#Botcon 2011

[stunticonbreakdown]

YES HE IS!!!

This is the lovely lad right here:

He's an actor and stunt-man in the Stunticon's acting group, and he has severe anxiety and does not want to be there at all.

How it feel to be in a fandom that’s pretty big but the thing u ship is not really popular so u have to draw and write everything u want your self 💔

[aeonmagnus]

BotCon 2011 theme ideas. From "BotCon: Beyond the Convention."

[coupangeats]

I haven't been able to find this online anywhere, so decided to type it up to have a copy to-hand, because I think it's very interesting

FOREWORD FOR LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS

By Nick Roche and James Roberts (2011)

"It was never going to be Perceptor, was it? Or Springer or Impactor or Kup, if they were here. No, it was always going to be one of us - the second stringers."

"Yeah, just because we're not famous - not Ark-worthy - one of us has to bite the bullet."

Last Stand of the Wreckers is a story about redshirts.

A redshirt (not that anyone reading this needs it spelt out) is a "character" - and here the term is used reservedly - who arrives on the scene without baggage or backstory, and who tags along with the lead cast until their inevitable death. From the moment this one-dimensional nobody joins an established team of much-loved characters one thing is obvious to anyone with even a passing acquaintance with genre conventions: this person will die early on, in a sudden but perfunctory manner, laying down their barely there life in service to the story.

More than canon fodder , they are on narrative fodder: They exist purely to show what fate might await the characters you actually care about.

Pyro, Ironfist, Rotorstorm, and Guzzle are redshirts - or at least that's how they're presented to begin with. Painfully obscure (non-) characters (the first three are based on action figures that were released in Europe in the early '90s), the only one with any past form, in terms of comic book appearances, is Guzzle, the 'Sparkler Mino-bot' who appeared in a handful of Transformers comics. When the most famous of your rookies is Guzzle , you know you're in for a challenge.

That challenge, specifically, was to help these four new recruits transcend their redshirt status; to make them rounded, three-dimensional characters who are just as worthy of page-time (I.e. 'life') as Springer, Kup, Perceptor and the rest. In short, the challenge was to make readers care when one of them died.

When the Wrecker's roster was announced with the unveiling of the cover for issue one, many fans were quick to predict the deaths of the four nobodies: The established characters would make it out alive and the newbies would bite the bullet, sacrificed so that the series lived up to its name. In response, we set ourselves a goal: by the end of issue four, we wanted readers to care about the redshirts so much that they were hoping that they would be spared at the expense of the A-Listers. In other words, "I don't care if Springer dies, so long as Ironfist lives."

Did we succeed? Who knows. But hopefully Ironfirst the fanboy, Prime-obsessed Pyro, gun-loving Guzzle and the braggart Rotorstorm touched a chord with readers. It was certainly satisfying to see that the figure given free to attendees of Botcon 2011 was Fisitron, in his Transformers Animated guise. And who'd have thought that a Sparkler Mini-bot from 1988 would be reborn as a Dark of the Moon Cyberverse figure? Take a bow, Commander Class Guzzle.

So yes, let's hope that the last of the Wreckers live on in some shape or form. Guzzle's out there with Impactor, righting wrongs, but what of Ironfist, Rotorstorm or Pyro? For them, the war is over- but since when has being dead gotten in the way of telling a good story? There's always what went before...

[swittcraft]

BotCon 2011 Stunti-Con Job or as I used to call it before last year, my grail item. Took me over a decade to get my hands on these guys and I'm eternally grateful to the seller for letting these bots go.

Sure they're redecos, but they're a must have for any Animated fan!

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Mosaic - Fragments Josh van Reyk & Shaun Knowler

wada sez: The Mosaic project was a monumental undertaking from Josh van Reyk and Shaun Knowler. Their dedication to creating a platform for amateur fan creators, and to producing high-quality stories, eventually led to them writing an official, canonical Transformers comic in the form of Spotlight: Jazz; this post collects various promotional material for that issue, and a pseudocanonical followup Mosaic script that never materialised. But Spotlight: Jazz wasn't the only story they pitched to IDW...

Art by Matt C. Adams [2009-01-26, 2009-01-26, 2009-03-31, 2009-03-31]

Art by Joana Lafuente [2009-02-08]

Art by Chris Vera [2009-03-22, 2009-03-31, 2009-04-01, 2010-03-02, 2010-03-02]

Art by Casey Coller & John-Paul Bove [2009-03-25, 2009-03-30]

wada sez: This lineart from Coller was originally colored up by Matt C. Adams, as seen at the very top of this post, but John-Paul Bove also did his own version!

Spotlight: Ravage w/ Matt C. Adams [2009-11-27, 2009-11-27, 2009-11-27, 2009-11-30, 2010-01-02, 2010-01-02]

wada sez: Colors on that A cover were provided by Andrew Griffith.

Matt sez: "At Botcon '09 this past summer, my good friend Josh van Reyk and I pitched a story idea to some of the good folks from IDW Publishing as a possible issue of their Transformers Spotlight series. Unfortunately they had to turn us down on "Spotlight Ravage." But it wasn't because the story sucked. It turns out they already had a similar book planned, only this one would focus on the Movie Universe version of Ravage and was being written by the one and only Simon Furman. And in a strange coincidental twist, not only did his book, the soon to be released Transformers: Tales of the Fallen #5, feature (a version of) Ravage too, but it also had the exact same "hook" that our story had. And by "hook" I mean something that makes the book (fairly) unique and interesting for comic book fans. I won't say what that hook is, but if you take into account the fact that this cover is an homage to Larry Hama's classic G.I. Joe #21, a comic famous for being the first to have the very same hook, then you can probably guess what that hook is. ;)"

wada sez: The issue in question was Tales of the Fallen issue #5.

Matt sez: "Well, here's a part of the story I left out…

"After hearing why they were passing on the pitch, I was bold enough (or perhaps delusional enough ;) ) to ask one of editors if he knew if all the cover assignments for the Movie Ravage issue had been given out. He said they had, but there was still the possibility of a retailer incentive cover being produced. I then asked that if I was to take the same "silent issue" GI Joe homage idea and redo my Ravage cover so that it featured Movie Ravage, would he be interested in seeing it. He said yes. Fast forward a month or so and I get a response on the new cover I sent in. Unfortunately that response was also a "No." Bummer, right?

"But here's something that's not a bummer. Even though this cover won't see print, my good friend John-Paul Bove was kind enough to take my humble inks and turn them into something that is pretty damn awesome, in my (biased) opinion. :)"

"Making The Myth" (Jazz) w/ Ed Pirrie [2011-01-09]

Ed sez: "If I remember correctly, "Making the Myth" was co-authored by Josh and Shaun. It was definitely after SL:J was published. I don't know if you remember, but that issue got a bit of backlash by people who couldn't accept that Jazz might be able to solo the Predacons. This came out of me chatting with them about that, because I loved the issue, and how sad it was that people couldn't accept that an Autobot with the function "special ops" would actually be good at combat, especially against enemies that immediately underestimate him. I guess it's possible that those talks led to the idea for a Mosaic where he essentially explains why he was so good in a humble way, but honestly it's been so long I couldn't say for sure."

wada sez: The sole surviving snippet from Ed's art for this strip was, he believes, the fourth panel; I've included it at that point in the script.

Panel 1

We're looking down a corridor, as TRACKS chases after JAZZ. We're looking at the bots from front on. JAZZ looks over his shoulder as TRACKS yells out at him.

TRACKS Excuse me, sir!

JAZZ Mm?

JAZZ (CONT) Oh. It's Tracks, isn't it?

Panel 2

TRACKS has caught up to JAZZ now, and the two stand opposite one another. TRACKS should look a little awkward.

TRACKS Yeah, that's right, Sir.

JAZZ Good. What's on your mind?

TRACKS (CONT) I, uh, I just wanted to say thanks.

JAZZ (CONT) For?

TRACKS (CONT) For saving my Spark, Sir.* I know it was you.

JAZZ (CONT) You do, do you?

CAPTION *see Spotlight: Jazz

Panel 3

Close in on TRACKS, looking away slightly.

TRACKS Yeah, um, Bluestreak told me.

Panel 4

Close in on JAZZ, smiling, but not surprised.

JAZZ Ah, good 'ole Blue. That bot sure does love to gossip.

JAZZ But listen, kid. There's a reason why I made Ironhide promise not to tell you who I am. It's cause you weren't saved by me alone.

Panel 5

JAZZ puts his hand on TRACKS' shoulder, who perks up a bit.

TRACKS I don't understand, Sir.

JAZZ I know you don't, and that's okay. I've been fighting this war for a long time, and I've fought alongside a lot of different bots.

JAZZ (CONT) I've learned something new from every single one of them-- and they all helped me get you outta trouble.

JAZZ (CONT) That's what I want you to remember, okay? That's how I want you to live.

TRACKS Ah, I will, Sir. I'll make you proud, Sir.

JAZZ (CONT) I know you will, kid.

JAZZ Oh, and one more thing…

Panel 6

Close in on JAZZ, cheeky smile.

JAZZ …don't call me sir.

"The W Team" w/ Ed Pirrie

wada sez: I actually don't have any sort of link or source for this one, because I snatched the preview from Pirrie's deviantART shortly before the took the whole thing down! Still, he was kind enough to provide me with the full script for it. The whole thing is an homage to The A-Team, naturally.

Panel 1

KUP, SPRINGER, ROADBUSTER& WHIRL, all in electro-cuffs stand in the center of a large courtroom. Prowl is seated behind the 'judges' chair and is pointing an acussing finger at the group.

TEXT BOX Ten stellar-cycles ago, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit.

Panel 2

The outside wall of an Autobot prison explodes and KUP, SPRINGER, ROADBUSTER & WHIRL all rush out, guns blazing!

TEXT BOX These bots promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Iacon underground. Panel 3 KUP, SPRINGER, WHIRL and ROADBUSTER are bustin Decepticon heads in MACADAM's bar.

TEXT BOX Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune.

Panel 4

A group of micro-masters are surrounder STARSCREAM, THUNDERCRACKER and SKYWARP, all riding motorcycles.

TEXT BOX If you have a problem…

Panel 5

Elita-1, Arcee and the other fmebots, all beaten, are inside a local police station. Siren, Slapdash and Nightbeat are behind a counter, not interested in the girls problems.

TEXT BOX …if no one else can help you…

Panel 6

Red Alert, on crutches, is in a dark alley. He is handing a small vid-screen to Kup, who is hiding in the shadows.

TEXT BOX …and if you can find them, maybe you can hire…

Panel 7

Hero shot of KUP, SPRINGER, WHIRL and ROADBUSTER, similar to http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images /7/2010/01/the-a-team.jpg NOTE. KUP must have a cigar.

TEXT BOX …the Wreckers!

wada sez: That link above is dead, but the image in question was probably similar to this one:

Ed sez: "The cygar as a panel I don't [think] they asked for. It was an interstitial I added on a whim, to kind of pause the flow before the final panel. Not that any of that matters any more!"

wada sez: That's a wrap on all these lost scripts! Thank you for indulging me this last week. We're still not quite done, though—tomorrow, we'll be going back to actual comics that you can look at with your eyes!

[istherewifiinhell]

#never forget they used knockout instead of a different name they they had on the trade marks for SEXINESS reason. unreal.#<- can u explain that to me. anyways

yeah 👍🏻 although seems ive walked into a classic blunder of remembering something from a "the basics" video which ofc is from the wiki which ofc, its weirdly sourced and from a tf creator/company rep who. they have habits of just saying shit. ANYWAY. this is actually from the notes section on breakdowns page

the fandom concluded that Breakdown was meant to be Lugnut at some point in the episode's production. The Hub's Mike Vogel challenged this notion at BotCon 2011, claiming that Lugnut had been Knock Out's original name, which had been changed because "Lugnut" wasn't "sexy" enough for the character. The Prime Season 1 Blu-ray commentary, however, corroborated the original theory: Breakdown's place in the show was originally intended to belong to Lugnut, since a loyal Decepticon bruiser was desired, but the show creators wanted a land-based Decepticon instead.

That knockout was purposely designed as sexy seems to be a thing fans say a lot, tho i don't have a specific source to pull for that either. not that its particular hard to believe. and the tacit tf understanding here also being that. as the companies have to content with copyright branding, they prefer to use names they have on the books, and if the characters arent that iconic or new. any name seems to do, alas long as it fits the vibe.

also bonus fun(?) fact! botcon '11 also notable for when the writers said one of the most overly correctional homophobic things ive ever heard. (from knockout's notes section)(it DOES link the relevant youtube panel recording. but i have the wrong kind of mental illness, and would dissolve if i had to watch it, so lets take their word for it)

When asked at BotCon 2011, the Prime writers said that there is no designation for gay, or straight, for that matter, on Cybertron, where Transformers are created by the AllSpark, not through sexual reproductions. They also said that Knock Out is a knock out, and that the Nemesis is a very "don't ask, don't tell" place. And then they jokingly deflected the matter, claiming that Knock Out's mannerisms are not caused by any particular orientation, but are simply eccentricities caused by "a glitch in the AllSpark" the day he was created...

[paulagnewart]

RIP Pauline Newstone

10th December marked 25 years since the Beast Wars episode Other Visits: Part 2 aired on Australian TV. Taking a moment to reflect, I vividly remember watching it (along with much of that season) on a small wall-mounted TV in a dimly-lit hospital waiting room. Hardly my idea of a grand way to spend multiple afternoons, but the prospect of more checkups and needles paled compared to the swelling dread of how, as the credits rolled, I might never see my favourite character again.

When Candice Santora announced three days later that Airazor's voice actor Pauline Newstone had passed away, that all-too familiar dread seeped its way back.

Beast Wars was far from my first foray into the world of those warrior Robots in Disguise, but certainly played an integral part of my life during the latter half of the 90's. Its writing and expansion of the Transformers history was captivating, its animation at the time second-to-none, and its voice acting nothing short of immaculate. Vancouver's finest breathed life into what could've easily been written off as another 20 minute toy commercial, but it excelled. They made the characters memorable, raw with wild, well-rounded emotions and truly raised the bar for future actors.

From the moment she burst onto the scene, I adored Airazor. Smart, sassy, more than strong enough to fight tooth and claw in battle, refused to put up with Rattrap's antics, and mistress in the art of dry wit. A welcome addition to the Maximal cast with a plethora of potential to grow. Granted the good times weren't to last; she was swiftly demoted to cannon fodder and later the role of "Mrs. Tigatron", but I was happy just to have her around. Whenever roleplaying our favourite scenes or making new adventures at school, Airazor was always my first choice. The original (and Transmetal figure a cherished Easter gift the following year) continued to have imaginative adventures after the show ran its course. For a time, something as trivial as a cartoon alien robot bird meant the world to me.

And it all came down to how awesome Ms. Newstone performed her.

It's a feeling the Aussie public clearly shared, as her video pack became one of the top 10 selling boys' toys of Christmas '98 (or maybe it's because the VHS repaint was, and remains to this day, the only version of her basic-class toy to see release here. But I digress). Yet Beast Wars proved a tip of the iceberg for Ms. Newstone's career. She lent her voice to shows including G.I. Joe, Mummies Alive!, Inuyasha, Monster Rancher, X-Men Evolution, Ninjago, and I certainly can't go without mentioning her portrayal of big baddie Frieza during Ocean Group's tenure on Dragon Ball Z (The infamous "Caressing the Balls" meme? That was her. Iconic).

Ms. Newstone was one of those voice actors I always hoped to meet someday. No means an easy feat, as she preferred to keep away from the spotlight in a fashion not dissimilar to the late Christine Cavanaugh. It would've been nice, but I understood and respected her desire for privacy, and commend the extra effort Pete and the other organizers went to adhering her "no photos" request at BotCon 2006.

Learning of her passing, let alone nobody reporting it until fellow actor Garry Chalk saw her name over six months later at the annual UBCP/ACTRA Awards, is a sad reminder how none of us are getting any younger, and each day those little things which used to give us joy slip further into the abyss of time. Cherish those memories and the ones you love, while always leaving room to create more tomorrow. Fiction generally doesn't last forever, but I like to think her memory and legacy both as a voice actor and person will for many out there.

The above image was taken back in 2011 while in Lithgow, but never made public until now. Far from my best work (assuming anything I do can be considered good to begin with :P ), but a decent day. History repeats itself, as that particular Airazor figure went on to appear in many more photos, accompanied me to multiple BotCons, a college graduation party (!), and most recently appeared on the official Oliver Brown social media page for their Rise of the Beasts promotion.

RIP Pauline Newstone. May many glasses be raised in your honour. You came, you stooped, and you sure as hell conquered.

[evil-robot-husband]

there's a lot going on in aligned knock out's tfwiki entry (text under cut) but I think my favorite bit is them calling Daran Norris' performance "somewhat campy" my brother in christ it's campy enough to blow my tits clean off

Some fans have interpreted Starscream's "you're one of those" line (referring to his car mode preference), Knock Out's wolf-whistling appraisal of Optimus's truck mode, the vanity about his appearance, and voice actor Daran Norris' somewhat campy performance to be clues that Knock Out is gay. Moreover, the term "knockout" is commonly used to describe an attractive woman. Make of all this what you will, as very little robotic sexuality of any kind is evident in Prime, outside of a very lightly-implied connection between Cliffjumper and Arcee. / When asked at BotCon 2011, the Prime writers said that there is no designation for gay, or straight, for that matter, on Cybertron, where Transformers are created by the AllSpark, not through sexual reproductions. They also said that Knock Out is a knock out, and that the Nemesis is a very "don't ask, don't tell" place. And then they jokingly deflected the matter, claiming that Knock Out's mannerisms are not caused by any particular orientation, but are simply eccentricities caused by "a glitch in the AllSpark" the day he was created... which is unintentionally so insulting to gay people that it could create an awkward silence in the Void.

[polyhexian]

aight fuck it. im not totally finished added pictures, theres a couple in there that are just listed rn but like 90% of them are done. 106 fucking pages with pictures. can you imagine if i printed this shit out and brought it will me to cons.

[atomic-darth]

Fun fact, when he was inducted into BotCon’s 2011 Transformers Hall of Fame, Autobot Medic Ratchet had his shoulder colors inverted to avoid legal issues with the Red Cross

Now he is aligned with Switzerland.

[aeonmagnus]

Transformers G1 and Animated Stunticons,

[asknovaprime]

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

I had posted before that I thought a seller on Ebay had stolen my money cause he hadn’t begun to ship my package?  Well, I just was notified that it’s in the syestem and should be here by the 11′th-12′th. I just hope that It won’t be stolen while I’m away. 

[swittcraft]

Finally catching up from TFCon a couple months ago. I didn't really buy much there (the only thing I'm REALLY looking for is Botcon 2011 Stunticons) but I did grab Steam Age SA-01B Sergeant by Mechanic Toys AKA Hearts of Steel Bumblebee.

Aside from some QC issues (front left light is busted) he's a fun little fig and has always been in the margins of my want list. Transformation is a bit finicky, but he's still got a fun bot mode.

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Mosaic #587 - "My Little Transformers"

Originally posted on March 10th, 2011

Story, Art - Matt Marshall

deviantART | Seibertron | TFW2005

wada sez: In addition to being a longtime Transformers fan, Matt Marshall made something of a name for himself as a fanfiction writer in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom; his most notable work, “The Star In Yellow”, was released a year after this strip. Marshall clearly somewhat struggled to find enough Transformers to make the crossover work; we see Beast Wars Neo Mach Kick (a horse), Beast Machines Battle Unicorn, and Beast Machines Silverbolt (it’s long been theorised that his toy was originally intended to be a griffin, so he’s depicted here as a griffon, using his more show-accurate Beast Wars Returns colors). Also coincidentally, Battle Unicorn served as the basis for one of the better-known unproduced BotCon exclusive figure pitches, Twilight Sparkle Prime. Much of the artwork here is drawn directly from the cartoon, and most of the ponies appear to be generic; I’ve tagged the identifiable ones. I’m surprised that Marshall didn’t go for the low-hanging Unicron/unicorn joke, but that may well have informed his inclusion here in the first place. Dr. Hooves is a multiversal incarnation of the Doctor and I am tagging him accordingly. Marshall’s remastered version of this strip from his Tales From The Matrix Keeper zine is included below.

[total-knockout-one-77]

Going through Deus Ex Machina trivia

Twice in promotional blurbs for the episode, it was mentioned Lugnut would be in the episode, an error repeated on HubWorld.com's episode-viewing page. At BotCon 2011, it was revealed that Lugnut was a pre-production name for Knock Out that was ultimately changed for not being "sexy" enough. The Season 1 Blu-Ray commentary claims that Breakdown's place in the show was originally intended to belong to Lugnut, since a fiercely loyal Decepticon bruiser was desired, but the show creators wanted a land-based Decepticon instead

[decepti-thots]

the fact that there's a toy which is simultaneously:

a TFA toy (my main collection focus)

based on a design from the IDW Wreckers saga (favourite TF comics)

is of Ironfist (love that lad)

is targeted harrassment of me, specifically, and cruel

that it's the only official Ironfist toy since the G1 original is just rubbing salt into the wound

and that it was a botcon exclusive in 2011 and therefore costs an arm and a leg is just.

AND IT'S EVEN GOT PINK ON IT THIS THING EXISTS SOLELY TO TAUNT ME