As I type this, we are four days on from the end of TF Nation 2024, the annual Transformers convention in Birmingham, UK.
As usual, I took the family along, we took the journey up on the Thursday before the con and stopped in at Warwick Castle for a bit of culture before moving on to set up camp at the Hilton for 3 nights.
Thursday evening was a bit of a write off for me, I just needed to eat and call if an early night after a very busy day of travelling and, like a lot of people, I find it very difficult to sleep the night before something time sensitive such as setting off on a reasonably long trip.
Any way, Friday was spent helping Paul at The Spacebridge bring his stock in and get the stall set up (I mainly watched), attending the Triple Takeover panel and enjoying the facilities followed by a very large dinner at Miller and Carters. I did manage to get almost an hours worth of socialising in at the bar, which is always a treat, though definitely didn’t spend enough time with the Discord group.
Saturday, the main event, the biggest deal of the UK TF calendar year. Gotta head down for that early breakfast to fuel up for the days shenanigans. I headed in to the early access queue about 8:30 and prepared for the long wait until they let us. I wasn’t the first but luckily not too far back, and making conversation with the queue mates helped the time pass until we could bust through the double doors and lay waste to the dealer tables. This year I was smart and made a list of things I was particularly looking for, which is to say, boxed G1 and G2 I didn’t already have. Unfortunately, I came away with zero G1 toys this year, which is definitely rare for me. Not that there wasn’t any, The Spacebridge put on a very good showing as did Leicester Vintage, but there was nothing I needed this year. To be fair, at this stage of my collection it get’s harder and harder to pick up new pieces unless I want to spend a ridiculous amount of money. Which I don’t. I did manage to pick up some merch from Paul though, a pinball table, puzzle and a couple of other small bits.
G2 though. That went pretty well, I managed to get a sealed G2 tank Megatron (with watch!) from Leicester vintage, and a couple of Cyberjets and Blitz from Toy Fu. Sadly I was beaten to the minty Stealth Assault, so the hunt continues. The sealed G2 Optimus Prime was also tempting, but a little bit over the amount I was willing to drop, even for charity and with the convention red mist in full swing.
Toys aside, I love the convention vibe, walking around the hall, stopping to chat with various people I’ve gotten to know over the many years I’ve been attending these con’s and checking out the forge where some very talented creatives are selling their wares. Needless to say I picked up a few things.
This year, my son decided he was going to cosplay, roping his mother in to helping him build a Legacy Toxitron costume to cruise around the con in, looking threatening. Loads of people stopped to chat to him, take photos and generally made it an absolutely fantastic experience for him, so for that I am very grateful!
The evening was spent in the company of friends, old and new having a nice spot of dinner and then rolling up to the bar again. I used to always avoid the bar / social aspect of the con, way back when, not because I’m anti social, but because I hardly knew anyone and it’s hard to break in to circles of existing friends, luckily now, having put in some actual effort over the last few years and with the advent of the Triple Takeover Discord channel, I have a fine selection of people I love to hang out and chat with when the opportunity arises.
Sunday is much more of a chill day at the con, people are nursing hangovers, theyre a bit spent out from the Saturday so everything is just more quiet and relaxed. This is a day for a slow start, a leisurely breakfast and a nice walk around the hall with the child. We both picked up a couple extra things on a whim and generally vibed until it was time to head home back in to the real world. I’m quite tempted to add a Sunday night stay on to the hotel next year, as it’s one of the very few holidays I get!
