2021 TMUK Toy Fu fanzine - Read the Instructions & Despair

[blueshift]

Still got about 30 of this year's zines to post, but thought it worth getting started on next year's as there's a lot of ideas floating about and want to make sure nothing gets forgotten. Once more supporting Mary's Meals via Toy Fu and TMUK

Theme: Robots in Disguise 2001
Deadline: Easter 2021. This is IMPORTANT as I will literally die if I have to do everything in a big rush for another year.
Format: Full colour

Submission guidelines:
Fun and/or informative. Family friendly - there will be kids at the convention, so no articles full of swearing or violence!
If artwork, needs to be in colour by Easter. If you only want to do lineart or colour, let me know and I can match you up with someone/colour it myself!
If text, a page is around 550 words (less if with pictures)
Submissions should be 2 pages max, ask me if you want to make yours longer, always happy for exceptions!

Let me know what you want to do so I can add it to my spreadsheet and make sure we don't have any duplicates!

Fun RID ideas:
* Comparison between Car Robots and RID
* ALL Spychangers
* How the toyline was made up like a frankenstein
* Remembering obscure characters like the banana yellow prime repaint, Bruticus, flipjets, STORM JET, Obsidian, Nightcruz/Mirage GT/Scavenger, Axer vs Sideways, Jhiaxus, Megabolt AND Megabolt Megatron, Destructicons Scourge and Bludgeon, CRYOTEK, Dreadwing & Smokejumper, Air Attack Optimus Primal, that weird tiger stripe Ruination, those DINOBOTS


Currently planned:

Cover - Gav Spence
Megatron picture - James Marsh
RID Magnus toy review - Ralph
Spychanger thing - Jaymz

[The Doctor]

I did commit on zoom to doing to a feature on how my opinion of RID Magnus' toy has changed from when it came out to what it is like to experience it 20 (!) years later. Non-sweary, obviously. I'll need to get a loan of someone's toy though!

-Ralph

[Jim]

Definitely in for doing something for this! My adult collecting all started with X-Brawn, though in 2002 so not quite 20 years for me yet.

[Andy Turnbull]

I'm in.

Not sure for what yet...need to think.

[Kingoji]

In.

[The Huff]

Would love to draw a comic strip if anyone wants to write it. (RID fiction is one of my least favourite things in Transformers I'm afraid to say, so probably best to let someone else create the story itself).

[Bogatan]

Happy 30th Birthday AMTC.

[Jaymz]

Yeah, up for another short strip with Dan.

And as I mentioned to Matt earlier, I own near enough all the Gobots/Spychangers colour variants, so can sort out a photo guide. Not sure on how many pages it would take though, as there are a lot of them.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Can you think of anything where a G1 TF fan who knows nothing about RID (except for vague memories of Graham's fanfics) could make a positive contribution? Something in which the perspective of a complete RID ignoramus would be a plus point?

Martin

[Fortmax2020]

Possibly from me. I'm not overly familiar with RiD but might have an idea.

[legios]

I'm in!

What exactly am I doing? Not sure yet. But something will come to me.

Karl

[aerisnoir]

This is my thing. Seriously, I am so in if it's ok. I'm already brainstorming on possible illustration ideas, but open to prompts/suggestions.

[wadapan]

would absolutely love to get in on this one! The TFWiki Discord just finished a proper watch-through of the show so it's perfect timing. I'm happy to lend colours to anything that needs them

in terms of words, a few ideas off the top of my head:
* has anyone ever recapped every RiD episode as a haiku?
* I might have a prose/comic story in me about the Commandos, perhaps incorporating Armorhide's blue colour scheme
* a short comic strip expanding on one of the AVP RiD stories (see below)

a lot of the obscure toys mentioned above got fiction via AVP, though I think most people agree it tended not to hew that closely to the spirit of the show itself, so seeing brand-new takes would be interesting. Nonetheless, here's a list of (some) of the existing stuff, in descending order of how interesting I find them:
* Elite Guard (Storm Jet/Scavenger/Nightcruz/Mirage GT/Sideways) vs Destructicons (Jhiaxus/Thrust/Obsidian)
* "Spy Changer" continuity (Scourge vs rest)
* Axer chasing Sideways to an RiD continuity
* Dominus Trannis vs Defensor
* Walmart Dinobots vs Bludgeon/Smokejumper/Dreadwing/Scourge

if anyone's interested in any of this, hit me up and I'll give it some more thought!

EDIT: oh, actually, I just remembered that the "banana yellow Optimus Prime" has very recently surged to prominence via some of the Japanese fiction, where she's known as "Yellow Splendid Convoy"! Might be a story in there...

[R0B0_G0D]

I'd like to throw my first-time hat into the ring, if I may.

Thinking writing at this point, either factual/discussion content or possibly a short fiction piece/comic script. Art...I'll have to see. Bit rusty.

ROUGH IDEAS:

• The Theme of Teamwork (Very Special Teams!)
• Car Robots! Look, kids, only five of them are Beasts this time! (the first series to arrive after the Beast Era)
• Toys New and old freshly-repainted
• Scourge: Birth of a Monster (both in the show and in the fandom e.g. Nemesis Prime)
• "Left Laser!" or why does Shouting Out Your Attack Even Work?(Hmm, bit cynical, this...)
• Sideburn's Guide to Dating Earth Vehicles
• T'ai's Do's & Don'ts (just a title but it has...possibilities)
• Witty/Silly one-line episode reviews (very frightened of tackling a Haiku each but that IS a great idea - would be happy to contribute to that if more than a job for one person)
• Poetry Corner: what if other RiD characters wrote poetry? What would they write?

...and so on.

[EDIT: Spelling]

[blueshift]

These are some amazing ideas!

[romainr]

Hello ! I want to do a CG illustration but I can't choose between a spychanger green transparent Mirage (because it's cool) and Sky-byte disguise as Optimus (because it's funny)...

[blueshift]

Oct 2, 2020 14:00:44 GMT romainr said:

Hello ! I want to do a CG illustration but I can't choose between a spychanger green transparent Mirage (because it's cool) and Sky-byte disguise as Optimus (because it's funny)...

Both of those sound a fab idea!

[romainr]

After one week of reflection, I want to do the Mirage one !

[browny87]

can i do a page on why the predacons are the greatest faction in transformers history?

[aerisnoir]

Hi all,

Just letting you know I haven't forgotten about this. I was just busy this January . I would like to do a Build King illustration because I want to try my hand at a ruckus. Torn ground, dust, smoke, maybe a PG13 Ruination arm sticking out of the ground/visible in the dust? So am doing the groundwork for that as you can see.
I think Build King is a very cool combiner (English name is so not cool, unfortunately), and I initially wanted to do a Sideburn art but that might start to look more similar to the Grimlock piece of last years zine, and I want to avoid a mood repeat.

imgur.com/a/Bxgwvgk

Can't wait to see what we're all making! Easter falls on the 4th of April, I see, so I'll keep an eye on that.

- Aerisnoir

[blueshift]

Fab stuff!!!

[The Doctor]

I've finished my current OU module so I'll be able to get my bit done next week. Remind me what the word limit is. I have forgotten!

-Ralph

[Benn]

Struggling through mine. I should have something to show soon.

[Pinwig]

Done and dusted weeks ago!

For once I am not last...

[Benn]

Like Ralph, University and then hopefully unlike Ralph, a serious case of self doubt and imposter syndrome have stalled me.

[The Doctor]

I've started!

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

.... so you'll finish?

[The Doctor]

I hope so.

-Ralph

[Andy Turnbull]

Have almost finished my bit of art.

Quite pleased with it so far.

[Andy Turnbull]

Done.

Bit of drama when ink was spilled on a bit of the pic. No digital fixes - whiteout and then inked again.

Felt good to dust off the hunt 102 again.