4 years ago

GNAW WAY

Thanks to that Facebook memories thing, I was reminded that the best Transformers convention ever was 4 years ago. Hard to believe it was so long ago, but that's the march of time for you. If you weren't there you really missed out on something special. It was literally everything I wanted in a Transformers convention.

There's an element you only get when something is made from pure love. When the people making something just want it to be what people want. When they say to themselves, "I want this to be the kind of show I'd want to go to".

Ironically

Man, I love Machine Wars packaging.

I was thinking earlier today. The exact reasoning that I started this blog/site/whatever (I feel weird calling it a blog) comes directly from me wanting to create a series of zines focusing on more forgotten/looked over series of Transformers. It was going to start with Machine Wars, then McDonald's Beast Wars, onto the Walmart Dinobots, the Mutants, and so on. I literally had been sitting on this idea for over a decade. I've mentioned before there was a pre-cursor to Zone Base in the form of a short lived Tumblr. I did it at an odd point and it didn't really last long. Not long enough to work that forgotten series into it. So at some point I decided to make Zone Base. Which I made and promptly sat on forever. In between self doubt if anyone would actually read it and general life keeping me busy, Zone Base sat empty for awhile and at some point I made a "I promise there will be something here at some point" post. Then more time passed and I finally decided to get off my butt and do something with it, I mean what's the actual worse that could come from it?

So I decided the most appropriate time to launch Zone Base officially (even though I didn't buy an actual url until a few days later, so it was blogger.com/zonebase) was during BotCon 2016. It was the last BotCon, and say what you will about Fun Publications years on the convention, it was around long before them and meant a whole lot to us Transformers fans. I really wish I could have gone, but at that point I was just priced out. Though, they seemingly had an exclusive just for me. I mean, I know they didn't make it with me in mind, but let's just say they accidentally did. They had an Under 3 homage toy (I got Kilby to grab me one at the con).

McDonald's Beast Wars is a big deal to me and that toy was just that last special BotCon thing, just for me. Earlier in the evening, I said goodbye to BotCon (though I had done that originally before the Fun Pub version, it was a different con with the same name really) and did a soft launch of Zone Base on Instagram. It was a picture of a Big Mac and a Combiner Wars Shockwave. I had grabbed a Big Mac meal just for the occasion as I always ate a Big Mac at least once at BotCon (pre Fun Pub, though I did eat one at Charticon, because that was a return to those old BotCons to me). I've said before and I'll say it again: I've always associated McDonald's with Transformers and occasionally I guess it'll make sense to people.

But that Instagram post had a little blurb about Big Macs and BotCon and that was that. It was generally well received on social media (man, I share everything) as most folks who saw it got it. The next thing I posted was a little later that night, and that was the introductory Zone Base post. Fortunately Zone Base has been really well received and I've really enjoyed making it. Though, I gave that little insight to why I created this site/blog/thing to explain what's ironic.

I was thinking today that I still haven't made anything with that zine idea. *shrug* I guess I'll get to it eventually.

Living in the past

It's silly how my mind works. I often think of older Transformers conventions as better automatically. Which isn't fair to newer shows, but I guess that's just me doing a stereotypical "things used to be better" and feeling all smug. Though, those older BotCons had something that the later ones didn't have and it's extremely hard to describe if you were never there. A vibe, a mojo, a something. Not that's not saying newer shows don't get it, Charticon in 2013 had it. My friend Don compared Toylanta (the show where the Botlanta panel track I organize is) to the most similar any con he's attended to the first BotCon (he went to the first and yes that was flattering). Not to mention, I see pictures online of smaller TF shows around the world, and they seemingly have it. I don't know if it was just a moment in time, or me being younger, but there was a certain something about those older shows that I've never let go.

BotCon 01, the hair since has migrated from my head completely to my face

So, if I may relish a bit in old convention videos I found on Youtube. Wait, I can. I totally can. So I'm going to do that. If you follow the links on the video, you can go to the respective poster's page and check out their other work. That's my way of giving a catch all credit to the content. But really, go check them out.

BotCon 1995, the second BotCon. I would have loved to go, unfortunatley I was just a kid in high school and only knew of them from ads in Lee's toy magazine (or was it Tomart?). I used to love that old back section full of classifieds. Pre-internet, that was the main way for people to advertise their toys stores, or zines, or fan clubs, or conventions, or really anything that we easily do on Facebook now and take for granted. I'd often see them in toy, video game, and horror magazines. I'd regularly send in an envelope with a few dollars and enjoy the onslaught of random catalogs and various zines and pamphlets I'd get in return. You'd be surprised at the amount of detail that goes into a book  made at a local copy center.

At about 5:59, that's me in the fire bowling shirt walking up to a table. Oh yea, that's also the same shirt I'm wearing in the pic a little up at BotCon 2001. It was the first BotCon I was able to go to. As a broke community college student, they all seemed so far away and out of touch. Though in 2001, I was on my own and just barely making ends meet. 2001 was in Durham North Carolina, which is about 4-6 hours away from here. My Mom called me one morning to check on me, and while we were talking I brought it up as I was trying to figure out how to go.  She actually woke me up and the Toyfair issue opened to the page with the ad was open laying right next to me. When I asked her how far away Durham was, she offered to take me. We went Friday night, and came back Sunday with the main day of fun being Saturday. Of note, we hit every difficulty imaginable and the trip there took over 12 hours. I wish I was kidding.

OTFCC 2003, despite all the organizers drama that led to the 3H split, I went to OTFCC 2003 (there was a name change) and had a great time. It was a really good show and if you watch that video or as you can see in the preview there was a dance party. I was there a few minutes when some friends and I went to discover it after the line died down. I fondly can remember Brian Kilby making a nervous smile that pretty much said it all and Ant not appreciating the remix of Metallica and TFTM audio clips. This was just before Hooper X launched from our group and started punch dancing to the derision of others.

The following year was OTFCC 2004 and BotCon 2004. I wanted to go to both, but could only go to one. So I went to OTFCC 2004 and had a great time. It really was a good time and the last 'old style' BotCon. Outside of the at show memories, and not in this clip, was Ruben Studdard. There was a wedding going on in the convention center (as well as a few other cons) and they apparently hired him to sing at it. Later in the hotel, I got to witness a drunk Ruben Studdard in the hotel resturant, a well as his entourage get into a fight with the bridesmaids in the lobby.

I didn't get to go to BotCon 2004, I could only choose one, and OTFCC was closer and a lot of my friends went as well, so the draw for what makes a con fun was there. I did order a non attendee pack though, really wish I could have went. I couldn't find a video of the 2002 show which was also a great deal of fun. I'm not doing any travel this year for conventions, I'd love to check them all out though. Hascon is coming up and it looks neat. There's TFCon of course and I've enjoyed those a lot. Pete Sinclair has his new Robot Convention I'd like to check out, ignoring any drama (I try my best too, it has zero to do with why I'm going to a convention anyway), there's going to be some cool displays there and I'd love to go to Fort Wayne again. Botlanta was earlier this month which makes the year wait until next year feel like an eternity. I went to a good deal of the Fun Pub BotCons and always had a good time, though eventually got priced out as the costs started going over what I could justify. There's just something special about these older shows. That's what I want to do with Botlanta, and I hope I can find at other shows. That vibe. It's hard to describe, but once you feel it, you know it.

I could go on and on, but I figure now's a good time to stop inserting videos and help the wife make supper. I've got some TF's to open, I should get to that.

Beast Wars 2 AutoJetter

My living room makes for a good backdrop, I guess.

Years ago at Charticon, I bought this awesome AutoJetter figure for a whopping $10. It was a great deal, I had been meaning to get one eventually and for that price, who could argue? I'm quite fond of the Autorollers from G2, and the fact that the two unused molds got released in Takara's Beast Wars II line had always made me happy.

Yes I know, he's not an animal in Beast Wars.

As you can tell from the picture, this is the Korean release, which I tend to prefer for their neat packaging. I don't know why I like a box with a tray better than a window box. I just do. What's neat is, the tray inside the box has a page from a Korean newspaper taped over the tray. For what reason, I don't know. Maybe it's just the way the kid stored his toys. Or perhaps the kids grandparents kept toys at their house and felt they needed to seal up the tray. Either way, my AutoJetter has a page of Korean newspaper taped to its tray and if that's not a reason to brag, then I don't know what is.

From 1999 even! That's such a special year, even Prince sang about it.

Once you open up the special Korean newspaper seal, you find AutoJetter and his parts just lying there like a lazy bum.

Just going to lay there all day?

What's neat about this toy is, it kinda transforms itself. Like all Autorollers, you just roll him along and he folds up into robot or jet mode. That's fun in the same way popping bubble wrap used to corner the market in. With a little switch in the back, you can lock him into a mode. That's handy, because if you don't, he gets floppy. And nobody has the time for that nonsense.

As you can expect, AutoJetter turns into a jet.

Another neat play gimmick is his missile firing wings. Each wing holds 3 missles, when you move the sliding lever, it fires the missles in order. It's pretty neat and even carries over to his robot mode.

You don't want him making finger guns at you.

In robot mode AutoJetter looks kinda like a knight. There's a dominating blue color that is hidden almost completely in jet mode. Personally I love this toy. When it comes to classic toy styling or silhouette, I vastly prefer the G2 visual style. It's just got this character to it that's firmly rooted in it's time and isn't often duplicated.

AutoJetter, like all Autorollers is all toy. Which is something great considering he was made for small children to play with. I like toys better than fancy shelf pieces. A great toy is just more impressive to me and AutoJetter is both impressive and a great toy.

Also, mine is sealed in a Korean newspaper, so I have no choice but to think mine is special. Because he is.

My personal Woodstock

It's hard to believe that this week is the 3 year anniversary of the best damn Transformers convention ever. Charticon was more than your standard fan convention, Charticon was an event that made every attendee family.

I'm not intending to take anything away from other convention organizers. Putting one together is a huge act of work that requires miracles and heart trauma. I've mentioned before how much OTFCC meant to me. I meant it. It's just, the bar was raised in August 2013 in Charlotte, NC.

It's literally the gold standard.

It's kind of hard to pinpoint what made it so special. I'd been to plenty of TF conventions before. It was like everyone involved was bubbling over with how much love and work they put into the weekend and it bled out onto all the attendees. Almost all of us at RFC made it and we spent the weekend having the time of our lives. My wife, who normally humor's these things, still calls back to it fondly.

We kind of had a follow up with TFCON Charlotte in 2015, and myself and others hoped it would signal the start of regular shows in the area. But a sadly, that wasn't the case. Charticon was a one time deal that's left it's fans wanting more ever since.

I promised them a tolberone if they brought it back and forgot to bring it at TFCON Charlotte.

It might be my fault we haven't had another.