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Transformers BotCon / OTFCC / Timelines

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Beginning in 1994, fans began organizing and officializing the largest Transformers convention, BotCon. With the increasing size of the active adult fandom, Hasbro chose to legitimize this convention by providing a handful of an unused and unproduced toy to be given out as attendance freebies. The tradition continued the following year, when convention organizers were allowed to hand-paint and issue another unique toy. By 1996, Hasbro was producing a unique toy for the convention each year. After financial failures of a few of the organizers’ companies, Hasbro took control of the convention as the Offical Transformers Collectors Convention (OTFCC). After discovering their own organizational difficulties, Hasbro chose to hand control of the convention to a designated licensee, Fun Publications, including creative control of a growing number of exclusive toys each year.

Transformers: Timelines is the name assigned to the various BotCon and Transformers Collectors’ Club (TFCC) exclusive toys released by Fun Publications. Beginning in 2005, Fun Publications began producing fiction material for BotCon, which united exclusive toys under a sort of “expanded universe” banner. TFCC material was also placed in this category, often relating to the theme or topic of the concurrent BotCon material.

So far, no mass retail items have been released under the Timelines banner. Since BotCon and TFCC exclusive toys are entirely redecoes or retools of existing molds, Timelines has therefore not received any unique tooling for an entire figure. Timelines toys are typically not grouped into size and price classes like other modern Transformers toys, but instead grouped by method of their release.

In the Fun Publications era, each BotCon release generally features several different sets: a large named and themed box set with five or six figures, one or more smaller souvenir sets with two figures together in a polybag, and a single “attendee bonus” figure, which is not available for mail order before or after the convention (at least through official sources). TFCC, on the other hand, has exclusives available to anyone who purchases a mail-order club membership. Each year’s membership includes one figure, plus additional figures are often made available for purchase on the Club’s store website. Beginning in 2013, the Club offered a Figure Subscription Service (FSS), wherein members pre-order a subscription to receive one exclusive toy every other month in random order until they have received a full set of six for that year. The FSS program was renewed after its success, lasting until the end of Fun Publications’ license to the franchise.

Despite our own predictions of longevity, Hasbro elected to end Fun Publications’ license to Transformers (and G.I. Joe) at the end of 2016. This spelled the end of the Collectors’ Clubs and sanctioned conventions, and the exclusives that went with them. Hasbro have not stated why they wished to discontinue the most successful Transformers convention, and have not offered any officially-sanctioned replacement. Hasbro did introduce HasCon, an annual event near their headquarters in Rhode Island celebrating ALL Hasbro toy and game brands, but this is largely geared toward general marketing of retail product rather than collectibles. We display HasCon exclusives with the contemporary series they are branded in.

 

Combiners - Mayhem Attack Squad (Thunder Mayhem)

Thunder Mayhem
FSS 4.0

Bludgeon (5)
FSS 4.0

Grabuge (2)
FSS 4.0

Needlenose (1)
FSS 4.0

Spinister (3)
FSS 4.0

Windsweeper (4)
FSS 4.0

Combiners - Nexus Prime (Nexus Maximus)

Breakaway
TF Club Exclusive

Heatwave
TF Club Exclusive
Shattered Glass

Landquake
TF Club Exclusive

Skyfall
TF Club Exclusive

Topspin
TF Club Exclusive

Nexus Maximus
TF Club Exclusive

Combiners - Wreckers (Wreckage)

Wreckage
FSS 4.0
FSS 5.0

Fractyl with Scorponok and Lifeline with Quickslinger (1-2)
FSS 5.0

Impactor and Bluestreak (6)
FSS 4.0

Toxitron, Counterpunch, and Starscream
Shattered Glass
FSS 5.0

Annual Membership Figures

Depthcharge
TF Club Exclusive

Dion
TF Club Exclusive

Lio Convoy
TF Club Exclusive

Ramjet
TF Club Exclusive

Rampage
TF Club Exclusive

Runamuck
TF Club Exclusive

Side Burn
TF Club Exclusive

Attendee Bonus

Alpha Energon Spear
OTFCC 2004

Bard of Darkmount
BotCon 2012
Shattered Glass

Decepticon Slice
BotCon 2010

Fisitron
BotCon 2011

Flamewar
BotCon 2005

Flamewar
BotCon 2014

Flash Sentry
Combiner Wars
Botcon 2016

Leozack
BotCon 2009

Machine Wars Kreon Set
BotCon 2013

Matrix Optimus Prime Kreon
BotCon 2011

Mirage
BotCon 2007

Omega Energon Spear
OTFCC 2004

Ramjet
BotCon 2005

Ricochet
BotCon 2008
Shattered Glass

Starscream
BotCon 2013

Terrorsaur
Combiner Wars
Botcon 2016

Unit 2 (Tigatron)
BotCon 2006

Zaptrap
BotCon 2015

Combiners

Magnaboss
Combiner Wars
Botcon 2016

Combiners - Gift Set Only

Piranacon
TF Club Exclusive

Convention Box Sets

Cybertron: Most Wanted
BotCon 2015

Dawn of Future's Past
BotCon 2006

Dawn of the Predacus
Combiner Wars
Botcon 2016

Descent into Evil
BotCon 2005

Games of Deception
BotCon 2007

Generation 2: Redux
BotCon 2010

Invasion
BotCon 2012
Shattered Glass

Machine Wars Termination
BotCon 2013

Pirates vs. Knights
BotCon 2014

Shattered Glass
BotCon 2008
Shattered Glass

The Stunti-Con Job
BotCon 2011

Wings of Honor
BotCon 2009

Convention Figures

Antagony
BotCon '98

Apelinq
BotCon 2000

Arcee
BotCon 2001

Breakdown
BotCon '94

CatSCAN
BotCon 2002

Cyclonus
BotCon 2002

Double Punch
BotCon Japan 1998

Fractyl and Packrat
BotCon '97

Glyph
BotCon 2002

Grizzly-1
BotCon Japan 1998

Megazarak with Caliburn
OTFCC 2004

Nightracer
BotCon '95

Onyx Primal
BotCon '96

Rook
BotCon Europe 2002

Roulette and Shadow Striker
OTFCC 2003

Sandstorm
BotCon '99

Shokaract
BotCon 2000

Sideswipe
OTFCC 2003

Sunstorm
OTFCC 2003

Super Hybrid Model Galvatron
BotCon Japan 1997

Super Hybrid Model Galvatron (Lava Bath)
BotCon Japan 1997

Tigatron
BotCon 2001

Vice Grip
BotCon '98

Windrazor
BotCon '99

Customizing Class Figures

Autobot Ratchet
Combiner Wars
Botcon 2016

Blastcharge Strika Drone
BotCon 2013

Galva Convoy
BotCon 2015

Longarm
BotCon 2012
Shattered Glass

Minerva
BotCon 2011

Nightbeat
BotCon 2008
Shattered Glass

Primal Prime
BotCon 2014

Rumble (Universe)
BotCon 2006

Sideswipe
BotCon 2010

Thunderclash
BotCon 2009
Shattered Glass

Deluxe Class

Airazor
TF Club Exclusive

Cheetor
TF Club Exclusive

Cyclonus
TF Club Exclusive
Shattered Glass

Drift
TF Club Exclusive
Shattered Glass

Nightbeat
TF Club Exclusive

Nova Prime
TF Club Exclusive

Over-Run
TF Club Exclusive

Punch / Counterpunch
TF Club Exclusive

Ramjet
TF Club Exclusive

Skywarp
TF Club Exclusive

Transmutate
TF Club Exclusive

Figure Subscription Service

Barricade with Frenzy
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 2.0

Breakdown
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 1.0

Carzap
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 3.0

Chromedome with Stylor
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 2.0

Circuit
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 1.0

Eject and Rewind
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 2.0

Fisitron
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 2.0

Jackpot
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 1.0

Krok with Gatoraider and Nightracer with Shakar
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 3.0

Nacelle
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 3.0

Optimus Prime and Megatron (3-4)
FSS 5.0

Scourge
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 1.0

Serpent O.R.
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 3.0

Slipstream
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 1.0

Starscream
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 3.0

Tarantulas
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 3.0

Thrustinator
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 2.0

Treadshot with Catgut
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 2.0

Ultra Mammoth
TF Club Exclusive
FSS 1.0

Pre-Registrant Bonus

Sentinel Maximus with Hyperlinq
OTFCC 2004

Sunstreaker
OTFCC 2003

Super Hybrid Model Galvatron (blue)
BotCon Japan 1997

Tap-Out
BotCon 2002

Souvenir Sets

Air-Warrior Six Pack
OTFCC 2003

Airazor (Set #4)
Combiner Wars
Botcon 2016

Alpha Trion and Weirdwolf
BotCon 2007

Autotrooper
BotCon 2012

Banzai-Tron and Skyquake
BotCon 2009

Blurr and Sideswipe with Whisper and Rampage
BotCon 2008
Shattered Glass

BotCon Legacy Collection
TF Club Exclusive

Celebrating 20 Years of BotCon
BotCon 2014

Darksyde Megatron and Waspinator
BotCon 2006

Diaclone Explorers
BotCon 2015

Double Punch and Turbomaster
BotCon 2010

Dread Pirate Crew
BotCon 2014

Earth's Most Wanted
BotCon 2015

Elita-One and Razorclaw
BotCon 2009

Flareup and Ratchet
BotCon 2005

Galvatron and Thundercracker
BotCon 2011
Shattered Glass

Junkions
BotCon 2012
Shattered Glass

Knights Alpha Trizer, Apelinq, Flareup
BotCon 2014

Laserbeak and Buzzsaw
BotCon 2006

Lowtech Security Force
BotCon 2015

Megatron (Set #3)
Combiner Wars
Botcon 2016

Megatron and Rodimus with Divebomb
BotCon 2008
Shattered Glass

Mirage and Thundercracker
BotCon 2013

Octopunch and Spinister
BotCon 2012
Shattered Glass

Optimus Prime and Kick-Over
BotCon 2012
Shattered Glass

Pirates Hunter and Brimstone
BotCon 2014

Rainmakers
BotCon 2013

Rapido and Cindersaur
BotCon 2010

Reflector (Set #5)
Combiner Wars
Botcon 2016

Sandstorm and Electrons
BotCon 2013

Sharkticon 3-pack
BotCon 2010

Sideswipe and Toxitron
BotCon 2011

Springer and Huffer
BotCon 2007

Sweeps 3-Pack
BotCon 2009

Tigatron (Set #1)
Combiner Wars
Botcon 2016

Unit-3 (Set #2)
Combiner Wars
Botcon 2016

Vector Sigma
BotCon 2007

Virulent Clones
BotCon 2005

Waruders Four Pack
BotCon 2015

Ultra Class

Astrotrain with Starcatcher, Astro-Hook, Astro-Line, and Astro-Sinker
TF Club Exclusive