There were a lot of discussions about this after the Auto Assembly 2011 to see what we could do to get the 3rd Party toys back at Auto Assembly.  Well here's the official word.

For the last few years we have had an official policy here at Auto Assembly regarding the sale of unofficial and third party products at the convention. We know that many of our dealers do stock a wide range of third party produced toys and toy upgrades, and a growing number of fans do collect these alternatives to Hasbro and Takara Tomy produced products so there is a genuine demand for them at Auto Assembly.

Since Auto Assembly 2011, we have been looking at this carefully and we are going to be revising this policy extensively for Auto Assembly 2012 and we hope to be announcing details this week of a new policy which we believe will be much fairer to dealers and attendees alike, ensuring that a much wider range of third party products will be on sale at Auto Assembly 2012. There will still be some products that will be on our “banned” list which are in direct breach of Hasbro or Takara Tomy’s trademarks / copyrights, but we are convinced that everyone will be happy with what we will be announcing!

Don’t forget, Dealer Table bookings are open now for Auto Assembly 2012 and with table prices at our lowest rate for years and with cheaper hotel rates than ever before, there’s never been a better time to come along and trade at Auto Assembly!

After much anticipation, we can proudly announce that tickets for Auto Assembly Europe 2011 are about to go on sale in the next 24 hours through the Auto Assembly Europe website. Tickets will cost €45 for the full weekend for adults, €30 for youths, with single days tickets costing €25. Children under 12 are free and dealers tables are available for the bargain price of just €50 each!

Our first guest this year is man-of-the-moment Simon Furman and with hopefully more guests to be announced, this is set to be a great event!

The official Botcon Twitter has been busy, sending out tweat after tweat on the 2012 set. The short version is that the mockups for the set are done and looking very good in the opinion of Fun Publications, that three of the toys in the set are seeing their first updates ever, and that for two, they have drawn on the "distant" past.

 Two things we confirmed, it's not Transformers Animated themed, and it's not Trailbreaker, Gears or Brawn.

The distant pastfits in with the rumour we had been told regarding the set.  A rumour we think is cool and will be very popular to a small select group, though we are not sure how the larger community would feel.

Below are their tweets

Oh, no, as SOON as we get everything finalized with the PTB and locked up we will announce.

NOBODY wants the locale and date announced more than us. We are working on it every day... LOTS of factors involved.

Read on to view the original text of all the tweats involved!

The 2012 BotCon Convention Set mock ups are done, and they are absolutely amazing! We have went all out...

And if you are an 80's fan, one character will be the MUST HAVE Transformer of the year!

Start saving... Attending or not, as a whole, this may be the best set we have ever done. Def in top 3 based on concept/mock ups

@mrlumptastic Top 3? 2006, 2011 and 2012... Other sets had good unique pieces, but maybe one feel flat here or there.

@mrlumptastic Really don't think there is a bad piece in the 2012 set. Every one of them would make a great stand alone piece.

Now for the hint(s)... Three are seeing their first updates ever, and what an update(s) it is!

For two of them, we have drawn upon the "distant" past... what that means will be known soon enough!

@GeneralTekno We are not doing TFA for 2012...

Trailbreaker, Gears and Brawn...

are NOT being done by us.

They need the good ol' Hasbro Classics treatment first and foremost... We'll take care of some of the other, equally awesome characters!

Thanks to Simon Furman for dropping by to let us know some more information on Nor-Con

Writer Simon Furman [Transformers #81 et al] and artist Barry Kitson [Wrath of Grimlock/Guardian, Icarus Theory, Dinobot Hunt] will be among the guests (including virtually the entire main cast of Red Dwarf) at Nor-Con, the Norwich Sci-Fi Convention, this coming Sunday (Sept 11th).

Simon will be bringing scripts, comics and more for sale/signature. The event is being held at the University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, from 10AM to 5PM.

For more details, check out their website: http://www.nor-con.co.uk/

Savcon, the Transformers convention that takes place in Savannah, Georgia has annouced their second guest, Lee Tockar.  Mr Tockar was the voice of Beast Wars Ravage and wil join Gregg Berger on the 23rd and 24th of June 2012.

Simon Plumbe has updated the Auto Assembly website with the announce of what has tentatively been dubbed as the "W.A.G Pass".  This pass allows you to get a discounted ticket for your significant other into Auto Assembly 2012.

"What we are going to be adding shortly is a cut-down pass intended for partners. This will still give you full access to the convention including all parts of the programme for the weekend, but it will not get you one of the Auto Assembly 2012 goodie bags or entry into any of our pre-convention prize draws. Our 2012 Goodie Bag is going to be our best ever and will include a copy of Issue 13 of The Cybertronian Times, an IDW exclusive comic, an original Auto Assembly comic, at least four convention exclusive postcards and many more gifts so there are a lot of great items that will not be included which – in previous years – would have had a selling price in excess of £10." Simon explains before going on to state that  "This new cut-down pass will only be available in limited quantities and MUST be purchased at the same time as a normal adult weekend pass or as an add-on to an existing adult ticket. They are only valid for the full weekend and are likely to be priced at £37.50 each, saving £7.50. Combining this with our fantastic room rate of £60 per night for a double room at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, what better way to introduce your partner to the wonders of Auto Assembly".

I have uploaded the photographs that we took whilst at Auto Assembly 2011 here in the UK.  The convention took place last week end in Birmingham and was another outstanding success.

We'd once again like to thank everyone who attended the event from the guests, the dealers, the volunteers, the committee, the hotel staff and, of course, Simon and Trish for all their work throughout the year

First of all I would like to say thank you to everyone who attended Auto Assembly in one capacity or another.  Everyone worked their butts off from the committee, the volunteers, the dealers and their helpers to try to make the show as smooth as possible despite the problems that were faced.  The guests were once again warm and welcoming and once again went out of their way to entertain everyone.  Finally everyone who attended the convention needs to be thanked.  There were a lot of first-timers this year and the general consensus was overwhelmingly positive.

During Auto Assembly it was announced that David Kaye is voicing a role in Transformers Prime, but it was also hinted, during his promo video, that David Sobolov, voice of Beast Wars Depth Charge, may also have a role in the current Transformers show.

Are you in the UK? Are you attending Auto Assembly 2011?  That's right, Auto Assembly 2011 kicks officially kicks off today in Birmingham and if you haven't already purchased your ticket(s) to the event do not worry, you can buy them on the door tomorrow.

With over a dozen guests ranging from voice actors to cartoon episode writers, comics writers and comic artist there will be someone there for you.  The event will also have plenty of dealers so you can pick up some Transformers figures form which ever line(s) interest you and hang out with fellow fans of the Transformers line.

If you do attend, don't forget to drop by the toy display where Transformers At The Moon will be running a display this year based around the Japanese Beast Wars figures.

Simon Plumbe has sent out another press release regarding Auto Assembly 2011 and the possible effects that the recent disturbances in Birmingham may have on transport to and from the hotel

Birmingham Update Press Release

Auto Assembly has sent out the following annoucement

Hi everyone,

In light of the recent, saddening news coming from various cities around the UK, the Auto Assembly Committee has been flooded with questions, as you might imagine. Our response has been purposefully delayed and carefully considered - we are sure you will understand that we are faced with a unique situation and we wanted to take the opportunity to consider every possible eventuality.

To anybody who doesn’t know, there have been reports of isolated pockets of civil unrest in Birmingham. West Midlands Police have confirmed they will have a very large Police presence on the streets tonight to ensure that they continue to calm the situation. Like everybody in the UK right now, we are thankful for the great job that the Officers are doing at present in such difficult circumstances.

Nevertheless, we are pleased to announce that as things stand, Auto Assembly 2011 will go ahead as planned... and friends...it is going to rock! As the song goes, “Nothing’s gonna stand in our way, not tonight!”

Now, we are keeping a constant eye on the news and on official Police press releases so, if this situation changes we promise we will make an announcement the second we find out. But rest assured, we have no intentions whatsoever of cancelling Europe’s biggest and best Transformers convention unless we are presented with absolutely no alternative. The show, as they say, must go on!

However - it is of the utmost importance that all our convention goers please bear a few things in mind to ensure that we all have a fantastic and most importantly, a safe convention this weekend.

1. Auto Assembly 2011 is still ON
2. Allow extra travelling time to and from the convention
3. Don't go out of the hotel alone. Try to stay in groups for safety.
4. Don't go out of the hotel after dark on your own
5. Keep valuables safe at all times
6. Be vigilant
7. Please look out for each other and be safe.

As we say, if for any reason the situation changes we will inform you as soon as we can, but at present Auto Assembly 2011 is ON!!!! We just need to take extra care in looking after each other this year Transformers fans.

Finally, remember that for those of you arriving in Birmingham one or two days early, you can pick up your passes on Thursday afternoon between 2:00 and 4:00 pm which will make your admission to the convention Much easier. Trish and Simon will be in the hotel bar on the second floor to do this but you must contact us in advance to let us know.

Anyway, we're looking forward to seeing you all in a few days.

The Auto Assembly Team

Auto Assembly 2011 - 12th - 14th August 2011.
The Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England

web - www.autoassembly.org.uk
forum - http://autoassembly.proboards.com
Youtube - www.youtube.com/autoassembly
Twitter - www.twitter.com/auto_assembly

Auto Assembly is sponsored by:

Toyz and Gamez - www.toyzandgamez.co.uk
Transformers @ The Moon - www.transformertoys.co.uk
TransformersAnimated.com - www.transformersanimated.com
Science Fiction Collectables - www.sf-collectables.co.uk
The Transformers.net - www.thetransformers.net
Titan Books - www.titanbooks.com
Big Bad Toy Store - www.bbts.com
Full Metal Hero - www.fullmetalhero.com
3 Darths Comics - www.3darths.co.uk
Hobby Link Japan - www.hlj.com
Robot Kingdom - www.robotkingdom.com
Xyber Toys - www.xybertoys.com
Moonbase 2 Podcast - http://moonbase2.libsyn.com