Home | Articles | Blog
TF Nation 2019

TF Nation 2019

Posted on 19 Aug 2019

Wow, that came and went fast! TF Nation, the annual Transformers event held at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham, is a regular fixture in my geeky year. The organisers seem to outdo themselves each time with their knack for finding something new, exciting and genuinely different to entertain their guests with, and 2019 was no exception.

The most obvious departure into new territory was the inclusion of Gundam into the convention. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the franchise, an entire room of the event (dubbed the Gundam Wing) was reserved for building Gunpla (Gundam model kits) with help and advice from the friendly staff of Gundam Mad. Free RX-78 kits were available to attendees along with a plethora of kit and markers to use. We had a nice time chilling out and admiring the more advanced models on display.

The dealers room was once again a highlight, with some of last year's Hasbro G1 re-releases stealing the show. The original mini-Autobot toys were bolstered by the recently released Soundwave and carded cassettes which were all in abundance. Flame Toys, creators of high-end chogokin-style display pieces, were in attendance with previews of their new Optimus Prime and Star Saber figures. I caved and picked up their Tarn, as it was extremely enticing - how can you not love a sadistic murder-bot who can kill with a whisper? With lights to boot! It was wonderful to see their upcoming projects, and the model kits are also superbly sculpted. If only I had the time or the skill...

There was some grumbling from some who had pre-ordered releases from attending companies still waiting on their orders while said companies had plenty of the items at the show. I can see how it would be frustrating to see something you can't have flaunted in front of you, but there were plenty of original G1 toys, third party offerings and Masterpiece robots to choose from and ease the pain. I held off buying the show-exclusive Zannia from Kapow Toys though - as much as I love what Ocular Max has done with their Arcee, the green repaint just didn't do it for me. It obviously worked for plenty of others though as there weren't many left as Sunday drew to a close. I picked up a G1 Bumblebee and Optimus reissue, original G1 Fangry and, from the artists corner, an original page from Marvel's new Death's Head limited series (which, despite what you might think about the distinctly un-Deaths Head writing, has incredible art from the one and only Kei Zama). 

Every year, the main Saturday night event is the focus of the weekend, with last year's concert by Stan Bush a hard act to follow, but follow they did with a star-studded reading of the fourth series treatment for Transformers: Animated. Featuring David Kaye, Tom Kenny, Corey Burton, Bumper Robinson, Susan Blu and Tara Strong, the reading was a stellar way to spend the evening, and kudos to the convention and Marty Isenburg for organising such an impressive line-up for their guests.

On Sunday, a panel helmed by Paul Hitchens of The Spacebridge covered some extremely rare pieces of Transformers history (No pictures! No recording! - Good morning to you too...) Despite the rather aggressive tone, there was some interesting insights into the way in which Transformers was marketed via the cartoon, as well as character and colour selections for what would become the US toy-line. There were suggestions a book may be forthcoming at a future date to discuss the paperwork on display, which would certainly widen the scope of what we know about the brand.

We didn't attend many other panels this year, as we spent most of our time socialising in the bar area. Sophie, my ro-buddy on these trips, likes to sketch robots and chat the day away with like-minded enthusiasts who we lured to the table with Tarn and a Maketoys Utopia I had purchased in advance from the rather excellent TF photographer and historian Maz. By far my favourite plastic rendition of the Autobot City, the sheer pose-ability of this third party Metroplex made him a lot of fun for everyone to fiddle with. I've been on the lookout for this fella for 2 years, so I was delighted to jump on Maz's early hours tweet and bag him.

We met a lot of awesome people, and Sophie even got to meet her youtube TF hero, Thew, thanks to some passing chaps from Sheffield (Hi Steve & James). Another bucket-list item ticked off!  

Speaking of meeting heroes, there were plenty of guests this year too - actors Gregg Burger (G1 Grimlock), Brian Drummond (Jetstorm, Vegeta from DBZ) and Peter Spellos (Sky-Byte) were big draws at the show. Artists included Kei Zama, Nick Roche, EJ Su and Jack Lawrence (sadly illness kept veteran John McCrea absent). Writers Simon Furman (Transformers comics), Marty Isenburg (Transformers: Animated) Jim Sorenson (Many TF reference books) and James Roberts (More Than Meets The Eye) were on hand to meet fans and discuss new projects. I tend to alternate between years for toys and artwork, and this year the toys won, so I didn't see many of the creative types. They were, as always, well-received which is nice to see.

Overall then, a strong showing with some unique and unusual panels, many of which shed new light on what we know about Transformers, or expanded existing universes. How they'll top the line-up next year remains to be seen, but I'm sure I'll be there to find out, as always.

TF Nation is held every year at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham.

Follow A.I. on Twitter and Like us on Facebook to get all the latest site updates

Also Happening:

Gundam SEED Freedom Review
posted on 26 Mar 2024
Metallic Rouge First Thoughts
posted on 27 Feb 2024
Delicious in Dungeon First Thoughts
posted on 15 Feb 2024
Bang Brave Bang Bravern! First Thoughts
posted on 06 Feb 2024
The AI translation fascination
posted on 08 Jan 2024
Pluto First Thoughts
posted on 10 Nov 2023
Correcting clickbait articles comparing She Hulk and One Piece salaries
posted on 18 Sep 2023
Gallery