Does anyone here remember the Trans Masters?

[Pierrimus]

Hello all,
My name is Peter Phelps and I have recently taken over as Archivist and President pro tem for the Trans Masters club here in the US. Tony "Autoforse" Buchanan has decided he no longer has the time to dedicate to trying to see if we can bring the club back from its limbo. The UK chapter still seems to be going strong with 4 membership levels. What I'd like to know is what do you fans want from a fan ran Transformers club?

As far as I know the Trans Masters are the only non licensee to have an agreement with Hasbro on a non profit basis to produce TF related items as long as we put the Copyright 2006 Hasbro, Takara Tomy on each item and don't make any money off them. (I added the Takara Tomy part to protect international interests.)

Let me know what you think and want. Anyone interested in becoming Officers out there? Thanks.
Pierrimus (formerly Pierre-Pedro).

[Best First]

Whats you aim as a club?

[Denyer]

I think the concept has become somewhat outdated with the number of international forums now around; TMUK is now primarily a discussion group, and I'm not sure many UK fans are more than hazily aware of its existence.

[Pierrimus]

Well, basically I am in the work of rebuilding the club from its latest slump of over nearly 5 years.
Check out our new blog: http://transmasters.blogspot.com to see what we have going on and the latest discussions.

Currently I am working on 3 projects: The TransMasters International Archive CDROM which I hope to get done before 2006 and then have yearly updates to. There's the new TransMasters Comic, with a preview issue I drew up at the blog site (Energon heavy for preview) this will depend on member submissions, and then there will be the TransMasters Magazine which (since the forums have practically hourly updates) will not be a newsletter, but more a place for articles, reviews, stories and art that does not come under the banner of the comic. These are scheduled to be quarterly pubications. (Most likely only online, but I'd like to see them be able to translate into print media as well.) The TMUK seems to still be going strong in their region, even offering "packages" that include media and exclusives through the Hub. I'd love to bring something like that to offer, but it will depend on time and interest.

I have just started the TransMasters E-Cards site and hope to add more holiday related cards soon:
http://pws.internet49.com/phelpscomp/ecards/index.html

Basically, we just want to bring fun back into the Transformers club scene and ask what do you want from a TF fan club?

Thanks.

[Best First]

are you working with the TMUK guys? why not expend their exitisng offerings?

[Pierrimus]

I'm assuming you meant "expand" on their existing offerings?

One of the biggest things that was a point of contention between the main and UK TransMasters would have to come down to Continuity. TMUK chose to make their work pretty much fit within the UK Marvel Comic Universe and extensions that their group built. I am not down on their work here, they've produced some really great stuff over the years and I wish them all the best. I've enjoyed their Continued G2, TransMaster Universe and other work. I will run our stuff by them too for their enjoyment and hope they do the same with us. Collaborative projects can be a great thing for the fandom.

But, in all good conscious, I am still going to stay with how the former Presidents of the US/International chapter thought: We'll accept work in any continuity/universe, etc. Sure it means we end up with every member having their own view of the entire TF story. There are quite a few fans that never really read the comics, yea they might be the whole 80's fad fans but they are there nevertheless.

Hopefully in the future I will have a little more time to work on trying to connect the two groups. Right now I've been focusing on trying to get the US and outlying members back in touch. Working on scanning all those pages of media produced by our members. Just think, Teletran alone was almost 50 pages each and there were 22 issues. Not to mention the nearly 79 issues of AutoUpdate. Then I still want to try to get all of: TransAction, Overlord II, TransVerse and any other medias I can get permission for to place onto the Archive CDROM. Plus I need to get geared up for the first issue of the comic, then a month later the first issue of the magazine. Thanks to M. McVay for being the only one to so far donate to the CDROM from outside the main club.

Basically, a bit after the TMUK group was formed they were allowed to create all their own rules and operate under the TransMaster name with their own officers. That isn't to say we still don't want to be connected or cross promote each other's projects. The US group has been nonfunctional for so long that it should be me kissing their arses and thanking them for keeping the dream alive.

[Backscatter]

Do I remember Transmasters? Sure do. I was one of the members. Those were pre-Net days too.