Allright. So flash-back to 1996. The Transformers fandom existed in a different form back then. The Beast Wars toyline - which hit the fandom almost completely by surprise - had just begun showing up on store pegs, and the summer "sneak peak" of the Beast Wars pilot was a sample of the first new Transformers television series in over a decade.

And then there was BotCon 1996, managed for the first (and last) time by Dennis Barger's Men In Black. It had... uh... problems. But I was there! At a TRANSFORMERS convention! And (mostly) enjoyed it for what it was, only noticing its sundry flaws in retrospect.

There were prototypes on display at that convention which were not shown at subsequent ones (or, if they were, not with the same level of fanfare). Of course, digital cameras were practically unheard of in 1996, so the number of photos (good or otherwise) of them is kind of limited, compounded by the low attendence numbers as compared to following conventions.

With that in mind, I present these photos I recently unearthed. They aren't especially good in a photographic sense - I think you can see my thumb in the first one - but they're photos no one else has seen from a convention that's a decade old.

So. Forward to the past!

Click to enlarge.

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-01.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-01.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-02.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-02.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-03.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-03.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-04.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-04.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-04b.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-04b.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-05a.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-05a.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-05bbb.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-05bbb.jpg"></a>

(I might try the process I used to enlarge Unicron on the first three, if anyone wants.)

 

What's the big boxy thing that looks like it has a handle? Thank you for sharing!

 

wow.. that looks like a pathetic botcon considering how things are today (from what I've seen in pictures)

 

Great pics, but ...........HAHAHA. All I can say. What the hell were they ever thinking? Everytime I see that Unicron I laugh hard.

 

Oooh...forget Tonka-cron...I'm more interested in those unproduced Action Master & Pretender protos. Those are nice (in a late G1 sort of way).

 

hahahah hes fat he should fight right in with energon prime!!

 

That beats armada unicron hands down!

 

Best Unicron EVER!!!

 

no its not

 

If protos exist, does that mean we might still see the Pretenders released? Or is that a dumb question, with no hope of happening?

 

That's an unproduced Micromaster transport.

Someone elsewhere asked for enlargements from the third pic, so I'll toss those up here too. Again, click to enlarge.

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-03-ape.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-03-ape.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-03-spider.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-03-spider.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-03-human.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-03-human.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-03-unimaximusB.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-03-unimaximusB.jpg"></a>

 

That is creepy. he looks so fat and ugly. just wondering do u have ne pics of him in planet mode??

 

how did they transform it? kinda looks kool cause it was from along time ago, which some of the TF toys didnt look like they were suppose to like as toys from the show, like Ironhide & ratchet

 

those pretenders look cool, though Unicron ummm... errr... well... umm....  

 

I remember seeing someone at Botcon 2K1 with that Unicron proto, but I can't remember the price tag; I just remember it being a LOT of money for an egg with arms, legs, and a head.

I'm glad we didn't get a Unicron toy until nearly 17 years later so he could be done better.  

 

Cool pics! I wish that Unicron Proto were still around, I'd love to see some side-by-side pics with Armadacron

 

I myself do not have pictures of that Unicron in planet mode. However, you can see some here:

http://www.transformersontheshelf.com/UnicronPage.html

Also: since the redone images from 03 came out well, I decided to try the process on 02 as well. The results!

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-02-spiderhuman.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-02-spiderhuman.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-02-middle.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-02-middle.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/BC96-02-right.jpg"><img src="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/th_BC96-02-right.jpg"></a>

 

Thanks Primus Unicron went on Jenny Craig.