Yearly Archives: 2017

Transformatorium

Big Angry Trev visits Hasbro Australia!

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On Monday, myself and 14 other lucky fellows were treated to a behind the scenes look at the offices of Hasbro Australia, located in Sydney.  Organized by the operator of Ozformers, this was for a hands-on experience with the newest Transformers toyline: Power of the Primes.

My Graceland!

After a short wait, myself and my compatriots were ushered up to the fourth floor of the Hasbro offices where a space had been prepared.  Scattered around various parts of the room were examples of some of the great Transformer products that have come out of recent.

 

Of course there was one other major Hasbro product on show and that was My Little Pony.  Whilst this was largely ignored by the Transfans I couldn’t help but have a good look.  I loved the huge Pinkie Pie – if it had been Rarity I would have forgotten the TF’s altogether and tried to work out a way to smuggle her out of the building for me to ride whenever I saw fit (sounds kinda dirty I know but Rarity – I loves ya!).

 

 

Power of the Primes

Of course the main point of the day was to give fans a hands-on experience with the new toyline.  This consisted mainly of Wave 1 which has been released in the USA already and is due out in Australia within the next few months.  Whilst this is all the same toyline, it can be broken into different groups.

The Dinobots

Something that has all the fans excited is that for most of the Dinobot characters this is their first Generations treatment.  On display was the latest (of many) Grimlock‘s as well as Slug and Swoop.  Also on display was the newest addition to the classic Dinobot team – a female raptor named Slash.

POTP Slug meets G1 Slag

Of course, without Sludge and Snarl we couldn’t see the fully combined form of the Dinobot gestalt but I will say that what we could put together did look a lot better than what I had seen in photos to date.

 

The Original 13 & Pretenders

Now I’ll admit – I was not a fan of the Pretenders from G1, not particularly liking organic modes.  But many of these characters have been brought back and in a bizarre twist, has been combined with the characters from TF lore which constitute the first 13 Primes.  The classic Pretender shell characters are used to ensconse the mini-Primes within.  Rather odd, but I know when they hit the shelves I wont be able to resist.

Apparently Landmine & Alpha Trion were the same dude

 

The Primes

A rather interesting concept that has been done here is with Optimus Prime and Rodimus Prime.  Not only do both transform from Truck/Cybertronic Winnebago to robot, but you can remove a smaller robot which transforms into their pre-evolved forms – Orion Pax and Hot Rod.  I  really dig this concept and both toys looked great!  Both also came with a Matrix of Leadership.

The evolution of a hot head

 

And the others…

There were several other figures on show from the new line.  These included Beachcomber, Windcharger and a Dreadwind which is based on an older Combiner Wars figure.  The Ozformer owner was also kind enough to bring a couple of figures that were US exclusives that not many Aussies would have touched – Arcee and Grotusque.

 

So overall it was a very interesting hands-on experience and behind-the-scenes look at Hasbro.  I’d like to thank Hasbro for the opportunity – I’m sure my fellow 14 fans had as much fun as I did!  And to top it off, in the raffle at the end I scored a The Last Knight Hot Rod to take home!

Free toy!

 

Got anything to say about this visit to Hasbro?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

Fan Interviews & Art, Transformatorium

Transformer Fan Interview – Raymo

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Welcome to the next in a series of interviews with different Aussie Transformer fans.  Last time we chatted to Lisamaree who was at the time living abroad.  Today we will be talking to Raymo, a country lad like me who now, luckily for his hobby, lives a lot closer to the big TF shops up in Northern Australia.

 

Transformers Allegiance, if you had one?
Autobot

Your Techspec motto if you had one?
All too easy. Which is sort of opposite of my own personality and more like my alter ego, or as I say my wrestling personality, cocky but relaxed about it.

What existing, official Transformers character best describes you?
I always go with G1 Brawn, although Bayverse Jetfire is probably more accurate now, old, slow but will do a solid if someone needs it.

Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself?
Flying, which in bot mode makes me a dirty con

How would you rate yourself on a C scale, C10 being MISB Mint perfection to the lowest C1 ‘junker not worth it even for parts’?
C6

Fan/Collector since (year)?
1984

What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector?
The box art and the cartoon, I do remember though that my friends and I would get pissed off because rather than the dynamic poses we saw on the boxes and cards the toy itself was a glorified brick.

Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die?
I will certainly have them until then, and maybe one will go with me, but I’m not sure if I’ll be actively collecting, even in the last three years my actual accumulation/collecting of them has slowed, I still have a good collection though. Confused?

Do people outside of the hobby know you collect TFs (like at work/school)?
For sure, I’m actually more comfortable sharing pictures outside of the collecting community with others, and any chance to show someone “the room” I take it.

Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends?
Everyone has been supportive, despite some very heavy spending periods it never became a financial problem. I think most people have seen it as a positive and fun influence on my life. We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions?
Yep……………………

oh you want more info?

2004 Sabretron in Sydney, loved it, here is a picture of my young self

Went to NYCC in 2015, hated it, but got to see the Toy Hunter and he truly loves what he does.

Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)?
Does dusting and building fancy cabinets count?

Favourite series/era/year, and why?
G1, I think as time has gone on I became something I hated previously, an f’ing geewunner!! Yep, I had it all, everything up to stinking animorphs and then some, and over the years it’s all been pared back to something a geewunner would own. I love the Transformers Prime series and the toys and was hoping it was the first step to making a canon TF universe, but no, it was a one off, but a brilliant one, I also like the 2001 RID, it’s a bit more of a JP based cartoon but being a big fan of the rising sun it’s my style. But yeah always come back to G1, it’s the original; it’s what created a juggernaut. It’s classic good versus evil with the greatest hero ever G1 Optimus Prime.
Least favourite series/era/year, and why
The movieverse has taken a big steamy Sludge like dump over what could have been something amazing, I get the attraction, and considering now that someone who was ten when the first one came out is now 20 and still loving it is probably more the demographic they were aiming at rather than us old farts. But to me as a toy collector a lot of the figures look like melted plastic with a shitty head stuck on top.

Collect any comics?
Had a good stash of the IDW/Dreamwave stuff but got rid of it, was good when it came out but has no personal connection. I do still have a tonne of 90’s x-men and some very large G1 TPB’s. My brother knows more about my comics that me, I’m pretty much a toy guy these days.

Favourite Comic issue/story, and why?
IIRC the one where the Dinobots were already on earth as well as Shockwave, something, something darkside, I’m not so good with stories and have forgotten how much I hate space travel.

Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why?
Fire in the Sky, as explained earlier

Favourite Character, and why?
Optimus Prime, the most noble of heroes, something any kid should aspire to be, certainly shaped who I am today.

Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character?
A typical perv question from Big Angry Trev.
G1 Arcee (does anyone think her voice sounds like Tea Leoni from the movie Bad Boys?) and TF Prime, although BW Blackarachnia, grrrr baby grrrr, that voice…………droooooooooooool.

Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real?
Black Zarak, bad ass looking, and huge.

Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, etc):
A lady never tells

Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector?
Varies, if it has a window it’s sealed, if not it’s opened. Mostly.

How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit?
A couple of bucks

Any rare/expensive figures in your collection?
Black Zarak, both Goodbye sets MIB for all of them, lurve my boxes.

What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have?
Nothing out of the ordinary, bed sheets, bed tent, board game, Soundwave tape deck etc.

First Transformers toy?
Now this is something, I’m not 100% on this. No matter the time I put into working it out I can’t nail it but it’s either Brawn or Bluestreak.

One toy you most want?
Powered Convoy Giftset MIB

The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)?
The custom Metrotitan that a guy named Michael did, it may not mean a lot to most, but to have G1 Metrotitan and Metroplex as well as their modern gigantic counterparts all together is just so perfect.

Favourite toy in your early years of collecting?

Brawn

Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion?
Some piece of junk bayverse one step Prime my mum thought would be good to get me for xmas a few years ago.

Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them?
MP-09 Rodimus Prime, the literal version of ambition out weighing talent.

Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertable Transformers toys?
Non-convertible transformer, oxymoron central. At least action masters had something that transformed.
They went too complex with the early Bay movie toys and now it’s gone too simple with the crap being put out now, some look like a giant bar of soap or those old shampoo bottles shaped like TF’s.
Thoughts on unlicensed fan-project figures/accessories
I used to be totally against them, but they certainly fill a collecting gap for the addicts, and as we’ve seen are also free R&D for Has/Tak.
Thoughts on the Transformers Brand over the last five years
It’s in a balance, it’s good we have Beast Wars MP figures coming out but the bread and butter movies need a re-boot, even when they are released the shelf space and hype has dwindled. Now we’re going back to the old chestnut of Bumblebee, FFS we have already been saturated with his toys in the first three movies, now, more. I get it he sells, but most kids already have him.

Which single TFs toy should every fan own?
G1 Optimus Prime

Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present?
MISB G1 Optimus Prime

Do you collect other toys?
I have a very good MOTU collection and an ok Voltron one which has recently been majorly downsized. Oh yeah and Lego, enough to sink the Titanic.

What other interests do you have?
Science (Physics (not bloody quantum though) and astronomy) Nature and the environment, AFL, NFL, health and fitness, fishing, Star Wars and the family.

What type of music/movies/TV/books do you enjoy
Cranking psytrance as I type this, love metal, some old hip hop, K,C,J-Pop, very eclectic, will even rock some country. Movies, we have been spoilt for choice lately, marvel stuff, Star Wars, then the earlier stuff Avatar, Terminators, Alien series, Pacific Rim, all the usual nerd stuff. TV is Battlestar Galactica new and old version, Star Treks, Law and Order, Brooklyn 99, Seinfeld, House, Stargate, Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, it’s a big list J Books, I have generally been a non-fiction reader but since the flow of canon Star Wars novels have come out I am into those, as a huge fan of Ventress the Dark Disciple novel was off the chart awesome. Lots to read still but unlike Transformers where I can say my love these days is really with toys, with Star Wars it is with the mythology…….but not the legends stuff, the new canon, it’s like the Marvel CU, we need a continuous story to get invested……..Transformers I’m looking your way!

If you died today, what would your tombstone say?
Solid (pun intended)

Questions from other Fans

From Dallas:

What is your preferred design for G1 Jetfire? the animation model or the toy? please elaborate. 
It’s the toy, so cool, tall, sleek, powerful and proud, a true warrior. But the anime version is certainly up there, even now that we sort of have a combo version from the generations toy as well as FT Phoenix I can still say the G1 toy is the one for me. Here’s the funny thing, I grew up in a very small town, about 3000 people, our local news agent was the toy shop. There was a massive area of Transformers, but there was a secondary area of Robotech fighters, I looked at them with disdain, what the hell is a gerwalk mode!? But if I could go back now I would buy the entire section! For its time the toy had superior articulation, size and quality, plus the badass look in bot mode with all the armour.

How Many Jetfire toys do you have?
Only nine, but my Energon and Armada versions are in the “to sell pile” so really seven. I’m a small fry in the toy collecting department of Jetfire, there is a fella on TCCA who has a ridiculous amount of the G1 toys MIB, loose, or whatever. I’d love a sealed one, but in the past few years I’ve managed to get one with the painted Robotech symbols, as well an MIB version that only had one owner from Australia who told me the history of it, to me that is something special, toys can pass through many hands, even sealed ones could have had 10 owners previously, but I got this Jetfire from the only person who had ever had it, the guy who opened it as a kid, almost as good as opening an old case found in a warehouse somewhere in China full of sealed boxes.

From Marty:

Has your collecting rate increased since you moved from a rural to a more suburban setting?
There have been two collecting phases in my life, childhood and adulthood. Both coincide with pre-internet and intra-internet, as well as rural then urban. I will expand on this….. as an adult the internet has essentially gone from a rural service to metro, so yes this change has made finding things easier, in 2002 when I first got onto ebay it was like a small country town, and it was full of friendly people, now, especially post movie era, it is a place where scammers and dickheads live. While you can get more, the prices are higher and the risk of dodgy goods is everywhere.
So to answer the question, my peak was between 2002 and 2004, I was living in Canberra, there were a lot of good TF toys in the stores, RID and Alternators, as well as very good prices for G1 stuff online and a huge second hand market at garage, car boot and market sales. That was a golden era for collecting for me.

Have you been able to draw your daughter into the world of giant transforming robots at all?
I have tried, she’s not a big fan, she knows I love them but the common toy interest we share is Lego, she loves building them and playing with them. We have amassed a decent train collection, as well as her friends sets.

Besides Big Angry Trev, is there anyone that you admire in the world of Transformers (fellow collectors, actors, comic artists, toy designers etc)?
I love the writings of a guy called Maz, he is a true TF historian and someone who I genuinely think I would get along with in real life. Heroic Decepticon is good too due to his ability to financially accommodate his G1 collecting, but probably out of mine and most people’s league. I’ve got to know a few guys through TCCA on facey who have similar collecting interests to me, they have mostly lurked in the shadows as I have, people who are humble in their collecting impress me.

From Trent:

Name one thing about the TF community that you don’t like.
I can name two things. The…………… how do I put this…………..dick waving shit of my collection’s, bigger, worth more, better than anyone else’s crap.
Here’s a fun fact, I had 1500 Transformer toys in 2004. At the time from what I could tell one of the biggest in Oz, did it give me anything? No……… (unlike my collection now, which when I look at it gives me genuine happiness)
It took up a lot of space and cost a lot of money. Now this is pre-movie era, so I had every Western G1 to Animorphs and whatever was coming out at the time, PLUS, most figures I had two of to display in both modes, if it was a triple changer or combiner then there were more figures I had, it was out of control, and the display was bots just jammed up against each other, with boxed stuff from Armada getting stored away. That’s not collecting, that’s an addiction and a hoarding issue. Luckily I had the income to support this insanity, and when push came to shove a couple of years later I was able to sell most of it and take a pause for the better.
So yeah, back to the question, there are many fans out there, some might collect era’s we don’t like, some may have 10, or 1000, or 5000 figures, that doesn’t matter, we all love the same thing, people use “till all are one’ a lot but let’s mean it. We are ALL ONE, we love Transformers, lets embrace it.
Old man rant over, for now,…………………oh wait my second, or third point, or wherever I’m up to.
I don’t like how there is a secrecy around parts of the TF collecting community, I’m not saying that some departments should open their doors for all and sundry, but when an important topic that effects all collectors in that area regardless of personal connections comes up it should be shared, I’m a massive fan of the history of the toys, but some of the people who have the knowledge choose to not share it. What’s the point?!

Conversely, name the thing (or things) that you really like about the TF fandom.
There is a guy named Kelvin who really embodies passion for the hobby and I think that kind of passion is great!  To go further I can easily say that 90 plus percent of the people I have met in the TF community are so similar to me and that they share a passion for what is basically a toy line, but being nerds we fear human interaction so most of my contact while on the whole is positive and online only.

From May:

What was your opinion of ROTF Jetfire?
Loved him, based on one of my favourite planes the SR-71 Blackbird, merely a spy plane, but the fastest ever. He was such a good character, since the movie I have toured the US extensively and got to see Jetfire in person and it was so good, smaller than I expected but beautiful and sleek despite the age. He made the ultimate sacrifice to help Prime, he got so elevated in my opinion when that happened, he’s the only Bayformer toy I own.

What is your favourite Jetfire toy?
G1 all the way. I have to give positive mention to the Generations version, looks amazing and did well to not get sued by the a-hole from Harmony Gold.

 

Got any other questions for Raymo?  Pop them in the comments section below:

Transformatorium, Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – The Last Knight Infernocus

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The Quintessons have been a part of Transformers lore since the much-beloved 1986 animated movie.  They went on to feature heavily in season 3 of the G1 cartoon as well as make appearances in the Marvel, Dreamwave and IDW comics.  In non-print media the only outings we have seen for these multi-tentacled menaces have been the character Alpha Q in the Energon cartoon and a passing reference by Swindle in the Animated cartoon.  Therefore I was very happy to see them crop up in the live-action movie series.

I may be small but I tote a big gestalt!

In the 2017 movie The Last Knight, we are introduced to one of the Transformers creators – Quintessa, who has herself a big beefy enforcer named Infernocus.  Later in the movie we see that Infernocus is actually a combiner – made up of 6 identical Infernicons.  Thankfully, unlike many characters, Infernocus has been blessed with an actual toy so today we will be looking at the The Last Knight Infernocus figure.

Unlike the movie, where there are six identical Infernicons that make up this gestalt, the toy is made up by five different figures.  Four of these are recolours of toys from the Beast Hunters Terrorcon Predacon team that make up Abominus.  Each of these figures has remained essentially the same, except for a uniform black & red paintjob and the removal of their individual weapons.

Rupture

Thrash

Gorge

Glug

These reworked figures serve reasonably well in their new roles as Infernicons, though with the exception of their colour schemes they do not particularly resemble their counterparts from the live action movie. However an added bonus to them is that unlike the movie they actually have alt-modes – monstrous beasts that adds a lot of extra play value to the set.

 

Skulk

The torso component character from the Terrorcon Predacon set – Hun-Gurrr – has been replaced by a brand new figure  Skulk.  Unlike the limb component characters, Skulk does not have an alt-mode.  This is in my opinion is forgivable.  Hun-Gurrr, the previous torso character of the set, was the same size as the limb characters which made Abominus look rather silly.  Skulk is over twice the size of Hun-Gurrr and adds much needed bulk to the set, making their combined form of Infernocus approximate in size to Voyager-class figures.  On his own Skulk looks pretty cool and works quite well as a representation of Infernocus on his own when put alongside smaller figures, especially his master – Quintessa.

 

Quintessa

Quintessa herself is a very small translucent figure and is the only toy representation of this major character from the live action movie.  She has nice little details but when I ordered this set I didn’t realise quite how small she was.  Make sure you put her somewhere safe as the potential to lose her is extreme!

 

Transformation

The  individual figures are relatively simplistic.  Combining the Infernicons into Infernocus is quite fiddly.  Due to the colour schemes of all 5 figures being so uniform black it can be hard to ascertain which piece you are putting where.  Also the set does not lend itself to the relatively simplistic combinations from sets like from Combiner Wars such as Computron and Sky Reign.  Don’t get me wrong – you wont have an aneurism of frustration here but at the same time it can be fiddly.

 

Overall

This is actually quite a nice figure and I am very pleased with it.  Unlike the Terrorcon Predacon combiner from Beast Hunters I will be keeping Infernocus in his combined mode.  Given the sparsity of official Quintesson-affiliated figures from the toyline over the past 31 years I’m very glad to add him to my collection.

 

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Movie Review: Transformers – The Last Knight

 

Random Reviews

Movie Review – My Little Pony

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My Little Pony, much like its boyish counterpart – The Transformers, has a generations spanning popularity.  Despite the 5 to 12 age range on the boxes, just as Transformers is not just for little boys, My Little Pony is not just for little girls.  And now, like The Transformers, My Little Pony has hit the big screen!

My daughters wall

Now let me start off by saying I know waaaay more about MLP than any self-respecting 40 year old male should.  As the househusband I watch it with my two kids when it comes on TV at 8.30am every morning after their mother goes to work. In fact I probably know almost every episode from Season 4 onwards off by heart!    Whilst my daughter loves Fluttershy and my son and wife both love Pinkie Pie, I’m most definitely a Rarity man, whom I find really sexy amusing, especially when she throws a drama queen fit.  I also really like DJ Pon3 for some reason, she is just so cool!  The cartoon itself is really well done, it’s thoroughly amusing on many levels and I defy anyone to watch the 100th episode special from season 5 and not crack up laughing!  Fantastic battle scenes, great music, an interesting and ever expanding cast – in fact I can confidently say it’s probably one of the best kids cartoons out there today.  As such I was hoping for a lot from the movie when I took my family to see it …

 

But it looked so cheerful!

… but sadly it did not deliver.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s certainly not a bad movie.  But if you are familiar with the cartoon this feels like they have watered it down for the movie rather than beefing it up.  A good way would be to compare them to ice cream.  The cartoon is triple-raspberry swirl with rainbow sprinkles – delicious and exciting!  The movie is a bowl of vanilla – certainly nice enough and you may even want a second helping but you aren’t going to rave about it to your friends.

The storyline is very formulaic, but given the target audience for this flick that is forgivable.  All the ponies are gathered for a giant party being organised by the heroine of the show Twilight Sparkle, when the bad guys turn up, capture the other 3 Princesses of Equestria and enslave the Pony race. Cue Twilight and her friends escaping, meeting new comrades in their search for help, then returning to defeat the big bad, turn an enemy into a friend (cause Friendship is Magic dontcha know) and bring freedom back to the land.  I think even most young kids, whom this movie is primarily aimed at, could predict what would happen next in a very by-the-numbers plot.

 

Sadly, everything that happens feels like a sanitized version of the cartoon, designed to have the broadest appeal by ‘playing it safe’ .  The one argument between friends (Twilight finally after all these years gets a gutful of Pinkie Pie) is very short and undramatic, as opposed to some of the larger Rarity & Applejack spats from television.  Likewise the music, which should be a major highlight in a movie like this, lacks punch and is not particularly catchy.  The 2014 Equestria Girls Rainbow Rocks has far superior music that sticks in the head and keeps you humming for days.  The animation, which given the world the storyline is set in had the potential to dazzle, suffers from bland backgrounds, though these are necessitated by the storyline sending the ponies through deserts and other sparse locals.  Tempest Shadow is a pretty cool bad guy with her sparking broken horn and is rounded out fairly well on the whole.  However her boss, The Storm King, is a predictable character who is frankly neither scary or amusing, despite the writers trying to portray him as both.

 

There is not much character development here.  Given the cartoon is in its seventh season perhaps it was felt there is not much more for the 7 stars of the show to grow into.  It would have been nice for the girls to at least use their different abilities in significant ways to aid the plot.  Rarity’s entire contribution consists of performing a 2 second fix on a coat, earning them a friend in a roguish cat which in turn ends up giving Spike his only interesting thing to do in the movie – being used by said cat as a flamethrower.  Rainbow Dash awakens the buccaneering spirit of some air pirates, but her signature sonic-rainboom does nothing but give their position away to the bad guys.  Applejack and Fluttershy sadly bring nothing at all to the plot and in fact the movie could have easily been done without them.  None of the characters really engage in the kind of humorous banter that makes the cartoon so funny and don’t really bounce off each other, mainly they just react to events and – in the case of Fluttershy at least – look scared.

(my t-shirt) Should have just let these two handle the problem

The two stars of the movie from the regular cast are Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle.  Pinkie serves as the anchor of the group, being too silly-headed to have her spirit brought low by the various precarious predicaments. Meanwhile Twilight allows herself to lose hope but in the end, predictably, uses the spirit of Friendship to win Tempest Shadow over the side of good and defeat The Storm King.

 

So is this movie worth watching?  Well again, it’s like a bowl of vanilla ice cream.  You will enjoy it but you will soon forget you consumed it afterwards.  I laughed out loud a couple of times but sadly my two young kids never did.  Given the price of a movie ticket these days you can easily wait for this to be released on DVD and in the meantime get your MLP on with the brilliant cartoon instead.

One day Rarity my sweet, one day we will be together!

This movie gets 3 out of 5 party cannons.

 

 

Got something to say about this movie?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Tales of the Trev

Big Old Trev turns 40

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There are lots of cool ages.  When you turn 18 you are legally an adult – able to get pissed and drive at will (even if not at the same time).  When you turn 21 it usually signals finishing your higher education and departing off into the big world.  When you turn 30, it’s a celebration of surviving all the stupid shit you did in your teens and twenties.

When you turn 40 however – it just means you are f*cking old

‘C’mon Reaper you bastard!’

Well loyal readers, today I turn 40.  And I can confirm it is not a cool age to turn.  No teenager thinks turning the big Four Oh will be fun and they are right.  I don’t feel cool, I don’t feel special, I don’t feel like I am on the cusp on a great adventure.  What I do feel is a tiredness in my limbs, a soreness in my back and a general irritation with the world.

(Writers note: I wrote the above a few days beforehand so I would have this piece ready.  Now it’s the actual day I’ve been spoiled rotten by my family and received a slew of well wishes from people so it is actually making my day pretty damn cool.   However it would ruin the theme of the piece so lets just pretend I’m still not feeling special eh?) 

So what the hell happened?  How did this happen to me?  I mean, I remember being young and looking at people like me, thinking why and how could they give up?!  And young Trev is still inside, looking out through these tired old eyes, feeling like a young man trapped in an old farts body.  I used to party all night and play video games all day.  I used to sleep with stranger’s, drink and smoke near anything passed my way, get into fights with buddies and then wake up the next day feeling a million bucks to do it all over again.  Now I go to bed sober at a decent hour and I still wake up tired.  What. Happened. To.  Me?

 

In fact, let’s have a look at the progression of my life in some key categories.

 

Drinking

Teens: Any alcohol our fake ID’s could get us

Twenties: Scotch & Cokes at the pub

Thirties: Beers with mates

…and now: Cup’o’Soup before bed

 

Music

Dancin’ machine!

Teens: Whatever was on MTV

Twenties: Whatever was on Rage

Thirties: Whatever was on Triple J

…and now: ‘Hey Diddle Diddle, the cat and the fiddle’

 

Parties

Most innocent party pic I could find

Teens: Getting pissed at 18th’s

Twenties: Getting munted at 21st’s

Thirties: Dinner parties with friends

…and now: Driving my kids to other children’s birthdays

 

Work

My brief stint as a night porter in Scotland

Teens: Below minimum wage at a fruit shop

Twenties: Minimum wage Security Guard

Thirties: Decently paid Departmental Employee

…and now: I clean my wife’s house

 

Travel

I miss you Rome!

Teens: Interstate trips to theme parks

Twenties: Backpacked around Europe

Thirties: Honeymoon to Vanuatu

…and now: To the shops and back

 

Video Games

How the times have changed

Teens: Street Fighter II on the Super Nintendo

Twenties: Halo on the Xbox

Thirties: Fall of Cybertron on the PS3

…and now: Hoping for a nap while my son plays the PS4

 

Women

Fictitious women love me!

Teens: I made my girlfriends laugh

Twenties: I made the ladies swoon

Thirties: I made my wife smile

…and now: I make my daughters bed

 

It first really sunk in I was getting older about 3 years ago.  Back in my twenties, when I had a gleam in my eye, an ever-present bulge in my trousers and a six-pack under my shirt, I used to get my hair elaborately done at the hairdressers at least every six weeks.  I used to really enjoy it too; I always had two or three of the young women on staff hanging about while I made them laugh and unashamedly flirted.  Used to walk out looking great, feeling great and more often than not having charmed my way into getting a nice big discount.

Three years ago I was getting my tips done blond when the hairdresser said ‘Oh it’s so great when men your age get this done – my step-father gets his done and it really helps hide the grey’.

‘No really, its my natural hair colour’

The look of horror on my face said it all as I had been unaware that I had any grey hairs!  Also, this girl was comparing me to her father figure?!  Yep – if I had dusted off my old flirt-circuits she would have no doubt classified me as an old creep and locked the door as I left – no discounts for old fart Trev.

 

So are there any upsides to getting this old?  The main three I can think of are that you are less of a dickhead, less inclined to tolerate bullshit and are more self-reliant.  These days I actually think before I open my mouth to say whatever random thought passes through this oddly-wired brain of mine, and getting naked in public is truly a thing of the past.  I won’t cop shit or tolerate bullshit – I quit a job because of something that happened to me and I knew that if I continued to work there my self-respect wouldn’t allow me to look in the mirror anymore – that was a very depressing time for me.  As for self-reliance, it may have taken me decades longer than some males but now I only call a tradie as a last resort.  I always try to build it or fix it myself and if I can’t then I watch how the tradie does it so I can do it myself from that point on.

 

So today for the first time I look in the mirror and a forty year old man looks back at me.  It’s been a helluva ride.  I’ve traveled the world and learned how to order a beer in a dozen languages.  I’ve had a Uni Radio Show, appeared on Television, Sworn on the Big Screen and done Stand-Up Comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  I’ve been painfully thin then fat then buff then… kinda flowing.  I’ve lived in Melbourne and London and even returned to the Mallee for a while. I’ve lost my parents but had children of my own.   I’ve become the sum of my experiences…. which somehow has turned me into a Blog Writing, Hobby Farming, Househusband and Father who spends his days looking after his kids and propagating plants.  Doesn’t sound much but really when you think about it, having a loving wife, beautiful son & daughter, a big house in the hills (even if it’s not mine) and only working for others when I feel like it – I may have not become the megastar I thought I would but I could have done a lot worse that’s for sure.

 

So what pearls of wisdom have I learned that can prepare others for turning the big Four Oh?  Well… none.  Nada, Zip, Zippo.  It’s going to affect each one of you differently.  I can’t say it feels any different to being 39 and to be honest in my head I’m still 25.  All I can say is that yes, the concept of turning forty sucks…

…but it’s better than the alternative 😉

 

Are you about to turn forty or already have?  Would love to commiserate with you in the comments section below!

 

Retraction: I have been contacted and instructed to remove certain opinions from this blog.  Due to my leaving the comments in question so vague (no names, places, dates, any specifics at all) it has lead to someone mistakenly believing the comments referred to them.  Therefore to avoid continued accidental offense the instructions received have been followed; the opinions are officially and publicly retracted and have been permanently removed from this site.  bigangrytrev.com apologizes for any misunderstanding regarding this matter. 

Transformatorium, Transformer Toy Reviews

Toys Review – The Last Knight: Steelbane, Cogman & Sqweeks

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When the first live action Transformers movie was released a decade ago, I went a bit nuts when the toys were first released.  The first day I saw them I horrified my girlfriend by coming home with two full garbage bags of action figures and a $700 dent in my bank account.

Now here we are at movie five and restraint is much easier.  For the first time I am not buying a toy of every character that was in the movie.  Who needs yet another Bbee camero?  So I’m buying toys only of new characters that showed up in the flick, saving me both cash and shelf space.

Thankfully I was able to put restraint on hold the other day when I finally came across some of these new characters in toy form.  So lets take a look at three new Autobots to grace the silver screen and subsequently get turned into toy-candy – Steelbane, Cogman and Sqweeks.

 

Steelbane

Dig those shoulders man!

Robot Mode

Have at ye!

Steelbane was one of those generic Knights of Cybertron to show up in the flick, and you would be hard pressed to single him out when watching the movie.  I will say I am quite impressed with the look of Steelbane in robot mode – perhaps the most knight-esque Transformer I’ve ever seen!  Really looks like he should be guarding a tomb for centuries and then coming to life to scare the shit out of Lara Croft.  However the look of this toy is the best thing about him.  The shoulder and leg balljoints are very loose, making him very hard to pose.  This is made up for somewhat by the fact he has tight neck and elbow joints so you can at least give him the odd cool pose.  Comes with a sword with lots of little detail on it and the wings folded behind serve to give him a look as though he is wearing a chainmail cape.  So visually he looks great, playwise he is a bit of a letdown.

En’Guarde!

Dragon Mode

This is what happens when your alpaca mates with a raven and a washing machine

Frankly pretty crap.  The loose balljoints make him even harder to pose in beast mode than robot mode.  The chest does not sit flush with the main body and while I appreciate the little detail of the red tongue, it actually detracts from the dragons head when you open the mouth wider.  I found the transformation to beast mode quite fiddly as well; his secondary mode is so ill defined and the instructions were not particularly useful.  I ended up just looking at the back of the box and fiddling with the figure until he represented that pic.

 

Cogman

Robot Mode

Sushi-chopper not included

Typical – we finally get a Transformer in one of the movies who gets a lot of lines and screen time and he never even transforms!  Well thankfully they released some toys of him that do.  There is a fantastic looking one with a headmaster gimmick, however since he never did it in the film I went the cheaper 1-step option.  I don’t usually like 1-step changers, I find them very overpriced for the simplistic figure you get.  However since I don’t want to spend a fortune importing a transforming Cogman I was happy enough to get this representation of him.  They did the colour scheme and in particular the head quite well and he doesn’t look too bad at all.  Just a shame that he has no knees and his legs are so chunky.

Vehicle Mode

‘I have an alt-mode!’

Cogman transforms into an Aston Martin DB11, which he did get behind the wheel of in the movie if memory serves.  He achieves this in toy mode by a simple twist of the legs.  A nice little car, though a better paintjob wouldn’t have hurt.

 

Sqweeks

‘Guess what noise I make’

Robot Mode

‘They took ma hands!’

This little guy was supposed to be the ultra-cute new bot of Transformers 5.  But R2-D2 he aint and he never really captured our hearts.  However if there is to be a movie toy that will garner your affection – it’ll be this little guy!  While his robot mode initially looks as lackluster as the character did onscreen (though I do did all the rust in his paintjob) , it’s all his little mods that make the toy.

He has several options, he can use his little cargo trailer from his alt-mode (which we will come to momentarily) to have a sort of rocket backpack, or you can remove his little handlebar hands to affix a big arm and the huge cannon he wielded in one of the final movie fight scenes.

‘BEEFCAKE!’

Vehicle Mode

Not a bad looking scooter.  Well, it is a bad looking scooter I guess but it’s supposed to be so on that level it really works.  The transformation to scooter is fairly straight forward but I find it helps to cheat a little and remove his handlebar hands and his head.  This detracts nothing from his alt-mode and saves potential scratches to your toy by jamming everything in.

His cargo-trailer really makes the toy!  It can be attached to the back which adds a lot of bulk to the toy, and then altered into a battle mode replete with cannons and guns enough to freak out the strongest Con.  It also transforms into one of the coolest little maintenance bays I’ve seen this side of G1 Optims, with a toolbox to store spare parts and a very maneuverable robotic arm.  Very cool indeed!

 

Overall

They never really seem to hit their stride with the movie toys do they?  Many of the ROTF figures were fantastic but since then we’ve had DOTM which had toys too complicated and AoE whose toys were too simple.  So far none of the TLK figures are massively impressive.  So unless you really want representations of the new movieverse characters both Steelbane and Cogman are both easy passes.  However do yourself a favour and go pick up a Sqweeks.  It’s a really cool toy with lots of play value and by far one of the most enjoyable movie figures I have played with.  Small on screen but big on fun!

Got something to add to the review above?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Meet & Greet at the Collectormania Fair

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You know, it’s not all gravy being Big Angry Trev.  I know what perceptions that a lot of the public hold of me; that I eat imported lobsters off plates of gold, served up by nubile & busty fangirls who pay for the privilege of catering to the every whim of their idol.

But no, sometimes it’s damn hard work.  Especially when your online fandom want a real life public appearance.  On this site, of course I am known to you all as Big Angry Trev, purveyor of whimsy and wisdom.  Then to the Transformers community I am known as Big Transformer Trev, collector extraordinaire and Ozformer of the Year.  It’s an honor to be venerated by ones peers on the world wide web but sometimes you have to give a little something back.  You need to show up, shake a few babies, kiss a few hands and generally let people feel the warm glow of bathing in the light of your reflected glory.

 

To this end, I made a public appearance at the Collectormania Toy & Hobby Fair in Penrith.

 

It’s a bugger of a drive, I can tell ya that!  Espeically on a rainy Sunday morning.  The Blue Mountains seem to consist of constantly changing speed limits enforced by a plethora of speed cameras and cop cars just waiting for you to miss a single sign.  Combine that with half the time you are driving on the edge of a precipice and it does not make for a relaxing country jaunt.

When I finally reached my destination I was greeted at the door by Shannon, one of the main pillars of my Ozformer of the Year campaign and a stalwart supporter.  Like many celebrities I have let many of my basic social and survival skills whither so Shannon was to be my guide to the toy fair as well as a buffer between me and the general public.

Big enough to hold back the adoring hordes

Not long after entering I was quickly accosted by one of my long time fans Adam.  Adam has been a bit of a Fanboy of mine for 20 years, even back at the start when I was doing movies and television for a living.  Adam had his usual reaction to seeing me – a girlish squeal of delight and the development of a mild erection. Given the regularity I illicit these reactions from my fans I was able to still smile and give him a hug, albeit from the side rather than the front.

“Yes yes, I am your sexy god. I get that a lot”

Shannon then gave me the tour of the Fair.  This was my first toyfair and I found that they are significantly different to pop culture expos.  No cosplay for a start.  No huge displays either.  And there were very few women to be seen.  I think I saw less than a dozen the whole morning and those that I did see might as well have had ‘wife’ or ‘daughter’ stamped on their foreheads.

It was very hot in there too.  I had to lose my trademark black jacket after 20 minutes, lest I start to perspire and smell like a lot of my fellow fair attendees.  There was a definite essence in the air that suggested many of these guys were leaving their parents basements for the first time in a long while and bathing beforehand had no occurred to them.

It seemed like most of the stalls at the Fair stocked one of two things – either Pop! figures or Matchbox cars.  Neither are really my cup of tea but I was able to find at least one I liked.

And of course, courtesy of my trusty guide Shannon, I was able to locate Transformers.  I’ve never been a 3rd Party collector, considering how many official toys there are to collect, but I will say that a 3P Bruticus I came across was a thing of beauty to behold and it took a force of will to walk away.

However I was rewarded with some G2 goodness!  G2 Optimus AND G2 Megatron!  Shannon was even able to haggle me a better deal on the Optimus.  Given how much one pays online for toys like these, I was starting to see the Toy Fair’s appeal.

As Shannon showed me around I got to meet many of my fans from both the blogging world and the Transformers community.  I got to meet Cranky – who was surprisingly cheerful – and Carlo and Dallas who couldn’t wipe the smiles from their dials.  Also Hursty who has a Soundwave collection that surpasses even my own! Then came Brendan, the self-styled ‘Angel of Death’ who used his dark powers to lure me out to the carpark where… ehem… some shady deals were made (yes I lost LG43 Trypticon but I came home with some G1 goodies to replace him).

The Carlo Kid
Trev: “So whats your favorite thing about meeting me so far?”
Dallas: “Well, we met 2 seconds ago so I’d say ‘this moment right now'”
‘Shannon 2’ as my tour guide most unfairly referred to him.
Fan sandwich

Soon it was time for refreshment.  Meat and beer were highly sought after so I took a cadre of my more presentable fans and we ‘did lunch’.  When Dallas turned up with some dark beer it earned him a place of honor next to yours truly, much to the admiration and jealousy of his peers.

Liquid social lubricant

 

And that was it.  Quite the experience.  Again, this kind of thing is expected of one from time to time, but I will say that the lads I got to spend time with and the rare toys I walked away with made the trip well worth while.  I hope next time I have to do Big Angry Trev – Blogger, or Big Transformer Trev – Ozformer of the Year appearances I get to meet such great guys again.

 

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Househusband Tales #4 – Judgement Day

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Dear Checkout-Lady from Woolworths,

I just wanted to write you a quick note, apologizing for the fact that the way I live my life doesn’t seem to meet with your approval.  Maybe I should have explained myself properly at the time, but let me make it up to you by doing so now.

When I came through your checkout, it was during the last part of a very long day.  My family lives on a farm a good 40 minutes from the nearest town we can do a decent shop in – your town.  So when I take my kids there, it usually means we do a BIG shop so as to not have to return soon.  We had already spent the day suckling at the big-business teat and engaging in crass commercialism – having visited Bunnings for plants, Harvey Norman for electronics, Aldi for the first lot of groceries, Big W for toys and Subway for lunch with their mother who works in your town.  Our energy was low and our finances were lower by the time we got to the checkout of your store for the second lot of consumables.

So no, I didn’t have the energy to give a detailed answer when you said to me “So, you are the babysitter today huh?”  I must admit, it never occurred to me looking after my own children was babysitting, I just thought it was being their dad.  But anyway, my answer of “No, I’m the househusband” seemed to upset you.  I guess you expected that a decently dressed male looking after two kids mid-afternoon was just experiencing an aberration to his usual routine. You must have thought that it was a one off and that the next day I would be back pouring cement or desexing camels or some other manly career.  The idea that I look after my kids (no – it’s not babysitting) every day didn’t resonate with your idea of the world.

And then a few minutes later the second unpleasant surprise for you occurred.  You put through a little Transformer toy – a $5 Autobot from the latest movie to come out – and went to hand it to my 4 year old son with a smile and a “Here you go”.  He took it, looked at it, then handed it back to you and said “No that’s for my dad”.  The look you gave me said it all as you took the toy back and bagged it with our groceries.  Not only did this guy you were dealing with not have a job, but he was buying children’s toys for himself?!  Freak alert, freak alert!  No wonder you didn’t make eye contact with me or speak again for the remainder of our transaction.

So yeah, I had better explain myself.

“Please yer Honor, I’m not a bad guy! Just a victim of circumstance!”

 

I worked for a department for SIXTEEN YEARS lady!  Sixteen years of damn hard slog!   And for nearly the past 5 years my wife had looked after both our home and our two children she gave birth to during that time.  She wanted to resume her career and I needed a break from mine so we moved states and swapped roles.  Now I’m the one looking after our home and children while she goes to work – is that OK with you?  I also look after our 120 acre farm and animals if that makes it more socially acceptable. Oh, and I’m self-teaching propagation so hopefully one day both my wife and I can make a living out of it and set up our own plant nursery.   Perhaps in your eyes I should be content with saying into a microphone “Clean up in isle 3”. 

Not an appropriate vocation for men it seems

Why is it that, even in the 21st century,  a woman is applauded for taking on a career yet a man is still treated like a leech if he takes on the role of homemaker? Could you explain that to me Ms Checkout Lady?  Since I’m such an unemployed bum I obviously have the time to listen.

 

As for buying that little $5 Transformer, well yeah, you’ve got me there.  It was for me.  However before we came to your store we had been to a different one where my son had gotten a $20 Transformer and my daughter a $20 My Little Pony.  I’d also bought a relatively expensive thermos for my wife ($45 but it was in her favorite colour which makes it OK) so that I can make her soups to take to work for her lunch. So no, I wasn’t splashing out on myself while the rest of my family did without.  And guess what?  I’ve got THOUSANDS of Transformers at home!  That’s right – literally thousands!  Been collecting them since I was seven years old and I intend to open a museum one day!  So if I restrained myself to buying a little $5 one then for me that is pretty damn good.  And the toy says 6+.  Well I don’t know how good your maths is since you just scan everything, but 39 is definitely on the plus side of 6!

‘Oh Drift, you’ve caused more trouble for me than you ever did the Decepticons’

Why the severe judgment for what I spent that piddly amount of money on anyway?  I wasn’t buying myself booze or smokes. I wasn’t buying myself chocolate or sweets or junk food. I wasn’t betting it on a horse or sticking it in a pokies slot.  I wasn’t earmarking the money to buy weed or pills or get a blowjob in some dingy back alley.  I was buying a little toy.  Out of all the things I could be spending money on – a teeny action figure should rate pretty low on the objectionable scale.

 

So I’m sorry Ms Checkout-Lady from Woolworths (I won’t call you a ‘checkout chick’ since it’s mildly sexist and you looked way too old to refer to as a chick anyway) that my lifestyle choices offend you.  I’m sorry you found the way I go about my existence unsettling to the point you wouldn’t speak or make eye contact with me.  But you know what – I LIKE my life!  I like looking after my kids.  I like tending to my farm.  I like making meals for my wife.  And yeah, you better bloody believe I like Transformers!  And none of this is going to change any time soon.

So if the way I live still offends you, then next time don’t try and make small talk.  Just shut your damn mouth and bag my f*cking groceries.

 

‘Woolworths, the Judgy people, with fresh judgement’s on you’

Got something to say about the above?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Fan Interviews & Art, Transformatorium

Transformer Fan Interview – Lisamaree

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One great thing about being a Transformers fan is getting to meet other members of the fandom.  Of course that was all but impossible in the pre-internet days (yes kids – some of us are old enough to remember that) unless they went to your school.  Nowdays you can meet Transfans from around the globe without ever having to leave your laptop!
Someone I have had great conversations online with over the years is fellow blogger Lisamaree.  Being a former Sociology major (one of many degree’s I have that proved to have no value in the real world) she fascinates me since she is a Kiwi who was living in Australia and now is raising a family in China.  As a Transformers fan she is a great person to chat to and debunks the theory that you have to be some sad virgin male living in his parents basement to be ‘one of us’.
Here are Lisamaree’s answers to questions about her passion for all things Autobot.

Transformers Allegiance, if you had one?
Where Optimus Prime goes I go… so I guess I have a tendency to show extreme bias to the Autobots
.What existing, official Transformers character best describes you?
Movie Optimus Prime. Honest, caring, loyal to a fault but have a tendency to rip peoples heads off and tear them in 2 when they piss me off.
How would you rate yourself on a C scale, C10 being MISB Mint perfection to the lowest C1 ‘junker not worth it even for parts’?
C7/C8 with C10 tendencies I guess. I’m not much one for the junker stuff at all.Fan/Collector since (year)
Fan since 1984. Collector since 2013. My parents wouldn’t let me have Transformers (specifically Optimus) when I was a kid and my husband believes that has lead to my “over-compensating” now.What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector?
The G1 cartoon when I was a kid. Optimus Prime. First time I saw the cartoon and saw/heard him I was hooked. It was my “must run home from school to watch TV” show.
Lost touch while I grew up/worked/uni’ed/worked, refound my passion when the first Bay movie came out and I was sitting in the cinema almost wetting myself in excitement when I heard that voice say “Before time began, there was… the cube!” Turned to my husband and said “that’s the REAL Optimus Prime!” with giddy excitement to which my husband had no clue what I was talking about. Didn’t think much about the toys though as I was still adulting my way through life. Then in 2013 we kept walking past YoTH Optimus Prime at various places like Toys’R’Us and I kept drooling all over it with my husband dragging me away… he ended up getting it for my birthday that Christmas and I’ve never looked back. Or as my husband like to say – I’m now making up for lost time.Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die?
Yes. And my kids have already planned how they will divide some of the figures in my collection between them when I drop dead. Thoughtful aren’t they?!Do people outside of the Fandom know you collect TFs (like at work/school)?
Yes.

Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends?
My husband supports my collecting. He says, and I quote, ”If all you want is one or 2 Optimus Prime figures a month I’m getting off lightly compared to my colleagues whose wives spend a fortune on handbags, jewellery and makeup.” Of course… every now and then there MAY be more than one or 2 figures in a month… but he’s cool with it most of the time.
My parents on the other hand think I’m mad and that I am wasting my time and money on “stupid kids toys” (which they wouldn’t let me have even when I WAs a kid). But they also think the same thing about my kids having Transformers toys… so whatever. *shrugs*
My friends think it is weird and cool. People who see the VERY small portion of my collection on display when they come over LOVE it, even if they think I’m nuts.

Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions?
Yeah. Cybertroncon in Shanghai last year (2016) to meet “Sir” Peter Cullen. That was a blast and fulfilled a childhood dream for me… and my daughter!
I’ve met up with Ozformers in Sydney a couple of times when I’ve been over and had a chance to escape the in-laws. They’re a great group of guys and it’s always fun to catch up and I learn so much.
I’ve been to several of the HK ani-con’s where Hasbro and a lot of the licensed toy designers have booths and you generally get the SDCC figures for sale, get to say hi to Bimbo-bee, etc.
I’ve also been to some exclusive Hasbro toy events for Transformers ranging from Toys’R’Us movie nights  to private toy preview events where I’ve been the only “westerner” and definitely the only chick there.
I went to the Transformers Expo in Macau in 2014.
Never been to a big US event but would really like to do that at some point.

Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)?
I’m learning to draw ballpoint & ink pen line art from a famous Hong Kong artist so my first endeavour was my favourite bot of all time.

Currently working on a Transformers 5 Megatron … because my art teacher said I needed something more challenging than my previous pieces… and good grief is it challenging all right.

Favourite series/era/year, and why?
Give me a G! Give me a 1! G-1! G-1! G1!
I love the original 2 seasons because Optimus Prime … DUH!
Seriously though, as dated as they are now, they were and still are FUN. Silly sometimes, nonsensical but great whimsical concepts, interesting characters and fun good vs evil cartooning with kick arse designs and super cool bots. It’s the show that started it all and will always have a special place in my heart.

Least favourite series/era/year, and why?
Animated. I hate it. Haven’t even collected any of the Primes from that series and don’t intend to despite several people trying to convince me I should have an Animated Optimus in my collection.
I dislike the characterisations. Sari is an annoyance and I hate how they portray Optimus and Megatron. I don’t mind that Optimus isn’t leader and I’m open to alternative versions of characters but there’s something about this series that just makes me shake my head and go NO! Having said that I have watched one episode of Energon and that looks even worse so that could jump to number 1 if I ever had the will to watch it.

Collect any comics (which ones)?
Not really. I have started collecting the Optimus Prime series, not just because of the title but because I’ve finally been able to find a comic store here that gets comics in at a reasonable price with regularity (thanks to another amazing Ozformer) and I could start collecting from part 1. Also brought a few compilations recently while in the US.

Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why?
Oh gosh… just one?
The episode where Wheeljack builds the dinobots was funny.
So was the one where Optimus & co pretended to be Menasor…
Oh – and the one where Megatron turned Optimus into a giant alligator.
… and the one where the decepticons got drunk on energon…
Also loved the episode of Transformers Prime where Agent Fowler was trying to drive Optimus … Convoy.

Favourite Character, and why?
Optimus Prime.
Because he’s Optimus Prime!
Ok – seriously? Because he’s the same archetype as Superman (who happens to be my favourite superhero).
He’s “perfect” as a hero – strong, brave, enabled and yet you know there is something vulnerable underneath that metallic exterior and hiding behind that faceplate – he’s full of compassion, honesty and sincerity yet he’s not full of himself.
G1 Optimus in particular is quite prone to making mistakes but unlike a lot of other characters he ADMITS his faults which ironically makes him more human than a lot of the humans around him. I just love that about him.

Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character?
Uh… what? I guess I have to say Optimus but honestly I don’t think of my bots in that way.

Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real?
G1 Soundwave or Movie Prime.
G1 Soundwave because he’s so portable and lethal all in one hand carry sided package.
Movie Prime because I’m a sucker for a Peterbilt.

Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, etc)?
Um… 200+ (excluding my son’s collection of which he has *cough* a few *cough cough*)
I’m not sure of the exact number as I haven’t catalogued them all yet. That’s a current ongoing process right now.

Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector?
Both. I used to like being a SMIB gal but recently thinking about the fact all these figures need to be relocated to OZ and space running out here I’ve started cracking many of my beauties open. Certain figures I haven’t opened because I enjoy knowing they’re minty new and want to display them at some point in their original state. Having said that there are also quite a few figures that I open because I just love playing with them. Sooooo… yeah… both.

How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit?
Let’s not think about that, especially around my husband ok??? … too much, but given I’m in Asia and tend to only collect Optimus not as much as a lot of you folks I’m guessing.

Any rare/expensive figures in your collection?
Most expensive figure is Ultimetal Optimus Prime – my hubby gave him to me for our wedding anniversary… does he count given he can’t transform?
Rare – I have one of the limited edition black box dinobots prizes from Age of Extinction.
Priceless – My Peter Cullen autographed Optimus Prime and Ironhide.
I may have other rare/expensive pieces but I honestly wouldn’t know as I don’t collect them for that reason.

What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have?
I have a fair number of t-shirts and I seem to be accumulating a decent collection of movie drinking containers too.

First Transformers toy?
Year of the Horse Optimus Prime. My hubby gave him to me as a birthday present because every time we’d walk past one I’d drool over it and complain about how he was the ONE TOY I wanted as a kid. My parents didn’t believe girls should have “boy” toys which is why I was never allowed any Transformers when they first came out in the 80’s.

One toy you most want?
One thing I’d really love to get one day is one of the gold Optimus Prime prize figures.
I don’t have any one toy I specifically want as I know there are so many out there I’d like to have. I’m kind of spontaneous in my buying. If I see something I don’t have and the price is right I will probably buy it.

Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion?
One steps and the non transforming titans. My god those things are FUGLY. I got a non transforming titan Optimus Prime for AU$3… and still feel like I paid too much for that piece of plastic.

Thoughts on unlicensed fan-project figures/accessories?
Personally I don’t collect unlicensed figures normally. I’ve only gone out of my way to buy one – Positum (Croctimus Prime). I got him because of my fondness for the G1 episode and the assumption Hasbro would probably never release such an obscure Optimus representation.
I do collect licensed 3rd party figures from companies like Kidslogic, Herocross, etc as long as Hasbro or Takara officially approve/endorse them.
Insofar as unlicensed stuff in general, whilst much of it is nice I tend to be one of these people who likes to support the licensed figures in the hope of keeping the momentum of popularity in the Transformers brand alive.

Which single TFs toy should every fan own?
A Masterpiece figure. I’m obviously bias and think MP-10 or MP-27 as they are my 2 favourites. Ask my son and he’d say you should own an MP Megatron or MP Soundwave.

Do you collect other toys (which ones)?
Not anymore. I used to collect Jurassic Park toys and Buffy figurines. They’re all in storage back in Sydney. I’ll probably keep the Jurassic Park stuff but I’m seriously considering selling the Buffy figures when I move back to Oz.

What other (non-toy) interests do you have?
I bake and decorate cakes that people actually seem to enjoy eating.

Love to write (NOT fanfic) but haven’t had time or commitment for it recently.
What type of music/movies/TV/books do you enjoy
Music: Icehouse, Midnight Oil, Tears for Fears & movie soundtracks
TV: Currently enjoying the show Lucifer. It’s written to cater to my perverse sense of humour. One of the shos my hubs and I love watching together. *
Books: Anything by Michael Crichton, Anne Rice or Ken Follett.

If you died today, what would your tombstone say?
No idea, but it would probably make colourful use of the F word.

Given that a lot of Fandoms, especially ones like Transformers, can often have huge ratios of men compared to women, how do you find being a female Transformer fan?
Gender doesn’t play much of a role when engaging in online forums, which is as it should be.
Unfortunately I can’t say the same for Hong Kong. I’ve been to events where a few collectors have been taken aback and somewhat upset that not only a westerner but a GIRL westerner is at an event with them and they will go out of their way to ignore me. I’ll be treated with scepticism by some until they hear me talking and then I’m suddenly acceptable because I can talk the transformers lingo or speak Cantonese. Hasbro HK love me because I’m such a novelty to them when they see me at events… and obviously as the only female collector they always remember me.
I think the biggest issue I have is collectors in general have a hard time believing a woman or girl could have a passion for a “boys toy” so I feel like I have to prove myself before being accepted.

What stands out as some of the big differences between the AU/western fandom and the Hong Kong/China fandoms? Conversely, is there anything that you would have expected to be the different but was the same?
As I mentioned above the Oz fans are far more tolerant. I also find the Oz collectors aren’t as rabid as the Hong Kong collectors. The HK guys have to have their toys the DAY they come out. They’ll line up waiting for stores to open to be the first to get their hands on a figure (even if they’ve pre-ordered it!!) or in extreme cases fight over the last of a figure on a shelf. I’ve witnessed 2 grown men fighting over a Combiner Wars figure at a store in Wan Chai. I was in a store once and as I went to grab a Warpath Legend sized figure off its hook a guy shot his hand out in front of me grabbed it, gave me a cheeky “I got it first” smirk and bounced off to pay for it. I wasn’t that desperate and just laughed in amusement. I also find the HK guys collect everything. When I say everything I mean not only the official figures but the unofficial licensed and unlicensed figures and some pretty garish KO rubbish as well. They will pre-order and queue for ages at Action Robo just to pick up their unlicensed 3P stuff. This amuses me as the apartments here as so small I couldn’t figure out where they store it all. I’ve since learnt some pay for storage units and fill those up while others have their satisfaction of being the first to get a hold of a figure then when they grow bored of it a few weeks/months later take it to a store like Toyzone and put it on consignment to be sold off.
The mainland China (Shanghai) fandom surprised me in how different they are from the HK guys. They guys I met were more like Ozformers – easy going, truly passionate and fun-loving. They surprised me in the fact they prefer the English versions of the shows and movies and used me as an opportunity to practice their English – one guy had even learned English by watching Transformers!

How do non-TF collectors react to your Transformer hobby?
Generally with confusion. A lot of the expat woman here think I am truly the weirdest person they’ve ever met because of it. How odd am I that I have no idea about their latest designer handbags because I’m too invested in my odd plastic toys! My husbands work colleagues and friends generally think it is unusual but cool.

What are some of the things you have put your partner through with your hobby, in terms of events and toy-hunting?

My poor hubby has been through it all with me.
He’s been through the Transformers Expo in Macau (twice) when it was on.
He’s been to several of the HK Ani-cons to hold my purchases while I continue walking around.
He’s carried the box for Ultimetal Optimus Prime from Yau Ma Tei (Ins Point) to Mong Kok (about 800 metres) where we parked our car one time. Anyone who has seen or tried lifting the box (not just the toy) will know that packaged up that figure is EXTREMELY heavy.
He’s gone out of his way to venture with me to toy areas in countries including Taiwan, China, Japan, Vietnam, Philippines and most recently Bangkok in Thailand. In some cases this has meant a special trip in a taxi to areas off the beaten track. He now allocates time in our travel itinerary (especially in Japan) for us to detour to at least one of the Transformers shops he knows I will want to go to.
He’s also gone out of his way to get things for me during his free time on work trips – eg he got some Transformers mens beauty masks (yes you read that right peoples!) while away for work in South Korea one year because he noticed they had Optimus Prime on them.When I was ill and immobile last year he ventured over to Mong Kok for me a couple of time to pick up Transformers I had pre-ordered on my behalf. He will reluctantly come with me to Sino Centre and Ins Point on the odd shopping trip as long as we go and have a nice dinner afterwards.
He has come to a couple of Hasbro VIP events, including a Star Wars event I was invited to. He’s not a collector nor is he a huge fan of Transformers… but love is love… what can I say? I know what a lucky woman I am.
Oh – and the poor bastard has to deal with one corner of our bedroom towering up with boxes of Optimus Primes I don’t have room to display.
I’ve never had to sneak anything into the apartment. I HAVE asked his approval a couple of times before outlaying on figures if they’re on the pricy side. The only time I’ve hidden MY Transformers from the kids is when I’ve brought figures for my husband to give to me as presents so the kids think he’s gone out and brought them. This always impresses the kids when they help him wrap the presents; daddy is so thoughtful he’s able to get exactly the right Optimus Primes for their mum.
 As a Transformers fan, when you move back to Australia, what are you going to miss most about Hong Kong… considering that you have easy access to both Hasbro and TakaraTomy Transformers in toy stores, along with a plethora of collectable cubicles, selling old and new toys, and the occasional fan events?
What will I miss most about Hong Kong? Hobbybase and In’s Point. The convenience of walking into a store to pre-order all my Takara figures (and the odd Hasbro figure) I will miss greatly. I haven’t even thought about how I’m going to replace that luxury when we move back. I’ll also miss the ability to shop around and price check stores (all in the same mall) to find the best deals on figures. But mostly I’ll miss the easy and relatively cheap access to Takara merchandise. That and some of the local food that I’ve never had replicated correctly elsewhere.
If we look at my non-toy Transformers items it’s well up over the 300 – 400 mark. If you add in my children’s Transformers collections it would be over the 600 mark. My son probably has well over 200 of his own Transformers…
My favourites… Ultimetal Optimus Prime is my favourite non transforming figure. I absolutely love it. MP-27 is my favourite masterpiece figure to transform. My autographed 2002 New Years Encore Optimus Prime is my favourite SMIB figure.

Which item in your collection do your kids most envy and want in their own collection?
My son has his eye on my Kidslogic Grimlock. My daughter has her eye on MP-27 Ironhide and loves setting up Ultimetal Prime in interesting poses.

What started it all for you? Was it an episode, a toy or a character?
It was the G1 show that I fell in love with and the asthetic/voice/characterisation of Optimus Prime. He was the one toy I always, ALWAYS wanted as a kid (other than K.I.T.T) but was never allowed.

 

Don’t forger to check out Lisamaree’s blog:  http://www.lisamaree.com – well worth a read!

And if you have any other questions for her, pop them in the comments section below and I’m sure she will do her best to answer them!

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Big Angry Trev is coming to Sydney!

 

That’s right – everyone favorite blogger will be making a personal appearance at the Penrith Collectormania Toy & Hobby Fair on Sunday October 15th from noon onwards.  Trev will be kissing hands and shaking babies as he meets his adoring public.

 

For you long time fans, this is your chance to meet your one true hero in the flesh – and win a great prize!

‘I look forward to meeting you almost as much as you look forward to meeting me’

 

All you have to do is spot me at the fair, come up and introduce yourself with “You Big Beautiful Blogging Bastard You!”

 

Anyone who introduces themselves in such a fashion will win a photocopied poster from Trev’s infamous 2003 Edinburgh Fringe Festival comedy show ‘The Many faces of Big (Angry) Trev’.  Trev will not only sign your poster, but you can choose the poster colour – white, yellow, pink, blue or green!

 

Rare memorabilia ahoy!

 Be the envy of all your friends and family and  prepare to bask in the reflected glory of Big Blogger Trev – at the Penrith Panthers Pavilion on Mulga Road. See you there!

 

Disclaimer:

*Any actions taken by Big Angry Trev when meeting him are to be considered purely circumstantial, do not represent BigAngryTrev™  and are therefore not subject to litigation.  *Anything said by Big Angry Trev – be it sexist, homophobic or incredibly racist – does not reflect the views of BigAngryTrev™ and cannot be subject to litigation.  *Any liquids physically excreted by Big Angry Trev can be considered the property of BigAngryTrev™ and should not be ingested by the general public under threat of litigation.