Is TMUK 25 this year!

[Hero]

Not sure the exact date. TMUK could be 25 this year.

[Philip Ayres]

(moved to it's own thread)

So when do we count the anniversary?

First Fanzine published?

First meet up?

IIRC isn't there a letter published in the UK comic at some point asking for people who want to contribute? Maybe we should count the anniversary as the date of publication of that issue?

[chrisl]

Are you sure? I thought TMUK originated in 1991 towards the end of the original UK Marvel run.

TransMasters might be 25 as that was born out of the S.T.A.R.S promo thing, and after it ended members kept in contact. I'm not sure when it devolved into TMUS and TMUK, although, it is possible that there were people from the UK involved in S.T.A.R.S and then an advert was placed in Marvel UK.

I think the only people who could answer this for sure would be one of Matt Dallas, Martin M, or Andy Dornan as the only other person I know of to be around from that era (James Roberts) joined slightly later than them (I think based on an interview I read with him / hazy memories of letters exchanged in the mid 90s).

[Philip Ayres]

The letter I recall is in G2 UK issue 5, cover dated Feb 1995

tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Power_and_the_Glory#Notes

[Hero]

I was asking Sven Harvey about it earlier. I think it may be 25.

Earliest fanzine stuff I remember is from 1991. I joined in late-95

Wasn't there TMUK20 stuff going on back in 2009 as well as T25?

Even if I am wrong, I got you guys talking about it.

[chrisl]

The letter in Fleetway G2 was when the first wave of 'G2 members' like myself, Graham Thomson, George Morgan-Flatt, Sven Harvey, etc joined I think. I'm sure there was something in Darn N Blast in 1991 & the earliest TMUK meet up photos were from 1991 as well.

Paging Martin......

[Grand Moff Muffin]

I wasn't there at the start. There were Transmasters UK newsletters ("Transword") produced before I joined, by guys I never really got to know and whose names escape me - before Andy D took over the ongoing newsletter editorial role.

I think Andy was in TMUK with some other guys before Matt D, James R and I joined. I joined Transmasters (through Liane who ran the US operation) before I began corresponding with Andy in Sept. 1991 (he got my name and address off the US-compiled Transmasters members list) and Matt and James in Jan. 1992.

Martin

[chrisl]

Wow, that's actually amazed me. Thanks for clarifying Martin

It's really interesting to find out more about the origins of TMUK.

[Hero]

Wowza, Martin. Had no idea there was a newsletter before The Informer.

I've reached out to a few to find out more.

25 years is at least a good or near guess. IIRC there was a thread back in 2009 talking about TMUK being 20.

[Philip Ayres]

I've asked Matt D to drop by in case he remembers anything we've forgotton.

Inspired by this, and getting fed up of seeing it mentioned on pages James/Nick related pages without a link, I've created a TMUK page on the Transformers Wiki tfwiki.net/wiki/Transmasters_UK

If anyone can think of anything appropriate to add LMK.

[Hero]

Andy Dornan says 23.

I've also found out from Tony Buchannan that Transmasters started in 1986 after the movie. The main newsletter was first published by Dawn Reeder. Readership itself expanded in 1991 after a plug in the comic before it ended.

[The Huff]

All a bit blurry, but I joined Transmasters in 1990 after reading Lianes letter in the US comic and then John Moores letter in the UK one. John, Lianne Elliot and then Tony Buchanan were my first contacts in the club. John produced the UK Newsletter. I then wrote to another member called Adam Jones who was working on a comic fanzine for the club called 'Transcript' and I started drawing up a strip for this. I then came into contact with Andy Dornan. After this John Moore stopped replying to messages and (amid rumours of him not sending out newsletters that had been paid for) vanished from the club followed by Adam Jones. This was a little upsetting, as I felt I had got on well with Adam (he would always put a lot of work into the coloured in drawings on his letters to me etc.)
Andy Dornan suggested that we continue the club so he took over the newsletter and I took on the task of producing the club comic, using the strip I had drawn for the unproduced Transcript and using it as a starting point for what became Transtrip. The first issue was out in early 1991.

Following problems (I'm not sure what) in the US Transmasters seemed to be in limbo there so we formed Transmasters UK as a bit of a separate entity. (Lianne would be able to fill you in on what happened here, but I remember Micheal Payton started a new newsletter/magazine for the US club called 'The Overlord Magazine' which I did some work for). The US club split and Lianne formed a separate club called (on my suggestion) 'The Survivors.'

Soon after this, I met Martin M who began constructing a continuity to the TF universe (a mighty feat at the time but try doing that now!) Then Lee Pilcher, Antony Appleyard, Michelle and Rachel (Young?) joined and we had our first meet up in London.

Soon after this James Roberts joined and wrote some text stories for Transtrip and then we had the idea to do a fully text-based Fanzine and TransText was born. At this time we had two monthly fanzines (one strip/one text) and a monthly newsletter (featuring state of the art computer effects!) we had yearly meetings usually around Easter in either London or Birmingham (one of which we were attacked by a drunk. At some point, I took over the newsletter too.

Generation 2 then came and went and we started work on CG2. After a couple of issues, Fleetways title appeared and I wrote to them telling them about the club and our comic and they printed an article on it in the last issue. Then along came most of you guys!

I could continue this but I think everyone knows what happened next (someone invented the internet).

So I guess TMUK (not the Transmasters club in general) was born in 1991. If I can find that letter between me and Andy Dornan in which we decided that we should be called 'Transmasters UK' then that date could be regarded as the actual birthday.

[Philip Ayres]

Thanks Matt

Do you remember which issue of the original comic the letter was in?

So it was you that wrote the letter in the G2 comic then?

[Hero]

Thanks for the lowdown Matt.

George is still in contact with Lianne and I've asked her to ask her stuff. We have a a couple of issues of Overlord magazine somewhere. Fun read.

I remember reading about the drunk attack and the drawn re-enactment .

[Philip Ayres]

Ken sent me this:



It's the editorial from the last G2 issue

[chrisl]

Thanks for the info Matt, really interesting to find out more. It's like reading the G2 TMUK introduction leaflet again 20 years ago.

Phil, in terms of the TMUK page on the wiki, the two documents I'd base the entry on would be Matt Dallas' G2 welcome leaflet and Graham Thomson's TMUK a brief history flyer from BotCon Europe 99 - then update them as appropriate.

[Philip Ayres]

Neither of which I have. So if anyone does and can scan them....

Actually a nice cover montage of various mags over the years would be nice so if anyone's got some older ones.... and any Logo we might have used

[chrisl]

I'll have a go this evening

[Philip Ayres]

Here's the article about the meet from Tomart

[Philip Ayres]

The other thing I'd like is a nice large scan of the the Globequake cover to go on that article.

I've got a scan but it's too small

[The Huff]

I found this one - although I think it was a much later introduction flyer as it Beast Machines etc are mentioned (probably from around what I call the 'Transforce era').
Also interesting to see that Tomart article again. That Penguin custom was mine (still have it) and I think I can make out Lawrence Evans as being most prominent in that photo (with myself and Jack -then Paul-Lawrence just behind).
Will see what else I can find/dig out over the next couple of days. Have some photos somewhere...

[Philip Ayres]

So who's who?

I'm not 100% sure but I think that might be Andrew Wells in the white top with his back to the camera.

[The Huff]

I think that may be Gavin in the black top with his back to the camera (at the back). Could be wrong.

[The Huff]

Here we go - first photo from very first TMUK meet up in (I think) 1992. Andy Dornan, Martin, Lee Pilcher, Myself and Mark Henry.

[The Huff]

Here are some of the earliest newsletters I can find. I'd forgotten we all had a self created Transformer name and that John Moores was 'Blip'.

Attachments:

[Hero]

I think there's a couple more pics from the 98 Liphook meet in the Old Meetup photos thread.

I have the Nov 91 letter at the top but not sure about the others beneath it.

[Philip Ayres]

May 11, 2014 9:25:11 GMT The Huff said:

View Attachment

Here we go - first photo from very first TMUK meet up in (I think) 1992. Andy Dornan, Martin, Lee Pilcher, Myself and Mark Henry.

91/92 would be about right assuming they've just bought that AM Sideswipe in the picture. One in that condition would be worth a few pennys nowdays!

So who's the photographer?

You look about the same but Martin looks so young!

[Philip Ayres]

May 11, 2014 9:00:08 GMT Philip Ayres said:

So who's who?

I'm not 100% sure but I think that might be Andrew Wells in the white top with his back to the camera.

Here's some more photos from the same event:

tmukhub.proboards.com/post/24762/thread

And I was right: it is Andrew Wells

[chrisl]

One of my favourite ever TF images: Star Convoy Vs Super Megatron by Matt Dallas - Cover of Transtext CG2 #1.




Transtext CG2 #2 cover - Matt Dallas

Attachments:

[chrisl]

Transtext CG2 #3 cover by James Opalka