t-shirts in disguise

[Pinwig]

I was coming out of Asda a while ago and walked past a guy on the way in who had a t-shirt that just had the Cobra logo on it, which caught my attention because it was subtle enough that it didn't blast 'GI JOE!!' in your face, but to those who know it was an attention grabber that clearly signposted a hardcore long-term fan. I'm pretty sure it was this:



It occurred to me that Transformers are much more universally known, so these days wearing a shirt with an autobot logo on (as I have been known to do) doesn't mean an awful lot. It doesn't say you're a dedicated fan, and it doesn't even say you're a fan of the films because the TF logo I think is now retro chic enough that one day it'll turn up in Sainsbury's on a t-shirt like Darth Vader does already. I can see people wearing an autobrand to be 'cool' without ever having owned a toy.

So a transformers t-shirt in its generic sense doesn't say a lot about you.

I have a shirt with this on:



and love it, because it's a mash up of two things that say something about me: Transformers and Skyrim, and it needs a bit of nous to know that.

I'm getting round to a question here, honest.

So I'm thinking - what design could go on a t-shirt that says 'I'm a veteran fan of Transformers toys and media, but you won't know that from this shirt unless you're one too'?

Like all the stuff www.lastexittonowhere.com/ does, but with a Transformers theme. Does stuff like that already exist?

My first thought was that you could do a breast pocket type logo that said 'Blackrock Enterprises' over the silhouette of an exploding oil rig. Or 'Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong?' in white text on a black shirt. 

[Shockprowl]

This is a really good question. Only the other day Mrs Shockers and I were apalled when we heard the 90s referred to as 'retro'. So folkes wearing Transformers stuff to look cool without being actual fans really annoys me! I need to give the question some thought... maybe images of lesser know characters... Oh! Or or motos! "Clarity of thought before rashness of action", or "Who and what I am I hide from my enemy", and dare I say it "Logic is the Ultimate Weapon".

[Pinwig]

That is a cool idea. You could put silhouettes of the heads behind them. I'd wear a shirt that had a slight hint of the outline of Megatron's helmet head with 'Peace Through Tyranny' over it. People would think it was a band tee.

Surely this has been done already. There must be a market for something like this.

[Shockprowl]

I like the silhouette behind the moto idea!

[Bogatan]

The Skyfall tshirt for Toy Fu was pretty obscure


You have to know your actionmasters and their partners and then specifically Skyfalls tech spec profile.

But Skyfall happens to have one of the oddest profiles out there and I've had an idea bubbling away for a little while so might as well show it here.



I need to find the right can opener to make it work and get the colours right, but once I do I am totally getting this made up.

[Deleted]

I thought this t-shirt was great:
www.thinkgeek.com/product/2047/?srp=19
I'd have had one if they'd got a guy's cut. Same for the Victorian Soundwave (transforms into a gramophone).

Personally I'd love to see some logos that have been altered to hint at the interest but at a glance look like a high-street brand. Can't think of any obvious examples but...
Super Dry - Super Diaclone
Diet Coke - Decep Ticon
Universal Pictures - Unicron Pictures
Orange - Optimus
The Cheers logo (or a suitable beer) as Swerves

There's got to be better ones than that though.

Or some more clever ones based on ideas I've seen elsewhere:
Silhouette (military blu-print style) of OP's gun with '76.2mm Fully) Autobotic' underneath
iProduct-style graphics of iPod, iPad and OP's head with 'MP3 MP4 MP10'
Graphic of a dead Zoid with Grimlock's sword impaling it

That sort of thing.

[Pinwig]

Sept 10, 2014 18:22:39 GMT @sifu said:

I thought this t-shirt was great:
www.thinkgeek.com/product/2047/?srp=19
I'd have had one if they'd got a guy's cut.

That's brilliant! aww, why no bloke sizes?!

Sept 10, 2014 18:22:39 GMT @sifu said:

Or some more clever ones based on ideas I've seen elsewhere:
Silhouette (military blu-print style) of OP's gun with '76.2mm Fully) Autobotic' underneath
iProduct-style graphics of iPod, iPad and OP's head with 'MP3 MP4 MP10'
Graphic of a dead Zoid with Grimlock's sword impaling it

That sort of thing.

I would wear any of those, they're superb ideas.