Transformers Event News on Seibertron.com

New Images of Upcoming Japanese Releases from Tokyo Anime Fair!

Date: Thursday, March 19th 2009 5:59pm CDT
Categories: Toy News, Event News
Posted by: Nekoman | Credit(s): CyberGundam

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The CyberGundam blog has posted images straight from the Tokyo Anime Fair, which was today. Takara Tomy showcased a good deal of upcoming product there, from Henkei to Masterpiece to even Chorno Label! To view all the images, please click here.

Gregg Berger to attend Auto Assembly 2009

Date: Friday, February 13th 2009 8:46pm CST
Categories: Event News, People News
Posted by: First Gen | Credit(s): Simon Plumbe

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The gentlemen over at Auto Assembly have sent out another press release about the upcoming Transformers convention to be held in the UK. G1 fans rejoice! Gregg Berger has just been announced as an attending guest for the event. Here's the info:

Gregg Berger To Attend Auto Assembly 2009!!


After weeks of speculation, Europe's largest Transformers convention Auto Assembly 2009, is proud to announce it's second voice actor for it's convention taking place over the weekend of 15th-16th August 2009...



Joining our first voice actor, Ian James Corlett (the voice of Cheetor from Beast Wars and Beast Machines) will ne none other than Gregg Berger, the voice of Grimlock and Skyfire and a host of other characters from G1!! Fans have been asking us for several years to bring Gregg over to the UK to appear at an Auto Assembly convention and we are excited to be able to make this a reality in the 25th Anniversary year of Transformers!



Gregg will be actively involved with the convention all weekend and for those of you who aren't sure about whether to book for the weekend or wait until we release single day tickets, when you find out what Gregg will be doing, you won't want to miss out on the full weekend! As well as signing autographs for fans all weekend, Gregg will be taking to the stage for a talk/Q&A session on one of the days (the exact day to be confirmed), he will be joining Ian James Corlett and comic artist Simon Williams on stage on Saturday evening for the live script reading which is being written by Simon Furman (and the evening programme is exclusive for weekend attendees), and he will be involved in another part of the main programme item during the weekend which will be on the DIFFERENT day to his talk/Q&A session so to see everything Gregg will be doing, you need to be there all weekend!



As is the standard policy for Auto Assembly, Gregg will NOT be charging for autographs but he will be bringing along a selection of items for sale including photos, CDs and DVDs which you can get signed but please feel free to have any of your own items autographed freely... including the Auto Assembly 2009 convention exclusive Grimlock postcard being illustrated by Andrew Wildman!



With a staggering 13 guests, there have never been a better time for you to attend Auto Assembly if you have never been before! Auto Assembly will be a packed weekend running from around 10:00 am until about 6:00 pm each day with a bonus programme on Saturday evening until 1:00 am and a small bonus programme on Friday evening, both for weekend attendees only.



In terms of activities, this will be the biggest and best Auto Assembly yet with dealers tables, guest talks (13 guests so far with at least two different panels each day, splitting our guest talks so no guest will talk more than once over the weekend), live script reading featuring Ian James Corlett and Gregg Berger, autograph sessions, artist sketches, artist workshops, comic colourist workshops, toy displays, art displays, charity auction, charity raffle, fan displays, quiz, video screenings, art, fiction and costume competitions, games area, a party and disco running until 1:00 am on Sunday, a possible cinema screening of Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen and much more besides...



The convention will be taking place right in the heart of Birmingham city centre in England at the Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre, Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham. There is fantastic public transport access from every part of the UK and for those of you travelling from outside of the UK, Birmingham International Airport is just 10 minutes away by train!



For full details and online booking, visit the website NOW at http://www.autoassembly.org.uk

Anyway, we hope to see many of you there for what we hope will be Europe's biggest ever Transformers convention!



Simon and Sven
Auto Assembly

http://www.autoassembly.org.uk

IDW Panel at Comic-Con 08 Announced

Date: Wednesday, June 18th 2008 5:46pm CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Event News, People News
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Chris Ryall

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IDW Publishing's Editor in Chief Chris Ryall has updated his blog with a snippet of information about an IDW themed panel that will be part of at the upcoming 2008 Comic-Con to be held in San Francisco from July 24-27.

While Ryall himself will not be taking part, Transformers editor Denton Tipton will host an all-star panel including:
- "All Hail Megatron" Writer Shane McCarthy
- "Reign of Starscream" Writer Chris Mowry
- "Transformers: Animated" Writer Marty Isenberg
- Artist Marcelo Matere (Spotlight: Grimlock, TF: Animated)
- Artist Alex Milne (Spotlight: Arcee, Reign of Starscream)

The Panel is scheduled for Friday 25th of July from 4:00-5:00pm in Room 2.

Ryall states that we should expect:
Advance art, surprise announcements and pints of Energon all around!

To check out the full blog update, please click here.

Alex Milne To Attend TFCon Toronto

Date: Monday, May 26th 2008 3:40pm CDT
Categories: Event News, People News
Posted by: Tigertrack | Credit(s): TFcon

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June 21st the Transformers take over Toronto, and Alex Milne joins the fun.

Much like his Botcon appearance, Alex will be located in the dealer room, doing artwork, signing autographs, selling prints, and chatting it up with the fans. Some of his detailed artwork for IDW has been among the fan's favorites including Megatron Origins, and the new Reign of Starscream.

And as reported earlier, Gregg Berger of G1 Grimlock, and jetfire voice fame will also be a in attendance.

You can see the TFcon Toronto 2008 website here.

New Shattered Glass Galleries: Grimlock and Rodimus!

Date: Thursday, May 22nd 2008 10:46pm CDT
Categories: Site News, Toy News, Event News
Posted by: Nekoman

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Thought the fun from Botcon 08 was over? Apparently not, Seibertron updates the Toy Gallery section once again with three new galleries! To view each, click on one of the links below.

Rodimus
Grimlock

And don't forget to check out the Japanese exclusive Galvatron General from Takara's Superlink series.

TFCON Announces Gregg Berger to attend

Date: Tuesday, May 20th 2008 8:05pm CDT
Categories: Event News, People News
Posted by: First Gen | Credit(s): TFCon

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TFCon has sent out an update regarding the upcoming convention. Gregg Berger has been announced as an attending guest for the convention.

From an email notification from TFCon:

TFcon is pleased to announce Gregg Berger, the voices of Grimlock, Skyfire, Long Haul, Outback and TORQ III in Transformers Generation 1 will join us at TFcon 2008. At TFcon Toronto, in his first Canadian convention appearance, Gregg Berger will be participating in a live script reading with fans, a question and answer panel, and an autograph and photograph session.

TFcon Toronto is being held June 21st, with Pre-registration closing May 31st. Other features include the Hasbro Canada Transformers New Product Preview and Question and Answer panel and Canada's Largest Dealer Room for Transformers Merchandise.



For more information on the event go to TFCon.com.

Botcon Transformers Collectors Club Panel

Date: Saturday, April 26th 2008 4:22pm CDT
Category: Event News
Posted by: Air Commander Starscream

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Transformers Collectors Club Panel
Year 4 Magazine and Comic

This is some of the information given during the TCC Panel.


Going to be even more like a magazine.

Covers, interviews, Hasbro previews, mini mayhem, lil formers, fan Spotlight and Transcendent storyline.

They stress the importance of putting forth your fanwork to them. This is a way to get your stuff out there, Hasbro and others do see this.

Transtech. Wanted to get outside of the norm. Wanted to bring it to life as the toys will probably never be released. Story is much more political. Political conflict instead of martial conflict.

3 stories for Transtech. Focus on Outworlders.

Gone Too Far- starring Jackpot and Hubcap.
Withered Hope – The Gobots have return!
I, Lowtech – Nick Roche doing art! Nuff said

Online Features:
Profiles, mini mayhem, max cops, contest and Me, Grimlock!

Shattered Glass:
Fall 2008 3 pose fiction stories.

Dungeons and Dinobots!

Maybe Exclusives?

Nightbeat comic is currently in limbo. The figure will be packaged with the comic
Issue #22 will have a 2 page profile on the Nightbeat story.

BotCon 2008 Report - Targetmaster Cyclonus, 25th line & more

Date: Saturday, April 26th 2008 1:02pm CDT
Categories: Site News, Toy News, Event News
Posted by: Seibertron

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Hasbro announced a slew of goodies for all of us Transformers fans. If you have some questions, please ask in this thread and I'll do my best to answer the questions with what I heard.

TRANSFORMERS MOVIE
Over $700 million box office worldwide
#1 DVD in the USA in 2007


TRANSFORMERS TOY LINE
#1 action figure toy brand (npd data)
Movie Deluxe - action toy of the year
#1 fans


TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED
2008 Product Update
Toy Launch - June 22nd
Deluxe Sentinel Prime - Sept 08 street date
Deluxe Swoop
Deluxe Elite Guard Bumblebee - Sept 08 street date (going to be doing more themed repaints due to the equity that they have in some of the main characters)
Leader Class Ultra Magnus - Sept 08 (HUGE round of applause)


TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE
Deluxe Ironhide (turns into a red SUV) looks so much better than Botcon version) has a license plate that says Oregon on it)
Deluxe Sideswipe (had wrong head in photo which was a black Sunstreaker head) - August 2008
Ultra Class Silverbolt - everyone laughed that they had his name wrong as "Sliverbolt", 1/2 was through transformation has transformation sound, other sound effects in robot mode such as gun firing
Ultra Storm Cloud - repaint of Powerglide (Numbers on jet say "MM-88" ... guess what that stands for? Basically an updated color scheme for Micromaster Storm Cloud)
Deluxe Hound with Ravage (new mold ... Hound transforms into a green jeep like vehicle, Ravage transforms into a cassette who will fit in Soundwave and also attaches to Hound, Ravage does not have weapons, hound's cannon will fit on shoulder or in hand)
Deluxe Cyclonus w/ Nightstick Targetmaster (new mold) ... looks frikkin' badass! Attaches to vehicle mode or in his hand, also "plugs" into his hand like the Japanese Headmasters series
Deluxe Cheetor (looks pretty cool, new mold, tail is his weapon, no spots on tail due to the type of plastic, will have two throwing star weapons like animated Prowl, little switch on back of cheetah mode that opens jaw and switches eyes from blue to green)


TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE LEGENDS (NEW MOLDS!!!)
Tank Megatron (looks similar to G2 version, realistic dark green)
Jazz
Brawn (looks awesome!)
Beachcomber (looks awesome!)


ROBOT HEROES
Kickback vs. Ironhide
BW Megatron vs BW Silverbolt
Thrust vs Blaster
BM Cheetor vs BM Tankor
RID Optimus Prime vs RID Megatron


2008 EXCLUSIVES
Nemesis Prime (Japanese version will have red windows) (Comic-Con / HTS exclusive)
6" War Within Skywarp (Comic-Con / HTS exclusive)
Breakaway (Cybertron Hot Shot repaint) - Walmart
Fracture (Classics Mirage repaint) - Walmart
Crankcase (Cybertron Red Alert repaint) - Walmart
Mini-Con 12 pack (Kmart)
WW Prowl and WW Grimlock as TRU exclusives (Sept 2008) - have no plans to release Cosmos, Arcee, WW Bumblebee/Cliffjumper or Shockwave. Too expensive to tool up for these molds and they're not profitable enough.


UNIVERSE COMIC 2 PACKS
Target exclusives - include a Voyager and a Deluxe
Deluxe Roadbuster versus Voyager Dirge (Cybertron Hot Shot II repaint / Cybertron Starscream repaint)
Deluxe Ratbat versus Voyager Springer (Cybertron Evac repaint vs Cybertron Sideways repaint)


25 YEARS (1984 - 2009) SNEAK PEEK
Continue with Animated (might show some more stuff tomorrow)
Reissue of Optimus Prime with silver roller (launch November 2008) with reprint of Comic and digitally remastered DVD of More Than Meets The Eye), autobot logo sound box (like GiJoe sound boxes) with some of Peter Cullen's quotes
Flip open packaging looks awesome for 25th Anniversary Optimus Prime
25th Anniversary line will be celebrating all years of Transformers (showed logos for all series from Beast Machines to G2)


(Gearing up for 25th anniversary)

Put out an official G1 Counterfeit toys statement

Here are some off the answers given to the questions Fans asked.


Gestalts – Very hard to design and produce, not for a typical series. There will be a return for Gestalts when the time is right. MAYBE 25th Anni but they don’t want to make any promises. Definitely not the end of them though.

Robot Heroes. Our very own Fender Bender asked the question if the Transformer Robot Heroes would get “more love” like the Star Wars and Marvek guys are. Hasbro said there will be “more love” like possible bigger sizes.

Hasbro wants the new Universe line to expand, so more classics can be made. It will have to take a back seat when TF2 comes out since that will be upfront, along with the continuation of Animated. But the series will return.

TF G.I.Joe. This issue is talked about every year. It is a possibility but the time isn’t right, there is no business sense in bringing the 2 together when both lines are standing strong by themselves. Could be in the future, but not time yet.

Botcon 2008 brochure up! Registration soon to follow

Date: Friday, January 25th 2008 6:23pm CST
Categories: Toy News, Event News
Posted by: Bed Bugs | Credit(s): Botcon.com

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Botcon.com has been updated and now has the Botcon 2008 available for viewing.

Some of the highlights of the brochure are as follows:

Convention box set - Shattered Glass, featuring:
Evil Autobots:
Optimus Prime
Grimlock
Jazz
Goldbug
Heroic Decepticons:
Starscream
Minicon Razorclaw

Primus package price is $285.00 for club members.

There will be 200 bagged souvenir sets available for $189.00 a piece.

Tour information:
Cincinnati Fun Tour (Laser Tag, Beer and Food tasting, Toy Mall), priced at $85.00 per person

National Museum of the US Air Force (Museum tour and IMAX movie ticket) $45.00 per person

New Convention Events:
Transformers Fan Film Extravaganza - Fan's submit their own films for our viewing pleasure

Transformers Molding and Casting - New custom class taught by professional prop maker, Patrick Kelly. Class is $115.00

To view the rest of the brochure, click here.

On the (Dutch) Red Carpet Transformers Premiere

Date: Saturday, July 7th 2007 9:36am CDT
Categories: Movie Related News, Event News, Site Articles
Posted by: Raymond T.

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The following is my, Raymond T.'s, account of June 25th, when I was invited to attend the dutch red carpet premiere of the Transformers Movie.

June 25th I was invited to the Dutch red carpet premiere to the Transformers movie. This is my account of that day. I will try my best not to give away any spoilers.

I was not alone for the premiere of the movie I had waited the longest time for. Me and a couple of my friends were there by invitation of Hasbro themselves. Earlier this month, on June 10th, me and four of my buddies put together a Transformers convention in IJsselstein, The Netherlands called Transformations. We worked closely together with Hasbro, to try and make this the best convention to date. I am proud to say that we did just that. Our target was set at 80 people, and predicted that there would be about 130 to 150 people attending. Not counting ourselves, the crew or people we had as our guests, we had 216 visitors! And beyond expectation most of the people decided to stay until the end.

As thank you for making this Transformers convention (for Dutch standards) a huge hit, the Transformations Team (consisting of Jasper, Hans, Godert (www.trypticon.nl), Rein and myself) was invited to be part of the official glamour premiere of Michael Bay's Transformers movie. The movie which we had fully tried to promote at our convention, where we had posters, flyers, standees and the trailer showing. In addition to the invite, Jasper was asked to be part of a small item about the Transformers movie for a Dutch TV news program called '4 in het land', where he showed his collection and was filmed to walk over the, rather short, red carpet, with Godert.

The day which I had been waiting for since the first teaser one year ago. The day that I had been waiting for since first reporting the rumor and later confirming the report of the production of the movie, right here on www.Seibertron.com/news. And waiting for the day, since first joining the Don Murphy board (and being one of the first to register on the now popular message board) back in June of 2003. The day I had been dreaming of ever since I first saw Optimus Prime plummet towards Earth in the final part of the pilot three-parter back in the mid 80's. The Day was finally here, on June 25th 2007, in my hometown of Amsterdam.

But there seemed to be a little snag for me. I only got the invite two days in advance, and I was told to be there at 19:00, but I work until 20:00! Since I couldn't contact my boss, I would have to ask permission from the people I work with on the day. And wouldn't you know it. Of any day that things could go wrong, this was the day that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. But after a short discussion, I was allowed to leave work earlier. The ATM at the library refused to make contact and completely broke down not much later. Internet failed. Paperwork seemed to stack up. And of course every Jack and Jill blew up that they couldn't use the facilities. One would try to pick fights, while the other would get upset with you because you can not be bribed. (If the internet is out, it will stay out no matter how much dough you want to put down.). But as hectic the day seemed to be and how violent some people seem to react, I was all smiles! I think I've never looked as much on my watch as during my work hours that day.

FINALLY! After seeing the minutes pass for the last couple of hours, it was finally time to get rid of Raymond the surveillance officer (yes at the library), and hello Raymond T. Transformers TransFanatic! Gone was my ponytail and bland blue shirt, and down came my hair and illuminous Decepticon T-shirt. Heart pumping, thoughts racing, the last countdown was about to start. As fast as the train could take my to my waiting friends, I tried my hardest to stay calm and not bug everyone in the cart with me with the glowing Decepticon logo on my chest.


Finally, I was at Pathe Arena. My personal grieve with the complex I was forced to set aside. The complex is one of two may be three places in Amsterdam you can have a glamour premiere, but this one has always been my least favorite. The building is all glass, its cold in its design,... To me as a movies fan the place really doesn't speak to me. Outside there is a square with a few shops and nothing else. Across from it is a concrete block of a flat building. And half of the surrounding are still under construction. It is big and spacious, but it’s also cold and empty. Not really my choice of locations for what I think could be the event of the year.


But as I enter the building, I am greeted with the familiar posters and other promotional works for the Transformers movie. I'm walking into the building with my Decepticon logo blinking, so needless to say that my friends quickly found me. The PR woman soon comes and greets us to explain what will be happening. The camera crew is already there for Jasper to see him take the big steps towards the screening room where the flickers on the screen will spark our imaginations and will silence the doubts we may have. We are directed to the outside to the very short red carpet. There two young ladies are walking up and down the path with the Optimus Prime voice changer helmets on. Chalk versions...


Jasper and the news crew do their thing, and I see him and Godert walk towards the end of the carpet and past the big poster construction of the movie. The crew flicks off the recording and are done for now. My cue to walk over the red carpet. It can't be more then 8 or 10 meters, so it doesn't really feel real. As a fan of movie (and if possible making movies). Something simple as "walking over the red carpet" means something for me. But it doesn't quite cut it when it’s litterly over in only a few steps. But with no complaints, I walk through the door to the inside of the complex. There we are greeted by two more Optimus Prime ladies, and are asked to follow a representative to the theater.


I quickly becomes clear that for the screening two theaters have been reserved. The big one, and a smaller one. On one hand you are sad to learn that you are not in the big screen room, where all the Dutch celebs will be seated. Having worked for TV shows in the past there were a few celebrities I knew from the past and haven't seen in a while, who I know that know me. So it would have been fun to see the movie with them and maybe catch up a bit. On the other hand, I have been told that people often keep talking during the movie at the screenings of premieres. Most celebs are really there to show their faces for the photographers and show the world that they still live. And often it is these types of things that some ever get to see each other again. So with that in mind I was glad to be at the smaller screening.


After the Optimus Prime ladies introduced the movie and wished us much viewing pleasure, silence was set. The lights dimmed. I could swear I could hear the hearts pounding of my friends next to me. The familiar voice of Optimus Prime booms through the darkened room. Then there it finally is, TRANSFORMERS! No build up to a story. You're swept into it from the very start. The suspense is building with what I know has to be Blackout. As the story starts to play out, I know this is what I have been waiting for after four years of posting on the Don Murphy board and posting all the updates in the news for that same amount of time. The first battle between the humans and this previously unknown Decepticon Transformer starts. And I already know it has been worth the wait, especially after realizing that the movie has not even been playing 15 minutes!


Yes. At points there are moments that the fanboy in me wants to speak up while watching the movie. Since when is Sparkplug named Ron, when we know his first name is William!? Optimus Prime would never say that! "He leaked his Lubricant!" LOL! But I am not just a fan of those robots in disguise. I am a fan of movies too. And for the first time, the two came together in an almost perfect blend. Rather then one long story that drags on and on, movie appears more like it is cut up and then strung together, which does give a nice fast pace to the movie. The story is not as worked out as I had hoped, but the visuals more than make up for that. Although sector seven is as hokey as its internet version, most of the rest of the movie just runs smoothly from beginning to end. There is a good balance between the serious and the less serious. As a fan of movies, I was completely entertained. One of the guys there went into the movie saying. "I am sure this is just a big budget poor man's Go-Bots movie. But I am here with friends, so who cares?" After the movie, the same guy was saying that this movie was definitely in his top 10 list of his all-time favorite movies". I had high hopes for the movie, and those hopes were definitely met.


When the movie ended and the credits rolled, people started to applaud! I've been to many movies, but it is not too often people applaud the screen after it is over! The little group we were discussed the movie as the credits rolled on, until military men dressed like certain scenes in the movie, came to collect us and lead us to the after party that was held across from the complex. There we had the chance to mingle with other people who saw the movie as well as some of the (Dutch) celebrities that had remained. I talked with some of the other fans, and overall everyone seemed to have enjoyed the movie a lot. The party lasted until midnight, and then the reality set in that the day was now really over.


It is still hard to believe that it was three years ago that I was in a heated chat with Don Murphy himself on his board why I think the Dinobots, or at least Grimlock, should have been in this movie. I still have not changed my mind. But I have always been in support for this movie, and the end result of it makes me proud that I was. Yes, we could go on and on about the designs, but for this movie it does work. And that I never doubted. Thank you for the experience to all involved in making this movie, from Michael Bay, Steven Spielberg, Tom DeSanto and Don Murphy, to the writers, to the designers, to the clean up crew... Everyone, for making this happen. Thanks for The Energon Pub on Seibertron.com and the DM Board for keeping the movie alive for the last four years. And thanks to Hasbro for giving a handful of fans the chance to experience something great as being something amazing!


Next stop TRANSFORMERS II: The Call Of Destiny!