I was lucky enough to attend my first Transformers convention this year in Chicago. I got to talk to A3U and some toy designers. I also got to get a glimpse into some of my favorite types of transformers, the 3rd party designs. For those not familiar, 3rd party designs tend to be inspired by classic transformers characters but designed without the limitations of being made for kids and lower cost restrictions. They tend to be more limited and a bit more of an underground development. Below are pics I snapped of the convention and a lot of the upcoming 3rd party figures.
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These are some shots I took of the TFCON exclusives. |
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Toyworld's Grant |
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Fansproject Columpio |
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Fansproject Cubrar |
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Break for lunch, cause Nori knows Chicago has good food. |
They also had a custom and art contest. I was hoping to have something done in time, but I will be sharing more on that in another post.
Below are 3rd party toys. Some are transformers inspired. Some characters are ones Hasbro has not redone to modern standards, or some that have been fully reimagined. There are Pretenders, Battle Beasts and even My Little Pony. There are even some new creative lines that are not tied to main brands.
This was a very exciting event for me. I got to see a lot of creative and inspiring things. I would love to have some projects in the near future that I might be able to bring to such an event. If they come back to Chicago, I will go back again.