When a celebrity comes forth that has the same name as you, it can be kinda annoying. How many Keanu’s out there spent years being asked ‘what’s it like in The Matrix?’ for example.
Well sometimes it can be worse, especially when the name you were innocently given at birth by loving parents gets associated with something negative (the name Adolph doesn’t get used much anymore eh). And now in the 21st century one of those names is Karen.
So whats it like being named Karen in a world where ‘Karen’ has become such a negative connotation – a pejorative rather than a first name if you will? To find out I asked my cousin Karen, who though Karen by name is definitely not a ‘Karen’ by nature.
One of the lovely ones 🙂
*Please Note: to avoid confusion, the adjective usage of Karen will always appear in italics with talking marks – ‘Karen’; it’s usage as a first name will be simply Karen.
Over the past few years ‘Karen’ has become an increasingly popular term to describe women that are privileged and demanding, insisting on their own way, becoming used as the adjective ‘Karen’ rather than simply a first name. How does it feel to have your birth name used as an insult to others? It is irritating or something you just laugh off?
Well at first it was funny and I myself got a good laugh out of it… especially with the “Covid Karen” Now I’m starting to find it a little annoying and offensive and I find myself saying (when I’m asked for my name) “I’m not one of those Karen’s!”
The term ‘Karen’ to describe a woman who feels the desire to complain first cropped up in 2016 and then gained popularity in 2017 from where it has continued to spread. Do you think it will eventually disappear to be replaced by something else, or is the term here to stay?
I think it will eventually be replaced by another name but I feel it will still pop up from time to time. Especially from my family.
In the town you reside in, in December 2019, a woman actually named Karenperformed a very ‘Karen’ act which was trying (unsuccessfully) to rip down her neighbors Aboriginal Flag and questioning his ancestry. The video of this went viral worldwide, earning the tag #toostrongforyoukaren and even lead to an anti-racism rally. The incident has been resurrected in 2021 with the Karen in question currently attempting to sue over 30 news outlets that reported the story. How did it affect you that another woman named Karen did a ‘Karen’ act in your very own town, thereby reinforcing the idea that the name can be used as an insult against women?
‘Story run by one of the outlets being sued – note the lack of surname usage’
I was actually disgusted and angry at what happened here in 2019. I was actually embarrassed to tell people my name was Karen as the “Karen thing” went crazy everywhere.
In October 2020 the San Francisco Police Code officially introduced theCaution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies (CAREN) Act. This was to prohibit the fabrication of racially biased emergency reports – essentially to stop white women calling the police to come arrest black families who were guilty of nothing, something ‘Karen’s’ in the US are most well known for. Do you think the ‘Karen’ phenomena is predominantly an American cultural issue, or do you think it is worldwide?
I think it’s pretty much a world wide thing, just in different degrees.
Some have said the insult ‘Karen’ is both sexist against females and racist against Caucasian women. Where do you stand on this?
I don’t find it sexist or racist. I don’t feel it’s aimed solely at white females in general. I’ve actually hear the “Karen tag” used on a couple of men.
I hesitate to ever use the term ‘Karen’ because of our relationship, and we are simply cousins who have not seen each other in many years and primarily interact with each other on Social Media. What about the people closer to you in your life like friends and family, do they ever use the term ‘Karen’? Or do they refrain from doing so because of their relationship to you?
Well my family use it quite often! ️ It’s a bit of an inside joke around our house, but they have never used it outside the house in front of others. I think they know that it was a bit of a joke to start with when it all first started but a few of the “Karen’s” have gone a bit to far and caused problems and it is no longer funny.
Have you yourself ever watched any ‘Karen’ videos, such as the Bunnings Incident in Melbourne of last year?
“I have the right to do whatever I want!”
Ohhhh yes… how could you miss it!! Plastered all over TV and social media. Bunnings “Karen” was a total disgrace and certainly didn’t do anything to help the “Karen Thing!”
And finally, what would you say to the following groups:
*Other women named Karen:
Well I guess while they are picking on “Karen’s” they are leaving someone else’s name alone.
*Women who act like ‘Karen’s’:
Don’t stereotype Karen’s… there are plenty of Julie’s or Jans (or whoever’s) out there who act just like “Karen’s”
*People that use the name Karen as an insult:
Obviously they’re vocabulary is very limited 😂
Many thanks to my lovely cousin Karen for doing this interview.
It’s been a few months since the last installment, but we have another entry in the ever popular Transformer Fan Interviews! In this latest interview with Aussie TF collectors we are talking to Trent, a good bloke who is always willing to help a mate out with a sought toy, or provide some online sparring to entertain and amuse.
Name and/or nicknames: – Trent
Family? Yes
Career? Tiny cog in the ever churning capitalist machine
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 – 99% complete but has significant wear in joints and stickers are faded. It would also appear that there are no reprolabels available for my model.
How would you rate your attraction to Big Angry Trev? With one being ‘very’ to 10 being ‘I purposely shave my head and paint a red dot on top in the hopes Trev mistakes it for a giant breast and lavishes it with his tongue’? – Sorry. I’m not attracted to overcooked lobster.
Editor’s Note: Smarmy arsehole
Fan/Collector since (year)? So, I was thinking about this a few weeks ago. I was trying to figure out when I got my first Transformer. The earliest TF memory I have was of stealing a G1 Hot Rod from the kid that lived across the street. He brought it over to play with and I thought it was so awesome that I hid it under my bed and he went home having forgot about it. My elaborate ruse came undone however when I took it to school and the taxi driver noticed that my shiny new Hot Rod was the same as the shiny new Hot Rod that the kid across the road had lost. So I sadly marched over to his house and proclaimed that I had found it under the lounge! Hooray!! After that I recall a G1 Optimus and Ultra Magnus showing up as well as a Kup. It kinda snowballed from there. I stopped collecting once I hit year 6 or so and agreed to sell all my TFs to assist with some family financial troubles.
I watched a bit of Beast Wars when I was a teenager but it wasn’t until my 20’s when I saw an Armada Starscream in K-Mart that my interest rekindled. I loved that Starscream and still have it today. I collected quite the number of Armada, Cybertron, G1 reissues and so forth but stored them all at my mother-in-law’s place when we bought our first home. It wasn’t until some years later I went back to get them that I realised she threw them all out without even asking me. While at the time I was beyond pissed these days I don’t hold it against her though as they are just things, not people. These days I collect a bit of everything. MP, G1, Generations, Cyberverse, third party, whatever tickles my fancy really.
Transformers Allegiance, if you had one? I suppose it’d be Autobot? Being a Decepticon seems like a lot of effort. Like Megatron would expect you to do things, and not pay you overtime for it. Optimus seems a bit more laid back. Like he’d let you take of early on Friday and would understand if you threw the occasional sicky on a Monday.
Your Techspec motto if you had one? Megatron can kiss my shiny metal @*$!
Editor’s Note: Referencing Whirl referencing Bender? Very meta.
What existing, official Transformers character best describes you? G1 Outback
Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself? Mirage’s invisibility. Maybe then I could get a minute of peace and quiet.
What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector? Giant fighting robots that transform. I’m a bit of an engineering nerd. I’m not an engineer, because that would be a horrible job. But cool engineering of any kind fascinates me and I have a very logical brain. So I view them as a sort of 3D puzzle.
Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die? I ask myself this a lot. I’ve been through enough up and down collecting phases that I’m not too bothered when I get a bit bored with the franchise. In fact I’m probably not at my most interested right now. I have a ton of unopened TFs and my displays are in a bit of disarray. However I know I’ll come back around. And my son is obsessed with TFs and playing games with him is seriously one of the highlights of my life. But will there be a time to get out of the hobby? I’m not one who sees this hobby as an investment. If you think you’re gonna cash out of this hobby ahead or even anywhere near equal are you need to go speak to a financial advisor and prepare yourself for a shock. But that’s not why I do it. I buy them because I think they’re really neat. And as long as I enjoy them, then I’ll keep them. I think my son will happily take my collection when I die and that would be the best possible outcome for me. As it is he’s become somewhat of a TF collector himself and the grand old age of 6. He’s particularly into toy photography and he’s not bad at it. I’ve added a few of his photos for a bit of fun.
The kids got talent!
Do people outside of the hobby know you collect TFs (like at work/school)? Maybe 6 people at work know. I don’t advertise it. I work in a blue collar industry and while I don’t care what other people think of me, I also don’t see the point of making my life harder than it has to be. Because while some of my colleagues are great people, they’re old school and if they found out I collected toys, there’d be no malice in it, but I’d literally hear about it every single work day until they all retired or I left because I work with some BIG personalities.
Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends? Family aren’t worth squat if you have to hide who you are from them. My dad kinda rolls his eyes and grumbles at the money I sometimes spend but he’s cool. My mum usually notices when I add new ones to my displays and asks me about them. My brothers are cool too.
Editors Note: I get the feeling Trent’s son approves of his hobby as well
What does your partner think of your hobby? My wife is the most awesome person ever. I couldn’t ask for a more supportive partner even though she’s not into any of my “Nerd Stuff” as she calls it. She bought me that Armada Starscream all those years ago and more recently, when I was worried about the cost, told me if I didn’t preorder the HasLab Unicron, she’d do it herself. I sometimes feel really bad because she doesn’t collect anything. So I make sure when something does catch her eye, she gets it.
Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions? Been to lots of Paramatta Toy Fairsover the years. I don’t live in Sydney so it’s always a bit of a hike for me to get to these things. Been to a few Penrith fairsbut my god! I don’t go that far on holiday so I only went to them on occasion. And now with COVID canning everything I haven’t seen anyone all year. I do have a chat group with a few fellow TF collectors and that has actually grown into solid friendships with all of them so that is great. We are always there to chat with one another and they have helped me through a few rough times, if only by making me laugh.
Editor’s Note: Back atcha buddy
Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)? I did draw an Optimus Prime the other day. We had a new appliance delivered and my son wanted the box to turn into an art space. I’d just like to let IDW know that I am available and that I’m sure we can work out a mutually agreeable fee.
Favourite series/era/year, and why? The default answer is G1. I grew up with it, it’s what started it all and it still permeates every part of the franchise to this day. But to leave that as my answer would be a disservice to the franchise. I think there are so many good stories and toys that the franchise has put out over it’s life that they need a mention. Animated would be the one that comes to the forefront of my mind. It was so divisive when it came out. The new aesthetic and take of the story was a radical departure from what had come before and even I didn’t like it at first. But it grew on me and now my animated figures are a highlight of my collection.
And as a subgroup, even though it is G1, I can’t not mention Micromasters. Any TF fans with kids will know what I’m talking about. They are just so much fun and so easy. Once you add in the big sets like Skystalker or Countdown, maybe throw in a G1 Fort Max as a base and watch your kids play, or even play with them, you really have distilled the whole franchise down into its purest form.
Collect any comics? I collect the collected IDW editions. I’m about 5 years behind but slowly catching up. On my ipad I have read up until around the time that Megatron defeats the DJD and just haven’t had the time to go back to them to finish them, but I will.
Favourite Comic issue/story, and why? I love Autobot Megatron in MTMTE. The idea of a reformed genocidal maniac responsible for the deaths of billions of beings across the galaxy getting stuck on a ship sharing command with an egotistical brat, an almost OCD second-in-command and a crew of clowns on a quest is a marvellous concept. The way James Robert’s was able to set the light, humorous tone but also incorporate moments in which the gravity of who Megatron was and what he had done was fully realised by the reader was great writing.
Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why? I, like everyone else, was always partial to Call of the Primatives. I wish the whole series could have been animated to that level.
Favourite Character, and why? My favourite character has always been Ultra Magnus. I have a strong suspicion that the G1 UM was the first TF I ever got. And I loved it. I remember playing with it and taking it everywhere. I even kept it in its box.
You can imagine my disappointment then when nearly every iteration of Magnus throughout the franchise has been, in my opinion, a chump. G1 Magnus was this hulking, powerful bot yet hardly ever did anything of value. Animated UM was an arrogant tool, only outdone by Jerky McJerkface himself. The original Marvel run saw him have a very cool story however it eventually led to a very unsatisfying end. IDW MTMTE was good and his latest iteration, the Netflix Siege version, had a decent ark I suppose but still didn’t live anywhere near up to the expectations 5 year old me had.
I’ve always wanted to see Magnus as a more measured, logical and restrained version of Grimlock. A powerhouse that could unleash hell when he needed to but was always conscious of the fallout and collateral damage that doing so would cause.
Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character? Rung. Because I’m sure there’s fan fiction about that alt-mode…
Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real? Sky Lynx. Because Sky Lynxis awesome and anyone who disagrees can bugger off.
Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, etc): 200-300? My collection has always been this evolving thing. But it’s starting to climb in numbers. Especially now my son is kinda a young collector.
I think our sons would get along real swell
Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector? Open them. Let your kids play with them. Otherwise you’re just like The Man Upstairs in The Lego Movie.
How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit? Lots.
Any rare/expensive figures in your collection? A few. It’s not why I collect plus I’m also terrible at picking what will go up in value. In fact if I ever buy a TF because I think it’s going to be rare/worth something, just hold off until it’s on clearance for $10.
What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have? None that I can think of. I like commissioning comic artists but haven’t gone nuts with that. I got this earlier this year as a group by a friend organised. It’s wonderful.
First Transformers toy? G1 Ultra Magnus (I think)
One toy you most want? MISB G1 Ultra Magnus. I’d love to have a pristine example of the toy that started it all for me.
Editor’s Note: Wow – you are really into Magnus eh! Remind you to show you my one from the Titanium toyline 😉
The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)? Not a toy but that megaposter I mentioned earlier. Every time I take a moment to stare at it I notice something new.
Favourite toy in your early years of collecting? So as to give a different answer, I’ll say my G1 Galvatron. That was a cool toy.
Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion? Those things from the last year or two that only half transform. I can’t even….
Editors note: I agree! Those figures from Cyberverse that don’t transform fully are total shite!
Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them? The recent Earthrise Quintessonwhen I got it was disappointing. I mean it looks great, until you transform it into that jail thing and then it’s like, what is even going on here?
Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertable Transformers toys? Gimmicks can be successfully integrated, they can also ruin a toy. MP-44 is an example of a toy that had a gimmick successfully integrated.
Which single TFs toy should every fan own? I suppose a G1 Optimus. It’s not the first, but it is a defining toy that is still being released today.
Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present? I mean, I wouldn’t. But maybe a Chromedome/Rewind cake topper?
Do you collect other toys? Lego sets that catch my eye. I have a UCS Millennium Falcon sitting in the bottom of my wardrobe to be built when I eventually get a house with somewhere to put it. As well as some other cool sets. I still have a few classic space sets from when I was a kid.
I also collect Macross Valkyries. Although I don’t get anywhere near as many of those as they aren’t cheap. I also just realized you could probably call me a Voltron collector.
What is your favourite TF themed post on this website? What website? Does Trev have a website? I never even suspected.
Editor’s note: Double Smarmy arsehole
How did you find out about www.bigangrytrev.com ? Trev never shuts up about it.
Editor’s note: Fricken Triple-smarmy arsehole!
Many thanks to Trent for this interview (I think) . Got any more questions for Trent? Pop them in the comments section below and I’m sure he’ll happily answer them.
It’s been a while but we welcome the return of the very popular Transformer Fan Interviews! In this latest interview with Aussie TF collectors we are talking to Steve, a great bloke I was privileged to meet at a Collectormania Toy Fair and who, like me, was an avid Transformers TCG player. So lets chat to this fine fellow and avid collector of all things Cybertronian.
Retired Commercial Electrician now work in the Engineering Space for Transport Infrastructure
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’?
C3.. not quite a full blown junker but working myself there with heavy wear.
How would you rate your attraction to Big Angry Trev? With one being ‘very’ to 10 being ‘I even send him Action Masters in the hope I get an extremely physical and rough thanking’?
This has to be 10 by default, right?? I mean I sent the Action Master… I’m just waiting for the Rough and Physical Thanking – but we are responsible adults mostly and under current circumstances (its 2020 people in case your reading a “retro revisited blogedy vlog blobTM” fifty years from now) we maintain that social distancing!!!
Editors Note: I could thank you while we both wear HazMat suits maybe?
What existing, official Transformers character best describes you?
Ratchet – always fixing other people shit
Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself?
Skywarps Vorping….
What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector?
That original opening sequence when prime is rolling along and then transforms and then the 3 jets fly in and turn into robots… first time I saw it, it was soo awesome…. Still is. The concept of a vehicle and a robot in one toy Brilliant!!!
Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die?
No, I seriously think I will “retire” at the conclusion of the War for Cybertron Trilogy and Unicron when it arrives… but like any professional athlete that retires, they will still stroll out for a game or two and I am sure there will be a few bots picked up along the way
Do people outside of the hobby know you collect TFs (like at work/school)?
Yeah, they do, most think it is cool but I also don’t care, I don’t collect for them!!
Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends?
I did not hide it – not sure if it was fully supported but they never were negative to me about it.
What does your partner think of your hobby?
Ill ask her. – “He has more toys then our kids…..”
Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions?
Yes. Yes and yes, many moons ago when those sorts of things where considers normal.. well normal in the nerdy/geeky/popculturey way anyway.
Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)?
Nah nothing like that at all, not creative at all…
Favourite series/era/year, and why?
Always G1 cause that’s what I grew up on, but Animated was outstanding the cartoon style and the way the toys could maintain that aesthetic and still function was outstanding
Collect any comics?
Too many…..
Favourite Comic issue/story, and why?
Transformers or in general???
Transformers my favourite arcs where from the old UK Issues, City of Fear and Space Pirates in other franchises Marvels Annihilation event was brilliant and always gets a reread
Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why?
To many to name one I think, there is always a great episode from every series, but I think call of the primitives from G1 is always a favourite or Grimmy new brain, or Starscream’s ghost if I had to pick a handful…. And can’t remember the episode names from Animated or prime…..
Favourite Character, and why?
Sludge – just because I love the big bastard of a Dinobot, Ratchet would be a close 2nd
Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character?
Sludge
Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real?
SLUDGE!
Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, etc):
Lots and lots and lots under the cosmic unified numbering technique system…. There was an acronym, but I’m not allowed to use it.
But over a thousand
Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector?
Yes mostly the ones that are sealed are really, really old or I don’t have time to open them yet.
How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit?
That I would love to and not ever know the answer too
Any rare/expensive figures in your collection?
Probably, but I don’t keep track of those sorts of things
What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have?
Nothing that is out of the ordinary, I have a chunk of Ironhide’s Tyre from Dark of the moon, Leonard Nimoy’s Autographs as Sentinel prime, and a bunch of the 1st movie actor scribbled their name on a poster
Editors note: Nice!
First Transformers toy?
Optimus Prime
One toy you most want?
Optimus prime, still sealed in that original g1 box
The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)?
I don’t really have a centrepiece my collection is all over the place between storage and display, but my First year G1 is always my fave!
Favourite toy in your early years of collecting?
G1 Highbrow when I got this guy he was my first “futuristic” styled transformer and I loved the headmaster concept and the figure.
Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion?
So many from Armada…..
Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them?
So So So Many from Armada…
Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertible Transformers toys?
Remember when a car that transformed into a robot was a gimmick…..i think gimmicks are cool they need to freshen up every now and then otherwise we just keep getting Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, and Starscream over and over again……
Also Non transforming Stuff… Love it… I would love a super articulated action figure if it didn’t transform, screen accurate highly detailed Action Masters!! Also Statues I have wayyy to many but love it , Transformers are a brand and we can enjoy that brand on anything we desire, shoes, underwear, hats, non transforming action figures, bobble heads the possibilities are limitless and if you enjoy it who cares if it doesn’t transform!!!
Which single TFs toy should every fan own?
I would say it would have to be Optimus Prime, I will allow modern versions of the Autobot leader but the G1 is such a classic iconic toy that it should be apart of anyone’s collection.
Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present?
It would depend on the person getting married I would tailor the gift to the person somehow, like an action master in a custom tuxedo. on a side note my wife gave me a Movie Bumblebee with an engraving on his rear window with “Just Married” for our wedding day, sits proudly in my cabinet (only transformer my wife has ever bought me).
Do you collect other toys?
Yes amongst other things too,..would you like to know more?????
I have a heathy collection of Guardian of the Galaxy figures and POP!s, Trading Cards from Movies and Sports, other sports and movie/tv memorabilia, I like to chase autographs from actors of my favourite shows. Comic Books
What is your favourite TF themed post on this website?
There are so many good entertaining posts, I have enjoyed watching the transformatroium grow the toy reviews are good because its just a “this is how it is approach but some of the most entertaining ones would be the ones not about transformers (*GASP*) the Tales of the Trev stories or the hot sauce reviews. (pssst hey You, you out there reading this. Don’t limit yourself to just reading about transformers there is entertainment value all over the dark little corner of Trev’s blog)
Editors Note: Best response to this question EVER!
I remember in the golden age of message boards Trev Posted a thread up about his blog.. Check it Out he wrote. (sounds like a good name for a show….) so I did…
Questions from other Fans:
Stu(via Twittah)
With so many great teams in the NRL why on Earth would you be a Sharky’s fan?
Way back in that magical time called the 80’s I spent those early years living around Bankstown my Parents Supported the Bulldogs My Grandparents Supported the Bulldogs and Souths my Uncle Parramatta, but me a young and impressionable kid just loved the way this teenager at fullback of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks played the game. Andrew Ettingshausen was the reason I started following the club, I had no allegiances or commitment prior to then and I followed the club ever since!
Do you have collecting Goal? You have a Spectacular Display Space; how do you plan to collect as it fills up?
Since the Sharkticons and life the collecting has slowly reduced, I don’t really have a collecting goal I pick up things that I like, my main goal I guess would be getting the majority of my collection actually out on display not just sitting around waiting to be set up. Its just finding that elusive time to do it. I mentioned a bit earlier in that I am entertaining the idea of retirement, collecting as it fills up will probably be focused around on how or if it will it display better, and maybe going back and replacing a few existing pieces or retro-filling gaps in some of the older lines I missed over adding more and more new stuff.
What’s your favourite non g1 series?
That would be Animated, the shift in animation style and aesthetic was refreshing, the cartoon was fun and the toys able to match that styling mad them a fun series to pick up
Did Beast Wars/Machines really save transformers?
This is a tricky one, and I am going to say no it didn’t, you see the end of “g1” came about when 98.35% of the target audience grew up and was venturing into the world of Highschool and hormones so the interest petered out. But the younger siblings or newer families where coming of age, and I always feel toys follow a cycle, introduced – evolve – die off and then they a refreshed every 6-7 years years for the newer generation going through a fresh “jumping on point” so it was fresh imaginations and a resupply of young children that saved transformers, beast wars was just the gimmick of the time…. Much like how nostalgia now has parents buying care bears and MLP and MOTU and Strawberry Shortcakes for their children now.
Why hasn’t (named redacted) blocked you yet?
That’s a question you should ask him yourself…wait….you cant….
I’m increasingly curious about people’s social media interactions, especially in regard to TFs – maintaining them, where they go and why?
Once upon a time I used to frequent the big American and Australian TF message boards but they became a tedious chore full of elitists nobodies which made them an unenjoyable place to go, then I joined (and in some cases left) facebook groups these suffer from a lot of the same negatives as message boards. These days I am on twitter where I can get the “news” and a part of a few small group chats of fellow collectors where we can just bounce stuff off each other, I also frequent/read a few odd blogs that people post random stuff up for entertainment, and I am pretty happy about that, I guess when it comes down to it, it is just easier to have a quick scroll through a twitter feed then to navigate the depths of message boards.
Hursticon (via Twittah)
Which do you derive more enjoyment from – toy or trading card collecting and what differences between the two worlds or fandoms keep you maintaining the two?
I wouldn’t say I get more enjoyment out of one or the other, but They are two different worlds, transformers you know what you get, chunk of plastic in a cardboard box that shifts and folds, Trading Cards, I guess is it is like gambling, hit that signature or short print card or that elusive 1of1 and it bring excitement and joy, it’s the combination of all things that I enjoy, sort through some card board or transform some figures, both are forms of relaxation, but like anything you need to find a balance, you cant get everything, and you have to accept that, and never spend beyond you means…. It would be awesome to own that Michael Jordan Rookie card or that MISB G1 Fortress Maximus but also I rather like eating and doing things with my family!!
Kenan(via Faceybook)
Biggest case of buyers remorse?
Not really one to be too remorseful about purchases but there were a lot of transformers from armada I could of really done without, but if we are talking other things it would have been maybe a case of 2018 NRL elite, where all I hit where shite cards or my youngest daughters bunk bed, that was a nightmare of thing to make every day.
Thank you so much to Steve for doing this fantastic interview! If you have any other questions for him please pop them in the comments section below and I’m sure he will do his best to answer them.
Much to my jealousy, I have a couple of mates who are involved in a wonderful and really fun event that takes place a few times a year to raise money for charity. So instead of just slinging them a few bucks as I usually do, I wanted them to give them a chance to give an account of what they do and how you all can donate too!
So without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to my oldest friend (all the way back fromgrade 3!)Clint:
And my coworker and good mate Laurie:
And they are going to tell you all about the Shitbox Rally.
*So it’s pretty well known that TheShitboxRally happens to raise money for cancer. But how do you actually go about raising the funds?
Laurie: We do fundraising events throughout the year and also get sponsorships from businesses and people donate funds to us.
Clint: Well it’s been a struggle to be honest. The 2020 will be my 3rd year doing the rally, 2018 being our first year was the easiest to raise money. Friends and family that are the “donation type” gave money. And not to make light of the situation by any means – my teammate Tom’s father-in-law was going through terminal cancer and actually passed away during the fundraising. Chloe’s family and friends raised a fair amount for the cause. We ended up raising $17,485. This year was a struggle, the “donation type” friends had done their donation the year before and Paul had to put in around $1,000 each to make the targets. In the end we only raised $5,410. One thing that i had been doing for all rally’s is i sell Honey from my bee hives for $15 per k/g which is a good steady income. Penny does some photography for a local bike clubs etc for donations. A new thing been doing is pimping myself out!!! I have a Dingo (mini digger) that i do work for people in the neighbourhood for nothing – just want a $100 per hr donation that has been working well. Have found that it’s been easier to raise money from people that actually get something from their donation. The 2020 really we have been very lucky so far Tom’s work started a fundraising in 2018 that only just made it thru the system this year, so he put it toward my team as he can’t do it this year. So big thanks Tom!!
*What kind of timeframes and distances are usually involved in the rally?
Laurie: The rallies are usually over 7 days and cover a distance of 3000 to 3500 klms. The spring rally that we participated in was the 10th year of Shitbox Rallies so it was extended to ten days and covered a distance of 5150 ks.
Clint: So typically the Shitbox Rally is 500-600km per day. So over the 7 days of rally it’s around 3,800km. The 2019 rally was over 10 days (being the 10 year anniversary) and was about 5,200km. But that is not normal and will probably not happen again. Their is also the Mysterybox Rally that is smaller and starts and finishes in the same town over 5 days. I have not done one of these yet and has different rules.
*What are the rules regarding car specifications?
Laurie: Cars must cost less than $1,000 and cannot be AWD or 4wd.
Clint: The car and any repairs to make it road worthy is to cost less than $1,000. So if you buy a car for $800, then you have $200 to spend on “repairs”. But decorations etc is open and is highly promoted! It’s awesome some if the things that people come up for their cars and the costumes that come out. Some that should never been seen again!
*Apparently even though there are up to 250 participating cars all driving to the same places on the same days, you actually drive in small teams. How do these teams work?
Laurie: Teams are split into Buddy Groups consisting 6 to 7 cars who travel together for the rally. Groups leave at different time each morning, it takes about an hour for all teams to head out each morning. Groups must travel together and if one car stops or breaks down all of the Buddy Group must stop.
Clint: So every car is in a Buddy Group of 7 cars that is allocated a number from 1 to 36. This Buddy Group stays together through thick and thin. Each group has minimum of 2 “mechanical type” of people that know more than which end of a hammer to use and 1 First Aid. So if any car has to stop for any reason (flat tyre, overhearing, “code yellow”) – all cars in the Buddy Group stop until either all cars can drive off or car is loaded onto a support trailer and all gear and people from that car is put into other cars for the remainder of that day.
*Take us through an average day (if there is such a thing) on theShitboxRally.
Laurie: Every day is different after breakfast groups start leaving at 8-30 for the next stage, lunch is usually supplied and you eat whilst driving.
Clint: Well my normal day is – wake up early. Really early and go – lets say “loose some weight” before breakfast. The breakfast line get’s really, really long when the major crowds get to breakfast. So 250 cars, around 25 support vehicles. That’s 550 people (most hungover) that want breakfast. That’s why I “loose some weight” before breakfast as being hungover and well, you get the idea… One of the town’s that we stopped at in 2018 had 9 residence living there… so some towns have very little amenities so big lines for stinky toilets! After breakfast we collect lunch and snacks (provided) have a drivers briefing then we get let out buddy group by buddy group. It does take a while to get out in the morning – especially on dirt roads, generally the last buddy group coming into camp is the first to leave. But 250 cars, with 3-400m between each car (so your not driving in dust) that’s 75-100km of cars! During the day there is usually a town with fuel that we all have to stop at and wait in a line to fill up. Doing the rally you learn to be patient – so it’s good to have a good buddy group that get along as there is always pranks going on. On day 3 the Shitbox cars really start to show their real colours with suspension problems, flat tyres, rock damage to fuel tanks, exhausts being lost. A lot of things can be butchered on the side of the road, big problems and the car goes on a trailer and fixed at night – if it can not be fixed it’s pronounced dead and the drivers are given a medal at the drivers briefing the next morning – they then become passengers within the buddy group for the duration of the rally. After the days driving it’s filling up with fuel in the town and then head into the camp, clean the dust off your bags and set-up. Go get some dinner and maybe a beer, maybe 2…. Then it all starts again tomorrow!
*Tell us about some of the funny things that happen on the drive.
Laurie: During the rally you have dress up days on our rally they were Village people, Smurf Day and Princess Day. All teams dress up in costume for these days.
Clint: Wow, where to start. The first day of the rally is always the best day! All the cars gathered in their “best condition” and the costumes that come out. The 2018 rally started on Megan and Harry’s wedding day – so I wore a wedding dress & wig and Tom had a suit with a rangga wig. At nights in the “triage” where the broken down cars are – i’d like to say fixed but more so mended… That’s where you see some awesome bush mechanics being done. Turning a car on it’s side to work safe on the suspension. Using tennis balls to repair shock absorbers. This year most of the rally was really dry – but recently there was some rain so their was some bog holes. They had tracks around them but you didn’t have to use them – but you need to hit them with some speed. Anyway one of the cars in our buddy group got stuck. It was a dress up day (that’s a story in itself!!) so the driver wallowing around in the mud all dressed up with a bunch of others all putting their 2 cents worth in taking video and being towed out! That was some funny shit! Ok, the dress up days. During the rally they have generally 2 dress up days. This year was Village People and Smurfs. You have no idea how many men want to wear assless chaps.
Ok, now the not so funny side of the rally and the reason we do this. On on our way to Perth, driving along the freeway before the Great Australian Bite and saw another Shitbox parked in what looked like an old fuel station (no buildings left just big open area) with the driver sitting on the front of the car on the phone. I was driving and said to Paul, “lets see what’s going on” went back and she was actually on the phone to Royal Flying Doctors (RFD). Her passenger was having problems, my diagnosis was she was having a stroke (had not long ago done my first aid). I spoke with the RFD and discussed my thoughts with what i could see and used my Emergency+ application on my phone to get GPS coordinates. He advised that there was a Aboriginal town 3km down the road that also has a RFD airport. Was given the number of the head nurse and organised to meet art the clinic. So we all drive down there and went to the clinic. We still had a few days of driving to get to Perth so had to leave them their. Long story short, she was flown to Adelaide that night, had a brain scan the next day and has inoperable brain cancer. So the driver had no phone service where we were, passenger could not remember her pin for her phone due to her condition. If we had not turned around she would have probably died on the side of the road – that’s what the Rally Family does.
*Where can people go in order to support your team?
Laurie: To donate go to Shitbox Rally website, click donate select team Pole Support and donate.
Clint: Our team this year is called “It Really Hurts”as every part of cancer really hurts. We are driving from Brisbane to Alice Springs (where the rally starts) to drive back to the Gold Coast in a 2001 Suzuki Baleno. The car kind of resembles (but is nothing like) the Wayne’s World car, so that is going to the the theme and we will dress up like them daily. That’s my plan anyway!
If they want to find out more about the rally – this is the 7 day version and a few cool short videos that are worth a watch. Our 2018 car made it in a few times i white Nissan with a mannequin torso on the roof and big yellow flag https://www.shitboxrally.com.au/
Thank you to both Clint and Laurie for taking the time to answer my questions, as well as the wonderful work they do for charity. I swear one day I’ll convince one of them to take me on as a co-driver.
On our farm here in NSW, like many other farms in the region, we have a problem with Blackberry Bushes.
For anyone from the city who isn’t acquainted with them, Blackberry Bushes aren’t cute little shrubs that give you some delightful fruit. No, they are a noxious weed that grows out of control. There is virtually no limit to the size they grow, and they are covered in thorns ready to ensnare human and animal alike with even the slightest contact.
And that is just ONE patch!
We’ve got some whoppers of Blackberry Bushes on our land, some almost bigger than our house! They have been very hard to get rid of for two reasons:
A: We don’t like to use poisons on our property
B: Even if we did use poisons, most of the bushes are located in the middle of our shallow creek, meaning that any use of herbicides could result in them entering the water, causing major damage to other plants and the ecosystem in general.
So what were we to do?
Well, we kinda lucked out. Mick, who I buy nearly all my second-hand pots from in order to propagate plants for our Organic Plants & Produce business, runs a family business of his own. He and his wife Billie run Dry Creek Farm, and they specialize in bringing out herds of goats in order to decimate Blackberry Patches, leaving nothing but stems and fertilizer in their wake. After being impressed with the job they did on our farm, I couldn’t help but ask them for an interview and they kindly obliged:
Sustainable – and cute!
What first gave you the idea to use goats to clear huge blackberry patches?
Huge Blackberry patches on our own place and a strong desire not to spray. We have done a permaculture course and heard of people using goats for weed control. We were getting a fair bit of pressure from the weed inspectors to do something about our Blackberry so we decided we’d have to give it a go.
What made you decide that using goats to clear blackberry was a viable business?
Mostly the fact that it worked so well on our place. We knew other people were also looking to an alternative to spraying. Also, we had the goats and were running out of feed for them!
How much blackberry can a mob of your goats clear in a day?
We usually say a single car garage per day but we’ve recently experimented with using larger mobs and knocking them over a bit faster. We have found that it depends on the goats and what they’re used to eating, we’ve recently bought some goats and found they weren’t as keen on blackberry as our initial mob. Nothing a bit of competition and on the job training won’t fix. (after the goats moved from your place to join with the others they have started churning through the patches like there’s no tomorrow)
How is using goats to clear blackberry more sustainable and ecologically friendly than using traditional methods?
Spraying is very detrimental in the long run, it kills soil life and does not allow the weed to add fertility to the soil. The production and transportation of agricultural chemicals is a huge contributer to greenhouse gases and creates a cycle of chemical dependence on farms. Goats help to increase fertility by turning weeds into manure which makes it easier to break down. Treating weeds in this way also allows the plant to continue filling it’s niche in the ecosystem. For example, blackberry helps prevent erosion and having the goats treat a patch still leaves the canes and the roots to fulfill this function.
I understand something rather odd (and amusing) happened when your goats were at our place. Can you describe what happened?
We’ve well and truly learnt that not everything goes to plan when working with animals. We decided to swing via your place for an unscheduled check on the goats because we happened to be in the area. Lucky we did. When we arrived we noticed there were nine feral and stinky billygoats showing an interest in our girls. One was in the paddock with our goats and another had his horns completely tangled in the mobile fencing and was being humped from behind by another of the billies! It was not his lucky day. Mike had to get amongst it and wrestle him free of the fence then we had to draft them out of the paddock and chase them away to discourage them returning. It was all a bit dramatic but didn’t cause too much drama in the end and gives us something to have a laugh about. We were quite surprised as we had the goats working on our place for twelve months with feral goats always around and we have also done other jobs and seen billies about but never had this situation!
I’d like to thank both Michael and Billie for both their time doing this interview and the wonderful job their goats did getting rid of our blackberries. You can find the website for Dry Creek Farm HERE.
BeforeAfter
Got any questions for Mick and Billie? Pop it in the comments section below and I’m sure they will be happy to answer it.
Today, instead of interviewing our usual Aussie Transformers Fan, we will be interviewing an international one, and someone who could be considered the quintessential expert on all things toys. Today we are in fact interviewing the Jolly Fat Man himself, Santa Claus.
B.A.Trev: Santa, thanks for joining us for this interview. I appreciate this is a very busy time of year for you.
Santa: Ho ho, no problem Trevor. I’m a big big fan, love your work.
B.A.Trev: Glad to hear it. And thank you for being so generous over the years.
Santa: Oh ho ho, you’ve always been such a good boy!
No coal in my stocking!
B.A.Trev: Now, are you aware how these interviews work?
Santa: Oh yes, I read everything on your fantastic site so I’ve seen all the previous interviews. Have at it!
B.A.Trev: Ok, here we go:
QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU Real name or what friends call you?
Saint Nick, but my friends call me ‘Joe’
Country you live in?
I actually live on constantly converging and shifting sea ice in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. Makes getting the mail a real headache.
Your occupation?
Anthromorphic Personification of Yuletide cheer and commercialism
Your dream job?
Surfer
Your age?
I stopped counting after 300, it got depressing.
Single/married/kids?
Got a missus. There are lots of children-sized elves that work for me but they are NOT my kids, no matter what that lying bitch Debbie in accounts says!
What other (non-toy) interests do you have?
(sighs) Keeping warm
What type of music/movies/TV/books do you enjoy?
I’m a big fan of Die Hard. A great Christmas movie and book!
TRANSFORMER QUESTIONS Transformers Allegiance, if you had one?
Ho ho, an Autobot of course!
Your Techspec motto if you had one?
‘Whatever happened to wooden trains?’
What existing, official Transformers character best describes you?
Astrotrain, he can carry a huge amount and fly around the entire planet in one night!
Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself?
Skywarp’s teleportation, then I’d never have to go down another damn chimney again!
Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die?
(looks morose and resigned) Other people get to die, I just have to go on… and on…. and on. Never do I get to feel the sweet kiss of eternal slumber.
Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions?
Well, I attend a lot of shopping malls I guess.
Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)?
I outsource all that these days.
Favourite series/era/year, and why?
Beast Wars – all the kids in that era wanted were pointed sticks and to not get eaten by robotic insects.
Least favourite series/era/year, and why?
Cyberverse – where is the craftsmanship? I’d fire an elf on the spot if he designed that Warrior Megatron figure.
Collect any comics (which ones)?
Do you know what snow does to paper?!
Favourite Comic issue/story, and why?
The IDW Holiday Special is a wonderful! The Dreadwind one where he is visited by ghosts is very good as well.
Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why?
Definitely Transformers Animated: Human Error I & II. The one where Gears becomes all jolly is a favorite from years gone by.
Favourite Video/Board game and why?
Transformers: The Robot Warrior Game. No electronics to soldier.
Favourite Character, and why?
Tracks. He is a flying car – no rule that says ground vehicles shouldn’t fly, it’s very believable.
Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character?
Toys are NOT sexy! They are to delight youngsters and encourage play and creativity…
Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real?
Tidal Wave – big enough to house my manufacturing plant and he won’t sink every time the ice moves. (looks exasperated) Honestly, why did I choose to live there – it makes no sense!
First Transformers toy?
I remember making a little wooden man who when you folded him backwards would look like a horse. I thought it was a real winner until Ms Claus pointed out that the mans (expletive deleted) became the horses tail. What’s wrong with it being anatomically correct I say? You have dolls that (expletive deleted) and (expletive deleted) themselves for the kids to clean up for (expletive deleted)s sake!
Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion?
Atari Jaguar – do you know how long it took to make the controllers for that thing? 3 elves died of exhaustion and then no one played with the finished product anyway!
Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them?
An elf once presented me with a snow globe with a figure of me inside. Yeah, that’s what I want, to be in more (expletive deleted) ing snow! I kicked his little (expletive deleted) so hard he was (expletive deleted)ing blood for a week!
Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertable Transformers toys?
Non-convertible Transformers are great! Take zero time and effort to build.
Thoughts on unlicensed fan-project figures/accessories?
Wannabe toymaker hacks – the lot of’em!
Thoughts on Crossover Transformer toys (Star Wars, Street Fighter etc)?
I always thought some Yuletide ones were in order, maybe a sleigh that turns into a jolly figure in a red suit? Would be a real winner!
Thoughts on the Transformers Brand over the last five years?
They seem to get more simplistic as the years progress which is less work for me I guess. Takes an elf about 5 minutes max to put together a Cyberverse toy.
Which single TFs toy should every fan own?
Optimus Prime – he is big red and his trailer is magic!
Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present?
Don’t I give enough presents already?!
B.A.Trev: Many thanks for answering those questions. Do you have time to answer a few questions sent in from fans?
Santa: Ho ho, of course Trev, anything for all the little boys and girls out there.
Hey there Santa. Pretty sure I asked for a G1 OP circa 1984/85. Any reason you didn’t deliver?
(Just so there’s no lingering ill-feeling, would be happy to accept one this year. MISB if you please).
Because you were on the naughty list then and you are still on the naughty list now! I’ve seen the Facebook clips where you demolish perfectly good toys in order to ‘make them better’. How do you think that makes me feel!? My craftsmanship isn’t good enough for you – you need to turn a perfectly good Transformer into a MOTU figure!? Screw you Michael – if I see you you’ll be getting a lump of coal shoved straight up your ass!
From Trent
So Santa, there is only one of you. And obviously there is a limit to whatever black magic you tap into to fly around the World in one night. This is most evident in the fact that no 2 Santas are the same when it comes to Christmas photos. So how do you explain it? My parents tried saying that they are your elves dressed up but we both know that’s false. Your elves are far too short to impersonate you. How do you justify holding kids to the high standard required to get presents year after year when you yourself lie and send impersonators, impostors even, in your stead? Do you see the hypocrisy here Santa? What does Mrs Clause think?
It’s called outsourcing – just be thankful all my Santa’s aren’t some call-centre rejects from the 3rd world. And I’m trying to grow a franchise here, people pay me to dress as me and give me a cut of their earnings, then they recruit 10 more people to dress as me and they get a cut of their earnings and so on. It’s called an ‘iceberg scheme’ and everyone wins!
As to what Mrs Claus thinks, just leave that alone. The day I came home to find her in bed with 3 Santa Impersonators and she swore that she thought I had just used some Xmas magic to clone myself in order to really give her stocking a good stuffing – it still haunts me to this day! I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.
Also, my next question; Why only the Christian world? What you got against everyone else you fascist?
They believe in me, they get a gift. They don‘t believe in me then they don’t. I live off the belief and worship of others and in return they get crass consumer products. It’s not fascism, its commercialism – where have you been?!
Santa: I thought you said these questions were from fans?
B.A.Trev: Er… yes. But I think some of them are more my fans than yours.
Santa:Grumble, fine let’s just get the rest over with.
My question, I was always the good child growing up and my brother the naughty one yet he was younger and always got more presents than me. Wtf?
There is a thing called ‘The Hitler Gene’. It’s very diffuse now to the point that even when both parents have it, it doesn’t guarantee that all their kids will. You have it, he doesn’t. How do you think people would react if I was heaping extra presents on the opffspring of the great great, great nephew of the 15th cousin thrice removed of the world’s greatest monster (not counting the guy that came up with Kiss Players)? Don’t blame me – blame Uncle Adolf!
Santa, so.. lugging all those toys around… how do you manage the storage of the pressies and where do they hide on the sleigh? Is it like Optimus Prime‘s magically disappearing trailer? And if so did he show you the trick or did you show him?
Indeed I do use a subspace fold in order to increase the storage capacity of the sleigh. I have to admit, I learned it from him. I might be centuries old but he has a few megaannum on me.
Do you deliver presents to good protoforms on Cybertron too? Or do you delegate to a Cybertronian (and if so who?)?
I have a couple of reps on Cybertron who handle things up there on my behalf
Megatron was responsible for billions of deaths but has turned over a new leaf abroad the Lost Light. Has he done enough to deserve a present this year or will he get coal again? (Of course he could turn that coal to Energon so maybe that’s not a bad gift for a Transformer)
Well I have to handle things year by year. I can’t not give little Timmy a present this year because of naughty things he did the year before. So yes, Megatron will be getting a present…
… an old copy of ‘Interstellar Travel Guide to Pleasant Planets’. Of course most of the planets in it have been destroyed because of his war, but it can’t be helped if my gift reminds him of all the death and destruction he caused can it?
From Mayza
Movie Optimus has been executing Cons, will he be getting a lump of coal?
Those Cons were killing humans. Less humans means less belief to power me. Have at them I say Optimus! It’s ‘Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards Men’ not ‘bots’.
Also Santa, what are your thoughts on Michael Bay, will he also be getting a lump of coal?
I think all the reviews of the new Bumblebee movie, when compared to the reviews of The Last Knight, will be punishment enough this season.
After giving so many of us coal for so many years, do you regret that now, given you could have been giving us solar cells or something similar?
People were supposed to stick those lumps of coal under a heap of heavy books for a few hundred years so their descendants could have diamonds – not my fault if people burned perfectly good gifts!
Also, my kids said they’d like the first issues of Whatever IDW are going to produce next for Transformers, I told them it was a long shot since it’s not available yet, but they insisted.
I’ll have a chat with Vector Prime and see if something can be worked out.
B.A.Trev: Well Santa, thanks so much for taking the time to answer all these questions today.
Santa: Ho ho, my pleasure, Merry Christmas to all!
(sotto voce as he walks out) except for that Trent guy, now there is someone who is going to feel the sharpened end of a candy cane shoved right up his stocking!
Usually fan interviews on this blog consist of people who are fans of Transformers and/or yours truly. However today we are interviewing someone who I am a fan of. As the big sis of long time blog reader Maddy, this is a person whom I have had the honor of meeting once or twice, as well as conversing with online when I’ve had a few too many and want to vent about the current political issues plaguing this country. She is The Greens Councillor for Moreland, North-East Ward, Natalie Abboud.
Given it can sometimes mean a life where you are working hard for a populace where the fashion is to openly distrust and dislike politicians, what lead you personally to enter a life of politics?
I get a $28k taxable allowance at Moreland (the Moyoralty is more but it’s full time) so it’s certainly a job you do for love or challenges. I’ve always been engaged in politics and ran in a couple of elections I couldn’t win so when I was tapped on the shoulder for council I was up for it. I also work hard and answer calls in an effort to break the stigma. People don’t always need to agree but we all want to be heard. I had some great conversations about Australia Day.
For those of us that are ignorant of what politicians actually do, what are some of your primary responsibilities? How does a usual day at work play out for the Councillor for Moreland?
Monday’s and Wednesday’s are blocked out for emails and meetings but I often do stuff most other days too.
I’m the Cr responsible for Youth, status of women, and Social Diversity, multiculturalism and Reconciliation. I sit on the Oxygen Committee, audit and risk committee, chair the Human rights committee and I’m the council rep for the Disability working group and the reconciliation working group.
This means I attend up to 4 night meetings a week and occasionally(once a week) I go to other conferences and events.
As a Member for The Greens, what do you believe are the three main issues (among the many) that need immediate and significant action in our country today?
-Renewables (why do the Gubs keep resisting them?)
-Transport (why can’t we have trains like Japan?)
-Addressing the Climate emergency
Where do you see The Greens in ten years time?
Holding balance of power in Vic which will lead to more action in State Parliament. Not sure about Aus. I’d like to see two more in the Federal lower house and maybe a few more senators.
As a young man I didn’t care much about voting, I just liked the requisite sausage sizzle. My first election I voted for The Democrats as I had a crush on Natasha Stott Despoja. My second I voted for The Shooters Party as I thought it would be funny if they won and would give me material for my stand-up comedy routines. My third I voted for The Sex Party because a big fat bearded guy in a bright yellow T-shirt gave me a flyer while I was waiting in line to vote. Now that I am (somewhat) more mature, as well as a parent, I vote for The Greens because I care about the state of the planet my kids will grow up on, as well as many of The Greens policies aligning with my personal moral compass. Do you find young people are more ‘switched on’ to voting and politics now than in decades past? Or does one need to get a few years under their belt in order to understand the depth of the issues and the importance of ones vote?
Young people are more engaged than ever. Young people understand the risks we face. Politics is very conservative in Aus which has alerted people. (This could be wishful thinking but the Greens have many young active members so I exist in a bubble)
I’ve never understood those that treat Political Parties like football teams, as in they will ‘barrack’ (vote) for that Party no matter what they do or what their current policies are. What methods does one take to sway voters of that mindset?
Vote compass is effective. Get people to talk about policy not personality. Having a crush won’t get the results you want from your government 😉
Show people where government is active, any action is about getting votes. Ie the schools money and Scott (Hillsong) Morrison or trying to throw Barnaby Joyce at the drought. In Vic it’s all about marginal seats. Moreland council has been asking for a really dangerous intersection to be fixed for years, now that Pascoe Vale has gone marginal we were just promised $11m to fix it. Meanwhile in Frank McGuire’s electorate of Broady (next door) the Windows of the schools are literally rotted shut and the carpets are rotted or threadbare.
There is a growing movement in rural areas by farmers for the government to take action on climate change. Yet a large amount of country people remain voters for The Nationals, even though as part of the Coalition they have taken no real action on this issue and have within their ranks a significant number of climate-change deniers. Do you think this may signify a possible shift in rural voting habits for the future and what can The Greens do to bolster their presence in these regions?
I sure hope so. We are running a guy called Serge Simic who is a farmer for the seat of Ripon. He came here escaping the breakup of the Former Yugoslavia as a child with his family. Water will be the real issue. The cockies are already involved in “hay battles” South Aus is unhappy that NSW is getting their hay, grain is being freighted from WA. That kind of thing is completely unsustainable.
Sad thing is, Serge is getting trolled by hunters who don’t wanna be locked out of the national parks so we have a way to go.
On our farm we subsist on rainwater (not easy in a drought) and if we want our rubbish taken away we have to drive it ourselves to the tip. This contributes towards our mindset of conserving water as much as possible as well as trying to create minimal waste. How do you encourage people in a large city to be ‘waste conscious?’
We are heavily focused on getting food waste out of landfill at the moment. The container deposit scheme was voted down again by the old parties which is disappointing.
No matter, it took gun control ten failed bills to parliament by the Greens before a massacre at Port Arthur finally got it over the line.
Now for a few personal questions if I may:
*Living in the second most populated city in Australia, what do you in your own life to ‘stay green’?
Try not to use a lot of plastic, compost everything we can, grow veggies, ride my bike when I don’t have the kids, shower in a bucket and use the water for plants, we are about to have solar installed on our new house and I don’t do stuff like get acrylic fingernails or consume a bunch of unnecessary crap. I still regularly feel like I can do more though.
Your sister has been raising some lovely chookies over the last few years. Where you live do you have a yard big enough to have any animals? Or perhaps a couple of fruit trees and a veggie patch?
We have had chook but they got eaten by foxes, bit by snakes and other fatal things. My FIL has 4 so we get eggs from him. We live on 1500sq m so we are very lucky. We have a big veggie garden and this year we will grow tomatoes, peas, Lebo cucumber, pumpkin, beans, lettuce, beetroot, sorrel, corn and I’m trying Okra for the first time. We have heaps of herbs and rocket. We also have apple, olive, orange, tangelo, lemons, peach, nectarine, plums, apricot, avocado and a passion fruit vine and a walnut. (Most of those trees are established and bear fruit but some are still young). I want to add cherry and almond.
And of course I have to ask, with three strapping young lads of your own, who are their favorite Transformers?
In our latest interview we talk to Transformer fan and collector Brendan. Do not cross this guy! Not only does he have the titanium-manifold to jump out of a plane 4km up in the air, but he know how to swing a mean broadsword as well!
QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU State you live in? Of perpetual bliss. Or NSW for short
Your occupation? Errrr bum. In reality, Train Guard for Sydney Trains, not as glamorous as it sounds
Your dream job? Space Fighter Pilot
Your age? Ripe at 33 *I’ve sniffed him – I can guarantee he is definitely ripe!
Single/married/kids? Married no kids
What other (non-toy) interests do you have? I have my medieval combat reenactment, run around hitting my friends with metal swords
What type of music/movies/TV/books do you enjoy? Heavy Metal music. Movies and tv, varies a lot. Sci fi, horror, action, cartoon, comedies. Just not crap ones. Books are the same, if it takes my interest.
Do you collect anything besides Transformers? Not much in the way of “collecting”, but I do have random pieces from various places. Specific pop vinyls of movies or shows I like but only have maybe 15
How would you rate yourself on a C scale? With C1 being ‘Junker not worth it even for parts’ to C10 being ‘Perfection’. I’m way off the scale. Which way off, you decide heh
How would you rate how sexually attracted you are to Trev? With 1 being ‘Immeasurably’ to 10 being‘I’d even jump out of a plane at 14,000 feet just to watch the g-forces ripple that magnificent arse of his on the way down’. I’d follow him anywhere, even plummeting to the Earth. Just next time, he needs to jump first haha *Wanna bet!
TRANSFORMER QUESTIONS Transformers Allegiance, if you had one? Cons of course
Your Techspec motto if you had one? Always look on the bright side of life
What existing, official Transformers character best describes you? That’s a toughie, maybe Soundwave (not just because he is my favourite character) but your cries and screams are music to my ears fits me well. I sometimes suffer from schadenfreude
Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself? Flight for sure
Fan/Collector since (year)? Probably when the G2 reboot came out was when I discovered the show, then about 2002 I started collecting again when I went to my first Parramatta Collectors fair,though was bigger into Robotech then.
What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector? Cool robots, they transform.
Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die? As long as there’s ones I want that get released, I’m sure I will
Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends? For the most part yea they were all ok with it. Don’t particularly care what people think of me either.
Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions? Plenty of fairs over the years. And the Oz Con that was done back in 2006.
Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)? Attempted some customising, tried to turn a Classics Starscream into Thundercracker before we ended up with a cheaper Hasbro version to the Takara one. He’s still in parts soemwhere. Did try to create my own Robot Heroes out of clay for ones that were never done. Was doing Roadbuster, and he’s in parts somewhere too. I did paint up a G1 Prime to have cartoon colours, he was mostly finished, just needs his fists. Alot of unfinished products, lacking time to do them in this adult life.
Favourite series/era/year, and why? G1 still holds the best for me, probably post movie seasons moreso. And Beast Wars too, had some great episodes.
Least favourite series/era/year, and why? Animated, just couldn’t watch it, disliked the animation style.
Collect any comics (which ones)? Some of the IDW collections, not a lot though.
Favourite Comic issue/story, and why? Probably Wreckers or All Hail Megatron. Dark stories, and brutal. *The first half of AHM was awesome, great to see humanity handed their arses without Autobot interference!
Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why? Either a Beast Wars episode with Inferno, Transmutate, or Code Of Hero. Inferno is great comedy, Transmutate and Code Of Hero are just touching episodes
Favourite Video/Board game and why? The Armada game for PS2, or the WFC FOC games. The Armada game was fun because it gave us the ability to play as Transformers, and the Tidal Wave boss fight was fun for its epic scale. And what can I say about the WFC FOC games that people don’t know of? They were a lot of fun.
Favourite Character, and why? Soundwave, he was a cold machine.
Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character? Of course this question is in here haha. Arcee would be the one haha
Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real? I couldn’t think of one, probably best that they don’t.
Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, etc)? Been a long while since I have done a count. I’d say a rough estimate over 300
Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector? What crazy person keeps them sealed? Nah nothing against people keeping them sealed, I prefer to play with them.
How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit? Too insane to contemplate.
Any rare/expensive figures in your collection? None really rare, but the Botcon stuff does cost a pretty penny these days. And WST Soundwave.
What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have? Probably 2007 Vector Sigma and Key. Looks nice on my shelves.
First Transformers toy? My earliest one’s I remember was a G1 Optimus in a gold box classic, G1 Soundwave, G1 Hot Rod, and G1 Scourge. Cannot remember who came first, but they were all the earliest ones I can remember.
One toy you most want? I have most of the ones I want that have come out, but maybe an MP Sleep Convoy would be a grail.
The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)? Love my Soundwave collection shelves. Don’t really have a favourite.
Favourite toy in your early years of collecting (if it was more than 10 years ago)? Can’t say I had one back the either aside from Soundwave.
Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion? I would have to go with something from Beast Machines, those figures just didn’t do anything for me.
Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them? I’ve been pretty happy with all my purchases, always looked for the good in figures.
Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertable Transformers toys? Always loved my Actionmasters, so the concept of it I do like if they are done right.
Thoughts on unlicensed fan-project figures/accessories? Filling in the gaps in my collection I do like. And to enhance an official toy I do like too. I ended up getting Universe/Energon Superion and Bruticus because of the upgrades that came out.
Thoughts on Crossover Transformer toys (Star Wars, Street Fighter etc)? If people enjoy them, who am I to judge. And if kids love them too, all the better. But not my thing.
Thoughts on the Transformers Brand over the last five years? Love it. Hasbro releasing toys that I am keen on getting. Most stuff is knocking it outta the park.
Which single TFs toy should every fan own? G1 Soundwave, though kids these days would never know what the hell it transforms into.
Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present? Any Soundwave haha
Fellow Fan Questions
Big Angry Trev We both credit each other with building up the gumption to finally go skydiving. What other extreme activities have you done over the course of your life?
It was you who got me to jump lol. Was a spur of the moment lapse in judgment that when you mentioned that you had a coupon, that I should grow a pair to get us both to do it haha. As for other extreme activities, love rollercoasters and did do canyoning once while I was in scouts. Actually, many crazy things I did back then, one time a few of us went to abseil down Mt Keira, we didn’t think it through too well, and our leader found us and told us to go down a different way, which was still pretty perilous. We tied rope to one another in a long chain, couple of times a few of us slipped and the guy above us had to hold their weight. Thinking back on it, was kinda stupid. And canyoning, abseiling down a course in Macquarie Pass, much safer. Though I did nearly drown in a waterfall…
Michael Transformers LARPing – yay or nay? Who would you LARP as? (If you’ve already mentioned a favourite TF character, pick another to answer this question).
LARPing is a bit of fun, and if I was to do so as a character (that isn’t Soundwave lol) I would go with Shockwave
Just Chillin’ What is the perfect blend of transformers & heavy metal music?
Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack haha. But to choose individual bands, Fear Factory or Meshuggah have a mechanical sound to them that works well. Or Cybertronic Spree, they look the part too lol
Dallas We know you are heavily into Medieval stuff. I’m guessing you wouldn’t mind seeing some medieval themed transformers, much like the Transformers Evolutions: Hearts of Steel where the ‘alternate timeline’ story of the transformers existed during the industrial revolution.
Who do you think would fit a good story of the Transformers Evolutions: Medieval steel.?
Some autobots/decepticons and their alt modes. you are welcome to completely ignore anything that happened in a recent movie. I think a trebuchet would be quite awesome, imagine a transformer launching a giant boulder over large distances. I can’t think of many medieval themed alt modes that you could go with
Live Action Roleplaying. People running around hitting each other with foam weapons and is fantasy based. I do reenactment where we use metal weapons and is historically based.
You have sold off quite a chunk of your collection over the last year or so. What was the hardest bot to part with and do you regret selling it? After having reduced your collection, do you feel better or worse for it?
Probably maybe 3 that I felt were the hardest to let go, Overlord, Shockwave, and Victory Sabre. Such cool toys, but had to do so. Felt better afterwards yea, made space in the collection room for a computer desk and room for more of what I wanted. There was a point where I looked at what was most important in life, and selling helped.
Got any follow up questions for Brendan? Pop them in the comments section below!
A few years ago we had a golden age for Australian collectors of… er… collectibles.
Ebay was growing exponentially, the Aussie Dollar was worth more than the US one, and not only were all the physical stores stocking a plethora of toys, but fledgling Aussie Toy Importers were opening businesses on the net, making it even easier to get those rare collectible toys from places such as Japan and America.
Sadly it’s all now changed.
In the last couple of years many of the Aussie online toy importers have shut down or are under investigation. The introduction of GST on all overseas purchases under a thousand dollars has made importing many toys too expensive – especially since you have to pay an extra 10% on the postage as well. Any overseas companies such as the US branch of Amazon who don’t comply with the new GST laws are simply refusing to ship to Australia from this point on. And now the biggest toy stores to find in this land – Toys’R’Us – are shutting their doors forever.
So whether it be in real life or online, avenue after avenue that was once available to your Aussie toy collector are disappearing. The Golden Age is Over.
To see how this is affecting your average collectibles buff, we talk to three toy collectors and find out their take on the current situation – Dallas, Darryland Jason.
Question 1: What effect do you believe the application of GST by the Australian Government to all overseas purchases will have on your collecting?
Dallas
A lot of what I buy overseas is not readily available here. There are one or two importers who sometimes stock it but otherwise I will continue to buy from overseas. the only difference may be that I buy less stuff, but it will probably just mean I spend 10% more than I used to.
The secondary effect of this being places like Amazon.com no longer being available to me. I will be surprised if the exclusive items or super deals I used to occasionally find on there will be available through the Amazon Australia site.
To be ‘real’ my international purchasing really slowed down when the dollar dropped from 1.05US to 0.75 US. that’s a 30% price increase, another 10% hurts but it’s not the end of the world for something that I possibly can’t find anywhere else.
Darryl
Aside from having to pay a little more, I doubt it will deter me much. I find myself having to import later waves of a line due to distribution rarely making it up my way so if I want a figure, I just have to lump it.
Jason
The only impact that the application of GST is going to have will be to increase the cost for obtaining any of the Transformers that I am currently collecting. Most of my spending on current collecting is purchased through Australian retailers so I am already paying GST and that cost is factored into my collecting. It is the items that do not receive an Australian release that are going to cost more.
Given that sites such as Amazon.com are no longer allowing sales to Australia for such items, it is going to cost a lot more to source these harder to find items from other overseas stores or pay significant amounts on postage to freight forwarding companies as well as the GST on top.
I understand that the point of the GST is to charge end users a flat tax across the board and that the purpose of applying it to low value goods is to create equality in trade between Australian retailers and overseas retailers, however the issue is that the Government has created for itself is a situation where they have reduced the possible supply/variety of goods into the country whilst relying wholly upon foreign entities to voluntarily remit GST. The compliance costs will be astounding and it will be interesting to see if any actual profit is generated for the economy from this or if there is simply more funds moving offshore.
Question 2: What effect (if any) has the behaviour and subsequent closure of Australian-based online collecting stores such as PC Collectibles, TFI Downunder and MaynStream Merch had on the availability of collectible figures on a local level for you?
Dallas
I have a lot of money tied up with PC. They used to be great, I have received a lot of excellently priced product from them, until they fell off the wagon, it must be nearly 2 years ago now. I hope to get my money back, but that’s up to the judge I guess. I never shopped at the other two stores. I never minded waiting for my stuff a bit longer as I often pre-order in batches and I nearly always collect faster than I open toys so I never ‘suffered’ the indignity of not having anything new to open because PC was taking longer than everyone else.
Lately I have been making lot of purchases at TLTC and TBI. Both are reliable and both have excellent prices on different product. I’ve actually been buying a lot of stuff from these two stores that I used to import, long before the GST was introduced. I guess it’s a sign of a good competitive business that has moved with the times.
Darryl
I was fortunate in that while I had issues with PC, I didn’t lose any money to them (nor did I get the stuff I ordered). That being said, it left a bad taste in my mouth and I’m reluctant to deal with any Australian based online retailers unless they are a well established business.
Jason
I was a huge fan of PC when I stumbled across the online store in mid-2015. There was a solid 1 ½ years where I was a very happy customer and I moved a lot of my purchases from overseas retailers to PC. However, it all started to unravel in 2017 and it has left myself, and a lot of others, out of pocket.
PC’s demise and the way in which PC conducted itself no doubt put a dampening on my collecting enthusiasm. All of a sudden, I went from using my spare time to research what Transformers I was wanting to buy to using my time to attempt to correspond with PC, reading forums such as Ozformers for guidance on dealing with PC/Banks and corresponding with the Banks and attempting to do chargebacks.
My hobby went from something enjoyable to something more akin to my job. However, there have also been some other stores pop up recently (or that have just come to my attention) such as Toybot Importz and The Little Toy Company and I am willing to give them a chance. Neither have disappointed me so far and I hope that neither will. Both have shown exceptional communication and competitive pricing. Whilst the range (and pricing, but we now know why PC’s pricing was so good) may not be the same as PC, I am able to source most of the Transformers that I want from these two online stores.
Question 3: What effect will the closure of various brick’n’mortar toy stores (such as TRU) have on your collecting? Especially since so many online avenues have been closed off?
Dallas
The closure of TRU is a bit sad. I have purchased a lot of exclusive items from them over the years and I’ve often made use of their 20% off sales or price matching policy. It’s likely that I’ll have to resort to more expensive avenues to find those special items that they would have otherwise stocked. Even TRU US supplied me with the recent Titans return Grotusque and Arcee. I would like to think Hasbro Australia will find another avenue for this product but only time will tell and I imagine if prices through alternate channels are too high I may end up skipping a lot of stuff.
Darryl
Probably won’t affect me much. My nearest TRU is over an hour away so I didn’t get there very often, in fact, with my local K-Mart as the only close source for TF’s (Target, Big W are also an hour away) I’ve accepted that I’m going to have to go online more to get the figures I want. As much as I want to support local stores (even if they aren’t owned locally) they haven’t been very supportive of me. So sadly, it looks like any money I will be spending on my collection will be heading off-shore.
Jason
I don’t think that so many online avenues have been closed. There are now quite a few Australian online retailers and a lot of the overseas retailers still appear to be selling to Australia.
I was never really one for buying Transformers for my collection from brick’n’mortar stores. The convenience of online shopping and having the items delivered straight to me is to irresistible to pass up. Not to mention, I often found the prices online (even from Australian online retailers) were far more competitive than in store prices.
Whilst it will not impact upon my collecting, it may impact a little on my younger son. He is really getting into Transformers at the moment and we enjoy going to stores like TRU together and picking ones out for his collection. Whilst we have a great time doing this, it seems as though stores such as Big W now have such a large selection of toys that they have effectively replaced the need for speciality toy stores such as TRU.
Many thanks to these three fine lads for sharing their thoughts with us. How have all the recent changes effected you? Let us know in the comments section below.
In this latest interview with Aussie TF collectors we are talking to Dallas, a great bloke I was privileged to meet at the Collectormania Toy Fair last year (he even bought me a beer!). So lets chat to this fine fellow and avid collector of all things Cybertronian.
QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU Real name or what friends call you?
Dallas, D, big D. some of the guys on my baseball team have droppd a D-rod, or D-Train here and there. None of it really sticks.
State you live in?
NSW.
Your occupation?
Would you believe, Trained as an Aerospace Engineer, employed as a Mechanical engineer working on Boats and Submarines and trucks posing as radar targets…
Your dream job?
Drummer in a band, an internationally massive band.
Your age?
Why do you ask, is this some sort of scam?
Single/married/kids?
We’ve just been blessed with twins this last year. They are now the centre of our universe. And we’re married, just gone 9 years! We met nearly 18 years ago.
What other (non-toy) interests do you have?
Baseball.
Star Trek
Star Wars,
The Phantom
General Science fiction, some fantasy, squash, I dabble in lego from time to time.
Do you collect anything besides Transformers?
I’ve selectively picked some of the Star Trek Starships collection.
I’ve been collecting the Phantom Comic regularly since I was about 13, (with the exception of a few years while I was at uni and couldn’t afford it)
I have a hand full of Keaton Era and Batman Animated Batmobiles.
Apparently I collect drum kits as well. I have the one my parents bought me when I was 10 (it was 20 years old then), the good acoustic kit I bought in 1995 and the Electronic kit I bought after I finished uni and had a full time job.
How would you rate yourself on a C scale? With C1 being ‘Junker not worth it even for parts’ to C10 being ‘Perfection’.
C6, fairly good condition, some loose joints. Nothing a bit of spit and polish * wouldn’t fix.
Editors Note: I’ve told you about 20 times now – I’m not giving you a ‘spit polish’ no matter how many times you approach me about it!
How would you rate how sexually attracted you are to Trev? With 1 being ‘Extremely’ to 10 being ‘I dress up as Chrissy Amphlett and sing ‘I Touch Myself’ by the Divinyls into a hairbrush as I stare at the poster I have of Trev on my wall’.
It involves a Mankini *, where does that fit on the scale? Editors Note: I’m hoping it was just an educated guess on your part that I actually do have one of those!
TRANSFORMER QUESTIONS Transformers Allegiance, if you had one?
Autobot –Engineering Corps
Your Techspec motto if you had one?
Wait, What?
What existing, official Transformers character best describes you?
Is there someone that’s a cross between Jazz and Wheeljack?
Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself?
Skywarps teleportation, we love to travel and that would take so much of the shitty bits out of it.
Fan/Collector since (year)?
1984-85 I’m pretty sure it was that Christmas that I got my first two transformers. There have been periods when I wasn’t an avid collector or even aware that there was a series on tv.
What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector?
I can’t remember, it’s so long ago. Probably the excitement of giant robots and the Robots in Disguise element, still the best gimmick of the line.
I slowly lost interest towards the end of G1 and G2. I remember seeing all the G2 stuff with these huge stickers on them that ruined the ‘robots in disguise’ concept. Like the G2 Optimus that had the massive sticker down its side with his name emblazoned in big bright lettering on an otherwise black truck. The G2 show disappointed me as well, I was looking for new shows/stories not just the original show re-edited. I remember how excited I was when I saw the CG intro, and then how devastated I was when I saw that it was just the old cartoon. For years I lost touch with the brand, not through lack of interest but through lack of knowing anything existed. I kind of missed beast wars, when it was on TV, I didn’t like that they had moved away from vehicles and that they were re-using the names of characters without them being the same characters. I couldn’t figure out why they didn’t just give them a new name? I’d visit toy sections every once in a while through late high school and Uni but never felt any attraction to the toys for these reasons. Names of G1 characters being applied to toys that bore no resemblance to the character as I knew it, and mostly vehicles that could not be considered ‘normal enough to be in disguise’ anywhere. I don’t think I even realised that RID 1.0 or the Unicron Trilogy were actual shows. My collecting started again in 2005 when I was out of Uni, had a full time job and found out about these things called Alternators. I bought some from eBay and Casefresh. They were incredible, then I saw the Masterpiece line. As an Aero Engineer, the MP starscream was the most stunning transformers toy I’d ever seen. A colleague saw him on my desk once and thought it was a legit model aircraft. I got back in to mainline toys when the ‘generations’ line started creating new moulds reimagining G1 characters. I’ve been collecting steadily ever since.
Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die?
It’s quite likely that I will in some capacity, though there has to be limits. I can’t imagine the space needed to store and display transformers collected over a 120 year period. Editors Note: You are gonna live 120 years?! You must eat a frag of a lot of kale!
Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends?
My first transformers came to me from my parents (Mum did all the Christmas purchasing) and Santa Claus. So in that respect yes, supported. Over time my Dad hasn’t quite understood the long running interest. He’s generally not said much but once in a while he’s dropped a comment indicating what a waste of money he thinks it is.
In Primary school Transformers were the business so there was no hiding, the only frustration I had was someone stealing Thundercrackers rocket launchers from my bag after lunch once.
The rest of my family, even married into family seem to accept it if not support it. My sister just went to Japan and asked for a shopping list before she went.
My friends and colleagues vary in their acceptance. Some get it and are as bad as me with other types of collections, others just don’t understand. My wife was a bit misled as when we met I wasn’t actively collecting, it was only after we’d been going out for several years when my interest in collecting was reignited that she saw that side of me. Long before we tied the knot though.
I don’t believe in hiding my passions and interests it defines who I am. I do filter them a bit from time to time though.
Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions?
Have I ever! I’ve been to Botcon 2011 and 2014. I had a great time at both, probably the biggest highlights of my experiences as a collector.
I used to go regularly to the Parramatta collector fair and the post-fair breakfast at the Westfield. I now mainly go to the Penrith fair, it’s a bit of a hike but there are a few good stalls and a lot of others generally turn up so some good chats are had.
Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)?
I have always liked creativity. I dabble a bit in drawing, though I realise I’m pretty bad at it.
I have done some designs that I’ve had made on shapeways, they didn’t pass the prototype stage but I thought they were solid concepts and if the CAD package I’d been using hadn’t had a 30 day trial limit on it, I might have continued dabbling in that. I have a whole lot more ideas in my head and on paper. Keep an ear to the ground for a company called ******* toys, if it ever happens, chances are it will be me and my buddy, Myself.
Customising class – Botcon
I participated in the Custom class at Botcon both times I went. I really enjoyed it and it gave me a good understanding of the structure of transformers. That gave me the confidence to pull apart a few here and there and fix internal damage or change something.
I have a lot of plans for creative stuff. I have a couple spare deluxe Airachnids from TF-Prime, I plan on modding one up to have the right number of legs. I have a couple Revoltech Starscreams, I need a third so I can repaint two into the other two seekers. It’s not something I want to spend a lot of money on though and those things are expensive.
I have a big thing for creative/dynamic displays, shoulder to shoulder displays are great for saving space but they are often over crowded and very static. It feels like a waste to have all these awesome figures that are so articulated and not have them posed doing something. (Saying that, Sinnertwin has a very well organised display with bots standing in columns and rows and his collection room is almost breathtaking.). My display is often spread out, with many bots in alt mode and others facing off across the shelf. I try to augment my displays with interesting risers and backgrounds. The DOTM leader box internal sleeve was good for this. I have one as a background in my display cabinet at the moment. This last week I finally went to throw out the stock cooler for my CPU that I bought in 2009, I realised that under all the crappy fan cowling plastic there was a nice solid flat heat sink. I’ve kept that bit and plan on using it in a display in the future. I have manufactured some risers out of left over polycarbonate from work and some stand-offs from eBay. I also have some aluminium structures left over from prototypes that I have or plan to modify into risers and stands for my display. It will need some paint, sometimes there is a fine line between looking interesting and other worldly and looking like you’ve been picking through someone else’s rubbish. I have purchased a number of display panels (the machine robo nests and the recent Zeta EX display stands that ToyBotImportz were stocking. I haven’t incorporated them yet but I’ve started touching them up with gundam markers to add some colour and they’ll be getting added to the display at some point.
Favourite series/era/year, and why?
I’m always going to be a G1 fan, that’s where it all started for me and it’s the baseline for my expectations of modern interpretations of characters.
But, the series I’ve enjoyed the most was Transformers Prime, outstanding design, excellent show from so many perspectives and an outstanding toy line. Imagine being a 10 year old and having that as your G1!
Least favourite series/era/year, and why?
That would have to be the Unicron Trilogy, I didn’t even realise it was on TV at the time. Probably because I was at Uni and for a few years didn’t even have a TV. But at the same time, I was perusing the toy isles at the time and the toys just didn’t appeal. I’ve always felt, if you’re going to make a new character, in a new show that has a different personality, different strengths/weaknesses and abilities you should give that character a new name, not re-use the name of a character from an earlier interpretation of the franchise *. I get the whole different universe’ thing and generally accept it, a lot more now than I used to.
Editors Note: I agree with this 100%!
Collect any comics (which ones)?
YES.
In the G1 era I didn’t even know they made transformers comics. My interest in comics started when I was a young fella delivering papers for the local newsagent. They’d let me read them in the shop after I’d finished my round. I became a collector of the Phantom comics, still am. I saw my first transformers comic at Comic Kingdom in Sydney in the late 90’s. I was very excited but at the same time confused, it was a G2 comic and didn’t seem to have any relationship to the re-hash tv show. I bought it anyway.
I then was super excited when I saw a digest style transformers comic at the supermarket. I bought that and then chased down all the Dreamwave Trades and the singles that never made it into trade. I have since never stopped. I collect trades, it’s more affordable, I prefer reading the stories in larger chunks and with less advertising. They also look better on the shelf. I’ve picked up all the TFCC comics and even went out of my way to get hold of the TFcon TF Animated comic that was released last year.
Favourite Comic issue/story, and why?
Probably the first issue of the Dreamwave G1 comics, seeing those characters in vibrant artwork with a story after all those years was a joyful moment. I missed Dreamwave when they fell apart. I had no idea at the time and hate Pat Lee for the way he treated his employees but I enjoyed the art, it was vibrant and colourful and while the style was unrealistic I felt it was very polished and clean. I’ve never been a fan of scratchy looking artwork in comics, I thought the early IDW work felt unfinished.
Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why?
The G1 episode where Jazz in car mode cranks out a super funky tune that disrupts the Decepticons. It was a type of music I’d never heard before, I thought, if this is Jazz, I need to find more Jazz. Turns out it was more of a funk/rock. But I have grown to love many different types of music from the drive to discover more music that this episode ignited.
Favourite Video/Board game and why?
Probably the Fall of Cybertron game. Great fun from start to finish and a more polished gameplay than the War for Cybertron.
Favourite Character, and why?
I’ve always liked Jazz, the attitude, the stylings of his alt mode, the G1 toy was a standout for me, being a fairly different transformation to so many of the other early autobots.
Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character?
I honestly find sexifying transformers, or other franchises, kind of weird and uncomfortable. I’d never turn up in the Boudoir wearing a transformers Mankini and expect the missus to get excited. Editors Note: Make the Mankini metallic with gun-ports – that might rev her engine!
Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real?
Most definitely Jazz, then we could Jam!
Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, etc)?
I honestly have no idea. When I was a kid I counted my G1 collection as some number around 120. Since then I’ve collected a bunch more G1 toys/reissues. I’ve collected every mould and some remoulds/repaints of the Masterpiece line and the Alternators/Binaltech line. I’ve been collecting Generations toys since the time they stopped just repainting Unicron trilogy toys and started actually making dedicated new moulds for classic characters. I tend to have at least one of every mould type. I have two complete sets and 2 mostly complete sets of Botcon toys and I’ve collected a lot of Movie toys since 2007, again generally having one of most mould types of the main line of scout/Deluxe/Voyager and Leader toys. I have the entire cast of animated, Prime and RID. I’m going to have a ballpark guess and say somewhere around the 1500 mark. It’s literally over 25 years since I did a collection count.
Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector?
My general intent is to be an out of package collector, there are caveats though. I collect faster than I seem to open transformers. Part of the driver for this is that I have limited display space so generally when something is opened it replaces something else on display. So I have a lot of sealed stuff that is patiently waiting for its time in the sun/artificial light.
Some things, like the TF Prime New York Comic Con exclusive pack with Bumblebee and Arcee have stayed in package since they look so good like that and I have both moulds otherwise.
How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit?
I honestly don’t want to think about it. I could probably buy a very nice car with the money that I’ve collectively spent on transformers over the last 20 -30 years.
Any rare/expensive figures in your collection?
Probably the rarest would be Botcon 2011 Custom Class Minerva. The most expensive would be the Mega Action Series Optimus Prime, actually no a G1 Skorponok that I bought several years ago, in excellent condition, I think I paid about $280 for that.
The Chevy Aveo Swerve that was released years ago, I picked one up at Botcon 2011.
What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have?
Mega Action Series Optimus, soon to be joined by Mega action series Megatron. One day they will be the centrepiece of my display space.
I still have my metal food tray from when I was a youngster that has the stunning box art of Metroplex on it. I have a stunning Beanie that I bought from BBTS that has the Decepticon Logo on it, it’s exceptionally good quality being a New Era product. The Transformers Legacy book has my name in it, I sent the Author a bunch of High res scans of some of my original toy boxes that he was having trouble procuring original art for.
First Transformers toy?
As mentioned above, I received Thundercracker and Skids at the same Christmas, I can’t tell you which one I opened first.
One toy you most want?
This is a tricky one, I’ve done a good job of buying some representation (Either reissue or good condition 2nd hand) of a lot of the big ticket G1 toys, especially the western characters. I had no knowledge of the existence of a lot of the Japanese characters until more recently (In the last 10 -15 years). So unless it was in a G1 show or toy catalogue here in Australia, my drive to collect other toys is a little lower than others. I’d like a G1 Overlord. Some of the bigger MicroMaster base toys.
If this was a hypothetical question, I’d want a Masterpiece Jazz. Now.
The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)?
It’s not even on display at the moment but I really do love the MP-04 Optimus prime. I really like the recent Masterpiece Inferno and other recent G1 masterpiece toys. They all look so good and are a lot of fun, many of the ones from the teens have had articulated hands added to them making them a fair bit more expressive.
Favourite toy in your early years of collecting (if it was more than 10 years ago)?
Thundercracker and Skids hold a special place in my heart, and always will but again, G1 Jazz was unique amongst his peers and was a favourite. However, now that I think about it, Skids must have been a favourite as my original is so worn out it won’t hold together at the waist any more.
Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion?
I think the Dark of the moon Ravage variants are definitely in the top 5. They are flimsy, the plastic feels cheap, especially when compared to other movie toys at the time and it transforms into a lump of robot cat. It’s representation of the screen character is OK detail wise but it’s not fun in the slightest. I do feel that it’s a victim of the movie script however. The 2007 movie Scorponok is a close second, at least it has markings that look like it could be part of a helicopter.
Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them?
The Ravage above, I expected it to be shit and even though I bought it on special I was still disappointed with it.
Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertible Transformers toys?
I’ve always felt that Transformation is the best Gimmick of the transformers toy line. I get so much enjoyment out of a transformer that has two clean modes and an elegant transformation.
Having said that, I really like light piping when it’s done well, but I also really like well-defined eyes that aren’t light piped (Generations Deluxe Warpath is an excellent example).Gimmicks that inhibit the transformation or muddy the appearance of one mode or other of the toy irritate me. I much prefer a leader/Ultra/Voyager toy that doesn’t have a huge box at its core full of electronics because I feel that sort of thing greatly inhibits the freedom of the transformation design. The same often applies to deluxes that are forced to keep a space available for a cockpit. I feel that that’s one of the greatest pitfalls of the headmaster concept. Having a removable head allows for the transformation to not need to accommodate it, but instead it has to accommodate a cockpit space that is often bigger than the head. I think that was best handled by the Fans project Smart Robin (Brainstorm), an inspired but simple transformation design.
Non-convertible transformers are something that I used to not really like/understand. Especially statues. I picked up some statues from BBTS years ago on clearance and I have to say I really like them. I have a hard time justifying spending much on them because, ‘they don’t transform’. But, statues and action figures can achieve appearances that traditional transforming toys cannot. They can look a lot more like the on screen/page appearance. They don’t feature much in my collection but I definitely have some and will be getting more.
Thoughts on unlicensed fan-project figures/accessories?
I was initially very cold on the idea of complete ‘indie’ transformers inspired figures. All the usual arguments about IP applied but I also felt that there were problems with essentially non-professional designers making engineering decision on products that require very detailed rigorous engineering. This was highlighted for me on one of the very early Megatron figures that used clear plastic in the ratchets for its knees. I was able to handle someone’s brand new figure at a meetup and just picking it up I could see small flecks of clear red plastic around the knees, I quickly put it down without moving the legs. Design work like that, clearly not taking into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of mating materials is pretty bad, especially on product that costs more than $100. Other things that irritated me about ‘Indie’ transformers for a long time and often still does is the lack of finish on a figure. If you pick up an official toy, and have a very close look at the corners and edges, you’ll see that nearly every single one has a small chamfer or radius on it (unless it mates with another part to create a smooth surface), it’s not a sharp edge. This is a sign of good finished design. It takes a lot of time to apply that sort of finish to a complex CAD model but the completed appearance is much less harsh looking and also has other benefits of being easier to manufacture the moulds and allowing for easier part release, less opportunity for plastic deformation as a result of different areas of a part cooling down at different rates. It also feels smoother in hand and allows for better tolerance in the motion between parts that swing past each other, though this is minor it also reduces the opportunity for edges to burr when they do contact. Very many early Indie toy designs didn’t have this and many still don’t.
That all being said, I have the original city commander armour that Fans Project released and I like it a lot, it definitely has issues, some born of the above discussion. Is it ‘redundant’ now that I have the more recent Takara IDW inspired Magnus, I’m not sure. It’s certainly going to keep a place in my collection at the moment.
I really like Indie additions to existing HasTak product, they often flesh out the figure in a way that may not have been realistic for the original product, even if it’s as simple as a bigger sword or the inclusion of a gun. I do find that a lot of the more recent add on kits, especially for the combiners are way overpriced to the point of lunacy. If you compare some of the recent add on kits, for part count and complexity against entire masterpiece ‘scale’ or style Indi transformers and then compare the price the ratio isn’t close to equivalent. Plastic makes up a very small amount of the cost of a toy, just look up the cost of a few kilos of raw plastic pellets and you’ll see what I mean. These kits often have a lot of unnecessary parts that I personally wouldn’t want, to essentially ‘value add’ and justify a higher price tag.
I also really like that there is a lot of choice because of the Indie companies, and product available that would otherwise never be made by Hasbro. I’m talking about the DJD that MMC have developed, I can’t see HasTak releasing a transformer that turns into an electric/torture chair. I also have caved and bought the Fans toys Dinobots and a few other third party figures that I didn’t think HasTak would ever be able to justify. Some of those I was wrong, but at the same time I can’t seem to bring myself to pick a favourite and get rid of the other. I’ve been very selective with my Indie purchases because they are expensive and its money that I could be spending on official product. As a result most of the Indie product I have is fairly well designed and manufactured and most of it is unique, at least for the moment.
Thoughts on the Transformers Brand over the last five years?
The transformers brand has gone from strength to strength over the last 15 years. Over the last 5 it may have waned a little with the loss of popularity in the movies and associated toys. I have been frustrated by the lack of broad cast product from the movies, especially the last knight. So many Decepticons that should have had a toy representation, especially when compared against the random non-existent characters and repaints from the first two movies in the series.
I’m still dirty that we didn’t get a three pack of dreads with an identical alt mode and three different transformations and bot modes. I hope they find a production house to make another game as good as the War for and Fall of Cybertron series. The amount of choice that still exists between main line toy show, kids show product and collector oriented lines is astounding. I only hope it continues. I would like to see more of the ‘modern update’ designs for G1 and later characters rather than the ‘original toy with articulation ‘approach.
Which single TFs toy should every fan own?
yes
That really depends on the person doesn’t it? Where their interests lay. Car, Truck, Gorilla, Dinosaur, Jet, biplane, futuristic other worldly race car. All of these things are very different and that’s part of what’s so awesome about the transformers brand. I could probably recommend a favourite of each but I’ve already waffled on enough. Generations Warpath.
Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present?
That’s a tricky one, some of the previous answers to this question have been quite romantic and I wouldn’t have thought of them. Perhaps a version of Hound or Jazz, characters who even though they are good at war, their main drive is appreciation of the beauty around them be it physical in terms of flora and fauna or more spiritual in the form of music and companionship/mateship.
FAN Questions
BigAngryTrev Question: I really enjoyed meeting you at both Collectormania and the Hasbro Sneak Peak last year. Do you find a lot of your toys and figures at these kinds of meets? Or do you usually do your TF shopping in stores and/or online?
Well thank you, I too enjoyed the company of the Enigmatic Trev.
I have a habit of wanting to buy something when I go to an event like Collectormania. The old Parramatta fair was particularly ‘bad’ for this because I’d want to have something with me for the get together in the food court afterwards. I ended up bringing a new toy from home that I hadn’t opened yet, in case nothing piqued my interest at the fair proper. When I was at Botcon those two times, I bought a whole lot of Transformers, luckily when the customs officials ask what’s in the box and you say toys, they dismiss them as not having much value…
Normally my collecting is mixed between bricks and mortar and Online. Primarily these days, I buy online between a couple local companies and overseas for Japanese and some “Indie” product. I would buy more at shops but online is often cheaper, than even the sales.
Seraphim Question:How do balance collecting and being a new dad?
I don’t. I try to but, invariably a lot of my personal time has disappeared. Most of my online shopping happens at lunch times at work, I get less shopping time and when I do I feel like I’m letting the team down by not doing something for the kids or my wife. I have a stash of unopened toys and unread comics in the ‘office/study/music room’ and also in the corner next to the couch in the lounge. This gives me the opportunity to open something up and play with it while we’re watching an hour of TV in the evening between our chores and trying to get some sleep.
Mayza Question – As the twins are now 1, when do you plan on introducing them to Transformers and which series?
They have already been exposeexposed. I have watched most of Transformers RID in the lounge, where they play most of the time. Often early on the weekend when I have taken the kids out of their cots after waking up so they don’t disturb their mum. Once fed and changed we have a play in the lounge and I’ll put on something that my wife doesn’t like to watch, Transformers, Star Trek, Agents of Shield, the Orville. It sometimes takes an hour and a half to watch an episode if the kids are cranky or need extra attention but I get there. They generally don’t ‘pay much heed to what’s on the TV yet but they do perk up from time to time, especially with the younger target audience animated stuff.
Once they are a bit older, I’ll be making the G1 Series available to them, I have all of the available Rescue bots on DVD, and by the time they are old enough I’ll have all the recent RID as well, as its released in season box sets.
Trent Question: As nerds, we already face ridicule and mockery from general society by essentially being grown men who collect/play with toys.*How do you then face the “double whammy” that also comes from being a drummer? I mean, as a toy collecting skin beater you must be the butt of every joke that you hear! Editors Note:What’s this ‘we’ you speak of paleface?
They’re called heads, you Musical Luddite. Drum heads, only people that don’t know what they’re talking about call them skins.
Question: Also, I have garnered that space is a significant issue for you and as such a majority of your collection is in storage. Do you think that most of your collection will remain in plastic tubs for the rest of your life or do you have a plan? A vision? A goal? And do you see that goal as realistically being achieved before you grow sick of the hobby?
I don’t understand ‘grow sick of the hobby’ can you re-phrase the question?
Well, yes, at the moment we are in a 3 bedroom apartment with a lot of stuff. I admit a lot of it is mine, between collecting transformers and having 2 drum kits. And two kids worth of stuff. We have a lot of stuff.
I would love a ‘collection room’ but have come to realise from seeing the struggle of others, and how much space a collection like Griffins takes up, that even a small bedroom converted into a collection room probably isn’t a big enough space.
I would one day like a decent size mancave space to put my collection in and display it but it would have to be a space where I had some sort of central volume/area that I could use for a more dynamic display, something I could pose the figures on rather than just having them all in cabinets. I think I will probably always have some element of my collection in storage, I just hope that in the long run, we move into a place that has room for the majority of it to be on display rather than in storage. I will probably have to do a cull eventually but it will be a struggle. (Not pictured, 6 large plastic bins and 3 epic BBTS boxes full of opened and unopened transformers respectively.)
Carlo Question: Is Botcon (though gone now) something that every Aussie TF fan should go to/experience once? Equivalent of TF Mecca or is buying the toys enough?
I would say that it’s something that most dedicated fans should try to attend. It’s a very expensive venture and to make it worth the trouble of international travel you really need to do the full ticket that the show has to offer and try to experience as much of the event as you can. The closest thing now would be Hascon or TF con, one being official and the other more dedicated specifically to Transformers with a strong bent towards the Indie scene. If I was overseas around the time of a TF Con, or even Hascon I would try to fit it into my trip.
The script reading panel. Actors from G1, and Rescue bots. As for buying toys, when the Aussie dollar was close to parity the dealer room was a veritable Transformers Mecca. Many lines available at US prices, so cheap compared to here and a lot of ‘antique’ older line transformers available from some sellers. I didn’t do the numbers but Griffin has commented in the past that the dollar value he saved on all the toys he purchased while on a Botcon trip pretty much met the cost of his flight. Probably the best purchase I made at a Botcon was the Hard Hero Devastator bust for $15. MISB. I haven’t opened it yet so I hope it’s not full of bricks.
Question: If your kids aren’t interested in TF , what will you do with your toys in the future?
I don’t have any plans to stop collecting, and while it will be a bit saddening that I can’t share my biggest hobby with them, I will enjoy it like I do now and probably one day sell a lot so it’s easier to get rid of when I eventually move on to be one with the Allspark.
Michael Question: Dallas, you seem like such an amiable, friendly and positive guy online. Let us see a little bit more of your “dark side” – What are your pet peeves? (TF related or otherwise). What really burns your biscuits? What makes you see red? Editors Note: Squirrels! He stomps squirrels to death – I’ve seen it!
The term Lazy Design. This is one of the most bullshit descriptions I see in comments or reviews on toys. People don’t get into toy design to make money, they get into toy design, because they love designing, or they love toys or both. It’s a rude thoughtless label. I can guarantee you that the reason there is an apparent design flaw in a toy is because of budgetary or time constraints most likely enforced by someone who has no idea of the effort required to design something properly from scratch.
Litterers: I don’t care how busy you are, or how far it is to a bin, there’s no reason to leave your garbage behind, be it food wrappers, cigarette butts, gum. You’re selfish laziness is just creating work for others, or it’s getting into the environment causing problems. So much of our rubbish doesn’t break down.
People parking in visitor spaces: Our apartment complex has 98 apartments and 25 visitor spots. Nearly always all taken up by residents who all have at least one and many have either a double length garage or two garages. I have family visit from all over the country and they often can’t get a park. I feel that guests should be given priority, mine or someone else’s.
Pro tip, I’m a pretty friendly guy, but don’t get on my bad side. It’s a short list but once you’re on there, getting back over the fence is extremely hard.
Just Chillin’ Question: You and your partner have been together for a long period of time now (congrats ), so my questions is: How did she react when she found out you collect these little plastic toys? and as a follow up: how does she react now when you bring a new one home?
Wife/Girlfriend, she hates the term Partner, we don’t run a business together. 😉
We met in late 2000. She had a pretty good idea I was a nerd from the get go. We both worked at the Coles not far from the university campus and one night, while I was working she bought up her flatmate to check me out. Her flatmate popped her head around the end of the isle and turned around and burst out laughing!! ‘That’s the president of Spocksoc” I was at the time the president of the Campus Science Fiction, Fantasy and Animation club. Her flatmate knew because she had been to our Buffy the Vampire Slayer screenings. I wasn’t collecting at the time but as mentioned above I started again when I was not long out of uni and Alternators were hitting the market.
These days we keep 10% of our incomes to ourselves to do with as we please (it also helps hide how much we spend on each other for gifts). So there’s never any complaining about spending ‘our money’ as it’s only ever used for the household. However given the aforementioned space issues, when I come home with a large order from somewhere or if a few parcels turn up in the space of a week, I occasionally get comments like’ where is that going to go’ and to be fair they are warranted. I’m starting to think I am going to have to do a big cull of boxes because they are taking up too much garage.
Thank you all for the questions, I’ve really enjoyed answering them!
Got any more questions for Dallas? Pop them in the comments section below and I’m sure he will do his best to answer them!
