Auto Assembly 2012 Third Party Product Official Statement

Transformers fandom has been buzzing the last few days with discussion about third party products and the fact that they will no longer be available for sale from some events. As with many of our friends at other conventions such as Savcon, Slagacon and Dairycon, we believe that Transformers fans should be able to make an informed choice for themselves over whether or not to purchase unofficial third party products.

We have spent the last seven months looking at our policy in relation to these and while we will still prohibit the sale of some items, we will be adopting a more open approach which we believe will be much fairer on dealers and attendees alike and provide a much more enjoyable convention and a better trading experience for everyone.

For more details, you can read our official statement here in full:-
http://www.autoassembly.org.uk/AA2012/AutoAssembly2012ThirdPartyProductsOfficialStatement.pdf

For more details on Auto Assembly 2012 which is taking place over the weekend of 3rd - 5th August 2012 in Birmingham, England or to book your tickets or find out information about booking dealers tables, visit the website at www.autoassembly.org.uk and for all the latest news on Auto Assembly Europe, visit www.autoassemblyeurope.eu

The Auto Assembly Team

Web: www.autoassembly.org.uk/ www.transformersvideogames.co.uk / www.ct-alpha.com
Auto Assembly Europe: www.autoassemblyeurope.eu
Youtube: www.youtube.com/autoassembly
Twitter: www.twitter.com/auto_assembly
Forum: http://www.autoassembly.org.uk/forum
Email: contact@autoassembly.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0)7860 948296

Auto Assembly is sponsored by

Toyz And Gamez - www.toyzandgamez.co.uk Transformers @ The Moon - www.transformertoys.co.uk TransformersAnimated.com - www.transformersanimated.com TheTransformers.net - www.thetransformers.net Titan Books - www.titanbooks.com 3 Darths Comics - www.3darthscomics.co.uk Science Fiction Collectables - www.sf-collectables.co.uk Big Bad Toy Store - www.bbts.com Xyber Toys - www.xybertoys.com

Hasbro have released the following press release covering the induction of Chris Latta and Simon Furman into the Transformers Hall of Fame

LEGENDARY VOICE ACTOR TO RECEIVE FIRST POSTHUMOUS INDUCTION INTO HASBRO’S TRANSFORMERS HALL OF FAME
Chris Latta, the Voice of Starscream, to Be Honored, Along With Prolific TRANSFORMERS Comic Writer Simon Furman and a New Crop of Robots, at Ceremony in Dallas, Texas on April 28

Pawtucket, R.I. (MARCH 9, 2012) - Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is proud to announce the induction of two legendary figures in the evolution of the iconic TRANSFORMERS franchise-comic book writer Simon Furman, and legendary voice actor Chris Latta-into the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame. Furman has written TRANSFORMERS comics on and off for almost 30 years, and has written more TRANHSFORMERS comic books than anyone else. Chris Latta voiced ten Transformers characters in the early animated series, including STARSCREAM and WHEELJACK. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1994, however his posthumous award will be accepted by his family at the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame ceremony, April 28, 2012, during BOTCON, the Official TRANSFORMERS Convention, in Dallas, Texas.

Founded in 2010 to honor those influential in creating and building the iconic TRANSFORMERS franchise, as well as actual "ROBOTS IN DISGUISE," the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame has previously honored writer Bob Budiansky, voice of Optimus Prime Peter Cullen, original TRANSFORMERS designers Yoke Hideaki and Kojin Ohno and the Director and Executive Producer of the live-action film trilogy, Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.

Simon Furman: Simon Furman is one of the most recognized and respected names in the world of TRANSFORMERS comic books. Furman began his run on TRANSFORMERS comics writing the first UK version of the TRANSFORMERS imprint. Later on, Furman took over the role of writer on the U.S. comic adaptation beginning with issue 56 and ending with issue 80, the final comic to be published in the series. In 1993 with the reintroduction of the TRANSFORMERS brand under the "Generation 2" banner, Furman was once again tapped to pen the 12 issue comic series. Nearly ten years later, Furman returned to the world of mainstream TRANSFORMERS comics as part of the "Dreamwave" writing staff. Simon Furman now writes for IDW comics, where in 2012 and by popular demand, he was asked to continue the story of the original TRANSFORMERS comics right where he had left off beginning with issue 81 of TRANSFORMERS ReGeneration One.

Chris Latta: The first TRANSFORMERS animated television series began to air in 1984, and as part of the original cast, voice actor Chris Latta helped breathe life into these animated robotic characters.
Chris Latta began his voice over career in the late 1970s. In 1983, Latta joined the cast of the G.I. JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO animated series as COBRA COMMANDER, the leader of the evil mega maniacal organization COBRA. Later, on the TRANSFORMERS series, Latta pioneered the role of STARSCREAM, a back handed and conniving character that constantly plotted to usurp his leader MEGATRON for control over the DECEPTICONS. Latta’s portrayal of both STARSCREAM and COBRA COMMANDER have made these characters two of the most iconic and widely recognized in their respective brands. Unfortunately, Chris Latta passed away in 1994; however his family will be on hand at the Hall of Fame event to accept the award on his behalf.


Hasbro will also induct four more iconic robot characters into the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame. Heroic AUTOBOT JAZZ, fan-favorite DINOBOT GRIMLOCK and evil DECEPTICON SHOCKWAVE will all be honored. In addition, TRANSFORMERS fans around the world are able to vote on TRANSFORMERS.com for a fourth robot to receive the 2012 "Fans’ Choice" honor. Fan-chosen nominees include ARCEE, MEGATRON (BEAST WARS), WHEELJACK, RODIMUS and SKY-BYTE. The winner will be revealed for the first time at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at "BOTCON" on April 28, 2012. Voting is open from now until March 21st on TRANSFORMERS.COM

First introduced in 1984 by Hasbro and Takara as a toy line, the TRANSFORMERS brand
has provided kids with hours of MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE fun with their action figures that convert from robot to vehicles and back again. Legions of boys around the world grew up creating fantastic adventures and battles set on both the planet CYBERTRON and Earth that featured the "good-guy" AUTOBOTS and the "bad-guy" DECEPTICONS. Since then, more than 7500 robots have been introduced in countless animated TV series, comic books and three live-action feature films. For further information visit the official TRANSFORMERS Facebook page at Facebook.com/Transformers.

# # #

About Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company’s world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, video games and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its customers through the strategic leveraging of well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Hub, Hasbro’s multi-platform joint venture with Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) launched on October 10, 2010. The online home of The Hub is www.hubworld.com. The Hub logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. © 2012 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Dealers who will be trading at Botcon have received an email stating that Hasbro and Fun Publications reserve the right to confiscate any and all unlicensed materials.  You'll find a copy of the announcement below.

"Promoter and its designees, including Hasbro, Inc., each reserves the right to ban or deny display of any item for any reason. Promoter and its designees, including Hasbro, Inc., each reserves the right to confiscate any items that violates these rules and regulations. Exhibitor agrees to permit such confiscation without incident and agrees that all confiscated items shall become the property of Promoter or its designee and may be turned over to the appropriate authorities. Exhibitor herby [sic] waives and all claims against the Promotor [sic] or Hasbro, Inc. with respect to any removal of person or confiscation of items."

Credit to FullMetalHero for the news.

Update:

Pete has posted a response on behalf of Botcon over on TFW2005.com

I am afraid that details will not be provided. There are SO many 3rd party items, no one is going to provide a list of what is acceptable "unlicensed" toys.

Thanks to Planet Iacon here's a first look at what appears to be Botcon 2012 Shattered Glass Generation 2 Optimus Prime. It's not confirmed whether this is the attendee 'freebie' or part of one of the add-on sets sold at the convention itself. This is a redeco of Reveal the Shield Optimus Prime using the same colour scheme as the existing Shattered Glass Optimus Prime from 2008's Botcon boxed set.

Some fans will see this as a nice node to the original set, others as a cop-out and futher indication that Fun Publications are running out of ideas for this years set.

This takes the list to.

BoxSet

• Gigatron (Overlord)
• Metal Hawk
• Soundwave - Shattered Glass
• Ultra Magnus - Shattered Glass
• Turbo Tracks - Shattered Glass
• Tredshot - Shattered Glass

Loose

• G2 Optimus Prime - Shattered Glass
• Octopunch - Shattered Glass
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

Custom Competition

• ?

BotCon have tweeted that both Simon Furman and Chris Latta will be inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame

Simon Furman is best known for writing various Transformers comics, starting with Marvel UK, he went on to Marvel US  looking after both comics.  Then with the revival of Transformers Comics with Dreamwave Simon once again started to write Transformers comics, as well as working with Titan Books to republish some of the original Marvel UK stories.  He even wrote a few stories for Titan Magazine's UK Transformers comic as well as joining IDW (meaning he has been the only writer to write for every publisher of Transformers comics).

Chris Latta is most famour for voicing Starscream in the original Transformers cartoon, as well as Cobra Commander in GI-Joe.  Chris proved to be a fan favorite, featuring in the top 3 most popular voice actors for Transformers fans, along with Frank Welker and Peter Cullan.

You can now find out image gallery from the UK Action Force / GI Joe / Transformers Convention Roll Out Roll Call 2012.

We have videos to upload for you and hope to get some more images from Barry Shaw to add to the gallery.

We'd like to apologise for the lack of coverage of Roll Out Roll Call. Out plans were to add on news live regarding the Mastermind Creations Nova Prime, Thundercracker and Skywarp figures, along with confimation that Ultra Magnus will feature in Regeneration, Bludgeon returns, the Seacons return and that "some characters will return, but not how you think of them" .. but my mobile dongle couldn't get a decent connection to the site.

Here is a very quick summary.

Mastermind Creations

• Cyclops was on show. Anyone wondering about the build quality, don't.  It's 100x better then the Night Morpher Prime toys.
• The figures for 2012 are
  • Hexitron (3 versions)
  • Screech (Hearts of Steel Starscream)
  • Warper (Hearts of Steel Skywarp)
  • Screamer  (Hearts of Steel Thundercracker)
  • Nova Prime (with trailer for small robot and combined form)

Transformers Regeneration

• Characters designed to look like you remember them, not to look exactly like they did
• Some characters have been "repaired"
• Soundwave will appear Purple in flashbacks, but Blue in "current" day
• Seacons will be in it
• Ultra Magnus will make his US debut in the "original universe"
• Bludgeon will return
• Octopunch - "some characters will return, but will have changed from how you remember them"
• Nucleon will be in it, and resolve the outstanding issues (such as Grimlock not being able to Transform).  Looking at what impact is had on characters such as Blaster etc.  (aybe he'll turn Blue into Twincast??)
• Cover for 81 features Megatron on a thrown saying "what took you?"

GI-Joe Character Book

• Features character, vehicle and some backgrond art from Season One.  Current title is "GI-Joe Field Manual Volume 1".
• More text then in the Transformers Ark Books, this contains Character Bios, information and "real life" statistics for the vehicles.
• If it sells well then they may be a volume 2 -  Jim and Bill are already compiling information on a Season 2, movie and DIC
• They'd love to do a GI-Joe Renegades book, though there is currently nothing planned

Action Force

• Dave Tree showed off unreleased Action Force toys
• Desgins and concepts of unreleased figures and vehicles were shown
• Dave confirmed he is working on a book covering the history of Action Force, and including the unreleased material

It's less than 2 and 1/2 hours until Roll Out Roll Call gets underway in Southampton in Hampshire.

There have been a few snags on setup day, and prior to the event, but everyone was in good spirits yesterday during setup.  There are around 12 dealers in attendence selling Action Force, GI Joe, Transformers, Masters of the Universe, 3rd Party goods, Thundercats, Tick and various other toylines.

Several of the domestic and international guests have already been spotted and are raring to go.

The event lasts Saturday and Sunday, starts at 10:00 today and tickets are available on the door for day passes.

Mastermind Creations will be showing off what the next 12 months will see with some exclusive reveals, the first time a UK show has a big reveal for Transformers (all be it a Third Party Company).

We'll be bringing you coverage live from the event, so stay tuned

Tomorrow is the start of Roll Out Roll Call 2012 and so we bring you a link to another exclusive item that will be available at the show.  IDW artist Robert Atkins (who will be in attendance at the show) has onced again teamed up with UK colourist Simon Gough (who'll also be at the show) to produce a limited edition Red Shadows print.  Robert posted the news on his blog and we have mirrored the final image below.

Mastermind Creations will be in attendance at this weekends Roll Out Roll Call Convention in Southampton where you will not only be able to see 2 brand new products reveals from them but also the KM-03 Cyclops which will be on display in all his massive glory!!! we can tell you this is one amazing figure so don't miss out on his only UK appearance before general sale in May.

You can still purchase your tickets for this weekends event here ROLL OUT ROLL CALL Transformers & GI-Joe 2012 UK Convention | All The Cool Stuff

The creative forces being the Ark and Allspark Almanac books, Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster, have now arrived in the UK for the Transformers / GI Joe convention Roll Out Roll Call, which takes place on Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th of March.

Joining Jim and Bill will be Larry Hama, Simon Furman, Robert Akins, Andrew Wildman, John Paul Bove, Simon Gough, James Eatock, James Kavanaugh Jr and Gary Godsoe.

As well as guests, there are various presenations including.

• Cosplay Contest, Product Showcase by Hasbro UK
• Product Showcase by Marauder Gun Runners
• Product Showcase by Mastermind Creation
• Presentation- Deconstructing Silent Interlude by Larry Hama
• Presentation- Transformers from Script to Panel by Simon Furman
• Presentation- The History of Action Force by Dave Tree
• Presentation - Leave No Man Behind - a look at unreleased Action Force toys by Dave Tree
• Custom Competition

Make sure you book your ticket as you only have three days left, or turn up on the with the hope of getting in.

Hasbro have, unsuprisingly, posted their support for Fun Publications after the recent credit card issues.  The official statement reads as follows

To the G.I. Joe and Transformers fan communities and Fun Publications customers,

Thank you for bringing your concern to our attention and for giving Hasbro the opportunity to respond to a matter that impacts its G.I. Joe and Transformers brands. Please know we take all consumer concerns very seriously and are in regular contact with Fun Publications (our licensee) about the possibility of a breach in security to their online purchasing system for the G.I. Joe and Transformers Collectors' Clubs. Fun Publications is also taking this matter very seriously and is diligently working at identifying any problems, the number of customers affected and ways to ensure it does not happen to any more customers. Hasbro wants consumers to have a positive experience at all touch points for its brands, including transactions with its licensees. As such, we are confident that Fun Publications has detailed instructions and pertinent information available for those consumers who believe they may have been targeted by credit theft via their portals.

Based on our extensive conversations with the Fun Publications team Hasbro wants to convey the following to the fan communities:

Fun Publications has assured us that they are taking necessary measures to curb additional issues, and they are working with third party experts to identify the problem. They anticipate knowing and communicating the cause of the breach as soon as possible to those affected.

-- They believe that the number of customers affected is low relative to the volume of sales transactions made.

-- However, if you believe fraudulent charges have been made to your credit card after making a purchase with any portals for the G.I. Joe or Transformers Collectors' Clubs, we urge you to contact Fun Publications immediately and provide them with the information requested at https://www.transformersclub.com/tccccinfo.cfm or GIJOECLUB.COM - The Official G.I. Joe Collectors' Club! by using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of these pages.

-- Fun Publications can also be reached at the following number for additional consumer affairs inquiries relating to the G.I. Joe and Transformers Collectors' Clubs at (817) 448-9863 during regular business hours.

-- As more information becomes available, they will be contacting all affected customers who have notified them about the issue.

Thank you again to all of the fans of our Transformers and G.I. Joe brands for their continued support and for the opportunity to respond to this matter.

Sincerely,

Joe Moscone
on behalf of Hasbro, Inc.

It is a shame Fun Pubs ignored an email from us a few years back when we pointed out flaws in their security systems which we found whilst buying items.

In case you had forgotten, we are just 5 days away from Roll Out Roll Call 2012 (the third installment of the GI-Joe / Transformers Convention, and Simon Furman has updated his blog regarding the event.

Barely have I gathered my thoughts and gear after London Super Comic Con than I’m off again. A week from now I’ll be heading to Southampton for Roll Out, Roll Call 3, the all-singing, all-dancing Transformers/G.I. Joe/Action Force event, which runs across the weekend of 10th & 11th March.

I’ll be there along with the likes of fellow Regeneration One creatives Andrew Wildman and Jean-Paul Bove, the god of G.I. Joe Larry Hama, Jim Sorenson & Bill Foster (the Allspark Almanac gurus) and many more. It promises to be a simply amazing weekend.

As well as signing/selling original scripts (largely unpublished), comics and more, all weekend, I’ll be taking part in a dedicated Q&A session (where more dirt on Regeneration One is bound to get dished) and presenting a special Transformers script-to-page presentation, featuring the art of fan favourite Nick Roche. The presentation is capped by a special gallery section featuring rare (again, often unpublished) art from the likes of EJ Su, Don Figueroa, Alex Milne and more. And in addition, there’ll be a permanent display of Transformers (and Action Force) original art from my own personal collection to enjoy.

If you can, get yourself along. It’s sure to be blast. For more details and how to order tickets, check out the All the Cool Stuff website here.

Roll Out Roll Call have issued a new press release regarding some of the panels, announcements and showcases that will be taking place at next weekends Roll Out Roll Call show.

Hasbro Europe Showcasing Products at Roll Out Roll Call Show

With just a week to go until Roll Out Roll Call, the UK Show for Transformers, G.I. Joe & Action Force, there are a few new updates for attendee's to look forward to:

Exclusives are now available for pre-order to those who have booked Weekend Ticket passes:
Exclusives | All The Cool Stuff

Episode 44 of "What's on JOE Mind?" The fancast about the world of GI Joe is now live. This week there is a lowdown on Roll Out Roll Call 2012 and also about the unproduced Action Force F-Force SWS Bombardier/ mystery Flash repaint:
Episode 44: What

Simon Furman has announced he will be presenting 'Transformers From Script To Panel": Presentation: Transformers From Script To Panel with Simon Furman | All The Cool Stuff

and following hot on the heels of Simon, Larry Hama will also be doing a special presentation deconstructing Issue 21 "Silent Interludes":
Presentation: Deconstructing "Silent Interlude" with Larry Hama | All The Cool Stuff

don't forget Mastermind Creations will be showcasing some of their forthcoming products at the show and also unveiling their next project:
Product Showcase: Mastermind Creations | All The Cool Stuff

Marauder "Gun Runners" are showcasing some of their awesome Action Figure accessories at the show and sponsoring the Reporting For Duty custom competition There are even a few promo's that will be available to Weekend Ticket Holders (including a VERY cool Megatron Gun Mode Walther P-38).
Product Showcase: Marauder "Gun Runners" | All The Cool Stuff

Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the live action Transformers & G.I.-Joe movies will be supporting the event, promoting their forthcoming The Dictator release:
Paramount Pictures | All The Cool Stuff

Lastly Hasbro Europe will be showcasing some of their 2012 Transformer product range at the show:
Product Showcase: Hasbro Europe | All The Cool Stuff

The limited exclusives for the G.I.Joe / Action Force / Transformers cross over convention, Roll Out Roll Call, are now availalbe to pre-order from AllTheCoolStuff.  Here's a copy of the announcement.

Roll Out Roll Call 3, the show dedicated to Transformers, GI-Joe & Action Force is a little over a week away.

http://www.allthecoolstuff.co.uk/ROLL-OUT-ROLL-CALL-Transformers--GI-Joe-2012-UK-Convention__c-p-0-0-182.aspx

There is so much lined up for the show, from amazing guests to presentations & panels to competitions to exclusives.

The 2012 exclusives have been revealed.
 
RORC-04 V.I.P.E.R Armour is proving to be our most anticipated show item ever. Available in 3 colours and limited to just 30 of each colour at £49.99 each.
You can check out the photo gallery here: http://www.fullmetalhero.com/content/roll-out-roll-call3-snake-armour-official-image-gallery-3082/

RORC-05 Dreadnought is an evil reworking that would sit nicely in any Transformer or GI-Joe collection. Limited to 25 at £24.99 each.

The exclusives will available to Weekend Ticket holders from 20.00GMT tonite, so if you still need to order a ticket, please make sure you book before 19.30GMT to ensure your account is active for 20.00GMT exclusives 'go-live'.

All the best,
Dave


All The Cool Stuff

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