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The BBC have an article with Gav from Toy-Fu discussing the money they have raised at TFNation and, before it, Auto Assembly within the UK. Gav was also interviewed by BBC Radio Scotland this morning on the subject. You can read the article at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnl044z0qkro. You can support Toy-Fu this coming week end at TFNation, tickets are availble now at tfnation.com
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TFNation have announced their latest guest for TFNation 2023 next August as Steve White! You can read the full press release below.
TFNation is honoured to announce that Steve White, one of the forces behind Titan UK’s Transformers Magazine, and colourist from the Marvel UK era, will be joining us in the summer of 2023!
White is an editor and colourist in his most prominent roles, and Transformers Magazine (the whole seven year run) aside, he was the colourist for the first appearance of Death’s Head back in Transformers (UK) #113-114 and several issues since.
Older readers may also know him from the 1990s Rogue Trooper series from 2000AD, and the curation of the collected volumes of paleoart, Dinosaur Art, Dinosaur Art II and Mesozoic Art(Titan Books).
Steve White will be joining us for TFNation 2023, ready to tell all about gritty post-apocalyptic futures and lush dino-utopias. Stay tuned for more details on the TFNation website -- where All Are One!
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TFNation have announced that IDW artist Jack Lawrence will be a guest at TFNation 2023 which takes place in August in Birmingham England. You can read the full announcement below.
They said it couldn’t be done, but here at TFNation we are ready to bring you all of your fan-favourite artists, guests, and people involved with Transformers! So please join us in welcoming back artist, nerd, and world-renowned excellent hugger, Jack Lawrence!
Lawrence has been behind the scenes and embedded in Transformers fandom since the early days of the UK scene. He is a staple of the IDW Publishing series, known for his work on Sins of the Wreckers and Lost Light first, then Wreckers: Tread and Circuits and War’s End later. You may also recognise his work on Sonic the Hedgehog, Skylanders, and several covers for IDW licensed series.
Jack Lawrence will be joining us for TFNation 2023, drawing bots, beasts and boys for your viewing pleasure. Stay tuned for more details on the TFNation website -- where All Are One!
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TFNation have announced the huge news that Su Blue will be their headline guest for TFNation 2023, the 3-day Transfomers convention that takes place in Birmingham England each August! You can read the full press release below.
SHORT ANNOUNCEMENT
- G1 Arcee Actor and Transformers Voice Director, Susan Blu, is coming to TFNation 2023!
- Autograph opportunity included within your regular ticket price, though demand may exceed available time.
- Optional Legend Pass available, to guarantee a signing slot, photograph and more.
- All ticket sales starting 3rd December 2022.
- Bedroom announcement to follow, with bedroom sales from early 2023.
FULL ANNOUNCEMENT
We're delighted to announce renowned voice actor and director Susan Blu will be joining us at TFNation 2023 for her first ever UK convention appearance!
Susan first became known to Transformers fans when she was cast as the forceful female Autobot, Arcee, in 1986's The Transformers: The Movie. She would continue to portray the character in seasons three and four of the original cartoon, as well as voicing numerous other characters, most notably Earth Defence Command Officer Marissa Faireborn. Susan would return to the role of Arcee after 21 years for the fan-favourite series, Transformers: Animated.
Though TFNationals will remember her most fondly as Arcee, Susan is an accomplished actor with many memorable roles under her belt, including Stormer and Lindsay Pierce from Jem, Galadria from Visionaries, Buttons from My Little Pony and Granny Smurf from The Smurfs! In the world of the Cybertronians her additional roles include Transmutate from Beast Wars and Flareup from Transformers: Animated. If you're made of sterner stuff, you can see her on screen in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood!
Acting, however, was only the start of Susan's incredibly successful career. Away from the microphone (but not too far away!) she progressed to numerous roles including Voice Director, Dialogue Director and Casting Director on well-known shows such as Extreme Ghostbusters and the 1987 and 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.
Following her time on the Sunbow produced Transformers cartoon, Susan went on to work as Voice Director on Beast Wars, Beast Machines and season one of Transformers: Prime. She also worked as Casting Director on Transformers: Animated. If you're a Transformers fan, you've almost certainly enjoyed Susan's incredible contributions over several decades.
Susan is excited to meet all of you and we know you'll give her an incredibly warm TFNation welcome!
(Please note: Susan Blu, like all guests, appears at TFNation strictly subject to professional commitments, and all advertised guest lists are subject to change without notice. All panel rooms are subject to capacity limits. Terms and Conditions of sale apply on this small world and all others, Cybertron being no exception)
“ONLY HUMAN”
We know meeting Susan Blu at TFNation is a real bucket-list item for many of our attendees, so we're thrilled to be able to bring this opportunity to you.
Susan is incredibly friendly and is excited to attend TFNation and meet as many of you as possible; however, it's important for us to manage the situation correctly as we expect Susan to be one of our most popular guests to date.
With our guest’s comfort, the attendee experience, and event logistics in mind, we've decided the best way to proceed is to provide an additional, optional offering for this special event, which we're calling The Legend Pass. You don't need to buy this for a chance of meeting Susan, but The Legend Pass will enable you to secure a guaranteed slot and some extra goodies to mark the occasion.
The Legend Pass is a new offering for TFNation, so below you'll find a full explanation; we've also written a Legend Pass FAQ and a General TFNation 2023 FAQ which will hopefully answer any questions you may have. Please read them both carefully to ensure, as Arcee might say… you understand the situation.
TFNATION 2023: THE LEGEND PASS
(Limited Edition)
Price: £75.00
This package includes;
(The Legend Pass must be purchased with the corresponding convention day ticket)
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TFNation have announced their initial schedule for the 3-day August convention in 2023. You can read the full press release below.
- TFNation 2023 tickets will be available for purchase at 12:00 Midday (GMT) on Saturday 3rd December 2022.
- TFNation has secured discount rate rooms at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel.
- Discount rate bedroom will be available for purchase at 12:00 Midday (GMT) on Saturday 4th March 2023.
Whether you're a returning TFNational, or a first-time convention-goer, we know hotel accommodation is an important part of your TFN planning. This year will be a little different to previous years, so please take a moment to read this post, which we hope will be helpful for you.
The bedroom rates offered to us slightly increase in price each year, to account for things like inflation and hotel running costs. This year the price change will be larger, partly because of price rises we are all facing, and partly to reflect the fact that TFNation's previous hotel rates were all negotiated as far back as 2018/2019.
With that in mind, the Hilton Birmingham Metropole has offered the following discounted rates to TFNation 2023 ticket holders;
£100.00 per night - Single bedroom (for single occupancy), including breakfast.
£120.00 per night - Double bedroom (for single occupancy), including breakfast.
£150.00 per night - Double or Twin bedroom (for double occupancy), including breakfast.
£170.00 per night - Family bedroom (for two adults and two children), including breakfast.
These rates are higher than those you've paid in the past - there's no sugar coating that, but we hope they will still work for many of you.
In truth, part of the reason why we delayed announcing TFNation 2023 for so long is because we've been working together with the Hilton to put together a package which we think will still work for our attendees in this new post-pandemic era for the hospitality industry. For example, most hotels and events are now moving into a world where breakfasts are paid on top of the room price; for now at least, we're pleased to confirm we've saved your bacon (and, suitably-cherished, meat-free alternatives). We appreciate costs have risen, but compared to public prices, we feel these rates still represent a good deal for TFNationals who want to stay on site.
(All prices are correct at the time of writing. All prices are quoted inclusive of VAT)
To give you a little time to plan, and to enjoy your robot-filled holidays, TFNation's discount rate bedrooms will be available for purchase at 12:00 Midday (GMT) on Saturday 4th March 2023. We will make another post closer to the time to let ticket holders know how to book their rooms.
For Traders and Forge Stall Holders (who have paid their invoices) we will email you separately with instructions for booking your bedrooms in due course, as the process is a little different for you.
You will need to pay a deposit at the time of booking, equivalent to the price of one night in your room (this will then be counted towards the full price you will need to pay, at the hotel).
The deposit will be non-refundable and non-transferable, so it's important that you only book a room if you are confident you will make the event.
You will not need to pay for the rest of your stay until you are at the hotel; if you have a credit card, you will not need to pay until check out. If you do not have a credit card, you will need to pay at check in.
On Saturday 4th March 2023 we will add a button to your TFNation.com account page, will which allow you to access the new booking portal. We'll also make another post before then, just to remind you.
It's really important that you please check your password first as you will need to log in with the same account you used to buy your TFNation 2023 tickets - if you create a new account instead, the system won't know you've bought tickets, so it won't give you access to the booking portal.
Over the years, we know many of you have decided to extend your stay at the hotel, be that to assist with your travel plans or just so you can soak up a little more of the TFN spirit. Naturally, we love this, but it is important to remember that TFNation is a three day event; this means it is fully down to the hotel's discretion as to whether or not the discount rate can be extended to other nights - in turn, that usually comes down to which events are running either side of TFNation.
Sadly not. You must first buy a ticket to qualify to use the bedroom portal, but once you're in, bedrooms are sold subject to availability.
Each year we remind our attendees that even though the Metropole is the UK's largest events hotel outside of London, there are more than twice as many TFNationals as there are bedrooms. That means even before we factor in other events and members of the public, it is sadly not possible to guarantee everybody a room.
This year in particular, with a first ever UK convention appearance for Susan Blu, we anticipate bedrooms will sell out very quickly, so we encourage you to have your plans ready as early as you can.
The Hilton computer is smart, but it's no Teletraan-1. Think of it like a game of connect four (or, more likely three, for most people). If you want a room for three nights, and ALL three nights are available, then the computer will be happy and you'll get your room. But if ANY one of those three nights is not available, you'll get an error message.
The trick is to start small. Try one day at a time. By process of elimination, you'll see which day is the culprit! Book the nights you can - remember, you've got until August to fill any gaps and rooms do free up as people change their plans.
This is unlikely - it has happened, but it's not really something we can bank on as it's dependant on how other events sell.
What does often happen, however, is people tend to cancel their bookings in the first few weeks (probably when they realise their friend has also booked a room and they can share). So keep checking back, because if somebody drops out, you might get lucky and grab that room! You can keep checking right up until the weekend of the convention.
Residents parking at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole is £12.00 per night, with an increased day rate for non-residents. Additional parking is also available at the nearby NEC and Resorts World, though we would encourage you to check the rates before you travel.
If you're not lucky enough to grab your preferred room at the Hilton, don't panic! You can still have a fantastic time visiting TFNation! The NEC area has lots of hotels within a short distance of the convention, including the new Hilton Garden Inn on the doorstep of the airport. We'll also have some alternative hotel information on our website. https://tfnation.com/location#alternatives
Pro-tip! Hotels usually reserve some rooms for public sale. So join Hilton Honors as a backup (it's free!). Just remember to check the terms of any rooms you book, as they may be different to the TFNation deal.
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TFNation have announed their initial schedule for the 3-day August convention in 2023. You can read the full press release below.
Dear TFNationals,
As we move towards this weekend's ticket sales, we've decided to give you a little further information about our August convention in the form of Phase 1 of our TFN2023 Schedule!
This initial schedule is designed to let you know all the important opening and closing times so you can plan your visit. We've also added a few cheeky panels, to give you something to look forward to! Check back regularly as more panels will be added as we move towards the convention!
Remember, tickets will be released for sale at 12:00 (GMT) on Saturday 3rd December 2022 only on TFNation.com - be sure to check your passwords in advance to avoid any disappointment! (Bedroom sales will be early next year)
Till All are One!
TFN Crew
(All TFNation Guests appear subject to professional commitments. Panels are subject to change)
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TFNation have announed that their trader tables for TFNation 2023 are now open. You can read the full press release below.
With tickets for TFNation 2023 scheduled to go on sale at 12:00 midday (GMT) on Saturday 3rd December 2022, the time has now come for us to address some of the most incredible people in our community - the TFNation Forge artists and Traders!
Forge and Trader stall applications will also open at 12:00 midday (GMT) on Saturday 3rd December 2022 - as has been the case in the past, this will be an application process, so you won't have to pay for your tables tomorrow; we will contact you later, if your application is approved, to arrange payment.
As a small business ourselves, we know all too well how difficult recent times have been for our Traders and Forge artists. We've therefore taken the decision to extend our price freeze for another year; we won't be able to do this forever, but we wanted to make an effort to show our support for you.
Trader spaces are sold in blocks. One block measures approximately 3.05m x 1.83m (10ft x 6ft) and contains three tables each typically measuring 1.8m x 0.76m (6ft x 2½ ft). Standard setup is two tables at the back and one at the front, with a walkway between, but you are free to arrange your tables as you wish within the allocated space. (The final hall layout will be confirmed at a later date).
Additional blocks come at a reduced rate and include three additional tables (per block).
Please note – unfortunately we are unable to guarantee power will be supplied to all of the tables.
*A Trader ticket includes;
- Access to the Saturday Programme (including early access for setup).
- Access to Clubcon.
- Access to the Sunday Programme.
The Trader application form will be activated tomorrow morning and will be found here.
Forge tables consist of one table typically measuring 1.52m x 0.76m (5ft x 2½ ft) priced at £150.00, inclusive of one Forge ticket**. A Forge table may be shared by up to three Forge artists (who must be pre-registered with us), however the additional artists will need to purchase the appropriate convention ticket(s) for the day(s) they wish to share your table.**
**A Forge ticket includes;
- Access to the Saturday Programme.
- Access to Clubcon.
- Access to the Sunday Programme.
Please be aware there are strict rules for Forge Tables, including;
The Forge application form will be activated tomorrow and will be found here.
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TFNation has announced that John-Paul Bove will be attending their 3 day August Transformers convention here within the UK. You can find the press release below
TFNation 2023 is on the horizon, and it would not be a UK Transformers convention without colourist, writer, and one-man-comic-machine: John-Paul Bove!
Bove has been busy with Transformers comics since the Mosaics fan project, as both writer and colourist. His colouring work can be found in the likes of IDW Publishing’s ReGeneration One, Drift – Empire of Stone, and most recently, Shattered Glass – he was also in charge of recolouring all the UK strips for the Definitive G1 Collection for Hachette as well as being one of the artists involved in creating the Royal Mail Transformers postage stamps.
John-Paul Bove will be joining us for TFNation 2023, stamping his seal of approval on all your colouring needs. Stay tuned for more details on the TFNation website -- where All Are One!
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We know that a lot of TFNation revolves around toys, too, so we hope you'll join us in welcoming to our 2020 edition someone from the design side of that story: former Hasbro designer, development and product manager, Andy Couzens!
Couzens has been involved in toy design and production since the mid 1970s, working on preschool development for Kiddy Craft. He then moved over to Milton Bradley - the earliest distributor of continental European Transformers toys - and to the new position of Senior Designer and playing a crucial part in the development of childhood staples Playskool and Robotix, whose key features he had a significant hand in designing. As of 1984, with Hasbro acquiring Milton Bradley, Couzens retained his position, and was later promoted to Group Product Manager for research and development in the unfortunately termed Boys Toys section, before becoming Category Development Head of Boys, Girls Toys and Creative Play sections for Hasbro Europe!
How does this relate to our favourite robotic friends? Couzens has been in charge of action figure and toy development for a sizable chunk of their first golden age, and has working knowledge of most of the late 80s through mid 90s in those categories, including Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Action Man. During his time on the franchise, several Japanese releases saw their release in European markets, including the likes of Overlord, the Motorvators, and the Energon figures that North American audiences knew as Powermasters - and what has come to be known as Generation 1.5 among fans and collectors.
Andy Couzens will be attending the convention all weekend, revealing what he can from old toy design lore, discussing bringing Transformers to (plastic) life, and how much the industry has changed during his time! We look forward to welcoming him and all of you to TFNation 2020. This will be Andy's first ever convention appearance.
Stay tuned for more updates!
If you want to ensure you receive all announcements, join our mailing list at https://tfnation.com.
https://tfnation.com/blog/2020/A%20Generation%20and%20a%20Half
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TFNation have announced Peter Cullen as their latest guest for TFNation 2020! Read the press release here and the FAQs here.
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Fans Hobby has announced that their first testshot of the tank half of their upcoming MB-08 Double Evil (Overlord) will be on display at TFNation 2018 which takes place next weekend in Birmingham England!
Glad to announce that MB-08 DOUBLE EVIL first Tank test shot will be shown at coming @tfnationltd on 17-19 Aug.,2018, check out details at https://t.co/kAU3UhmkAl !#fanshobby #thirdpartytransformers #doubleevil #overlord #masterforce #powermaster pic.twitter.com/ccslj4qVBU
— FANS HOBBY (@fans_hobby) 13 August 2018
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TFNation have been busy churning out the announcements to the point that we both forgot to update our own site with the latest press releases so here they all are in case you missed them.
The opening and closing times have been announced - https://tfnation.com/2018/blog/News/story/Operation:%20Opening%20Times
A list of traders has been revealed - https://tfnation.com/2018/blog/News/story/Operation:%20To%20Sell%20Toys with a follow-up here.
It was announced that a display of fan-made toys will be put on and everyone can enter! - https://tfnation.com/2018/blog/News/story/Show%20Us%20What%20You're%20Made%20Of
Cosplay Applications have been opened - https://tfnation.com/2018/blog/News/story/Operation:%20Pretenders%20Hide,%20the%20Cosplayer%20inside
Chris McFeely's Transformers The Basics TFNation Attendee Guide episode went online - https://tfnation.com/2018/blog/News/story/Chris%20McFeely%20presents:%20The%20TFNation%202018%20Attendee%20Guide
The traders in The Forge have been announced - https://tfnation.com/2018/blog/News/story/Operation:%20A%20Crafty%20Announcement
Applications to run a panel on "Fan Panel Friday" were opened - https://tfnation.com/2018/blog/News/story/Operation:%20That%20Fantastic%20Friday%20Feeling
A guest round-up was posted - https://tfnation.com/2018/blog/News/story/Operation:%20Guest%20Round-up
Merchandise pre-orders opened! - https://tfnation.com/2018/blog/News/story/Operation:%20Pre-Orders%20Now%20Open
The TFNation schedule was announced - https://tfnation.com/2018/blog/News/story/Operation:%20TFNation%202018%20Schedule
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Chris McFeely has posted his latest episode of Transformers: The Basics and it's an attendees guide to TFNation covering everything any first timer needs to know about the convention from buying tickets, booking accommodation to what's happening over the weekend itself. You can watch ti below.
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TFNation have revealed their 13th guest for their 3rd show as Lew Stringer! Lew created such Marvel UK delights as Robo-Capers and Combat Colin
TFNation 2018 takes place August 17th-19th at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole just outside of the NEC here within the UK. You can read the full press release below.
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TFNation_2018
Operation: The Funny Papers
Joining the line-up of comics guests for 2018, TFNation is pleased to announce the presence of another UK based artist – well known to fans of the original Marvel UK Transformers comics series – Lew Stringer!
Famous predominantly for his humour work, he was a stable component of the Marvel UK Transformers issues, providing a light-hearted relief to the stories in the form of two featured strips: Robo-Capers and Combat Colin (initially in the pages of Action Force, the UK incarnation of G.I. Joe, then replacing Robo-Capers in Transformers).
His very first venture onto the comics stage was Brickman, which ran from the 1970s up until 2009 in various forms. Stringer is well known in the UK for his work as an independent comics creator, but also for his work appearing in the pages of The Beano and The Dandy weekly kids’ comic magazines, alongside other licensed magazines such as Spider-Man, Epic, Lego Adventures and more. Internationally, his work has appeared in the likes of Elephantmen and Grindhouse in the US market, Herman Hedning in Sweden, and Nemi in Norway.
Thanks to his comics work as a creator, Stringer is well-versed in the history of the British comics industry and scene, and regularly offers insights, analyses, and discussions of current and past trends on his blog, Blimey! It’s Another Blog about Comics!
Lew Stringer will be attending TFNation 2018 all weekend, talking capers,silly jokes, and sketching for fans of his work, as well as discussing comics history in general!
If you want to ensure all communications are intercepted, join our mailing list at https://tfnation.com
Further transmissions to follow.
TFNation
Where All Are One
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Longtime Hasbro Transformers team member Aaron Archer has been announced as the 12th guest for TFNation 2018 which takes place August 17th-19th at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole in Birmingham England.
You can view the full press release below and purchase your tickets over at tfnation.com
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Astrotrain
Choose Your Fate
Ep 4: Angry Archer
OTFCC 2003 (USA)
US Sheet 1
Transformers Animated
