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Post by ryanf on Sept 3, 2016 10:37:20 GMT
On a slight tangent (but related to cover dates), I noticed that there is a gap of 21 days between the cover dates of issues 308 (9 Feb 91) and 309 (2 Mar 91), around the time of the switch to fortnightly publication.
Was there really a three-week gap between issues? If so, why? I've always wondered about this one!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 3, 2016 12:09:22 GMT
Without checking....
I imagine 308 was the last weekly issue, released 2nd Feb and planned to go off sale a week later, 9th.
No issue on the 9th
309 out on 16th, off sale date 2nd March
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 3, 2016 23:22:08 GMT
TFUK was supposed to come out on Saturdays though a local newsagent sometimes got it on Fridays which meant a weekly cliffhanger when I got home from school each week not knowing if the mother unit had been able to get that weeks issue. An agonising wait until Saturday sometimes resulted!
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 6, 2016 9:18:53 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #78Mr Pinwig wrote 
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 6, 2016 9:22:29 GMT
Top issue. You genuinely don't know what had happened to Prime, Prowl & Op.
Did Furman know about US 24 when he wrote this? So is it prefiguring that with a Prime death fakeout like in Prey?
First appearances for (IIRC) Impactor, Xarron, Roadbuster, Scourge, Cyclonus & Galvatron.
Love that last page reveal.
Dad brought this issue home from work for me :-)
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Post by blueshift on Sept 6, 2016 9:25:45 GMT
I believe Xaaron had already appeared in the 'And there shall come a leader' annual story, but its the first for everyone else
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 6, 2016 12:00:32 GMT
I'm so old.
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 6, 2016 12:01:55 GMT
Though it occurs to me that the strapline would make more sense if Prime was prominent!
-Ralph
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Sept 6, 2016 12:08:48 GMT
I always thought it an interesting idea that Transformers (or at least their body forms) were manufactured per mission requirements (Magnus and the triple-changers later as a now required back up) as implied here.
A definite 'alien' feel to the idea.
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 13, 2016 6:12:32 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #79Target 2006: Part 1, in which Cyclonus and Scourge discover how easy it is to kill humans; Galvatron starts dropping hints about the movie future before burying Megatron under a pile of rocks; and on Cybertron, Xaaron decides to risk pulling Ultra Magnus out of Operation Volcano so the 'New Leader' can declare his fervent need to travel to Earth on his very own exciting splash page reveal. Meanwhile, Grimlock advocates throwing toys out of windows; King Nonose gets flattened by a flying robot that can't flap its arms fast enough; and hidden in the centre pages, the first half of an enormous 'New Leaders!' poster shows Ultra Magnus apparently running the 100 metre hurdles. 
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 13, 2016 10:19:58 GMT
I didn't get this issue at the time. It would be the last one I'd miss for a great number of years.
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Post by Benn on Sept 13, 2016 11:32:57 GMT
I don't remember that poster. Is there a copy anywhere?
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primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
Posts: 6,057
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Post by primenova on Sept 13, 2016 11:39:13 GMT
I remember the gap between #309 310 but not 308 309, only that it took a bit to find #308
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 13, 2016 17:54:14 GMT
I didn't get this issue at the time. It would be the last one I'd miss for a great number of years. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! What an issue to miss!!! -Ralph |
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 13, 2016 19:20:51 GMT
I don't remember that poster. Is there a copy anywhere? I can't see one online. I've taken a quick photo of mine. Left half this week, right half next:  Not one of the best they did it has to be said. Which is probably why I still have it and it hasn't been lost like some of the better ones that went on the wall. |
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 13, 2016 20:57:48 GMT
That poster stayed on my wall above my bed for a long long time. I kept it for many years in a very used state until it vanished. I wept.
Though looking at it now it looks like Magnus and Galvatron are limbo dancing.
-Ralph
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Post by Benn on Sept 13, 2016 20:59:38 GMT
It's amazing.
Magnus has a very "Whoops, sorry about shooting that" look to him!
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Sept 18, 2016 17:34:40 GMT
Some aggressive lunging from the two of them there!
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 20, 2016 6:10:48 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #80Target 2006: Part 2, in which Will Simpson draws everyone with very pointy noses; Ultra Magnus shrugs off the effects of Spanner's space bridge technology to be met with scepticism by the Earth based Autobots; the Constructicons produce an impressively large erection for Galvatron; and Jazz and Hound are caught by Cyclonus and take a pounding that ends up with Galvatron using Jazz as bait to lure the rest of the Autobots out of the Ark. Meanwhile, seven weeks after the Robo Capers special that saw the birth of Grim Grams, Grimlock finally gets to answer letters addressed to him; Recorder gets legless, literally, in Hercules; Galvatron proves he can jump just as high as Ultra Magnus on the second half of the free New Leaders poster; and on the back page the usual toy advert is replaced by important news that the British LoloBal championships are to take place in Sutton Coldfield the following weekend. 
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 20, 2016 7:15:56 GMT
30p!
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 20, 2016 12:35:52 GMT
Last week's issue:
Is that meant to be Whirl & Rodbuster at the top of the penultimate page with Xaaron & Impactor?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 20, 2016 12:39:35 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #80Target 2006: Part 2, in which Will Simpson draws everyone with very pointy noses; Ultra Magnus shrugs off the effects of Spanner's space bridge technology to be met with scepticism by the Earth based Autobots; the Constructicons produce an impressively large erection for Galvatron; and Jazz and Hound are caught by Cyclonus and take a pounding that ends up with Galvatron using Jazz as bait to lure the rest of the Autobots out of the Ark. I love me some Will Simpson art. V underrated in my book. Possibly the last issue my Father bought me home from work. And the first issue of my solid run. Loved the story, love the "Why not let Ultra Magnus take the strain" line as he transforms for the first time. Shame we don't see him carrying Hound (Does Magnus transport any Autobot cars in vehicle mode in the comics) |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 27, 2016 12:39:08 GMT
Mr Pinwig to the 30 Years Thread please!
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 27, 2016 18:15:09 GMT
Can I be allowed to post on Monday nights? - I'm out the door to work by 7am on Tuesdays and don't fire my PC up until I get in, which isn't usually until now at the earliest. Monday nights would be sooo much easier.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 27, 2016 18:17:35 GMT
I think we can allow that since it would cater to the "bought it Friday" crowd
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 27, 2016 18:18:36 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #81Target 2006: Part 3, in which a typically Furman-esque flashback plot sees Ironhide slowly unearthing Megatron in the hope his hatred for Galvatron will unite what's left of the Transformers after the Autobots are decimated by the mysterious trio from the future. Meanwhile, super soldier Ultra Magnus begins his quest to find Optimus Prime. Elsewhere in this issue's pages, a free Secret Wars sticker album comes as a bit of a let down after the recent Transformer themed posters, but this made up for with a full page New Leaders! fact file on Ultra Magnus, rewritten from the vague, film-spoiler-avoiding American version to fit the events of Target 2006. 
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 27, 2016 18:19:34 GMT
I think we can allow that since it would cater to the "bought it Friday" crowd Ta. I'll do it on Mondays just before bed, which is usually almost Tuesday anyway. |
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 27, 2016 18:29:32 GMT
The Magnus fact file is on Page 70 of Classics UK Vol 3. I think it's really important because his proper Marvel bio is very vague about him and barely even covers his armaments. It's like when that was written, his actual role in the story hadn't been thought of and then when the US comic decided to ignore the film characters he became irrelevant to them. So Presumably Furman with this version fills in the blanks and gives him a creation story which is almost as interesting as Galvatron's. I think it's pretty cool that he is the result of years of design by the Autobot elders - made to be the best warrior they have - and the dialogue between Impactor and Xaaron in the prologue to 2006 suggests he's still being built as the story starts. It's the only place that Magnus gets a proper origin.
Because the Ladybird Books intro said that he came back from the future like Galvatron did, I had a vague misconception for a long time as a kid that Magnus does that in Target 2006 and the Operation Volcano stuff was all happening in 2006. One of those things that you remember as being a truth, but actually turn out not to be.
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Post by Pinwig on Oct 3, 2016 21:52:04 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #82Target 2006: Part 4 - WRECK AND RULE, in which matters on Earth are temporarily forgotten as the Autobot special missions team demo their awesome firepower while training for Operation Volcano. Except, without centre forward Ultra Magnus to lead the squad onto the pitch, Impactor bottles it and sends them all to the pub for a premature post-match pint instead. Elsewhere, the comic provides free Secret Wars stickers for last week's album, Grimlock reveals that three robot points and a cheque for £1.99 will get you the SPECIAL TEAMS adventure cassette, and Hercules prepares himself to do battle with Galactus as the fourth and final issue of his mini-series begins in the support slot.  This is such a 'British Comic' issue. Ron Smith on art helps with the Fleetway vibe, but the whole Wreckers training bit reminds me so much of Harlem Heroes type strips from 2000AD, and to top it all they bugger off down the pub afterwards. You would never see this in the American comic at the time. It's just brilliant.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 4, 2016 19:50:23 GMT
Fabulous episode. Great to see so many characters that hadn't been used in the comic. Fine job by Ron Smith on his sole Transformers gig.
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