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Post by blueshift on Aug 21, 2019 11:43:22 GMT
Did you pick up a zine this year? Any publication? Stick any feedback in this thread. What bits did you like? What worked well? What would you like to see in future?
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Post by Pinwig on Aug 21, 2019 13:16:58 GMT
Will do. I've not read any yet. I like to savour these because they only drop once a year. I'll start on the zine today.
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Post by Shockprowl on Aug 21, 2019 18:27:32 GMT
I haven't had time to read the amazing-looking novel yet, but I've read through the rest several times. It's superb. I keep spotting new things, new details. The quality, and creativeness, is utterly stunning. I cannot fault it. A wealth of ideas. Mostly light-hearted, but with some quite thoughtful darker stuff in there. I can't believe it's not 'professionally' made.
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Post by The Doctor on Aug 21, 2019 19:34:52 GMT
I have not had time to read the Blueshift Trio as yet.
-Ralph
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Post by dan on Aug 24, 2019 7:40:40 GMT
Read both the Small Soldiers zine and the encyclopedia - both absolutely great fun, and a pleasure to have had some small contribution.
Just started the novel and its made me laugh a good few times so far. Loving it!
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Post by blueshift on Aug 25, 2019 17:06:22 GMT
Chap on twitter's been reviewing all the zines:
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Post by blueshift on Sept 12, 2019 17:42:26 GMT
Eey someone else read the book
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Post by blueshift on Sept 18, 2019 20:52:43 GMT
Eey positive feedback from Ed!
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Post by blueshift on Sept 21, 2019 10:35:41 GMT
Sent in the money for pre/post orders for the zine stuff to Mary's Meals. The at-show take is with Nick (had to pay what hit my bank account separately to keep HMRC happy). How much just for pre/post orders?
£663!!
Good stuff! Make sure to let me know if you want to be involved in next year's stuff that I'm working on if you've not yet.
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 21, 2019 11:08:34 GMT
Jolly good.
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 21, 2019 11:40:11 GMT
Flippin heck! That's amazing! So what was that from? Little Victories, The Micromaster Encyclopedia and the prints? Good work!
I'm happy to be involved in anything and everything I can.
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 21, 2019 17:17:48 GMT
Small Soldiers
I'm continually amazed by the care and professionalism Blueshift puts into editing the TFN zines he produces. Having edited zines myself in the past, I know what it's like to chase contributors, worry about page counts, arrange content to fit pages and find the time to get everything looking good enough to feel it's ready to let out of your own hands. That can only be made worse with a zine this size - another 42 page bumper edition hot on the heels of the truly fantastic Little Book of Masterforce. It helps that there are so many talented artists among the contributors, visually the whole package is incredibly appealing.
Every page is a highlight, but there are some really special moments in this. Blue's opening strips always very cleverly pack a big idea into a few pages, supported by superb art. They're like bricks that fill holes in the bigger wall of narratives we know and love, in this case being a pivotal moment we didn't know was essential to the UK story until it was right there. The approach is one that shows inside out knowledge of the source material, as is the case with Martin's Deleted Scenes and Karl's Universe entries. It's authoritative and reassuring, but makes you feel like it's okay to sit at the back and nod as if you really do understand every reference. When you come to pieces like Roadhandler's autobiography and the other comic strips, you can see the creativity that builds on that same deep understanding.
Zines are always at their best when the reader comes away feeling they've learned something - a strong point of last year's Masterforce effort. In this case, Gavin frames scientific theory with a clever narrative in No Idea Too Small, and the media guides are enough to give an overview of the use of Micromasters in fiction. It was among these articles that I was hoping to find a well thought out overview of the toy range - something that explained the heirarchy of figures and the way they fit together (particularly the Japanese expansion of the line). Alas, perhaps this is too big a task and would need a zine in itself. Then you have the observational pieces like Phil's reminiscences and Stuart's commentary on Bob Budianski's use of the characters, opinion that feels like a cosy pub conversation.
Of course all this is contrasted with the wealth of humorous articles the zine offers. Always funny and always showing devotion for the characters and toys, there is a wide spread of different styles and approaches here that entertains throughout.
It's another zine that I'm proud to add to my collection and keep as a memento not only of TFN 2019, but of the creativity that TMUK oozes from every pore. The fact that Blue devotes so much of his free time to make these, and then puts it out for free as part of the Toy Fu experience is amazing. All of the zines have been great snapshots of the contributors' reactions to the topic and the discussions that have led to them on the forums. They capture the mood and interest of the months preceding the con and as such are becoming essential milestones marking the history of the group.
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 21, 2019 17:20:02 GMT
Oh - and I meant to ask User3 - was there ever an A3 print of the back cover Micromaster Movie art? I keep coming back to it, it's brilliant. I'd love a big one on the wall.
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Post by blueshift on Sept 21, 2019 17:34:42 GMT
Oh - and I meant to ask User3 - was there ever an A3 print of the back cover Micromaster Movie art? I keep coming back to it, it's brilliant. I'd love a big one on the wall. We didn't do one, sorry! Did a postcard instead! |
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Post by blueshift on Sept 21, 2019 17:36:25 GMT
Flippin heck! That's amazing! So what was that from? Little Victories, The Micromaster Encyclopedia and the prints? Good work! I'm happy to be involved in anything and everything I can. Yeah, and I pre-sold the Small Soldiers zine as well, as it was for £2 or purchases over £20 at the con |
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Post by blueshift on Sept 21, 2019 17:39:27 GMT
Also thanks for the comments Pinwig!
I was back and forth on doing a toy guide piece. I ended up not as to avoid it being a big block of text and be useful it would need lots of photos which aren't great in b/w. At a point in the future I'd like to pivot the model to colour but that would cost a lot more and take a lot more work and time and I'm not quite sure we're at that point yet!
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 21, 2019 18:16:49 GMT
The more I think about that, the more I think it would need to be some kind of family tree type diagram as a large A2 poster to show how the different parts connect.
But yes, the only thing I would have loved to see other than what was there, was a bit that found a simple way to correlate all the Japanese Micromaster bases - anything really that was Micromaster scaled, but outside the two main 89/90 lines. That goes back to that question I had about whether Overlord is a Micromaster base. I'm never quite sure of the extent things went or whether stuff that may not have started out in the MM line actually works with it.
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Sept 21, 2019 18:54:40 GMT
Overlord proceeded Micromasters in Japan and was after them in Europe. Therefore he is doubly not a Micromaster base and we'll hear no more of that crazy talk.
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 21, 2019 19:00:34 GMT
But... But... He's a base. And has places little people can stand. So....
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Post by Benn on Sept 21, 2019 19:01:05 GMT
Can he connect though?
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Sept 21, 2019 19:05:41 GMT
But... But... He's a base. And has places little people can stand. So.... Are Nebulans Micromasters then? Was G1 Optimus Prime's trailer a Micromaster base? Get a grip, man. |
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 21, 2019 19:27:14 GMT
*shuffles uncertainly*
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Sept 21, 2019 19:37:19 GMT
Except... Except... While 1988's Japanese Overlord had Godmaster humans (_not_ Micromasters) as partners, 1991's European Overlord called them 'Energon mini figures' - same as the Motorvators' little partners.  Were 'Energon mini figures' humans, aliens or mini Cybertronians, i.e. Micromasters? Martin |
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Post by Bogatan on Sept 21, 2019 19:38:48 GMT
Oh - and I meant to ask User3 - was there ever an A3 print of the back cover Micromaster Movie art? I keep coming back to it, it's brilliant. I'd love a big one on the wall. Glad you liked it. Gotta admit its one of the few pieces of my own that I can enjoy without focussing on the flaws. Obviously helps that its ripping off one of my favourite pieces of Transformers art. I was working at A3 size when I did it so it could be printed that size, but some parts were left a little rough because at tiny size it didnt matter. At A3 some of it might be an issue. |
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Sept 21, 2019 20:52:04 GMT
Except... Except... While 1988's Japanese Overlord had Godmaster humans (_not_ Micromasters) as partners, 1991's European Overlord called them 'Energon mini figures' - same as the Motorvators' little partners. Were 'Energon mini figures' humans, aliens or mini Cybertronians, i.e. Micromasters? Martin No exception about it, they are not Micromasters. Has everyone on the Hub fallen on their heads today?? |
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Post by Benn on Sept 21, 2019 20:55:09 GMT
TR Overlord has ramp connectors. He might be a Micromaster base.
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 21, 2019 21:01:39 GMT
This is a good question. Are Siege Micromasters allowed to play with Titanmaster bases?
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Sept 21, 2019 21:02:27 GMT
At this rate Hubbers will have taken such leave of their senses they'll be preordering Unicron.
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Sept 21, 2019 21:02:51 GMT
This is a good question. Are Siege Micromasters allowed to play with Titanmaster bases? Ask Ralph... |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 21, 2019 21:03:27 GMT
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