However my collections leap to the small screen has now officially been made! On Sunday night myself and my Transformatorium were featured on Channel 10’s The Project, a nationaly aired television program here in Australia.
They interviewed me about my years of collecting Transformers and some of my various figures. They also featured my wife who looked beautiful on camera and my son who was an absolute star!
As well as airing it on Television, The Project also uploaded the video to their YouTube Channel. So check out Trev & The Transformatorium below!
Shelf Lighting by Aguirre Electrical
Trev’s hair by Mick of Cutthroat Barbers
Makeup Mentoring by Sherie
Disappointingly all the footage with my daughter was cut, so I feel compelled to put a photo here of my darling daughter Acacia who deserved to be in the spotlight too, and who is more special to me than all the Transformers in the world.
Thank you so much to all the people on social media that gave a truly staggering amount of positive feedback after the show aired! If you would like to see more of The Transformatorium, head over to my personal YouTube Channel, or check out the link below.
Please note: Due to signing NDA’s, there are no reviews of Transformers One in this post. The following discusses the Sydney showing in general terms and fans reactions. NO SPOILERS are contained in this piece, nor in the YouTube video at the bottom of this page.
Along with the US, UK and Mexico, some lucky Australian fans were treated to a Special Fan Screening of Transformers One, a full two months before the movie is set for general release.
It would break the laws of the universe to have a Transformers movie that did not contain Bumblebee
The Australian showing was at the Hoyts Entertainment Quarter in Sydney, the same place where Hasbro and Paramount held the Rise of the Beasts Preview Screening in 2023.
It was a fun and festive atmosphere, especially with so many children in attendance. There were large Transformer One displays, statues of the main characters and even the latest Robosen figures were on show.
“I admire strong women. So what are you doing after the show?”
Attendee’s were given gift bags containing popcorn, water, an Orion Pax toy and a couple of posters. Also all attendee’s were naturally required to sign Non-Disclosure agreements, as well as having their phones cloaked, in order for no spoilers to be leaked that could ruin the viewing experience for others when the movie goes to general cinema release in September.
However we are allowed to share fans general impressions of the movie, and many of those in attendance were kind enough to share their feelings with bigangrytrev.com
Below are the reactions of fans who viewed the film at the Sydney event. Note that neither Paramount or Hasbro has tried to dictate the positivity or negativity of the following. There is no information contained in the following about the plot of the movie that was not already known by the general public from the public trailers and press releases. Note we have also included a link to peoples reactions on our YouTube channel at the bottom of this page.
How fantastic to see Transformers movies return to the world of animation, something we haven’t seen since the beloved 1986 film! I enjoyed this movie on so many levels, as did my wife and children. Look forward to bringing you all a full review in September!
Objectively, this is the best Transformers movie we’ve gotten to date. Hands down the best Megatron origin story. Finally, a Transformers movie that my wife genuinely enjoyed as much as I did. I’ll pay to see it again. And for me, that’s saying something.
Jason G
Far and away the best Transformers movie (not including the ’86 movie) released to date. Cant wait to see it again!
I want a CD of the movie score, Brian Tyler crushed it! The visuals were so good that there were a couple scenes where I got sweaty palms from the heights. I think this is the transformers movie that a lot of fans have been waiting for, it didn’t feel as long as it was.
Bobby P
The only thing that sucks about this movie is that I have to wait another 2 months until I can watch it again.
David Q
It’s an action filled blockbuster that honestly is the best Transformers film ever to grace the big screen! We all love the 86’ film, but without the lens of nostalgia, it’s far from perfect. Whereas this is a literal roller coaster ride of DEEP TF lore, likeable characters and extraordinarily layered and nuanced writing. It’s really really REALLY bloody good!
Transformers One is a movie I wasn’t expecting to like as much as I did, but it is quite easily the best written Transformer movie ever. The comedy parts were done well and I laughed out loud quite a bit. There were also a lot of “oh wow” moments but I can’t say more than that until the general release. I can’t wait to see it again!
Ben K
Great Movie, great Character development. An Origin story that portrays the franchise fantastically. Finally a modern film that does the franchise justice!.
I believe this is the best transformers movie yet as there is actual character development, the film has depth and makes you feel for the each of the main characters and the story is fresh and engages you from minute one.
A whirlwind of fun, nostalgia and action giving Transformers fans young and old a story to enjoy. A new take on the origin story fans have always wanted with some clever nods to all that came before while forging its own direction. It exceeded my expectations and was able to offer some of the best character development we have seen in a Transformers movie. I can’t wait to watch it again.
Transformers One was a fun, fresh, colourful new beginning to a new era of Transformers that I am looking forward to seeing more of.
Craig M
Transformers One is fantastic. No notes. It’s what I want a Transformers movie to be. It’s what all Transformers fans want it to be. Go see it.
Jonathon H
High quality family fun. Great story. Fresh take on the back story of optimus and Megatron. Look forward to more stories in this world they have built.
Nathan A
I really enjoyed movie, loved the action and had fun picking out the references among the characters. Got a bit teary eyed during the some scenes (surely a sign of a good movie). Definitely looking forward to seeing it again.
The best piece of transformers media in a very long time. Stands right alongside with the Energon Universe and the first season of Earthspark as a titan of modern iterations of the franchise.
Of course we can’t forget the kids who were in attendance, lets get their thoughts too!
Over the last month or two, my son and I have been reacquainting ourselves with the world of online videos by making The Transformatorium Show, doing character discussions, unboxings and the like.
However, this warped brain of mine started coming up with all kinds of other ideas for silly little Transformer Shorts, some of which were not appropriate in content to make with my son, but usually because even at 11 he is too mature for that kind of humour 😉
So enjoy the first five silly little Shorts I made of Big Angry Trev’s Super Swift Transformer Reviews!
If you found the above shorts entertaining, why not head to the Big Angry Trev YouTube Channel, subscribe while you are there and feel free to like and share the video’s!
As most members of the Transformers Fandom would be aware, this year is the 40th anniversary of the franchise.
As such, worldwide Hasbro held a special Transformers 40th Cinema Event worldwide!
This event consisted of firstly a sneak peak at Season 2 of the cartoon series Transformers Earthspark. This was then followed by a Table Read of the script of the very first episode of the Generation One cartoon, with many of the surviving voice actor cast. Lastly the subsequent 3 episodes of the G1 cartoon were shown.
Whilst it was cool to get a look at the upcoming S2 of Earthspark, a short two minute section of an episode showcasing Starscream and his Seekers fighting the Autobots, and was also cool to see the G1 Episodes up on the big screen, it was really the Table Read that was the highlight of the show.
As someone who knows (either proudly or sadly depending on your viewpoint) every episode of the old 80’s cartoon by heart, it was interesting to hear the likes of Pete Cullen and Frank Welker reading out their lines. Not only were the inflections different, but you could also hear (especially in Cullen) how their voices have aged over four decades.
Other members of the original cast were there too, but of course sadly not all have survived, necessitating some characters vocals being performed by other voice actors. The voice actor that picked up Starscream and Wheeljack did an impressive rendition of Starscream, however made Wheeljack sound like he should be trying to order food at a Kosher Deli before having an afternoon nap. The highlight however was Gregg Berger reading Spike Witwicky – he sounded nothing like Spike but rather a 4 year old about to tell on another student in kindergarten for taking his favorite toy. Every time he did Spike the audience erupted in laughter and delight!
Myself personally booked tickets the moment the showing was announced at Event cinemas and went along with a large group of friends and our sons, including superfans Dallas, Trent and Brendan.
Fun for the kids…… and the kids at heart!
However two weeks after we had booked and paid for our tickets, I was contacted by Hasbro and Double Jump Communications to let me know of a special VIP Showing in Sydney that same night. Whilst I would have loved to attend, there was no way I was bailing on my friends so sadly had to miss out. However lots of other friends attended, including David Quinn and Lisamaree. They have kindly provided some photos and a few words about their experiences.
Recount by Lisamaree:
I was lucky enough to attend the VIP 40th Anniversary Transformers cinematic screening event at Event Cinemas in George Street, in the heart of the Sydney CBD.
One of the big differences with this event from previous VIP events I’ve been to was the diversity and sheer number of fans. Sure, the regular mega fans were there, but so were a lot of fans who didn’t know about any of the Australian Transformers clubs or online forums. Some were collectors and others just love Transformers cartoons or characters. It was a great mix of geekdom ready to celebrate 40 years of transforming robots. Yeah!
At 6pm the fans were invited into an area where glorious cardboard cut-outs (or giant standees as a lot of the “younger generation” were calling them) greeted us. G1 box-art of Megatron, Soundwave, Bumblebee and Ravage were super-sized and lining the entry for everyone to enjoy and take photos with.
Inside the foyer there was a giant backdrop of the classic G1 box art from the original toys to take photos in front of, a demonstration of the Robosen Optimus, Megatron and Grimlock self-transforming robots, a glass display of new and upcoming toys and an array of Transformer One cut-out characters to grab a photo op with.
For those who posted on social media with the right tags, the event organisers gave a limited number of Transformers One posters as prizes.
We were encouraged to post our photos from the event on social media, which I always do for these kinds of events in the hope of encouraging other fans to get involved and join in.
As we were ushered into the V-Max cinema everyone received a goodie bag that contained a G1 40th anniversary poster, a legend class Legacy United figure (either Tasmania Kid or Dinobot Sludge) and a discount voucher for Amazon.
The cinema greeted us with a movie sized still of the G1 backing box art on the big screen. It was impressive to see the classic 80’sartwork larger than life. The chairs were well spaced very comfy recliners. Masterpiece Ironhide, who had joined me as my figure of choice for the night, made himself quite at home on my chair as I took in the atmosphere of all the fans filling the cinema in excitement.
The event organiser started the session off with a transformers trivia competition. They were all easy trivia until the question “Name the four moons of Cybertron” was asked. Can you answer that without googling it? No one in our cinema could and there were some absolute Transformers masterminds in the room.
We were given a preview of the Transformers One trailer before getting into the viewing of the first 4 episodes of the Transformers G1 cartoon. The first episode voices were re-recorded with as manyof the original cast as possible and a couple of more recent voice actors standing in for those we’ve lost. Watching Peter Cullen and Frank Welker side by side reprising the first episode was nostalgic, funny, amazing and so very 80’s. As the episode progressed the voice actors were shown performing their lines side by side with the animation, which, was very pixelated and didn’t translate well onto the big screen… but that didn’t stop anyone enjoying the show. Notable shout out to Frank Todaro who did an amazing and incredibly expressive job filling in as Starscream.
At the end of the first episode we got to see a bloopers reel of Frank making Peter laugh, Greg Berger trying to make everyone laugh and some of the antics that had taken place while the voice actors had recorded the session together around a table.
There was a collective disappointment that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th episodes shown hadn’t been given the same re-recorded voice actor treatment but it was a novelty to see the tv episodes in a cinema format.
After the episodes finished the event organisers came back to the front of the cinema and told us there was one last prize for the best social media post.
Then they said the winner was … “aus – geek – mum”. My jaw dropped as I belatedly processed… ausgeekmum… that was me! I raised Ironhide in the air and yelled “woohoo” as the organiser came up and game me my prize. The prize included Rise of the Beasts Airazor, Rise of the Beasts legend class Arcee and a Rise of the Beasts Bumblebee mask.
At first I looked at it and thought “oh no – not ANOTHER Airazor!” but then another collector pointed out to me it was autographed. In fact, all the items were autographed. Arcee was autographed by the actress who voiced her in Rise of the Beasts – Liza Kolby. I was told Airazor was autographed by Michelle Yeoh, however I have yet to confirm this as the signature doesn’t look like her normal signature. Bumblebee was autographed too, but I gave him away to another collector I know really well as the mask wasn’t something I would have displayed in my collection and I believe in sharing the good luck around.
As everyone moved out of the cinema fans were congregated near a number of the large cut-out figures. People were focussed on a group of the cut-outs on one side of the walkway when I noticedRavage standing on his own behind everyone. I walked up to him and said “well, since no one is taking you, you can come home with me!” I grabbed him with glee and said “I’m taking him”.
Someone asked if I wanted to swap with Bumblebee and I politely said no while in my mind thinking there was no comparison between the autobot scout and the supremely superior Ravage. I made the trip home via the train with Ravage taking up his own 3-seater seat, much to the delight of most of the people in the carriage who couldn’t believe what they were seeing. He will now take up pride of place as the Prime Shrine attack kitty for the rest of his days.
Overall it was a fun night. Lots of laughs, nostalgia and fun was had with a small swag of goodies to top it all off.
Photo’s by David Quinn:
From Big Angry Trev thanks to Hasbro and Double Jump for putting on these fantastic events! I’m sure we speak for all fans when we say we look forward to more in the future!
The fun of living on a farm, surrounded by bushland.
Birds singing, kangaroo’s hopping through the paddock….
…galah’s & cockatoo’s stealing all the ducks tucker, wombats digging holes under the fences and letting foxes through to get your chooks, monitors stealing eggs and eviscerating your waterfowl, feral goats breaking down fences to get at your nanny’s. Oh it’s heavenly.
And then, a possum decided the ceiling of the farmhouse is a great place to settle down to raise some babies.
Bloody possums! For the most part I don’t mind them, they do the occasional screeching at night or steal some of the poultries wheat, but they are tolerable. Until they decide your bloody home should be their bloody home!
We had one recently, it found a gap between the roof tiles and the guttering and decided to move in. Not just move in, but in the ceiling space right above our bed! We could hear it skittering and growling and scratching and gnawing and generally being a pain in the arse during the nighttime hours. Not only was it causing damage, but keeping us awake. I was tempted to go up there with my shotgun but I didn’t want to blow a hole in our damn roof.
So I found out the best ways to get rid of them, and it worked a treat! So here’s Big Farmer Trev’s top tips for getting rid of possums out of your ceiling.
Tip #1 Lights
Possums are nocturnal creatures, so the perpetually dark ceiling cavity of your home is the perfect place for them to take up residence. You can spoil this for them by sticking up some lights. Make sure they are safe lantern’s that produce no head, the last thing you want is the possum to knock one over and start a damn fire.
Leaving these lamps up there for two to three days constantly lit will drive the possum barmy. Instead of it being constantly dark it will be constantly light and it will want to find a new home.
Tip #2 Smells
Possums have got a very sensitive sense of smell, and do not like to hang around where odours that smell awful to them perpetuate. Garlic is good, so are peeled onions. Cloves work well as you can spread them like buckshot. But what I found best was mothballs. Not only do these smell stronger that the garlic or onions, but the beauty is you can fling them around your ceiling cavity without having to worry about removing them later. You don’t want to have to go crawling through your ceiling cavity to remove peeled onions before they start to rot.
Tip #3 – Entrapment
Now in NSW where I am located, you need to get permission to catch a possum, but thankfully that’s not hard to get. And usually the powers that be will also hire to you a cage specific to the purpose. You can either place this in your ceiling cavity, or else place it outside near where the possum is getting in and out. If placing it in your ceiling cavity, make sure you aren’t putting it near your lanterns and mothballs, or the possum isn’t going to go near it, no matter what yummy treats you place inside.
Once you catch the possum, choose a tree that’s far from the house but still in its established territory, then release it. Hopefully it’s going to like the tree a lot more than your house and decide to live there instead.
There are lots of other tips I’ve read online, but I’ve found using the above makes all the others superfluous. Simply put some lanterns and mothballs in your ceiling, then bait a cage so you can catch it and move it to a tree further away from your house – problem solved! And don’t forget to plug up the hole it used to find its way in, just in case it doesn’t like it’s new tree and decides to giving living above your bed another go.
Rise of the Beasts, the highly anticipated seventh live action Transformers movie, officially hit cinemas around the world on Friday the 9th of June, 2023 (June 22 in Australia).
A June 22 release for the rest of Australia, but a few of us lucky ducks didn’t have to wait that long
However, as befits a multi-million dollar movie of a beloved toy franchise, Paramount and Hasbro held a Special Preview Screening on Thursday the 8th, and for those notables lucky enough to receive an invitation, what an event it was!
If you are going to see a movie, do it in style!
Here in Sydney Australia, the event was held at the Hoyts Entertainment Quarter, and much excitement was in the air. One could attribute part of this excitement to the fact that due to international date lines, it was the 8th here in Australia before the majority of the world, making this one of the first ever showings of the movie!
Love getting invitied to these special events – thanks Hasbro and Paramount!
The attendee’s were made up of executives from both Hasbro and Paramount, professional movie reviewers and various celebrities such as actors, social media influencers and even cosplayers. Naturally everyone’s favouriteradio star and blogger Big Angry Trev was on hand, much to the excitement of the crowds! Photographers snapped pictures and a film crew was on hand to interview guests.
There were even some extra special guests in the form of some of the movie cast themselves – Bumblebee and Mirage decided to come along to grace their fans with their presence and pose for pics.
MirageBumblebee
Over the course of the year we have seen many Transformers events here in Sydney, such as the Beasts Base Camp at Taronga Park Zoo, and the More than Meets the Eye Exhibition at Kings Comics. What was wonderful to see with all these events, were not only the usual cream of society invited, but also notable members of the Australian Transformers Fandom.
Big Angry Trev & Miguel Maestre at the Beasts Base Camp
In attendance for this Special Preview Screening event were Transformer Exhibitors such as Lisamaree Chiu, Ben Keenan and Michael Vella and Transformer Superfans such as Trent Munn and Dallas Roderick. Yes, the royalty of the Aussie fandom were on hand to strut their stuff and I know all were appreciative of how Hasbro and Paramount have included the fandom in this years movie festivities.
Big Angry Trev and his trusty sidekick Orion posing for photo’s with Superfans Dallas & Trent
Free soft drinks and popcorn was on offer for all attendee’s as they entered the theatre, where individual recliner seats, soft and plush, were on offer to cradle every buttock. And for the very crème de la crème of the attendee’s, Hasbro reserved some very special seats dead centre of the theatre for the optimum viewing experience.
What’s better than attending an exclusive event? Getting VIP seating at the exclusive event!
These Special Preview Screenings were not only held in Sydney, but also Brisbane and Melbourne, making it not only a regional but national event!
The Brisbane event, photo courtesy of M.K Griffin of OzformersThe Melbourne event, courtesy of Jason Murray of TCCA
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts turned out to be a fantastic movie, earning a well deserved round of applause from an appreciative audience. I heartily recommend everyone get out themselves out there to watch this fun and entertaining flick.
Sadly, this event was likely the last event for the Transformers social season this year. Lets hope that the powers that be make the next highly anticipated instalment just as fun!
Were you one of the favoured few to get to attend one of these Special Preview Screening Events? Lets us know in the comments section below!
The Transformatorium, my personal collectors shed with over 5000 pieces of Transformers merchandise, was featured in the Mudgee Guardian Newspaper last month.
Something that was a bit of a laugh was when I went to pick up a copy of the newspaper, the guys in the newsagents recognised me from the front page and had me sign a bunch of copies.
Signing autographs: gotta keep the public happy
For those readers who are not local to our region, and therefore unlikely to have an online subscription to the newspaper or have picked up a physical copy, please find a roughly accurate transcript of the interview below, as originally written by Mudgee Guardian Editor Benjamin Palmer.
Inside a relatively nondescript shed 40 minutes from Mudgee lives one of the largest collections of Transformers figures and merchandise in the world.
The collection is owned by ‘Big Angry Trev’ who has spent nearly his entire life amassing a seriously impressive collection of more than 5000 pieces of Transformers paraphernalia from its inception in 1984 to present.
The Mudgee Guardian was invited to Trevor’s purpose-built shed that he has dubbed the ‘Transformatorium’ to view the collection and talk to Trevor about his passion for the shiny shapeshifters.
Trevor was seven years old when he received his first Transformers figurine, a generation one Decepticon named Dirge that transforms into a jet. Trevor, as he put it because his son was in the room, ‘lost his poop’, and the love for Transformers has not waned in the nearly 40 years since.
“It was just something new and interesting I hadn’t seen before, it wasn’t the usual superheroes flying around with their capes with their underpants on outside. It seemed to have everything,” he said.
“If you liked robots, there’s robots. If you liked cars, if you liked planes, it had all of that. If you liked dinosaurs it has giant robot dinosaurs – so it really captured my imagination from the beginning.”
Upon entering the Transformatorium it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of items housed inside the shed which sits adjacent to the family home.
You’re greeted with floor-to-ceiling views of Trevor’s collection which includes more than 4000 individual figures of all sizes and rarities from all generations as well as more than 1000 pieces of merchandise like t-shirts, DVDs, video games, cushions and even a floor mat.
Photo courtesy of Mudgee Guardian Website
Trevor spent his time during COVID lockdown fitting out the interior with enough shelving to display the collection, which continues to grow.
“This is one of the largest collections in the world. I hadn’t intended to reach this [point] – it was more I just really enjoyed it and it was a fun, harmless hobby and it seemed to interest other people.
“People would pass on their kid’s older toys or they’d pass on their old toys from when they were kids themselves…,” he said.
“I just kept collecting and they kept bringing out new versions of classic characters and great new characters, then they started making new cartoons and live-action movies and it just became a hobby that I thought was dead but now is suddenly alive and brimming once again.”
Trevor’s collection and his prolific online presence mean he is well-known among not only the Transformers community but has also attracted the attention of Hasbro and Paramount, the owners of the franchise and the publisher of the Transformers films respectively.
“There’s been a lot of promotional events around the release of the latest film,” Trevor said.
“I got invited to do the Beasts Base Camp at Taronga Zoo, after [the company] wanted some representatives of the fandom. Also theMore than Meets the Eye Exhibition. It’s been very gratifying to be invited to take part in these events.”
“It’s a bit of fun. My son Orion is a big Transformers fan too so he usually comes to these events with me.”
Photo courtesy of the Mudgee Guardian website
Trevor’s 10-year-old son Orion, who sported a Transformers shirt and pants himself on the day of the tour, said he is as much of a fan as his dad.
“They [Transformers] all look really cool and the cartoons are really good,” Orion said.
“My favourite is the Bumblebee movie, it’s really good. [And I like] Bumblebee, both old and new.”
According to the Guiness Book of World Records online, the largest collection of Transformers memorabilia consists of 5,150 items, and was achieved by AJ Ard in the USA on 5 September 2022. Trevor hinted that he might have a go at besting that record one day.
“It is getting crowded but we’re not out of room just yet,” he laughed.
Photo courtesy of the Mudgee Guardian Website
With visitors travelling to the from as far away as Sydney to view the collection, Trevor embraces all corners of the fandom and distilled his love for the franchise, while also lamenting the sometimes toxic online discourse around it.
“I do it for the love of it. It’s toy robots, it’s supposed to be fun,” he said.
“If you’re not having fun what’s the point?”
The Transformatorium is not open to the public, however anyone who wants to get in touch for a tour or would like to donate any Transformers items can get in touch via the Big Angry Trev’s Transformatorium page on Facebook or the Big Angry Trev website.
What a time to be a Transformers fan! With the Rise of the Beasts movie to hit cinemas in two months, it seems promotional events are happening left, right and centre!
Wednesday night saw the VIP Opening Night for the Transformers: More than Meets the Eye art exhibition at King’s Comics.
Promotional Blurb: Radio Velvet, Kings Comics and Hasbro, a global branded entertainment leader, are pleased to present Transformers: More than Meets the Eye – a world-exclusive exhibition, celebrating the incredible universe of Transformers, through the eyes of its fans and collectors, plus, six acclaimed artists.
Being everyones favorite exhibitionist, Big Angry Trev was invited along to the exclusive VIP opening night of the exhibition, and what an exhibition it was!
King’s Comics and Radio Velvet went all out in setting up a dedicated space for this exhibition. The floors, walls and even stairs were covered in Transformers art. Sniff… it felt like coming home.
The FloorThe Stairs
The Walls
Toy Exhibitors
Along the outer walls were display cabinets full of Transformer products, classic and new. Cabinets were set up by Hasbro, Lobos Collectables and even Kings Comics themselves.
In what was a wonderful nod to the part the fandom plays within the Transformers brand, several prominent Australian collectors were invited to display parts of their personal collections. Jason Murray’s display, along with his huge collection of Transformers pins, was enough to make the most hardcore fan drool. Lisamaree Chiu’s highly impressive collection of Optimus Prime’s from multiple Transformer continuities showed how the character has changed and evolved over the years. Kelvin Chan, as well as helping set up the comic display for Lobos Collectables, devoted much of his own display to the work of late Australian artist Andrew Sorohan. Kings Comics employee ScottSheens had a wide and varied display, including a wonderful cityscape made up of G1 figures.
Display by Jason MurrayDisplay by Lisamaree ChiuSo many Optimus!Display by Kelvin ChanDisplay by Scott Sheens
A couple of fans even got to present multiple cabinets. Michael Vella’s multitude of Bumblebee’s, many of them quite rare, were very eye catching. And there wasn’t a fan present that didn’t contemplate what it would be like to own his showing of sealed G2 Stunticons! Ben Keenan had an incredible display of different Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime toys, and a collection of boxed G1 figures that would bring a joyful tear to the eye of the most hardcore Geewunner.
Bumblebee’s by Michael VellaVarious by Michael VellaHot Rod display by Ben KeenanBoxed G1 display by Ben Keenan
All the fans putting on displays were in attendance at this VIP event. This meant that guests could ask questions about individual pieces and added that extra delight to the proceedings. And for the exhibitors, they got the thrill of rubbing shoulders with local Transformers royalty – lucky ducks!
Lisamaree & Big Angry TrevJason Murray and Big Angry Trev both point to their personal idolMichael Vella & Ben Keenan with expressions of joy and awe – both appropriate responses
Meet the Artists
Of course, it would hardly be an art exhibition without artists. Running down the centre of the room were huge bio’s of each artist, giving an insight both into their art and the artists themselves.
For young and young at heart
Something I have personally loved is that both the Roar & Snore Beasts Base Camp and the VIP Art Opening event were accessible not only by the invited adult fans, but children too. My son Orion adored being able to stay overnight at the zoo, and felt like a celebrity when the friendly Hasbro staff at the art show all recognised him from The Transformatorium video and helped ensure he had a wonderful time! Thank you to Double Jump Communications too for helping to coordinate such fantastic events!
Father, son & Optimus at Roar & SnoreFather, son & Optimus at Art Exhibition
The More than Meets the Eye Exhibition will be on display at Kings Comics from the 6th to the 30th of April. I highly recommend even the most causal Transformers fan take the opportunity to visit and become entranced by what is truly an enriching experience. Full credit to curator Eddie Zammit, he’s put on a heck of a show!
Have you been yet to see this awesome exhibition? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
This is the tale of how a bad airline can really f*ck up a good holiday.
This is the 100% true and factual recount of how it took us 8 hours to get from home to our destination, yet FIFTY FOUR AND A HALF HOURS to get home. All with two small children in tow.
We were travelling from rural New South Wales to have a holiday with relatives in northern Queensland. This meant a 3 hour drive to the airport, catching a flight from Newcastle to Cairns, then being picked up by our relatives and driven the rest of the way.
Getting There
We were booked with Jetstar(never again!) for both there and back and booked well in advance. Firstly we had booked a flight that left at noon, then only a week out they cancelled the flight and rebooked us on one over 3 hours later. A pain but we could handle it, it just meant missing out on part of our first day of holidays. We drove to the airport, leaving the requisite time to check in and reach our gate. When getting close to the airport I kept getting alerts on my phone about the Gate being changed, which happened about 3 times.
When we got into the terminal, we saw our flight had been delayed by a solid 90 minutes, which meant we had to entertain our kids in the terminal for an extra hour and a half. Funny how they never sent a phone alert about that. Because we ended up flying out 4 ½ hours later than we had booked for, it meant our relatives had to pick us up after dark and we totally missed out on our first day of holidays.
Kids truding to their first of MANY delayed JetStar flights
Getting Back
Jetstar guarantee’s on their website that all children will be seated with their parents/adult relatives. I checked our seats online the night before we were due to fly out and surprise surprise, they had sat our 9 year old son and 7 year old daughter in individual seats by themselves in different parts of the plane, well away both from each other and my wife and I. Two hours of trying to sort it out online resulted in a “get to the airport early and have the staff there sort it out” reply from Jetstar – thanks so much., how very efficient and customer friendly of you.
(picture courtesy of Imagur)
So we arrive at the airport a solid two hours before we would have had to be there otherwise, and spend a stupid amount of time with the staff until they can ensure our kids are sitting with us. We then have a LOT of time to kill at the terminal.
Half an hour before we were due to fly out, they announce that – once again – our flight has been delayed by 90 minutes! So now we have even more time to kill, and have two very understandably grumpy kids.
Finally, after being at the airport for about four hours, we board the plane and take off from Cairns to Newcastle. Getting to the end of the flight, and I mean right at the end -they had announced our descent 10 minutes previously and the seatbelt sign was on – the captain comes on:
“Please be aware that we have received a storm warning and all flights to Sydney and Newcastle are being diverted to Brisbane”
The groan in the plane was audible, and much muttering and bad language ensued from the passengers. We could SEE the airport from out of the window, there was nary a cloud in the sky! There might be a storm on the way but it certainly wasn’t there yet! We had been less than 3 minutes from landing!
So the plane turns around and we have another hour of flight to reach Brisbane.
Son: ‘Will this flight ever end Dad?’ Me: ‘I don’t know son, I just don’t know’
We get off the plane. I’ve commented on how I’m more ‘Middle-aged Tired Trev’ than ‘Big Angry Trev’ these days, well, not by then. Anyone official not being immediately helpful was not abused, but certainly spoken to sharply in loud irritated tones. I didn’t go full Karen, but by Primus I wanted to.
My family finds some seats, and I get in the line for the desk that is arranging transport to hotels the airline has booked. I was in this line for ONE AND THREE-QUARTER HOURS! I have never been in a line that long in my life! By the time I reached the front I was ropeable! Thankfully my wife came up and did the talking to the girl behind the desk as I was standing back and audibly swearing. The girl told me not to abuse her to which I replied in an aggravated tone “I wasn’t swearing at you or about you or even looking at you so how about you just get on with it”. To be fair she was just doing her job, but she had a JetStar pin on her blazer which made her the enemy at this point. I did however stop swearing and just simmered in relative silence behind my wife.
A full hour after this they finally bus us to a hotel. We had left our resort at 7.30am, and it was now 8.30pm. 11 hours of travel and we hadn’t even managed to get out of the State! Our kids are tired and hungry, we are tired and hungry. My wife gets the kids in the shower and finds some children’s programming on the TV while I walk the streets of Brisbane trying to find a takeaway shop open.
“What the hell am I doing in Brisbane?!”
By the time we went to bed we had eaten nothing but Airport Terminal food and some pizza slices and potato cakes for dinner. We get a message from the airport that our replacement flight will be leaving at 2PM TOMORROW AFTERNOON.
The next day they bus picks us at noon and thankfully this flight was only running 15 minutes late this time. However when we get back to Newcastle and collect our car, we find out that the road we would have used to go home is washed out from the overnight storm. So instead of a 3 hour drive home, we drive 4 ½ hours to my mothers-in-law’s in Bathrust. We reach there exhausted at about 9.30pm that night. We are now 38 hours into our trip home and yet still hours away from our house.
We wake up the next morning, repack the car and prepare to head off. Only one problem, one MAJOR problem. The Bathurst 1000, one of the biggest car races in the country, had been on over the weekend, and now they were finished every man and his dog was heading home, with most of them towing caravans. One of the bridges that served as an exit point to the town was underwater from the storm, so everyone is trying to get out of Bathurst using the same route. The whole town is gridlocked! We kept checking the traffic app every 15 minutes, but it is still noon by the time it lets up enough we can get in the car and start our final leg.
The drive from our mothers-in-law’s to our place takes maybe 20 minutes longer than usual as another bridge in our little home town is washed out from the storm two nights ago, so we had to take a detour to get to our farm. By the time we drive in the front gate we had been travelling for 54 ½ hours! We were exhausted and beaten and after unpacking the car collapsed as a family on our couch.
Since then we have vowed to never fly JetStar again unless absolutely necessary. We are realists, we realise that sometimes flight delays are inevitable and things happen out of the airlines control. But from some rudimentary online searching subsequent to this trip, I’ve found Jetstar is notorious for late flights, more so than most other airlines. On multiple websites they rate only a 1 Star average from thousands of customer reviews.
It was bad enough that we missed the first day of our holiday because they cancelled our booked flight, then delayed our rebooked flight by 90 minutes. But if they had just left when they were supposed to on the flight home, all our troubles could have been avoided. If they had even just landed when they were supposed to (I swear you could see the people on the ground we were so far into our final approach) instead of turning around despite the storm still not having arrived, all our troubles could have been avoided. But because they were running late, and because they couldn’t be bothered landing a plane which was moments from touchdown, by the time we reached our State the storms had actually arrived and washed out the highways we would normally take to our home.
As far as I’m concerned, Jetstar can fornicate themselves vigorously with a pointed stick. No wonder in 2017 an international survey ranked Jetstar as the worlds worst airline. In my opinion a truly inept company on every level. It would give me great joy to hear some irate baggage handler rammed some lost luggage up their CEO’s arse.
Have you had a bad experience with Jetstar? Pop it in the comments below!
Blast Effects are becoming more and more popular in the Transformers toylines. What can make a giant alien gun look even cooler? How about a huge coloured laser coming out of the end! Lots of the larger figures in the mainline Transformers toyline are coming with blast effects now, though sadly not many for the smaller bots.
With this new trend, it was only a matter of time until some Third Party Companies decided to jump on the bandwagon, and start producing blast effects for those toys who came bereft of them. One such company is a new Australian business, 3D Damsel, who have been kind enough to send us a selection of their new products to peruse.
Yee-haw!
Note: 3D Damsel have not paid for this review, nor have they tried to dictate the contents of this blog. Bigangrytrev.com would like to thank 3D Damsel for the opportunity to review their products.
Pew Pew!
The blast effects we have received come in a variety of different sizes and blast-effect patterns.
The ones provided came in red
and blue
It is our understanding they are also available in green, which would perhaps suit characters like the Insecticons. It’s really nice to see such variation on the different blasts, making it easy to match the effect you want to the weapon its unleashed from.
Leader-class Bots
Voyager Class BotsDeluxe Class BotsScout Class Bots
Watch out, missile!
One of our favorites was the missile effect, showing the shell firing out with a trail of smoke behind it.
Careful of breakages
This fit great initially, then when reattaching it…
These blast effects are 3D printed, making them more brittle than the rubbery type included with the larger Transformer toys. While by no means overly delicate, it does mean you have to make sure not to be overly forceful when attaching them to the ends of weapons. These blast effects have been designed with hollow nubs on the ends, meaning you either push the nub into the end of the toys weapon, or else fit the hole within the nub over the tip of the weapons barrel.
Overall
It’s great to see an independent Aussie company trying something new, and the effects certainly do jazz up your battle scenes! The blast effects wont attach to every figures weapon, there being so many types, but are versatile enough you should not have much trouble matching them to a wide assortment within your collection. Hopefully down the track we will see an even wider variety of colours such as the traditional oranges, purples and yellows.
