BotCon 2023 - August 24-27 at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey

[Sabrblade]

It's that time of year again. The countdown to BotCon is upon us, and this year is looking to be a BIG one.

Agabyss returns as the group running the convention again, having first taken the reins last year.

This is a compilation of all of the news that has been announced up to this point.

BotCon is Going East to American Dream!

New City, New State, and a whole new BotCon experience! This years show is being held August 24-27 at American Dream, the new 3.1 million square foot family entertainment center located in East Rutherford, New Jersey. If you unfamiliar with East Rutherford, the city is located near the Hudson River, right across from Manhattan!

This years BotCon will not only be easily accessible to the thousands of Transformers fans in New York/New Jersey, but also to the fans in the neighboring areas of Baltimore, Philadelphia, DC, and Boston.

Regardless of where you live in the U.S. or abroad, you will want to join us at BotCon this year for a Transformers convention like never before!

American Dream is a massive indoor entertainment facility featuring the western hemispheres LARGEST indoor amusement park, North America’s largest indoor water park, two Miniature golf courses, a ski slope and resort with REAL snow, Aquatic attractions, a skating rink, a 300 ft Ferris Wheel (featuring an amazing view of Manhattan), and so much more!

You will also be able to visit Legoland, the two level flagship Toys R Us store, and dozens of other themed stores and activity locations. Food options obviously are not an issue as well, with everything under the sun available to you and your friends/family.

The convention itself will be held in the all-new 27,000 square foot Dream Live, a space within American Dream dedicated to exhibits and trade shows!

And all of this is JUST the location for the show! All of the sites and tourist options are right next door for you to see in the incredible city of New York!

Get ready for a Transformers convention like you’ve never experienced before! We will be updating daily with additional details about what you can experience at American Dream while attending the original Transformers convention, BotCon!

For details on American Dream visit here and then be sure to book your hotel stay here.

Please be sure to read the Guarantee and Cancellation Policy while making your reservation.

See you this summer August 24-27 at BotCon ‘23!

BotCon 2023 Hotel

BotCon 2023 is being held at American Dream, America’s newest family entertainment center!

Lodging for the event is being offered by our partners at Hilton Meadowlands. Book your room at the discounted BotCon rate HERE.

BotCon 2023 Guest Announcement!

Transformers & Beast Wars Fans! This August 25-27 you can meet legendary voice actor Scott McNeil at BotCon ‘23 in East Rutherford, New Jersey at American Dream. Scott provided the voice for the characters Rattrap, Silverbolt, and Transformer Hall of Fame inductees Waspinator & Dinobot!

BotCon 2023 Tickets Available NOW!

BotCon 2023 Tickets are now live! You can head on over to Agabyss.com/BotCon to purchase your attendee sets. We have three options to choose from, Standard, Premium, and VIP ticket packages.

Standard Ticket Package
- Discounted Ticket Pricing Compared To General Admission/Door Pricing.
- 3 Day Pass For Friday, Saturday And Sunday Of The Show.
- Badge/Lanyard.
- Access To ALL BotCon Guest Panels And Guest Autographs (Prices For Autographs Determined By Guests).
- All Pre-Registrants Receive Agabucks (Same As Cash) Towards The Purchase Of Anything On The Website!
- Includes 1 Autograph From Scott McNeil At NO Additional Charge.

Premium Ticket Package
- Limited 4-Figure Exclusive BotCon 2023 Convention 52Toys BEASTBOX Set With Pin.
- FREE Bonus 52Toys BEASTBOX Figure (Limited Edition, Will NEVER Be Sold Individually Elsewhere ($50 Value).
- BONUS 52 Toys Beastdrive Translucent Rabbit And Dino Armor Add-On Set. ONLY Available To The First 500 Premium/VIP Registrants COMBINED
- Exclusive EARLY ACCESS Opportunity For Two (2) Scott McNeil Autographs At NO Additional Charge! Autographs And Pictures With Scott McNeil Will Take Place Starting Friday For Premium Attendees (Time To Be Determined).
- Discounted Ticket Pricing Compared To General Admission/Door Pricing.
- Friday Early Access To Dealer Room ($55 Value)
- Day Passes For Friday, Saturday And Sunday Of The Show ($115 Value)
- Thursday Night Early Access To The BotCon Store And Exclusives
- Convention Comic Program
- Badge/Lanyard.
- Ability To Purchase An Extra BotCon 52Toys Box Set Now At A Discounted Price. These Must Be Picked Up At The Show And WILL NOT Be Shipped.
- Access To ALL BotCon Guest Panels And Guest Autographs (Prices For Autographs Determined By Guests).
- Early Access To Preorders For Botcon And Agabyss Exclusives.

VIP Ticket Package
- The First 100 VIPs Gain Access To Friday Night Meet & Greet With Various BotCon Guests, Including Scott McNeil.
- One Limited Edition SCOTT McNEIL Character Canvas Print.
- Exclusive EARLY ACCESS Opportunity For Three (3) Scott McNeil Autographs At NO Additional Charge! Autographs And Pictures With Scott McNeil Will Take Place Starting Friday For VIP Attendees. (Time To Be Determined).
- Original Exclusive BotCon 2023 Art Print Autographed By Various BotCon 2023 Guests.
- Limited 4-Figure Exclusive BotCon 2023 Convention 52Toys BEASTBOX Set With Pin.
- BONUS 52 Toys Beastdrive Translucent Rabbit And Dino Armor Add-On Set. ONLY Available To The First 500 Premium/VIP Registrants COMBINED
- FREE Bonus 52Toys BEASTBOX Figure (Limited Edition, Will NEVER Be Sold Individually Elsewhere ($50 Value).
- VIP Branded Lanyard
- Friday Early Access To Dealer Room ($55 Value)
- Day Passes For Friday, Saturday And Sunday Of The Show ($115 Value)
- Thursday Night Early Access To The BotCon Store And Exclusives
- First Access To Autograph Lines On Friday Morning.
- Convention Comic Program
- Ability To Purchase An Extra BotCon 52Toys Box Set Now At A Discounted Price. These Must Be Picked Up At The Show And WILL NOT Be Shipped.
- All VIP Pre-Registrants Receive *DOUBLE* Agabucks (Same As Cash) Towards The Purchase Of Anything On The Website!
- Discounted Ticket Pricing Compared To General Admission/Door Pricing.
- Access To ALL BotCon Guest Panels And Guest Autographs (Prices For Autographs Determined By Guests).
- Early Access To Preorders For Botcon And Agabyss Exclusives.

Additional benefits to be added later!

Additionally, we've announced three more guests for BotCon 2023! Check them out below!

BotCon 2023 Guest Announcement!

THE voice of Beast Wars Optimus Primal at BotCon ‘23? Well, that’s just prime!

Transformers & Beast Wars Fans. This August 25-27 you can meet the wonderful actor Garry Chalk at BotCon ‘23 in East Rutherford, New Jersey at American Dream. Garry began his long stint with Transformers when he first provided the voice for Optimus Primal in the original Beast Wars series. That was just the beginning of his time as both Optimus Primal AND the Autobot leader Optimus Prime from the Armada/Energon/Cybertron series.

The leader of Dinoforce - Magma!

we want to start giving you a look at this years BotCon ‘23 exclusive convention set, BotCon DINOFORCE from our partners at 52 Toys. These 4 Robo Dogs transform from cube to canine and then all 4 merge to form Dinostorm! These mechanical pups will look amazing on any 52 Toys/Robot themed/Transformers/BotCon collection shelf. And ultimately, they are just great toys for you to share with your kids as well!

First up. The leader of Dinoforce - Magma! (And then just wait until you see how all 4 look in combined Dinosaur mode!)

Visit BotCon.com today to register for the show and check out all the latest BotCon ‘23 news!

Smolder

Our second character focus from this year’s convention set is… Smolder!

All 4 BotCon ‘23 exclusive Robo Dogs transform from cube to canine and then all 4 merge to form Dinostorm! These mechanical pups will look amazing on any 52 Toys/Robot themed/Transformers/BotCon collection shelf. And ultimately, they are just great toys for you to share with your kids as well.

Visit BotCon.com today to register for the show and check out all the latest BotCon ‘23 news!

 

[Sabrblade]

Post was too big. Had to split it across two.

Slagge

On to our 3rd DINOFORCE reveal. Inspired by a certain legendary Dinobot Triceratops, the next character has a name that rounds out the ‘lava’ theme of the first 3 Robo doggo’s. Flamethrowers beware; this dog is set to "strike" out against the fire and save those in need! Meet the all-new… Slagge!

All 4 BotCon ‘23 exclusive Robo Dogs transform from cube to canine and then all 4 merge to form Dinostorm! These mechanical pups will look amazing on any 52 Toys/Robot themed/Transformers/BotCon collection shelf. And ultimately, they are just great toys for you to share with your kids as well.

Visit BotCon.com today to register for the show and check out all the latest BotCon ‘23 news!

Spot

Our 4th and final DINOFORCE reveal. Magma, Smolder, and Slagge live the lava. But when you need a Robo Dog to find the danger you call… Spot!

All 4 BotCon ‘23 exclusive Robo Dogs transform from cube to canine and then all 4 merge to form Dinostorm! These mechanical pups will look amazing on any 52 Toys/Robot themed/Transformers/BotCon collection shelf. And ultimately, they are just great toys for you to share with your kids as well.

Visit BotCon.com today to register for the show and check out all the latest BotCon ‘23 news!

Dinostorm

Magma
Smolder
Slagge
Spot

All 4 Dinoforce robots transform and merge to form… DINOSTORM!

This 4 figure convention set is included with both the BotCon Premium and VIP ticket packages. Quantities were reduced for 2023 so you won’t want to wait!

All BotCon 2023 ticket packages include THREE days of access to the showroom floor, guests, panels, and more. Scott McNeil autograph(s) are INCLUDED with each package!

Pricing starting at only $99.95 (no fees). Order tickets here: https://www.agabyss.com/botcon/. For more info visit BotCon.com.

Note: Dinostorm is a redeco of this normal-retail 4-piece combiner:

Based on the colors of the BotCon Dinoforce, Dinostorm will have more G1 Dinobot-inspired colors.

BotCon 2023 Guest Announcement!

Transformers G1, Beast Wars & Animated Fans! This August 25-27 you can meet the amazing voice actor and Voice Director Susan Blu at BotCon ‘23 in East Rutherford, New Jersey at American Dream. Susan provided the voice for Generation 1 & Animated Arcee, Beast Wars Transmutate, and was the Voice Director for the legendary series Beast Wars.

Cyberverse Saturday guest announcement

Cyberverse Saturdays start today with our first two Transformers Cyberverse guests! This August 25-27 you can meet voice actors Jessica DiGiovanni and Travis Artz at BotCon ‘23 in East Rutherford, New Jersey at American Dream.

Jessica provided the voice for Windblade, Cosmos, and "Gray" in Cyberverse, and Arcee in Netflix's War For Cybertron! She's our second Arcee!

Travis brought to life not just one, but at least THREE separate Hot Rods in Cyberverse as the Autobots and Decepticons battled the universe-hopping Quintessons.

Botcon ‘23 is being hosted by our friends at Agabyss. Ticket packages are available here: https://www.agabyss.com/botcon/

Note pricing starts at only $99.95 (no fees) for THREE days of access to the showroom floor, guests, panels, and more. Also! Kids 12 & Under are ALWAYS FREE at BotCon.

BotCon Guest and Custom Class Update!

We're excited to announce that the custom figure class is now live! As in previous years, there will be two classes for you to choose from!
The Thursday AM Class
The Thursday PM Class

Additionally, we've added a BotCon 2023 PLUS Add-On Package

This package includes:

• EXTRA Set Of 52 Toys Beastdrive Translucent Squirrel And Dino Armor Add-On Set. (This Is The Only Way For The Weekend Pass Holders To Acquire The Set).
• Special Scott McNeil Friday Autograph Signing Time.
• Scott Auto Doubler! - For Those That Need More Autographs Than What Your Package Includes, This Is Your Chance. Whatever Package You Have, The Number Of Autographs You Can Get Will Now Double. Weekend (2), Premium (4), VIP (8)

Finally, We have our Guest announcements! Check them out below!

Second Cyberverse Saturday guest announcement

Our second Cyberverse Saturday is here, so let's introduce our next two guests from Transformers: Cyberverse!

This August 25-27 (check individual dates on the announcement images) you can meet voice actors Jaime Lamchick and Laurie Hymes at BotCon ‘23 in East Rutherford, New Jersey at American Dream.

Jaime Lamchick is now our THIRD Arcee voice actor! Arcee x 3!! She also provided the voices for Chromia, Alpha Strike (Strika), Nightbird, Monsterbot Operatus, and the genderfluid Acid Storm!

Laurie Hymes brought her acting skills to the show by providing an unforgettable performance as the Dinobot Swoop! This was the first time the character was depicted as female in Transformers media.

 

[Spin-Out]

is pee shitclair still involved

 

[Sabrblade]

is pee shitclair still involved

Signs are pointing to... "I don't think so?"

He's not on the AllSpark Discord anymore, which still has the official BotCon chat/news channel on it.

Night Shining, LLC. (his company) isn't going to be a venue for new BotCon-related merchandise anymore, and has been trying to sell off and get rid of all their old stock of BotCon merch for quite some time.

And he was only a vendor in the dealer room and (briefly) a panelist for mere minutes of one of the non-Transformers-related toy panels at last year's convention, not a staff member.

If anything, he may attend as a vendor again, but Agabyss are the ones running the show now, and they're a different group.

 

[Sabrblade]

First actual look at the convention-exclusive Firestormer Dinoforce four-pack.

*DINOFORCE 4 figure Box Set FULL REVEAL*

Magma, Smolder, Slagge, & Spot all transform from cube to robotic canine and then can merge to form DINOSTORM!

This 4 figure Box Set is included in both the Premium and VIP packages.

To view ALL the options and to register, please visit: https://www.agabyss.com/botcon/

There will be events at BotCon’s partner hotel as well. To book your room visit https://www.botcon.com/2023-hotel

More info available at BotCon.com

*There will also be at-the-door admission. Friday & Saturday is $45 each day. There will be a discounted rate on Sunday. See you in August!

 

[Sabrblade]

 

[Agent X]

Paw Patrol is on the Roll!

 

[Sabrblade]

Another guest update:

We hope everyone had fantastic weekends! A lot of busy schedules as Summer starts up, and our Cyberverse Saturday had been delayed into a Cyber Monday.

This round of voice actors is worth the wait though... Shockwave, Perceptor, Grimlock, Jetfire, Doublecrosser, Rack n' Ruin, Iaconus... and none other than Bumblebee himself! Ryan Andes and Jeremy Levy have quite the cast of characters in their credits!

Ryan's voice can also be heard in popular cartoons such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! while he can be seen on a number of live actual shows from time to time as well.

And if you thought the list of Transformers above was impressive, Jeremy also gave voices to Whirl, Lord Gnaw, and the Quintesson Judge's Death face!

This August 25-27 (check individual dates on the announcement images) you can meet voice actors Ryan Andes and Jeremy Levy at BotCon ‘23 in East Rutherford, New Jersey at American Dream.

Botcon ‘23 is being hosted by our friends at Agabyss. Ticket packages are available here: agabyss.com/botcon/

Note pricing starts at only $99.95 (no fees) for THREE days of access to the showroom floor, guests, panels, and more. Also! Kids 12 & Under are ALWAYS FREE at BotCon.

For more information regarding BotCon, be sure to visit BotCon.com

This makes, what, seven Cyberverse voice actors? This is turning into a Cyberverse reunion.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Okay, I'll admit I really like the G1 tech spec styling of those guest announcements.

 

[Sabrblade]

Also, I went back and edited the first two posts to take the pics out of the quote tags and put them below each quote, to let them be visible at all times.

 

[Kup]

For someone relatively out of the behind the scenes dynamics of it all (and not active on Discord, in case this has been covered there), are the Hartman's still involved? I remember that they owned the BotCon name or something, which is why it wasn't used by OTFCC and the 04 BotCon was "unofficial", until Fun Pub came along. I also know one (both?) of them sold off their stuff years ago, so...I guess my point in asking this is sort of a MiB kind of thing where someone is just using the BotCon name and using it for their own con a la the RoboCon concept a few years ago, or ...yeah.

See where I'm going with this I hope?

 

[Sabrblade]

For someone relatively out of the behind the scenes dynamics of it all (and not active on Discord, in case this has been covered there), are the Hartman's still involved?

IIRC, one of the Hartmans is a member of the group of shareholders for this current era of BotCon.

 

[MrBlud]

Isn’t Pete Sinclair also part of that group?

 

[Sabrblade]

Isn’t Pete Sinclair also part of that group?

I don't know anymore.

Like I said above, his company's been moving on to other things different from BotCon, no longer going to be a venue for new BotCon merch, and trying to get rid of its stock of old BotCon merch.

He's also left the Allspark Discord despite it still having the official BotCon Discord channel, where any and all BotCon-related news is now only posted by a bot embedding Twitter posts instead of a actual person (Jesse Wittenrich also stopped posting in the Allspark Discord; he still has an account on it, but has pretty much left too).

And he wasn't on staff at last year's convention. Just a booth vendor in the dealer room.

By all appearances, it sure doesn't look like he's involved anymore, but I have no insider info on the matter. The new guys running the show, Agabyss, don't seem to be as open or as engaging with the fandom as Fun Pub used to be. I don't even know any of the people at Agabyss.

 

[MrBlud]

My understanding (and I fully admit this could be wrong/mistaken) is the Botcon shareholders group license the Botcon name to whoever pays for it. In this case, Agabyss

 

[Sabrblade]

Also, a quick check at both the Night Shining website and Facebook shows no news at all about this year's BotCon. Not even a mention of it. The most recent news posts on both only pertain to product sales from last year.

 

[Sabrblade]

In-hand pics of the Firestormer Dinoforce, including a size comparison w/ last year's Ligerstrike figure.

Plus some general admission news, and another guest update.

Dinoforce & general admission

Robo Dino Dogs and General Admission news!

Curious to how your Dinoforce figures will scale to last years exclusives? Check out the photos here!

Also. General Admission update. For entry on Friday & Saturday, admission is $45. Sunday will be a discounted rate. Tickets available at the door.

PLEASE NOTE. Due to time constraints, Scott McNeil will only be available to sign for those that purchase a Weekend, Premium, or VIP package. And Scott’s Autograph(s) are included for FREE with each package. Package prices start at ONLY $99.95. NO FEES for registering. Grab yours today at:
Agabyss.com/BotCon.

Find more info at BotCon.com.

See you in August!

Owning a Ligerstrike figure, I am a bit surprised by how much bigger these dog boys look. The combined form of Dinostorm is sure to be fairly massive.



Guest update

We have another Transformers brand creative to announce today! He's been a consultant, a writer, and an author, as well as an absolute staple among the fandom: Ben Yee!

This August 25-27 (check individual dates on the announcement images) you can meet consultant/writer Ben Yee at BotCon ‘23 in East Rutherford, New Jersey at American Dream.

Ben Yee started his life-long fascination with Transformers as a child, then took his love of the brand online as one of the first big names among the fandom. His knowledge of all things Transformers caught the eyes and ears of the Beast Wars show runners, and they not only dropped his online handle ("Wonko The Sane") into an episode's dialog but also brought him on as a show consultant to fact check their Transformers history! Ben would later go on to write multiple BotCon and TCC stories and helped write the Beast Wars Sourcebook from IDW. He's kept up his love affair with the Transformers til today, still continuing as one of the fandom's most prolific fan reporters!

Botcon ‘23 is being hosted by our friends at Agabyss. Ticket packages are available here: Agabyss.com/BotCon/

Note pricing starts at only $99.95 (no fees) for THREE days of access to the showroom floor, guests, panels, and more. Also! Kids 12 & Under are ALWAYS FREE at BotCon.

For more information regarding BotCon, be sure to visit BotCon.com

Personally, this latest guest announcement leaves me feeling a little... awkward. See, for a while now, I've been writing up articles on the wiki about certain things that were first introduced in Beast Wars-related stories that were written by (or with input from) Ben Yee for Fun Publications and IDW. Things like the Predacon Empire, the Decepticon/Predacon Alliance, and most notably, a "Great War" that was fought between the Maximals and Predacons. The awkwardness comes from the fact that these are all things that completely go against the established lore and intent of the Beast Wars cartoon, and that I've been spelling out on the wiki articles just how contradictory and, well, antithetical they are to the Beast Wars cartoon.

So I'm picking apart his works, and then Agabyss goes and announces him as the next guest. Awkward.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Hey, the man was miscredited as having created the idea of "sparks" (I asked him about that at Botcon '04 in Pasadena), I'm sure that after hearing a bunch of fan opinions on that lore addition he can take some honest critiques of stuff he did in fact write.

 

[Sabrblade]

Hey, the man was miscredited as having created the idea of "sparks"

Wait, seriously? Did people just skip Season 1 of Beast Wars? How did they think Ben was to blame for that and not Bob and Larry?

'm sure that after hearing a bunch of fan opinions on that lore addition he can take some honest critiques of stuff he did in fact write.

Yeah, I actually do hope to be able to ask him about some of the decisions he made in those early Fun Pub and IDW BW stories (and be civil about it, of course) and get some better creator insight to them. And hopefully get some confirmation on which toy bios and profiles he wrote, to give those proper writing credit.

 

[Donocropolis]

Just saw that there will also be some additional toys at Botcon. Using the Beastdrive velociraptor as Gobot Scales was inspired.