BotCon 2016 will be held at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky, April 7–10, 2016. Fun Publications dropped the news without warning before the holiday weekend. John and Headmaster Don read through the press release and puzzle over the early-April dates. They size up the hotel against 2015’s hard-to-reach Pheasant Run, then speculate on a Beast Wars 20th anniversary box set.

The BotCon 2016 Announcement

John reads the press release. BotCon 2016 comes to the Galt House, a waterfront hotel in downtown Louisville, April 7–10, 2016, and hotel reservations are open now at BotCon.com. Primus package holders get a five-figure convention set and a bonus figure. They also get the Friday private sales room, priority panel seating, and the Saturday casino night and awards party. General admission runs Saturday and Sunday only. Don says this is the earliest he can recall learning the next year’s details. Both find the dates strange, since they fall after Easter, during school and right before tax day. [Source: TFWiki]

Casino Night, the Hall of Fame and Registration

Don welcomes casino night back, though winning enough to bid on big items takes deep pockets. He expects the Hall of Fame to continue and calls Frank Welker’s 2015 acceptance speech a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Both hope the registration fixes from 2015 make next year painless. Don asks Fun Publications to add PayPal as a payment option.

Louisville vs. St. Charles

Don liked his room at 2015’s Pheasant Run in St. Charles, Illinois, but says the lack of airport transportation hurt those who flew in. John agrees it was the big miss. The Galt House sits about seven miles from the airport, and John thinks a mid-size city is ideal for a convention. He runs through the hotel’s details: paid Wi-Fi, $15 self-parking, service animals only and seven places to eat. Those include Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar, a 24-hour deli and Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse. The Louisville Zoo, museums and theaters are nearby. Don found the $139 BotCon room rate beat the travel sites’ $170 to $190. John recommends trying a Kentucky hot brown.

Box Set Speculation: A Beast Wars Anniversary?

Don first guessed Combiner Wars, G2 molds like a G2 Defensor, or a yellow or orange Devastator. Then a friend pointed out that 2016 is the Beast Wars anniversary. Don suggests a follow-up to 2006’s Dawn of Future’s Past, perhaps a Predacon-heavy set or a Beast Wars combiner like Magnaboss or Tripredacus. He floats offering a combiner through souvenir figures instead. Both would like a troop-builder set of Sweeps someday. They ask listeners to tweet @tfradio with their own guesses.

Contributors: John DeLuna, Don

The RFC Mini-cast

Brian Kilby

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