I'm not a cheapskate as I buy mostly sealed G1, so don't get the wrong idea. i will happily spend money on quality things that are worth it. I also didn't have to haggle because I felt the prices on the stuff I wanted were reasonable. I got all the deals I wanted for sure, and I'm not one to hesitate to buy. i just wished
As for being a pescatarian, I believe that isn't the problem, and that is short-sighted ignorant way of looking at things.I believe there's a thread in this forum here from a member started just because he could not find any food.
I heard several other people complain, and honestly, since I've worked as a sushi chef for 5 years, I can see a bad piece of meat from 20 paces. I also know how the dining area should be handled, and i should have listened to my instincts when I saw the seven odd empty tables that were not bussed yet, even though there were like 10 people total eating at the time. Nothing like eating a meal next to a table full of half eaten plates. It's a farce to me.
I expected overpriced, but not the shit quality they offered.
Oh, and if anyone has a problem w/ me being a pescatarian I'd love to meet you at the next botcon, You can arrange the place.

funkatron101

04-28-2008, 01:18 PM

Definitely listen to the man, funkatron101.

That was my main "downer" about this year's BotCon - the room-to-room stuff didn't really seem to be in effect like in previous years. I saw a couple of other rooms on the board, and I went after convention hours, and noone ever answered their door. If you're going to put your room number on there, be prepared to either stay in there after convention hours steadily, or put down what hours you'll be there.

Or, do what works even better - haul your shit up to Megamus' room, like lots of us did each night :). Thursday night was freaking crazy!

The real kicker, we were like 5-6 rooms away. Haha.

I did stop in on Thursday, it was a madhouse. It was so packed, It didn't feel right to try and load up my stuff and wiggle my way in.

shadow panther

04-28-2008, 01:24 PM

Homeless Hookers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

650th post

xZAOx

04-28-2008, 01:26 PM

Here's my "official" review- Had an awesome time. Got a load of toys at awesome prices. Here's my thoughts:

Panels:
-Overall, better than last years. Two Hasbro panels - freaking great. Tons of new toys and information. The big Hasbro panel was just as awesome as last year I thought.
-Either the Q&A people have gotten worse, or I've gotten more intolerant. They were annoying the shit out of me with taking forever to ask their questions, or commenting the whole time, or just asking stupid questions.
-People, voice actors aren't fucking trained circus animals there to perform tricks for you. Show some fucking respect, and if they want to act out stupid things, let them, if not, don't pester them. I mean, I loved the little improv skits they did, but it was obvious some of them didn't like doing them. Give them a break. I dunno. Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way.

Dealer Room:
-Most stuff was average prices. Seemed cheaper than last year.
-Didn't really see all that much I wanted/needed. I hope it's just an off year. But it seemed most was packaged toys from the past few years, or the common G1 items. Of course, there's good stuff to be found if you dig (yay, original Big Daddy!).
-As usual, there were some there charging too much and not budging
-TFSource undercutting BBTS constantly - hilarious, and awesome. Got my MP SS Coronation set for $20 :D

Hotel:
-Skywalk sucked. I found it faster, or at least just as fast, to just cross the damn street. Plus, it wasn't covered.
-No vent in the bathroom? What the hell?!
-Room was SMALL.
-Beds were SMALL.
-No free wifi yet again. I heard the one you paid for sucked too.
-Parking fees were crazy

Convention set:
-Better in person, but it always is
-Starscream is still bleh
-Prices were way higher on the souvenirs. I thought it was just because we got more toys, but Brian told us it had alot to do with oil being higher - more to make the toys, more to ship them.
-Comic was alot better than last years, I thought. Still overly "wordy" at parts, but more enjoyable. And the story continues, which is nice. No non-toy people getting pages dedicated to them.

Parties:
-Megamus & gen1fan's room was happening as always.
-Other people put their room numbers, but weren't there when I went looking. I never found any other rooms with parts. That sucked.
-Met lots of new people (well, new to me). It's to the point now where I'm beginning to recognize some of the regulars, so having more people to hang out and chat with is getting easier. And this is only my third year.
-Free alcohol! That's my favorite type!

Other:
-Cincy sucks
-Skyline is awesome. My wife is from the area, so I already knew this - I hope everyone tried some.

The WORST part of it? The Monday after :(

taterx

04-28-2008, 01:34 PM

I had the wings at champs 4 days in a row and they were awesome. The hotel overcharging coffee, water etc annoyed me but the sports bar downstairs was great. I drank my weight in Guinness three nights in a row and loved meeting all you people from the boards.

Maybe next year will be better for us all. This was my 2nd last year being my first and I saw some improvements. The infamous nerd smell never was a problem as we like to joke about, but one big dude farted when we were all crowded in front of the tfsource table, and god help me it was terrible.

Not to much to complain about though, I had a wonderful time.

Uncrazimatic

04-28-2008, 01:40 PM

funkatron101

04-28-2008, 01:42 PM

-Either the Q&A people have gotten worse, or I've gotten more intolerant. They were annoying the shit out of me with taking forever to ask their questions, or commenting the whole time, or just asking stupid questions.
QFT.

If you cut out "Hey guys, just two quick questions" and anything related to stupid Arcee, you shorten it by 12 minutes easy.

You don't have to stammer and announce that you have questions, that's why you are up there, turd. Just ask.

:lol

taterx

04-28-2008, 02:18 PM

Yeah if that's directed at me, I wasn't trying to raise your ire so please chill bro.
Besides no one has a problem with how you go about fueling yourself, were just responding to your thread as we were invited to by you.

Big hug, that's better. Bu bye.

cromagnus

04-28-2008, 02:39 PM

No harm meant to anyone, I don't want a thread about what I eat.
I get harassed alot so I apologize for being belligerent. Just stop saying BS about it and this thread stays on track.
Hugs to you too tater i met you in the elevator friday night, I know you love life, guiness,wings and transformers. Keep it real!

taterx

04-28-2008, 02:46 PM

Good to hear. What do you look like I met literally hundreds of people but elevator rides Friday night are still fresh memories.

Back on point, are you a member of the TFCC? They specifically requested members post threads like these in the club forums to help them determine what we like, need, and expect.

If you want I'll start one for you but you seem better suited to the task, what with the use of big words and all. ha

trebleshot

04-28-2008, 02:50 PM

As for being a pescatarian, I believe that isn't the problem, and that is short-sighted ignorant way of looking at things.*snip*
Oh, and if anyone has a problem w/ me being a pescatarian I'd love to meet you at the next botcon, You can arrange the place.

I'll say this only to clarify my original comment: I have Crohn's disease, which means there is a shit-load of things that I cannot eat without becoming painfully ill. Because of this, my meal choices are limited regardless of where I go to eat. However, I almost always find something that I will enjoy.

I have absolutely no problem with you being a pescatarian. However, you must admit that by choosing that particular lifestyle, it limits your food selection, which was my original point.

I don't know, maybe I'm not as critical as I should be. Most of the time, I'm happy to have something to eat at all.

Oh, and I'd be happy to meet at the next BC, if I'm going. I love meeting people from the boards.:D

Motor_Master

04-28-2008, 04:35 PM

The Good:
Animated figures on the shelves at Walmart
Helping out some fellow board members score a few animated figures.
Meeting a whole bunch of new people at the con this year.
Hasbro panel - lots of cool stuff that will make me go broke. Classics TM Cyclonus FTW!!
Dealer's room - much larger and a much better selection.
Rock Bottom Brewery - good food, good times

The Bad:
Not enough room in the suitcase for all the stuff I wanted to get.
Q&A questions - except for one or two, most of them were totally useless and deprived the room of much needed oxygen.
People dressed in Costumes - now there were a couple that were ok, but for the most part it was rather disturbing.
Souvenir line on Thursday night - slow is an understatement. Apparently it people were taking their sweet time revieing all the old crap the club store had or sale (movie, energon figures, etc). The only reason my order wasn't quick was because they had to bring a couple of the items I bought from the back and restock the shelf.

The Ugly:
The drive by shooting across the street from the Ramada early Sunday morning. Laying in bed and my GF and I hear pop-pop-pop, then screeching wheels... it wasn't an engine backfiring, that's for sure!
All the homeless people trying to hit you up for money.
Flying United Airlines (See travel woes thread)

Killa-B-Killed

04-28-2008, 04:51 PM

My first Botcon was a great overall experience. It was really cool to hangout with other Collectors, and make new friends. I loved the hands-on toy buying experience. Complete with negotiations, and smack-talk.

Complaints are as follows...
Millennium Restaurant food was terrible, and I am not hard to please.
Hotel parking was expensive.
I wish the dealers that sold all the good shit on Friday night would have been smart enough to realize that a Collector would probably pay more for a nice item than another dealer that is going to re-sell it later to said Collector.

Just my opinion......

shadow panther

04-28-2008, 05:08 PM

xZAOx

04-28-2008, 05:39 PM

whoa whoa whoa drive by shooting??? did it make the local news or newspaper???

It's Cincy...it's not really anything new.

Motor_Master

04-28-2008, 05:59 PM

It's Cincy...it's not really anything new.

:lolol that's what the cop told my Girlfriend.

Freyabeads

04-28-2008, 08:45 PM

Wow, Sorry you had such a bad experience. I agree, the lack of a decent eatery existed, luckily Backscatter & I love Subway & Chick-fil-a. I guess last year spoiled us with all the good places to eat aside from the food court. The food we had from Champs and room service was awesome however. Out water was also marked $4 but it was a liter, not 10 oz. That is what we pay at our local cinema. We just got some over at CVS. The Hyatt staff was just supurb with us even stopping us on the street when they were off duty asking if all was well.
We found some very good deals in the dealer room, especially on Sunday we grabbed stuff at 40% - 50% off.
I guess our worst hotel experience was the false fire alarm this morning and trekking down 21 floors. We were just glad we were already dressed.
My favorite highlight was being asked by Puppylove to pose with THE one and only Mini Optimus! That was so fun!
Here's to a great BotCon and Wonderful location in 2009!

Motor_Master

04-28-2008, 09:17 PM

The Rock Bottom Brewery was very good and the prices weren't bad. Oh and the malt chips >>>> french fries.

I wouldn't say I had a bad experience, but compared to other cities, Cincinnati left something to be desired.

I did for get to add in the Hooters resturant on the barge was a slick concept. Had fun watching the speed boats go by.

Kickback

04-28-2008, 10:09 PM

Good:
- Dealer Room
Seemed to be larger and more active this year. Talked with Pete Sinclair today, he said this is easily the highest attendance BotCon ever. And not by just a little, by quite a bit. You could tell by how many people were in the dealer room ALL DAY on Saturday. It was fun to see the before and after pictures I took ... BBTS full, and then 3/4ths empty.
- The People
I have memories that will never leave me from this year. Squirrelcar and the megafone in the Board Wars, Freyabeads giving us our flags for the Board Wars (a big hit mind you), Super_Megatron, James from Stylin' Online, and the others riding the Mechanical Bull at the Cadillac Bar, my roommates (Drew Eiden, Drewette, TrickyDisco, Deefuzz) and all the crazy memories we have ("I'll show you my boobs if you move over" vs. "I'll give you this Transformers Collectors Club Landquake if you stop puking" ... not to mention the orange-hawaiin wrap thing I found in Drewette's pile-of-shit-on-the-chair). The Real Pat Lee and all his antics. And the usual crew that needs no recognition.
- Super_Megatron & Squirrelcar v. Homeless
Great laughs from interactions with the less fortunate.
"Hey...I got 4 quarters ... anyone got a dollah?"
- Hasbro Panel(s)
Great times as always.
- Cartoon Network Panels
Tara Strong. I love you.

The Bad:
- The mall closing at 8pm. WHAT THE FUCK?
- The fact the hotel drained their fountain for the weekend. I was visibly upset.
- The Champs Bar closing at 12am/1am when every other bar was open till at least 2:00/2:30am.
- Your stomach after the pizza place that was open till 4am.

Good times overall. 3rd best BotCon. (2007 = the best, 2006 = 2nd, this year = 3rd).

Hollywood Hoist

04-28-2008, 11:40 PM

I am sorry you did not get the deals you wanted. I know that I sold everything dirt cheap and did not go up on my prices. As a matter of fact, if you haggled I usually came down. I was not wanting to make money so much as to downsize my collection. Throughout the con I was giving stuff away to children and such. You will find dealers who have good prices but you need to get to them quick. As for the dealers buying up all the japanese stuff, you are right. It's one of the perks to being a dealer. I have gotten several items throughout the years this way. I do not see this changing. Sorry but I am just being honest. Once again, as was stated in another thread you need to scower the dealers room quickly and don't hesitate if the price is good.

I'll stand by Megamus on this, he and Gen1fan had good prices and was very generous with giving out freebies.

On the dealers getting first dibs, that happens to be one of the perks. What people seem to forget is the dealers don't get to go to the panels or get autographs without having to leave their booths.

Megamus and Gen1fan opens is room to allow anyone to come in and hangout.

Keep doing what you're doing Megamus and Gen1fan. I'll be there to back you up. You guys are stand up excellent guys. Thanks for the deals and the good times.

Kranix2k

04-29-2008, 10:49 AM

The Good:

The Garfield Suites Hotel was one of the best stays I've ever had in all my travels.

Met a couple really fun people at the show.

The TFW2005 Crew made the best of another sucky effort at the trivia contest! :lolol Love the bullhorn by the way...nice touch.

Panels were quite awesome all around.

Sneak Previews of Animated = Major win.

So nice to have all that room to move around at Casino Night. The food was great and it was so fun it almost made up for every other bad part of the convention.

The script reading was simply amazing.

The Reds still suck, but Cincinnati was a fun city.

Korean bistro, yum!

First in line for Saturday autographs from David, Bumper, and Tara!

The Bad:

Bums accosting you for money everywhere. Yeah, I know that's a common occurence for big cities but in Cincy, it seemed excessive.

3 hour wait in line for toy extras Thursday night.

Never got out to search for Animated toys, therefore lost any opportunity to get them. :banghead:

My toy extras had paint issues.

Trivia Contest had its moments but the constant technical issues and questions with incorrect answers (doesn't anyone bother to research or proofread their own answers?) was horrible. Our enlightened host thinking he was a standup comedian didn't help much either. No offense meant to anyone but after a while, I didn't even want to be there.

Auction was a waste of time. No one told us how the auction was going to be run else I would've donated quite a bit just to bring my total winnings up. I never even had a chance at anything and most of the starting bids near the end were way out of my league. Also, there were FAR too many kids packages auctions.

Dealer room just plain sucked. People were especially rude in there this year. It seemed there wasn't as much of a variety of stuff, a lot of G1 stuff was broken or incomplete (sometimes being sold as "complete"), and prices for a lot of the stuff was just too high. I particularly "enjoyed" the people with all the new Animated stuff selling them at twice their retail price. Its gonna sound childish but its how I feel inside so I may as well say it - I hope you choke on that inventory. I have issues with the release of these toys, so sue me.

Finally, one particular dealer stuck out in that dealer room that really honked me off. He was, I believe, in the 2nd row from the back of the room at the far end of the row toward the stage. I don't know if he posts here so I'll try to keep it civil but in general, I hope to never see him at another Botcon again. His prices were awful. His assessments of the condition of the toys he had was dubious, and the way he had himself walled in making it difficult to see what he had was irritating. Let me just say this in closing - saying "I dont have it" while taking a foot long bag of Battle Beasts and spinning it around real fast taking a short glance at it doesn't do a whole lot for your credibility.

Vangelus

04-29-2008, 11:10 AM

Not Comprehensive-

THE BAD:
-Dealer room felt somehow sparse despite loads of stuff being there
-ELEVATORS
-Cadillacs when all of Cincinnati is there
-Me not managing to sit down and talk to every single person there
-Homeless people walking right up to your face asking for money

THE AWESOME:
-What squirrelcar does when a homeless person walks right up to his face asking for money
-Every single person I spoke to
-The Angus burger
-Friday night and being handed 6 or 7 free beers
-This little voice acting thing
-Nerding it up with Matt Youngberg about Gurren Lagann

Deefuzz

04-29-2008, 11:36 AM

The Good:

-The Cadillac Ranch on Wednesday night. Thanks to all involved!
-My wonderful roomates in 631! (Kicky, Tricky, Drew and Drewette)
-Snagging the first wave of Animated but then realizing I missed Starscream only to have Kickback hook me up with a Starscream (I love you man!)
-Kicking it with CIAD, watching him work his magic to snag us beer from the bar well after it was closed, and then see him handle the homeless.
-S_Megs and his story to a certain individual at the Cadillac on Thursday night.
-That Philly at Balboa's, or more importantly Tony and Destro teaching me what real Philly style Philly's are all about.
-Kicking it with the Real Pat Lee on Sunday and getting that awesome sketch (thanks again man!)
-Vangelus's picture notes from the Hasbro panel, and the SOMSOC
-Squirrelcar and anything that he says
-All the amazing people I met for the first time this year. I wont name names because I will feel horrible if I leave someone out but thanks to EVERYONE who introduced yourselves!

The Bad (and Ugly):
-The food at Champs was horrendous! After Sunday night's dinner I think I used the toilet more than I ever had in a week. My stomach was completely screwed
-The "mall" next to the Hyatt.
-The distance to any eatery from the Convention. Remember Lexington? Food court right downstairs would have been nice!
-The auction was a waste of my time unfortunately
-Not meeting every TFW member in attendance :(
-Being constantly pestered for change and such by people anywhere in downtown Cincinnati
-Shoulder to shoulder action at the Cadillac on Saturday night
-The public bathroom in the Hyatt on the first floor. WTF was going on there?
-My sketch of Animated Bumblebee from the "How to draw Transformers" class
-The club store line during package pickup. What the hell?
-Beer prices downtown were a bit steep
-The food at the Mexican joint in the mall. I know what real Mexican food is and that isn't it. Worst carnitas ever!
-The hotel elevators. But that is an issue every year.

Ok thats all I have for now.

rework

04-29-2008, 12:55 PM

I am sorry you did not get the deals you wanted. I know that I sold everything dirt cheap and did not go up on my prices. As a matter of fact, if you haggled I usually came down.

You had to come down? Then your prices were too high! LOL

Seriously, there were quite a few of us who had good prices. I got pretty wiped out and rarely had to come down on prices... I think I had all of 4 buyers walk away because I wouldn't come down... And 2 of them made ridiculous offers, anyway. Look for the sellers who don't have big formal store/website displays - They tend to be the collector-dealers who aren't doing this as a job. We tend to have a lot more flexibility on price.

I was not wanting to make money so much as to downsize my collection. Throughout the con I was giving stuff away to children and such. You will find dealers who have good prices but you need to get to them quick. As for the dealers buying up all the japanese stuff, you are right.

Just for the record on this:

Realize that many of the "dealers" who set up at Botcon are really Transformers collectors, not professional dealers. Just because something gets bought during dealer time does not mean it was bought by someone to turn around and re-sell for a profit. I know a couple of guys who picked up Japanese toys from one seller, and they are going into collections.

Is it fair that they got early access? That is probably the biggest perk to being a dealer. Always has been at shows, and it will never change. Anyone can be a dealer. They offer pretty reasonable prices for a single table plus give you a free attendee toy for buying one.

funkatron101

04-29-2008, 01:11 PM

I was tempted to get a dealer table with someone else, but I love going to the panels, and going out to eat, etc.

rework

04-29-2008, 01:51 PM

I was tempted to get a dealer table with someone else, but I love going to the panels, and going to to eat, etc.

Sacrifices have to be made to be a dealer. I didn't hit a single panel this year... Also missed a few good deals because I was stuck at my table. Missed lunch completely on Sunday...

But to me, the pros outweigh the cons.

funkatron101

04-29-2008, 03:14 PM

Perhaps dealers should get a short preview of the Hasbro Toy panel before everyone else?

Galvatro

04-29-2008, 10:56 PM

The first Con is always overwelming, so it is a no wonder you didn't do everything you wanted to. It gets easier to manage time so that you fit in more as you attend more Cons.

Galvatro

bad:
-missed the parts parties, heard those were fun
-missed out on $20 coronation starscream and $20 ghost starscream chase pvc's
-shouldve went to the panels but went to none

Good:
-1st botcon
-got some cool g1 stuff
-got some parts, fillers, and looked around all day saturday
-met a bunch of guys i've done deals with
-dj'd both nights (looked at hot chicks all night.. no joke) and got paid $$$$
-hotel and flight paid for by the club!

best trip ever! i'm going next year!

*Deathblade

04-30-2008, 07:37 AM

The good:

Got several exclusives at good prices-got all 4 G1 ratchet/ironhides at about 85 bucks less than online, also got G1 paint movie arcee, and both nike frees for 200 bucks, when just the frees cost that much!

Only smelled one rank person

The BAD:

Most dealers wouldnt budge on their pricing, some of them I refused to buy from, not only would they not haggle, it was like they wouldnt even ENTERTAIN the IDEA of haggling.

Ebay prices for pretty much everything, there WERE deals to be had, but usually at the same places as every other year. All in all the floor seemed kinda sparce.

THE UGLY:

The fun-pub guy that back-handedly accused me of stealing a richochet

Stayed at the millenium, wasnt all that great, still 200 bucks cheaper than the hyatt.

The "mall" sucked ass, and cinnci had a hig class/ghetto thing going on...on one side of a restaurant people are getting into lambos, on THE OTHER SIDE of it, there was a bum that smelled like a hemp factory..the DT area had nice spots, but PLENTY of run down areas too.

Lack of places to eat-there was that crummy food court and....? Forget having any walking distance food options other than champs or room service after 9:00 pm...WTF!??? 25 bucks for a pizza, and 30 bucks for 2 lousy burgers didnt sit well with me.

The STOOPID ASS "questions" and obligitory ass kissing monologue 95% of the people felt necessary spew during the voice actor panels, it was downright embarrasing...also QUIT MUMBLING INTO THE EFFING MIKE!!!!!!!

Also..WHAT....THE....FUCK was up with those two outbursts during bingo? We left shortly after, because that was just crazy!

all in all 2007>2005>2008

Baccala1976

04-30-2008, 08:27 AM

I'll stand by Megamus on this, he and Gen1fan had good prices and was very generous with giving out freebies.

On the dealers getting first dibs, that happens to be one of the perks. What people seem to forget is the dealers don't get to go to the panels or get autographs without having to leave their booths.

Megamus and Gen1fan opens is room to allow anyone to come in and hangout.

Keep doing what you're doing Megamus and Gen1fan. I'll be there to back you up. You guys are stand up excellent guys. Thanks for the deals and the good times.

Megamus Definitely did haggle and I appreciate it. I scored a great complete Superion from him and dude, that piece is AMAZING!

Deefuzz

04-30-2008, 09:03 AM

Most dealers wouldnt budge on their pricing, some of them I refused to buy from, not only would they not haggle, it was like they wouldnt even ENTERTAIN the IDEA of haggling.

There is still this one dealer who shows up every year who I tried to haggle with in 2006. Basically I wanted to buy two items and just asked if he would come down 5 bucks. And instead of just saying no, or that he couldn't do that, he got all pissy with me and almost threw a temper tantrum.

His rudeness has assured that I will never attempt to purchase from his table again.

xZAOx

04-30-2008, 09:06 AM

Ebay prices for pretty much everything, there WERE deals to be had, but usually at the same places as every other year. All in all the floor seemed kinda sparce.

What's worse, is the guy who did eBay + shipping/handling = their price. Which defeats 95% of the reason for buying it at BotCon in the first damn place.

And yeah, each year I'm learning more and more who to go to for deals, and who to just ignore.

TheSpacebridge

04-30-2008, 09:16 AM

BRIAN
How much? Quick!

HARRY THE HAGGLER
What?

BRIAN
It's for the wife.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Oh. Uh... Twenty shekels.

BRIAN
Right.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
What?

BRIAN
There you are.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Wait a minute.

BRIAN
What?

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Well, we're, we're supposed to haggle.

BRIAN
No, no, I've got to get...

HARRY THE HAGGLER
What do you mean, no no no?

BRIAN
I haven't time, I've got ...

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Well, give it back then.

BRIAN
No, no, no I paid you.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Burt!
--[An immensely tall man stands up behind Brian, blocking his way out.]

BURT
Yeah?

HARRY THE HAGGLER
This bloke won't haggle.

BURT
Won't haggle???

BRIAN
All right... do we have to?
--[Burt disappears.]

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Now look. I want twenty for that.

BRIAN
I, I just gave you twenty.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Now are you telling me that's not worth twenty shekels?

BRIAN
No.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Look at it. Feel the quality, that's none of yer goat.

BRIAN
All right, I'll give you nineteen then.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
No, no, no. Come on. Do it properly.

BRIAN
What?

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Haggle properly. This isn't worth nineteen.

BRIAN
But you just said it was worth twenty.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Oh dear, oh dear. Come on. Haggle.

BRIAN
All right, I'll give you ten.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
That's more like it... Ten!? Are you trying to insult me? Me? With a poor
dying grandmother...Ten!?!

BRIAN
All right, I'll give you eleven.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Now you're getting it... Eleven!?! Did I hear you right? Eleven? This cost
me twelve. You want to ruin me?

BRIAN
Seventeen.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
No, no, no, no. Seventeen!

BRIAN
Eighteen?

HARRY THE HAGGLER
No, no. You go to fourteen now.

BRIAN
All right, I'll give you fourteen.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Fourteen, are you joking?

BRIAN
That's what you told me to say.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Oh dear.

BRIAN
Oh! Tell me what to say. Please.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Offer me fourteen.

BRIAN
I'll give you fourteen.

HARRY THE HAGGLER (to no one in particular)
He's offering me fourteen for this!

BRIAN
Fifteen.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Seventeen. My last word. I won't take a penny less, or strike me dead.

BRIAN
Sixteen.

HARRY THE HAGGLER
Done. Nice to do business with you. Tell you what, I'll throw in this as
well.

Delphan Rane

04-30-2008, 09:17 AM

bad:
-missed the parts parties, heard those were fun
-missed out on $20 coronation starscream and $20 ghost starscream chase pvc's
-shouldve went to the panels but went to none

Good:
-1st botcon
-got some cool g1 stuff
-got some parts, fillers, and looked around all day saturday
-met a bunch of guys i've done deals with
-dj'd both nights (looked at hot chicks all night.. no joke) and got paid $$$$
-hotel and flight paid for by the club!

best trip ever! i'm going next year!

Megamus Definitely did haggle and I appreciate it. I scored a great complete Superion from him and dude, that piece is AMAZING!

Both of yous failed to mention "Meeting Delphan Rane". :p

Good:
-My 4th Botcon in a row!
-Staying at the Westin
-Meeting djphlipz, Baccala1976, aprim, and Mike Kaye (finally).
-Getting there on Saturday, and having 4 extra days of driving around and shopping for toys n stuff.
-Hanging out with my friends from all over.
-Going back to Kentucky for the Buffalo Trace bourbon
-Laser Tag & Lunch/Beer Tasting (FP's Wednesday Tour)
-Tour of Air Force museum, and going inside the retired Air Force one planes. (FP's Thursday Tour)
-Visiting the Underground Railroad museum
-The Butterfly flower display
-Getting my animated Primes (on Sunday) before the scalpers cleaned the stores out.
-Hasbro Panels
-TCC Panel
-Voice Actor Panel
-Went to Joe's Crabshack only 7-10 mins away by car.
-Finally won something during bingo
-Did I mention the beer tasting
-Bull riding (first time) at the Cadillac bar/restaurant around the corner.

Bad:
-Not getting chance to hang out with dj, baccala or aprim more :(
-Waiting in line for 1.5hrs to get exclusives on Thursday.
-Missing out on the Mexican 2-Pack Classics Voyer set of Prime/Megs
-Bums everywhere you turn asking for money
-FP booth selling out of stuff before Sunday. (good for them, just bad for me)
-Dinner/casino night layout...having to stand up to eat. Yes, I know there were tables on the outside of the room, but still.
-Not winning any Primes during bingo.

Delphan Rane

04-30-2008, 09:36 AM

Also..WHAT....THE....FUCK was up with those two outbursts during bingo? We left shortly after, because that was just crazy!

The woman sitting up front with her daughter: Her daughter I guess won three times or something like that. And I guess the lady that was sitting in the 2nd row behind the mother said (or mumbled) something. And that's when the mother get's up and says "Don't you call me a bitch". And after that the lady just got up and left.

On the same side of the room 3 rows back from the front, there was a guy sitting next to a girl and her mother, I think the mother was on her other side. And the girl's father was sitting in front of them in the 2nd row. From what I can tell, the girl may have taken the guy's dabber (the ink thing for the bingo sheets), I dunno maybe she wanted a different color...And the guy, jokingly grabbed her dabber and put a pink mark on her bare arm. The girl's father saw this happen, and got up and started yelling at the guy who did it. Then that's when the girl started crying and saying she was ok, because I guess she was scared that her father was going to hit the guy. And he looked like he was too.

I didn't know bingo was that serious...

Baccala1976

04-30-2008, 09:47 AM

The woman sitting up front with her daughter: Her daughter I guess won three times or something like that. And I guess the lady that was sitting in the 2nd row behind the mother said (or mumbled) something. And that's when the mother get's up and says "Don't you call me a bitch". And after that the lady just got up and left.

On the same side of the room 3 rows back from the front, there was a guy sitting next to a girl and her mother, I think the mother was on her other side. And the girl's father was sitting in front of them in the 2nd row. From what I can tell, the girl may have taken the guy's dabber (the ink thing for the bingo sheets), I dunno maybe she wanted a different color...And the guy, jokingly grabbed her dabber and put a pink mark on her bare arm. The girl's father saw this happen, and got up and started yelling at the guy who did it. Then that's when the girl started crying and saying she was ok, because I guess she was scared that her father was going to hit the guy. And he looked like he was too.

I didn't know bingo was that serious...

Bingo...the new CRACK!

trebleshot

04-30-2008, 10:32 AM

Bingo is SRS business.

squirrelcar

04-30-2008, 10:33 AM

Far as beautiful, there were some cuties. But ATLianz quickly pointed out, they were all moms bringing their kids there.

I think that means I'm getting older? Or maybe that moms are getting younger. Either or.

Freyabeads

04-30-2008, 10:51 AM

Also..WHAT....THE....*** was up with those two outbursts during bingo? We left shortly after, because that was just crazy!

all in all 2007>2005>2008

Just to help clarify, I was the one who walked out when the female in the front jumped up and said that. Yes I did mumble it, but it was not over the game, it was over something she said after the male (I can not refer to either as a lady or gentleman) sitting with them pushed truly pushed my Significant Other out of the way over those silly pins the FP lady threw in the crowd. He was picking one up and the guy went after it like was Ernie Banks 500th home run ball or something. It had nothing to do with the game and I just thought it best to leave the situation.

I think it was a tense room to begin with, the unattended kids were obnoxious, the music left a little to be desired and I think that helped the edginess. I am totally embarrased by the situation and should have not mumbled it, but I did and can not unmumble it.

squirrelcar

04-30-2008, 10:54 AM

Perhaps dealers should get a short preview of the Hasbro Toy panel before everyone else?Negative, Ghost Rider.

Saralady

04-30-2008, 10:56 AM

I didn't find the bums to be that bad, but, then again, I've wandered around downtown Baltimore where the hobos keep popping up like tribbles, so I'm probably desensitized to it all.

My boyfriend managed to buy lots of toys, and having me there meant he was able to get some extras to try and sell to recoup travel expenses. We didn't attend any panels because, quite honestly, we were rather disappointed by the programming. It seemed like there were about four or five panels/autographs and they just kept repeating throughout the weekend. I understand repeating some things like autographs, but four times in two days?

The wait time in pre-reg lines was great. I've never waited such a short amount of time at a convention before, so that was seriously awesome. Additionally, this was BY FAR the politest convention crowd I have ever experienced! Any time I was bumped into, foot stepped on, etc, I received a quick and genuine apology. I could definitely do without the screaming babies, but it's better than shrieking fangirls.

Our hotel had some serious issues going on (Hyatt) while we were there. Early Friday night we were in an elevator with a woman who had already been checked into two rooms in 30 minutes...only to enter the room and find other people already in there. CRAZY. They gave her a third room to try and comped her stay while we were in the lobby, but still - that gave me some serious concerns for our safety and I started putting all the locks on the door for the rest of the weekend.

Being a vegetarian and not very comfortable around alcohol, I didn't even bother going to the dinner on Saturday. Instead, I had a Graeter's milkshake and some Noodles & Co. I also ate at an Italian place, a Thai restaurant, and Panera. There are lots of food places in the Cincy area, but you have to have the ability to drive to them, so I feel for anyone who was stuck at the downtown hotels. In the future, it might be nice if Botcon has a handy dandy slip of paper noting the places to eat in the area to help people find food.

Delphan Rane

04-30-2008, 10:58 AM

Just to help clarify, I was the one who walked out when the female in the front jumped up and said that. Yes I did mumble it, but it was not over the game, it was over something she said after the male (I can not refer to either as a lady or gentleman) sitting with them pushed truly pushed my Significant Other out of the way over those silly pins the FP lady threw in the crowd. He was picking one up and the guy went after it like was Ernie Banks 500th home run ball or something. It had nothing to do with the game and I just thought it best to leave the situation.

I think it was a tense room to begin with, the unattended kids were obnoxious, the music left a little to be desired and I think that helped the edginess. I am totally embarrased by the situation and should have not mumbled it, but I did and can not unmumble it.

Thank you for clarifying, becuz I only caught the tail end of that. And I agree there were some obnoxious kids in there, luckily they didn't stay the whole time.

Still the outbursts, I think, were uncalled for in a room full of ppl with children present. The persons with the issues could have quietly and maturely voiced their concerns or opinions. JMO

Freyabeads

04-30-2008, 11:06 AM

Thank you for clarifying, becuz I only caught the tale end of that. And I agree there were some obnoxious kids in there, luckily they didn't stay the whole time.

Still the outbursts, I think, were uncalled for in a room full of ppl with children present. The persons with the issues could have quietly and maturely voiced their concerns or opinions. JMO

Agreed, which is why when she freaked, I just left.
As I said I am totally embarassed. I'm sorry for f'ing up the evening but trust me no one was more upset than me.

xZAOx

04-30-2008, 11:18 AM

Agreed, which is why when she freaked, I just left.
As I said I am totally embarassed. I'm sorry for f'ing up the evening but trust me no one was more upset than me.

What the hell happened? What was said?

Delphan Rane

04-30-2008, 11:20 AM

What the hell happened? What was said?

Read a few posts back...I gave a brief summary.

Agreed, which is why when she freaked, I just left.
As I said I am totally embarassed. I'm sorry for f'ing up the evening but trust me no one was more upset than me.

You didn't do anything wrong, as far as I can see. The ppl who made the outbursts are the ones we noticed. But hey, all is good. I finally won something after 2 yrs of playing. :)

Baccala1976

04-30-2008, 11:33 AM

Ok, my turn...

The Good:

Finally meeting people from the boards including Delphan Rane, DJPhilipz, Megamus, Gen1fan, xZAOx, Warriorpriest, Draven, Chao Catcher, King Konvoy, Liokaiser and countless others that I didn't get their screen names.

Going to Botcon with cash this time around and being able to buy some items that my collection seriously needed.

The parts party was fun and where I met most of the board members.

Picking up some Animated figures way before the get released to the rest of the country.

The Bad:

The 10 hour drive from Brooklyn to Cincy and back. That's about as far as I'm willing to drive.

The Ramada Inn was the absolute WORST hotel I have ever stayed in. Me and APrim was seriously disturbed about how gross it was. The area around the hotle wasn't the greatest either as we were sceptical about going across the street from the place to get some snacks. The only good thing about it was it was cheap ($69 a night), free parking and free wireless internet.

The dealer room was a little dissapointing to me as it didn't seem like there were a lot of dealers compared to last year. Also, the inventory that the dealers had wasn't spectacular either.

No where to eat. Serious, I had a car and we had to drive about 9 miles to go to IHOP for breakfast because there was no where to eat around there.

All in all I had a good time and have no regrets. Next year FP can remedy some of my "bad" by having the 'Con in NYC....then again, I'm biased.

Delphan Rane

04-30-2008, 11:46 AM

Big Filipino

04-30-2008, 12:17 PM

The good
-Garfield Suites Hotel was a nice option. It was a few blocks away but it was only $95 a night for a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a full sized kitchen
-The custom class was cool. Loved the fact the figure (Nightbeat) had a cameo in the comic book
-I thought the line ups were ok but that's cause I was able to pick up my sets on Wed and get my exclusives on Thurs
-I thought Bingo was good except for the outbursts. I was the guy who won the 2 DS video games and collected the prizes while holding his daughter. Sadly I'm also the same guy who embarrassed himself a few minutes later yelling out Bingo thinking the rules of the game somehow changed.
-Meeting some fans although I wish I had a chance to meet more of you from the boards.
-The Hasbro preview panel was awesome
-Getting my Bumblebee and Optimus Animated signed
-picking up some stuff that I had been looking for (Liokaiser, sorry I couldn't close the deal on your Decepticharge)

The bad
-Like many of you, I was getting really annoyed with some of the lame questions people were asking the voice actors and Hasbro.
-The auction was all but a waste of time unless you were one of a handful of guys who had dollars to spend
-The weirdness in bingo as already previously discussed
-I actually didn't get approached by any homeless people (but maybe that's cause I'm 6'3" and close to 250 lbs) but I did feel a little uneasy about the safety of my wife and daughter
-Driving about 20 minutes north to go to a Toys R Us only to find out that it had closed down when I got there
-Having to exchange my Ricochet 3 times due to paint smudges and other defects

The ugly
-Seeing my Raptors lose to the Magic in game 4 on Sat

This was my 3rd Botcon and while last year's was unbelievably amazing, I thought this one was still well done. I'd hope they pick a slightly better city next time. This guy I met who talked with Brian during the tours said that it'll be in either Orlando or LA. FP wanted Detroit but Hasbro won't allow it.

Liokaiser

04-30-2008, 01:07 PM

-picking up some stuff that I had been looking for (Liokaiser, sorry I couldn't close the deal on your Decepticharge)

No problem, I've ended up trading it to rework. Hope you found one dead mint.

Liokaiser

04-30-2008, 01:09 PM

This guy I met who talked with Brian during the tours said that it'll be in either Orlando or LA. FP wanted Detroit but Hasbro won't allow it.

Orlando I would do, but LA hell no.

Delphan Rane

04-30-2008, 01:11 PM

Orlando I would do, but LA hell no.

Double for me too, and the same with Detroit.

Lupis Convoy

04-30-2008, 01:15 PM

the good:

Meeting old friends from last year, and making aTON of new friends this year.
Customization class, great chance to wet my feet and getting myself into the game.

Bar exclusive figures FTW!

Parts Party!

LordNA's advice on different beers, and ofcourse, the chance to experience us taking over the hotel bar, and the other bar.

The food at the buffet was actually FOOD, and not snacks like last year. The alfredo was actually pretty decent!

the bad:

Loosing my camera at the begining of the Con.
Constant begging from the homeless, and not really being sure who was really in need, and those that were just trying to scam.
Lots of things seemed to be pretty pricey to me in the floor, even the loose stuff from recent years. Again, not everywhere, but enough.

Ugly:

The lines, not something that is abnormal though.

The issues with goign to one of the stores at 10:00 am to try to get a Bumblebee or other Animated figures only to find out that a lot of the vendors and large stock buyers had been their lined up BEFORE the store opened and cleaned them all out. Nothing that can be stopped though, and this is just how it was.

Verizon loosing a tower, and telling us that at first it was our phones not being properly synched.

Me loosing almost all of my Tek at one point or another durring the trip. Still haven't found the camera.

Comming back to work on little sleep, and my body still recouping.

Missing out on riding the bull.

The lines for the buffet meal and the cash bars.

megamus

04-30-2008, 01:58 PM

I think someone else mentioned it but it would be nice if FP put something out about the food locations. I believe they advertise attractions but not food. At least not that I know of.

funkatron101

04-30-2008, 02:04 PM

No problem, I've ended up trading it to rework. Hope you found one dead mint.

Haha, it's funny the trickle effect that deal caused.

I'm still on the lookout for that Ramjet fin. I'm going to unpack everything and cleanup my toy area this weekend.

Liokaiser

04-30-2008, 02:42 PM

I'm still on the lookout for that Ramjet fin. I'm going to unpack everything and cleanup my toy area this weekend.

Cool man, LMK. It was awesome to meet ya at the con man. Hope you got to sell some of your stuff too. :D

Washu

04-30-2008, 03:05 PM

Oh Joy! That was me! This may come off as a rant, but just trying to address everything.

If you want to talk further, just message me.

You will be seeing me again since I have been doing this for years and will continue to do so. I take this was your first con then?

This year I ended up bring much more than the booth could sustain. I didn't get the dealer booth's measued up but we usually get 10 foot long and I remember one hellish year we got 8 foot and it just killed us. But overall, I had way to much stock (Over zealous car packing) and it killed me. Made my booth look worse than ever before and I should have just hired my friend so I could get two booths so it did not look like a Junkion Planet.

Overall, I walled myself in because I had to much to do deal with, too much stock unorganized at my feet. Also Botcon is Theft R Us. If you do not have a booth set a certain way, you will have hundreds of dollars stolen from you.

Kinda confused here. You asked a question and I answered it. So I'm not sure why you are ticked off if I did not have a item. If I did not have it... Then I did Not Have It. I even helped people try to acquire things I did not have at other booths I saw for the short times I did get to walk around.

As for the Battle Beasts bag, if you wanted to look at it... you need to point and ask to see it. Then I would say, sure (like I did with everyone else) or say, hold on, I'am dealing with this other person and you need to wait a small while.

As for condition, considering I never gave a condition rating on ANY OF MY TOYS I'm not sure what you are upset over. If you think a toy price is higher than expected, you can openly tell me or haggle the price down. Posting about issues after the fact and not working with me does not get you a toy at the price you wanted.

Only regrets I have on the show with a person is I sold a Thunderwing after I put it on hold for someone. I swore I said be back in 5 minutes, he came back in 15 and I did feel very bad. But from a dealer view, 80% of the people who put something on hold never come back.

I even took back the 15 year old kid's Whirl he bought from me for $15. Though I explained the condition to him, him and his father came back a hour later and wanted to return it. I always allow that for the kid's.

That was the only issues I knew of. Next time.. TALK to the dealer instead of ranting about it.

squirrelcar

04-30-2008, 03:22 PM

IBeing a vegetarian and not very comfortable around alcohol, I didn't even bother going to the dinner on Saturday.
Missed out on a free meal, then. Plenty of vegel-only food at the dinner--pasta with marinara and alfredo, egg rolls, spinach dip, vegel wraps, rolls, and more.

Far as not being comfortable around alcohol, people were drinking, but it's not a bar-like environment.

rework

04-30-2008, 03:26 PM

This year I ended up bring much more than the booth could sustain. I didn't get the dealer booth's measued up but we usually get 10 foot long and I remember one hellish year we got 8 foot and it just killed us.

Since FP took over, I think the booths have always been 8' x 11' - 2 8' tables and 1 6' table in a U shape.... Which almost every dealer promptly re-arranges...

You'd think maybe Brian would notice that by now and maybe offer other options....

Delphan Rane

04-30-2008, 03:31 PM

Missed out on a free meal, then. Plenty of vegel-only food at the dinner--pasta with marinara and alfredo, egg rolls, spinach dip, vegel wraps, rolls, and more.

Far as not being comfortable around alcohol, people were drinking, but it's not a bar-like environment.

Agreed. And I think if one is going to spend money on travel expenses and hotel, and $285 for the set (which includes the dinner), they should try to experience everything. Botcon can be as positive (or negative) as you make it.

Vangelus

04-30-2008, 03:45 PM

Yeah the food was a -far- improvement over the last few years of FunPub dinners. I daresay it was more veggie-friendly than meat-friendly, actually.

Which is quite a turnaround from good ol' Botcon 2005's beef-for-all. XD

Washu

04-30-2008, 03:56 PM

As of recent, I did miss that. No wonder why it always feels so small. I remember really when this happened on 04' and all of us were crying over our small booths. Or was it because we had no chairs and the Union wanted to charged $35-$45 per a chair for each dealer booth? :)

Well, even smaller tables than I expected. Will probably go for the two booths next year. Only did it once and I had so taken from me I vowed never to do two booths again. But will figure it out in advance.

rework

04-30-2008, 04:05 PM

Well, even smaller tables than I expected. Will probably go for the two booths next year. Only did it once and I had so taken from me I vowed never to do two booths again. But will figure it out in advance.

Get yourself some helpers... I would never try running a booth all by myself. You get two badges per booth - I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who would trade some hours of booth duty for the early access that provides!

Deefuzz

04-30-2008, 04:21 PM

Finally, one particular dealer stuck out in that dealer room that really honked me off. He was, I believe, in the 2nd row from the back of the room at the far end of the row toward the stage. I don't know if he posts here so I'll try to keep it civil but in general, I hope to never see him at another Botcon again. His prices were awful. His assessments of the condition of the toys he had was dubious, and the way he had himself walled in making it difficult to see what he had was irritating. Let me just say this in closing - saying "I dont have it" while taking a foot long bag of Battle Beasts and spinning it around real fast taking a short glance at it doesn't do a whole lot for your credibility.

Well I know (well I don't know him) the dealer you are talking about and I find this statement a bit odd. I believe I have seen him, and done business with him at every convention I have been to.

I have always found his prices to be rather fair and he has always been a real nice guy to me. Every time I am at his table I have to wait though because it seems like he does alot of business, but he is one of the few people in the dealer room every year who comes with some Battle Beasts.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with him but from my experience he has always been a pretty decent guy. I don't ever really buy much in the dealer room but I always seem to buy from him. And it seems as though he always has a few people at his table looking for stuff so it shows that the guy can do some decent business.

unicron's blues

04-30-2008, 05:24 PM

Washu

04-30-2008, 05:27 PM

AHHHH OK

Currently so busy with wrapping orders that occured when I was gone I figured out what the previous complaint was about.

Rework - Yup, you are right. taking a worker somehow next year. This year my best friend bowed out due to Kane County. I thought I could manage, I was wrong. Previous botcon he was supposed to come but 4 days before had a nasty infecton in his knee. You could but a Seacon black peg in it gaping hole (All together now... EWWW).

Finding someone I trust and someone who knows what they are doing is the issue. I cannot have someone break out a box of parts and know what is what. Will plan in more advance this time.

DeeFuzz - I sincerely appreciate your backing me up. Doesn't happen to often on the boards and makes me day a kinder one (compared to nasty feedback received from Morons and people who stole from me through paypal). Say hi next year, as for me my Name is Alex Bickmore.

-------------------------------------------------
Since It took me a few reads, I understand the Battle Beast issue. I find this comment the most odd and overall will give you a snippet back because you underestimate my abilities.

What happened is a person collected Cuttlefish Battle Beasts. This Battle Beast is all white. I collect Battle Beasts HEAVILY and sell them often. I can pull a white Cuttlefish from a group in a mere second or two. I can pull the figure from a bag with my EYES CLOSED and just feeling around.

The bag was see through and held perhaps a few figures in the center. Most figures were out laying on the side. When I spun that bag look for white, whick only the Fox and Squid would be. I found a Fox, and no Squid. I can ID that fast and am known to do that.

Posting a scathing post about someone who have no idea about does not do anything good to your credibility. Making haphazard assumptions only brings contempt. Next time, just talk to me. I'am a person, not a evil dealer.

Alex Bickmore

*Deathblade

05-01-2008, 07:37 AM

OK, let me address the "no where to eat" comments I've been reading.

My friends and I found plenty of places w/in walking distance to eat. We stayed at the Westin which is about a 3 minute walk down 5th street from the Hyatt. Across the street from our Hotel was a fountain, and in the background were like 4 or 5 restaurants. On the next street over (from the fountain) was the Cadillac restaurant. There was a restaurant right on the corner of our hotel (served a lot of seafood entrees), and there was a steak house 1 block over. These restaurants (excluding the steakhouse) would have cost you about $20 for a meal, a little less for a big appetizer.

Then there was the food court which had a Subway, Sbarros, and a few others.

And in just walking down the street we saw a couple of Chinese restaurants. So was it the food of choice or the cost that ppl didn't like?

the problem was all those places closed at like 8:00-9:00 pm, and like in the instance of friday, we went out around 8:30, trying to grab something before the animated preview, and found nothing open, other than those upscale places and champs...sometimes for a quick meal for 2, you want to spend 12-15 bucks, not 30-50, or 100+ in the instance of the steak places.

Other than that crummy food court, there werent many options, especially after 9:00 pm.

Delphan Rane

05-01-2008, 09:32 AM

the problem was all those places closed at like 8:00-9:00 pm, and like in the instance of friday, we went out around 8:30, trying to grab something before the animated preview, and found nothing open, other than those upscale places and champs...sometimes for a quick meal for 2, you want to spend 12-15 bucks, not 30-50, or 100+ in the instance of the steak places.

Other than that crummy food court, there werent many options, especially after 9:00 pm.

Actually, most of the restaurants above were open until 11:00pm (we went to 3 or 4 of them), and Cadillac was open until 2:00am. Again, prices were decent, not expensive, and restaurants were in walking distance. Just sayin' :)

rework

05-01-2008, 09:35 AM

Finding someone I trust and someone who knows what they are doing is the issue. I cannot have someone break out a box of parts and know what is what. Will plan in more advance this time.

Trust is key... Someone who knows the toys - Not so much, really. My G/F worked my table this year. She knows some basics, but not much beyond that... But that's fine. I have price tags on 90% of my stuff. If it's a question of haggling or someone wants parts, she asks the buyer to come back when I'm there.

'nok

05-01-2008, 10:19 AM

I don't see why every one is bitching about the hotels, as a vetern of many sleazy hotels, both as a ranchhand, colledge student, and military member I can say the ramada where i stayed had it's issuyes, but hey the toilet flushed, the shower worked, there was an overabundance of hot water, the rates where fare the breakfast wasn't bad, and I didn't have any encounters with pests, loud people, staff, trains or any of the other anoyences I've delt with. Most importantly the remote wasn't bolted to the nightstand, there WAS a TV and it didn't have any nobs (yes I have stayed in some dives)

As for the con itself, one word MAP that building was huge and I kept going the long route cause I had no clue where anything was. Food was close but not onsite except that hotdog place and they where kinda ehh. The deler room seemed crowded not so much the people just the lay out BIG side isles small inner isles. The panals where great but I swear there where people ready to do things illegal in some countries to some of the voice actors and some DUMB repetitive questions my favorite was "the person in front of me just asked my question so I'll ask it again" hello will the answer change in less than the 5 minutes it took you to say that?

Dealers as always bar none the Japanese dudes RULED, sorry megamus but damn they had some great deals and yes I spent way to much (can you say Liokiser? With some unaplied stickers? Thanks Megamus) The haggaling was great and I loved Tfsource undercutting bigbad, granted i only bought like 5 pieces from both, Hydra ruled I got some great stuff from him just wished i'd bought his dinoking day 1 rather than going back and seeing it gone. The haggaling was a blast I do it for fun.

People. I loved seeing all the fans as a rural Kansan I feel a little odd sometimes as everyone else I know collects guns, beercans or hangovers and hunts and fishes and buys a big overpriced truck I feel a little different and it's good to meet people and not feel so alone. enough already everyone there was cool. thanks guys hope next year is closer that 12 hour drive sucked, and after all the stuff I bought it was DEFENATLY cheaper to drive than fly what with what i would have had to pay oin shipping.

megamus

05-01-2008, 11:47 AM

Dealers as always bar none the Japanese dudes RULED, sorry megamus but damn they had some great deals and yes I spent way to much (can you say Liokiser? With some unaplied stickers? Thanks Megamus) The haggaling was great and I loved Tfsource undercutting bigbad, granted i only bought like 5 pieces from both, Hydra ruled I got some great stuff from him just wished i'd bought his dinoking day 1 rather than going back and seeing it gone. The haggaling was a blast I do it for fun.

I understand fully, I too bought a few things from the Japanese guys (Can't spell their name). I usually buy from them every year. I am always amazed at what they bring.

OH and as for the Dinoking from Hydra..... It went to a good home!!:thumb

Kranix2k

05-01-2008, 12:14 PM

AHHHH OK

Since It took me a few reads, I understand the Battle Beast issue. I find this comment the most odd and overall will give you a snippet back because you underestimate my abilities.

Alex Bickmore

Alex,

I apologize if I offended but I hope that you can understand that at the time, I already was having a frustrating afternoon and I didn't share your confidence in your ability to identify toys that way. To be completely honest, I still don't. However, I wouldn't trust ANY dealer in that fashion so I didn't just single you out. And no, it wasn't my first 'con but I truly hadn't encountered a dealer like you before. I again apologize if my first impression of you was bad but I hope you can understand why.

What happened is a person collected Cuttlefish Battle Beasts. This Battle Beast is all white. I collect Battle Beasts HEAVILY and sell them often. I can pull a white Cuttlefish from a group in a mere second or two. I can pull the figure from a bag with my EYES CLOSED and just feeling around.

The bag was see through and held perhaps a few figures in the center. Most figures were out laying on the side. When I spun that bag look for white, whick only the Fox and Squid would be. I found a Fox, and no Squid. I can ID that fast and am known to do that.

I think you may have me mixed up with someone else - with the crowd at the show I can easily understand that - but I was the guy looking for...Sir Sirehorse (I think he was called)...

Posting a scathing post about someone who have no idea about does not do anything good to your credibility. Making haphazard assumptions only brings contempt. Next time, just talk to me. I'am a person, not a evil dealer.

Again, I'm sorry but I posted based on my experience of what happened. It wouldn't be the first time my opinion pissed someone off but its how I felt about the situation. So if my credibility in the eyes of others is destroyed somehow, then I guess I can't do anything about it. I certainly can't take back the fact of how I felt at the time.

EDIT: Just wanted to add - no you never gave a condition rating on the toys, but your assessment of the toys condition in some cases when asked seemed a little skewed towards the high side. Dealers' perogative, I guess. As far as haggling was concerned, my opinion of your price vs. the toys condition would've made it impossible to haggle down near a price I felt was reasonable to me. Again, just my opinion and not trying to change how you do business.

aprim

05-01-2008, 12:40 PM

I understand fully, I too bought a few things from the Japanese guys (Can't spell their name). I usually buy from them every year. I am always amazed at what they bring.

OH and as for the Dinoking from Hydra..... It went to a good home!!:thumb

Same Japanese Guy gave me that MISB G1 Grimlock for 200!! Box is perfect too!

fosterlager

05-01-2008, 01:42 PM

For me, the only bad experience I had in the dealer room was having my transactions with dealers constantly being interrupted by socially awkward people who couldn't wait their turn. That's about it.

alphie

05-01-2008, 02:08 PM

The Good:

Best Birthday EVER! Thanks guys! :D
Hanging out and just chatting with friends.

The Bad:

Not enough G1 oddities.
The Ramada was in a very sketchy part of town.

The Funny:

My stalker.

shibamura_prime

05-01-2008, 02:09 PM

The Good:

Best Birthday EVER! Thanks guys! :D
Hanging out and just chatting with friends.

The Bad:

Not enough G1 oddities.
The Ramada was in a very sketchy part of town.

The Funny:

My stalker.

I remember you hiding behind me during the casino night because of Mr. Freaky. XD

Did he ever bug you on Sunday?

alphie

05-01-2008, 02:13 PM

I remember you hiding behind me during the casino night because of Mr. Freaky. XD

Did he ever bug you on Sunday?

Not really. Though me and a bunch of guys from the boards were walking to the brewery when we came upon him. The stalker let out a very creepy: "HEY!".

fosterlager

05-01-2008, 02:16 PM

I stalked Kickback.

But does it count as stalking if they don't mind?

Washu

05-01-2008, 05:35 PM

Well to make things right between us I can mail you a Sire Sire Horse free of charge in a padded envelope, Granted he won't be complete and probably no rub but hopefully its a start. Pop the address to my PM if you want.

Yea I remember now. I did think it was goofy I did not have him since I have piles of incomplete ones at home. Just never got them into the updated stock which was what I brought. I did even recheck the BB I brought and no Sire.

Next Botcon stop by to say hello. We can play a Battle Beasts game and you can lay out 30 on the table and tell me to identify a certain one in a one second glance. Betch'a I can find the one every time.

Well as long as we can coverup the bad feelings at the time with good ones I'm ok :)

"EDIT: Just wanted to add - no you never gave a condition rating on the toys, but your assessment of the toys condition in some cases when asked seemed a little skewed towards the high side. Dealers' perogative, I guess. As far as haggling was concerned, my opinion of your price vs. the toys condition would've made it impossible to haggle down near a price I felt was reasonable to me. Again, just my opinion and not trying to change how you do business."

Well I did give very accurate conditions if asked. Hence why my Apeface stayed the entire con in my case because he had a partially gnawed front cone which I told everyone.

As for price comparison to the toy, I can agree with you on that. Some pieces are hard to price based upon completeness difficulty and then the selling parts individually. But IMO I wouldn't buy certain toys from my own booth :^)

Case and point is Overlord incomplete. I asked $220, and if I broke the parts out for sale I could get $300. One guy said if I could do $200. It was a fair haggle, but based upon that piece I just couldn't.

So overall, looking to make right of things that went wrong. And hoping my next leap, is the leap home.

Draven

05-01-2008, 06:01 PM

The beautiful:
-The people. I met a lot of old friends I've known for anything up to 8 or so years now, and a hell of a lot of new faces who I hope to have the pleasure of chilling with at future Botcons.
-Starbucks.
-Uber haul of horriffic massiveness. So large I had to buy a second suitcase and STILL have to get some stuff shipped. Easily my biggest Botcon haul to date.
-Champs. SUCH nice food, and awesome service. Really friendly people serving, who were more than happy to chat with you (I've always hated places where you go in and feel like a... well, like a customer for want of a better expression. At Champs you actually felt welcome and as though your business was valued).
-The Parts Parties. I'd never hit one up before, but I'll definitely be going again next year. Special thanks to Megamus, Gen1Fan, Trebleshot, Fosterlager & Funkatron.
-Heckling prom goers. SO much fun.

The bad:
-The set. it was nice, but not amazing. Nothing compared with 2007 or 2006's sets. The at-show exclusives were also jacked up in price, putting them out of my desired price range. I ended up selling the set and buying more regular stuff instead. I don't regret doing so either; and considering I've been trying to collect the boxed sets, that's really saying something.
-To me, the guest list felt somewhat... lacklustre. I can understand how some of the VAs must have sucked up a lot of the budget, but this was the first FP run Botcon I've been to that didn't really feel like it was worth all that money.

The REALLY damn ugly:
-The ludicrous number of one way roads made getting anywhere very annoying, even for a passenger. They were also badly maintained.
-The Ramada. Settle down for this one, it's a long'un.
The place was an absolute PIT. DMK and I asked for a smoking room, and got a non-smoking one. Not that it mattered, as the room reeked of smoke anyway; therefore we just smoked in it anyways. Our room keys stopped working twice during our stay; one of those times was when I was damn near unconscious from a migraine, and DMK had to run down and get it sorted while I slumped against the wall. NOT fun.
And as if that wasn't bad enough! On the Friday DMK, Tricky Disco and I were sitting in the room when the fucking door opened. With the use of a key. Somehow the Ramada's computer had us down as being in a different room, so they let ours out. So basically we had people wander into a room full of rare toys and a fucking laptop. I was beyond furious about that. Add to that the drive-by (nothing like shit like that to give one a real feeling of security) and the fire alarm, and you end up with an absolute shithole. The people who work there were extremely friendly, polite and helpful, however. I feel sorry for them.
-Beggars. Y'know, there's nothing guaranteed to piss in your cornflakes faster than leaving a dealer room with a bunch of cool toys, and being confronted instantly by a guy with no legs begging. Then crossing the road to see a guy with diabetes and no insurance. Then crossing again and being hassled for money. Even going outside for a smoke was a perilous task; I can count the number of times I wasn't approached on one hand. It may well sound selfish, but it's not good at all.
-The dinner/casino/party. Expensive drinks that tasted watered down, and a crappy tannoy system (that led to us losing the rest of our gambling winnings due to a clerical fuckup).

Conclusion:
Cincinatti, to be blunt, was a downright fucking terrible location to hold Botcon in, and in general it wasn't that great a show. I have to wonder if FP did ANY research before holding Botcon there. If next year isn't a better experience pretty much all round I won't be going to any more.

Liokaiser

05-01-2008, 06:08 PM

The Good

Hanging out with board memberd all weekend long
Finding Animated figures at Toyrus and getting discount for signing up for cc
Getting one very special piece from Megamus at the parts party thursday night
Great size dealer room
Boardmembers, Beer at Champs sports bar
Being able to pick up extra show exclusive for both Flywheels and Primeconvoy1
Selling a collection of stuff to a dealer and getting store credit :D
After five year looking for it, I finally got Sonic Bomber's mircomaster to complete my Big Powered Set.
The ladies dancing buck wild saturday night into sunday morning

The Bad

When Brian announced that you didn't have to look at the boxset and if you had any problems you could go to someone at the front desk, I figured the line would be faster. It didn't. Getting the boxset and extra exclusive took forever thursday night. I was hungry.
Trying to find a good place to eat after 8:00pm.
$5.00 a pop for Corona, wish I would have just gotten a case
Not see Masterpiece Megatron at $75.00 for a friend. :(
A few items I should have gotten and didn't then it was gone :(
Three different conventions trying to check out at the same time at the Hyatt on sunday
Having to leave on noon on sunday. :(

Don_East

05-01-2008, 06:17 PM

The Good:

The deals at the TFSource Booth
The MSTing Of Transform & Roll Out
The Hasbro Panel(Can't wait for fall)
The Friday night Animated preview
The guests were nice
My film, TFMV Hell, won third place in the Film Festival.

The Bad:

The lines... Oh the lines.
The Hyatt itself, the only good thing was the skywalk

The Ugly:

Casio Night... Ugh, since it's been mentioned. I guess I should come out and say it... I was the guy who dabbed the little girl. I was just frustrated that night. It was really hot, there was some annoying kid who looked like Andy Milonakis who wouldn't shut up. I felt bad after I did that and I felt better the next day when I apologized to the dad.
Cincinatti was just a bad place to put the con since there was nothing to do there.

Aside from that incident, it was pretty fun.

Liokaiser

05-01-2008, 06:33 PM

Casio Night... Ugh, since it's been mentioned. I guess I should come out and say it... I was the guy who dabbed the little girl. I was just frustrated that night. It was really hot, there was some annoying kid who looked like Andy Milonakis who wouldn't shut up. I felt bad after I did that and I felt better the next day when I apologized to the dad.

:eek:

'nok

05-01-2008, 08:36 PM

another good moment I forgot about some one taking a picture of me pouring a beer and saying "that is talent", I mean can't every one poor a beer from a pitcher with no foam while buzzed? But still i apriciate the complement, and I guess after seeing some of my navy buddies wasting beer i can understand

Oh and Lou dobbs daubed your mom

Motor_Master

05-01-2008, 09:47 PM

Conclusion:
Cincinatti, to be blunt, was a downright fucking terrible location to hold Botcon in, and in general it wasn't that great a show. I have to wonder if FP did ANY research before holding Botcon there. If next year isn't a better experience pretty much all round I won't be going to any more.
You not being there would ruin the Botcon experience even further, but I do agree with your assessment of this year's con. Very lackluster at best. There was no wow factor to the con this year. No special guest, no special tour. I can't tell you how disappointed I was in Cincinnati as a city. The best part was the Hooters built on a barge floating on the river... but that was in Kentucky!!

I have a very strong feeling that this year's con was put together to simply get it out of the way sooner so FP could spend more time planning next years cons. Not only is there a new TF movie and the 25th anniversary of Transformers, but there's also a GI Joe movie. There's going to be a lot of pressure to have two stellar cons ideally a month or two apart.

Fairlady_Z

05-01-2008, 09:48 PM

The Awesome
Winning TF Idol and getting to perform with the voice actors.
Winning TF Idol and getting to perform with the voice actors.
Winning TF Idol and getting to perform with the voice actors.
Winning TF Idol and getting to perform with the voice actors.
Winning TF Idol and getting to perform with the voice actors.

All the new and old friends I got to hang with. You guys rock!

Seeing two new never before seen TFA episodes.

All the new cool toys coming out as seen at the Hasbro pannel.

Completing my BW toy collecton, thank you parts party.

The Bad
Cincinnati sucks. Now you know why people in Pennsylvania make fun of Ohio.

All the new cool toys coming out as seen at the Hasbro pannel. My poor wallet.

Hyatt doesn't get CN, so I couldn't watch the new Saturday ep while at the Con.

"Fire alarms are not play things for irresponsible buffoons."

Not being within walking distance of a good toy store to look for TFA toys.

fosterlager

05-01-2008, 10:07 PM

Deefuzz

05-01-2008, 11:03 PM

The Funny:

My stalker.

You had a stalker?

Awesome.

Dark Ramjet

05-01-2008, 11:06 PM

Foster wins at being stalked .:rock

tobecat

05-02-2008, 09:59 AM

-Either the Q&A people have gotten worse, or I've gotten more intolerant. They were annoying the shit out of me with taking forever to ask their questions, or commenting the whole time, or just asking stupid questions.

The WORST part of it? The Monday after :(

Right on...the questions are horrible. I used to sit through them all but after about 6 I am gone and get a recap from my friends. They told me I missed one good question in an hour so I felt pretty good leaving. I admit it could just be an intolerance now as well...the whole "heard that question every year". We can't talk about the movie so then next three questions are about the movie....

Monday was pretty bad...I had exams and no Botcon...horrible day.

Motor_Master

05-02-2008, 10:15 AM

Not really. Though me and a bunch of guys from the boards were walking to the brewery when we came upon him. The stalker let out a very creepy: "HEY!".

:lol we all should have said "Hello Stalker Dude" and waved at him as he walked by.

Fairlady_Z

05-02-2008, 11:04 AM

That was you? Wow, was that a fake accent too? Sounded good to me!

Thanks. Yes, that was me. And it was a fake accent though I'm originally from Virginia so I was drawing some on my childhood accent I lost over the years. I was probably thinking of G1 Inferno a bit when I came up with the voice too since Flareup was Firestar's student and they were all red rescue/authority vehicles.

Another highlight I should mention was the IDW guys being there. IDW's kinda become a staple these last few conventions so they dodn't get mentioned much but seeing Simon again and meeting Chris Mowry and the others was very cool. The Reign of Starscream was a good first issue and I got to talk with Mowry about it. And I'm glad I got it early since it's been delayed another week in the comics shops it seems.

Starsabrej

05-02-2008, 12:44 PM

The GOOD
Having a blast with everyone.
Getting to meet people I was unable to last year.
I think people finally got the message to shower. The dealer room wasn't nearly as bad as last year.
Finding good deals at the parts party.
Finding good deals in the dealer room.
NOT GETTING THE BOTCON FLU!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alphie's Birthday party.
The free WiFi I was able to snag from my room at the Hyatt. I was very lucky to get it.

The BAD
Lack of a nightlife.
Hard to find good food to eat.
Buying more chips at the casino night. I was fine till people just kept getting more chips.
The panhandlers - I am just not used to that.
Expensive beer at Champs.
Getting so drunk Friday, I couldn't party Saturday.

The UGLY

Sorry, Crack kills (Motor Master and KSA should know what I am talking about).

Delphan Rane

05-02-2008, 01:36 PM

The Ugly:
Casio Night... Ugh, since it's been mentioned. I guess I should come out and say it... I was the guy who dabbed the little girl. I was just frustrated that night. It was really hot, there was some annoying kid who looked like Andy Milonakis who wouldn't shut up. I felt bad after I did that and I felt better the next day when I apologized to the dad.

:eek:

I know the kid you're talking about, he and his family get noticed a lot. I'm glad you worked things out with the dad the next day.

VAwitch

05-02-2008, 02:53 PM

Get yourself some helpers... I would never try running a booth all by myself. You get two badges per booth - I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who would trade some hours of booth duty for the early access that provides!

As someone who helped Rework last year, & Monoform this year. Yes!! Work something out w/ folks - I know that the other gent who "buys" a booth with these two, all 3 of his helpers met up w/ him AT the con. When I finally made it to the VA line, I had stuff signed for Monoform. Last year, after my initial run past David Kaye, Rework had me get stuff signed for him.

But as a helper - pls make sure you have either a list, or things tagged - nothing's more frustrating from that end (or for the buyer, I'm sure), than being asked "how much?" and having no clue.

I thought that 2007 was a bit better overall, but not by much. There are a lot of areas FP could tweak & improve on.

And I'll echo the list of food-places. Rework, me & part of our group went across the bridge into Newport-on-the-levee, KY - to get dinner & fun Fri nite - on the rec of my board-friend, who was from the area. Otherwise, w/ no car, you are a bit restricted in what you could get for cheap to eat, and UGH for something to do afterhours.

hockeygamer40

05-02-2008, 09:38 PM

wow and here i thought i was the only one to complain about the lack of food. i walked around the city saturday nite got approached by 4 people asking for change and a woman who said she would do ANYTHING for money cause she was on hard times. UMMMMMM NO THANK YOU. on my way back to the airport the cabbie who shuttled me back was telling me how horrible the city was and he couldnt wait to leave next month. does Fun Pub really research the surrounding areas when booking these cons?

How do you think I feel about working downtown everyday like I do? The homeless all move to the baseball and football stadiums when a game is on.

Oh yea, we should have mentioned that Cincinnati is one of the few cities that requires a license to panhandle. If they don't show the license, you can call the cops on them. And they will run like mad.

I had the pleasure of the convention security guard telling me that the packaging for the exclusives was poor because the box looked like a meat container package!

I still feel decently safe downtown, but as with anyplace, going in groups of twos or threes always helps. Take this from someone who never went to Lexington or Providence/Seekonk before and who is planning for L.A., San Francisco, or Orlando for next year's BotCon.

Dinotron

05-02-2008, 10:11 PM

The Ugly:
The drive by shooting across the street from the Ramada early Sunday morning. Laying in bed and my GF and I hear pop-pop-pop, then screeching wheels...

damn i was outside smoking!! i thought it was fire works!!!

i loved everything about the con, my first one so i was overwhelmed by everything. got some really cool stuff, prices i didn't mind paying. the way i saw it it was $2 to uk's £1 so everything was like half price, well thats how i thought about it. plus if i told the girlfriend that she would be as mad at me.

food was a little scarce, skyline chilli is f-ing great, nearly as good as mine.lol.
still i ate well, ish. i had a great roomie. hotel could of been better, ramada. but at 69 buck a night i aint gonna complain, apart from the drive-by!
to top things off winning 2nd in the dioroma. first con, first customs and 2nd. wow! that really put the icing on the cake.

i met a bunch of great people from here and from the tcc. so i aint just going for the toys next year, i'm going to meet up with all the guys that made me feel so welcome.

Beastbot X

05-02-2008, 10:34 PM

The Good:
-Having it so close this year. 3 hours drive, no airfare FTW!!!
-Having Marty Isenberg already know about my "Punch of Kill Everything" fanname for Lugnut's punch and seriously considering putting it in the show. I was seriously geeking out for the rest of the day after that.
-The customization class. I've never done anything to a Transformer more complex than taking out a screw, it was really cool to make a TF I could (sorta) call my own. Plus, Rodimus isn't the only Evil Autobot in my collection to have a goatee now!
-Being able to pick up my stuff early because I was in the customization class and thus avoiding the long lines.
-I AM WRECK-GAR! I DARE TO BE STUPID!
-Finding 2/3rds of the Animated toys at a TRU on the way in.
-The panels. I luvs the panels.
-Seeing familiar faces every year, it's always surreal seeing so many of the TF heavy hitters like Aaron Archer, Ben Yee, David Kaye, etc. in the same place.
-25th Anniversary CHEETOR. 'Nuff said.
-MSTF. Best one yet, I almost didn't stop laughing the entire time.
-The beach ball at the auction.
-The Casino Night room actually wasn't horrifically crowded this time! Hooray!
-The exclusives. Evil Prime= love.
-FINALLY getting Black Arcee and Battle Damaged Voyager Prime.
-The hilarious voice actor reading at the Casino Night Dinner. ROCK.
-The Cadillac diner. Delicious food.
-Hangin' with my homies I meet at Botcon every year.

The Bad:
- Yeah, downtown Cincinnati has turned into bum central. Which is sad, as I lived in Cincinnati until I was 12 and the main downtown streets were thoroughly safe and bum-free back then. I guess after the riots downtown a few years ago everything just went downhill drastically. Very, very sad.
-Missing out on 1/3rd on the Animated toys because JUST as I was walking up to enter the TRU, out came a guy with literally 4 shopping carts full of Animated toys. At first I was peeved, until he explained that he was taking orders for the Club tour that day, so he wasn't a scalper or anything. I was fine with that, of course. Still sucked for me, though.
- Egads, things were expensive. Though I guess I should be used to that by now.
- The big jump in the prices of the exclusives, though I don't blame FP for this.
- Not finding Aveo Swerve for a reasonable price. Only 1 guy had 'em, and was selling 'em for $100 a pop. I really really wanted one and was willing to pay a reasonably high price (up to $60-ish), but considering he obviously ordered a lot of them and saved on shipping, selling them for that much was just nuts.
- Spending too much. Again. Ugh.
- The auction. Yeah, WAY too many "kids only" auctions. I understand leaving SOME aside for them, but when you're to the point where you've got only 2 kids bidding for something that would go for 5 times that high if everyone was allowed to bid, then you know you've got a problem. Plus, literally everything I wanted from the auctions were in the "kids only" auctions, too.

I also found it very funny that both of the guys who won free trips to next years' Botcon had goatees.

TrickyDisco

05-03-2008, 06:20 PM

Agree with the following:
Good:
The Bad:
- The mall closing at 8pm. WHAT THE FUCK?
- The Champs Bar closing at 12am/1am when every other bar was open till at least 2:00/2:30am.
- Your stomach after the pizza place that was open till 4am.
Good times overall. 3rd best BotCon. (2007 = the best, 2006 = 2nd, this year = 3rd).

TOTALLY AGREED. Some things were better this year, but overall 2007 is the best yet and 2006 second.

The Good:
-Squirrelcar and anything that he says

The Bad:
-The food at Champs was horrendous! After Sunday night's dinner I think I used the toilet more than I ever had in a week. My stomach was completely screwed
-The "mall" next to the Hyatt.
-The food at the Mexican joint in the mall. I know what real Mexican food is and that isn't it. Worst carnitas ever!

TOTALLY AGREED! Mexican place was crap and my stomach was out of it on sunday night :(

Yeah the food was a -far- improvement over the last few years of FunPub dinners. I daresay it was more veggie-friendly than meat-friendly, actually.

Which is quite a turnaround from good ol' Botcon 2005's beef-for-all. XD
The Saturday night food was better than ever...despite the lack of bread! Nom Nom Nom! :)

Katamari Prime

05-03-2008, 06:32 PM

Bad:
-Yeah, the mall was a let down
-downtown was dead, save for the bums
-Allergy overdrive, sore throat= no drinking at he bar, hoarse the entirety of the trip
-Only liokaiser was gone before I even noticed it

Good
-Chili and Spagetti, better than it sounds
-Avoided VA panel, which from the sound of it was a very good idea
-Music Label Soundwave, once I figured how to make it work.
-Actually got to meet some of the board people

Spartan-117

05-03-2008, 07:52 PM

So yeah, here goes.

The good:
Meeting people again was awesome.
Drinking was generally awesome.
My time in Columbus after was great too. I met some really cool people.

The bad:
Botcon. I realised that I care not a fucking jot for Transformers anymore and that to me there's nothing at the convention that's actually worth the money. If I go again I'm not bothering with the packages. I didn't buy a single thing.
The food. American food kills the shit out of me.
Not being able to hang out with everyone as much as I wanted to. So many awesome people, not enough time.
Similarly, leaving Columbus sucked. I'd have loved to spend more time with people.

The ugly:
Stupid bums. I gave one guy like, five bucks because I'm rather sympathetic and I was half cut. He actually asked for more. I believe I told him to literally "jog the fuck on".
Me getting drunk. I entirely underestimated how badly jet lag and the lack of substantial food was fucking me up then went and drank far too much on the big night. I talk too much when I'm drunk. Unintelligibly at that.