But the underlying point of not taking money away from Hasbro is still true.

People want a better product. 3P delivers it. If Hasbro delivered it, guess who would get more money?

It doesn't take away from Hasbro because Hasbro is doing it to themselves. Ya dig?

If you want a musical analogy, That KISS style band is actually an homage band, and don't make anything except a cover charge entrance at the bar and a few free beers.

 

Doesn't this happen every year?

Pretty sure 3rd party stuff still gets sold and presented in private suites, or am I mistaken?

 

Isn't it true that nothing is IP infringing until a court finds that it is? Until there's an actual ruling it's all just individual judgement about how far into infringement something is. There's been plenty of discussion over the years about how quite a bit of unofficial product would probably never be ruled against. This seems sort of silly "I don't know what IP infringement is but I know it when I see" type nonsense. I also don't know why the Hasbro//TT only crowd cares so much seeing as how it has no impact on them anyone can see but whatever floats their boat I guess.

 

Sure. Dump 95% of your business just so you can be invited to Botcon. Brilliant!

Actually, this wouldn't be a problem if Hasbro didn't go all hollow plastic low parts count no paint cheap on all of its toys.

But they did.

We want to buy the good stuff!

 

That doesn't lessen either of my points about it.

Ask the 3P companies to do what Hasbro does with Hasbro's budget, safety requirements, quotas, and restrictions, and let's see what happens.

 

This is not good enough. I need to see an official clarification on what sort of items are going to be there. I need specific examples of the types of items that will not be allowed. I don't need an individual ruling on each and every possible item, but I need a ruling on at least some of the different categories of items, ranging from knock offs to weapon packs or whatnot.

Clarification is needed.

 

That is surreal and false, considering Third Parties are also doing product that headbutts head to head with the Masterpiece line too which isn't even Hasbro's.

 

I see a lot of people posting this is why they aren't going to Botcon (or another reason why they will never go). If you were never going and never had the intention of going, why do you care if 3rd party figures are there or not?  

All this talk about 3rd party figures makes me remember, I just want my Warbotron Bruticus to be complete!  

 

Here's a simple rule of thumb that could be adopted: if, to a reasonable person, it looks like an official Transformers character but was not made by Hasbro/TT, you can't bring/sell it. Pre-Transformers merchandise (like Diaclone) is an exception, of course.

 

What? If you're talking KOs, that's not the same thing. If you're talking 3P, it's toys that haven't been created yet, and are MP scale. No 3P is claiming to be making MP products.

 

But but, I wanted to sell my blue and red painted sack of potatoes and call them, "Potatomus Prime" and the Potatobots, I can't now?

My field of dreams just went up and Keyser Söze on me. Thanks Hasblow

 

Hasbro of 5 years ago did just fine with Hasbro's budget, safety requirements, quotas, and restrictions. So don't tell me that's what's holding them back. If it was FE Prime or Reveal the Shield again, I would buy Hasbro products all day.

 

Uh. How is that relevant? Doesn't change the fact they're making product of that kind, regardless of what they call it. It is completely insane to seriously claim that "this is only a problem cuz Hasbro sucks now", specially considering there were already third-party offerings back in the Reveal the Shield days which was an all-time high point of part counts and engineering.

 

word

 

  This thread keeps getting better and better.

 

I get why this is being done. It also doesn't impact me as I have no intention of going and I get my third party toys online. That said, what incentive is there for retailers to show up? I imagine the things you can't get off of store shelves are the best sellers and I imagine their 3P stock is as large or significantly larger than official.

 

Honestly I've always wanted to go to a Botcon, make a big trip out of it. But if it's going to have of rules b/c it's the official one (were they bought? or is it a sponsorship?), I can deal without it and go to my local ones where I can find anything I want.

 

It's relevant because I don't condone copying a direct figure from someone else, but an original figure, even if not an original character, is superior. You're confusing a KO with a 3P. They're two different beasts altogether.

And it's not insane in the least. You said it yourself "Reveal the Shield days." Those are long gone. Have you seen an AoE or a RiD2 figure compared to RtS?

Hasbro has gone downhill with their offerings while 3P has gone uphill. I'm not sure how that's not relevant or could be classified as "insane."

EDIT: For the record, as far as the topic goes, I agree with what Pete and co. are doing. It's their Con. It's Hasbro's Con. Let them make the rules.