Auto Assembly
Encyclopedia
Founded in 2000 by Sven Harvey, Auto Assembly is a Transformers
event that is held in Birmingham
, UK
and run by the science-fiction fan organisation Infinite Frontiers. The first convention was held in October 2000 and has been held annually, except in 2002 and 2007 when it took "gap years".
Sven Harvey stepped down from his role with the event between the 2008 and 2009 conventions due to various issues unrelated to the event. Head of Infinite Frontiers Simon Plumbe is now the primary organiser of the covention, with the support of a newly formed committee consisting of Trish Plumbe, Billy Edwards, David Wallace, Dean Holdaway, Martin Fisher, and Richard Fieldhouse with a team of Committee Assistants.
The convention started life as a small-scale event, intended to be an occasional Transformers equivalent of the meetings held by the Star Trek
fan club Alpha Quadrant. The first event was expected to have a relatively small number of fans attending - smaller than the Star Trek meetings - although this figure was exceeded. From there the event grew rapidly and by the time the event reached 2003, it had expanded to a full-scale convention, though at that point it was referred to as a Transformers Collectors Fair.
The convention attracts fans from all over the UK and Europe and as far afield as America
and Australia
and currently holds the European attendance record with 579 fans attending Auto Assembly 2010 from the UK and Europe
.
The convention has a range of activities including dealers tables, guest talks, autograph sessions, toy and art displays, video screenings, competitions, charity auctions, workshops (added for 2009) and more. Auto Assembly 2009 is also going to be featuring the convention's first live band as part of its programme, former boy band turned rock band, Next of Kin. In association with sponsors every year, the convention also gives all of its attendees a "goodie bag" with complimentary gifts which have included a range of varied items including postcards, comics, magazines, stickers, PlayStation 2 discs, posters, and even snacks!
Regular guests at the convention have included Transformers comic writer Simon Furman
, artists Andrew Wildman
, Lee Sullivan
, Geoff Senior
, Simon Williams, and colourist Jason Cardy. Past voice actor guests have included Wally Wingert
(Sideburn and Mirage
from Transformers: Robots In Disguise
) and Neil Kaplan
(Optimus Prime
and Ro-Tor
, Transformers: Robots In Disguise), David Kaye
(Megatron from Beast Wars
, Beast Machines
, Transformers: Armada
, Transformers: Energon
, Transformers: Cybertron
and Optimus Prime in Transformers: Animated
), G1
actor Dan Gilvezan
in 2008 (Bumblebee
) and for 2009 Beast Wars
actor Ian James Corlett
and G1 actor Gregg Berger
.
Auto Assembly: Target 2006, the 2006 convention inspired by the Marvel UK comic story of the same name, had the Auto Assembly debut appearances of artists Guido Guidi
and Mike Collins, and the first UK appearance by its guest of honour voice actor David Kaye along with its regular comic guests.
In March 2006, the convention expanded its activities further with the launch of the Auto Assembly Podcast which featured the normally expected chat and news updates, but also included interviews, competitions and - in a departure from other Transformers podcasts - music. The podcast was hosted by Simon Plumbe and Sven Harvey, who at the time ran the event.
Auto Assembly 2008 was notable by having its first display from Hasbro
featuring the unveiling of handmade resin versions of Transformers: Animated Optimus Prime, Megatron and Bulkhead being given away through a prize draw from an online competition. It also saw the world debut of the trailer for the Transformers: Animated game for the Nintendo DS
from Activision
. The convention also attracted a great deal of media attention and was attended by a television camera crew from Central News who filmed for a news broadcast, a radio broadcaster from BBC Radio WM attended, and a live interview with Sven Harvey for BBC Radio 5 Live took place early in the day.
In November 2011, the first Auto Assembly Europe convention, the first Auto Assembly convention outside the UK, was held in Uppsala
, Sweden
, from 12 to 13 November. It was organised as a joint operation between the Auto Assembly organisers and the Nordic TransFans Association.
Notes
Transformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
event that is held in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and run by the science-fiction fan organisation Infinite Frontiers. The first convention was held in October 2000 and has been held annually, except in 2002 and 2007 when it took "gap years".
Sven Harvey stepped down from his role with the event between the 2008 and 2009 conventions due to various issues unrelated to the event. Head of Infinite Frontiers Simon Plumbe is now the primary organiser of the covention, with the support of a newly formed committee consisting of Trish Plumbe, Billy Edwards, David Wallace, Dean Holdaway, Martin Fisher, and Richard Fieldhouse with a team of Committee Assistants.
The convention started life as a small-scale event, intended to be an occasional Transformers equivalent of the meetings held by the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fan club Alpha Quadrant. The first event was expected to have a relatively small number of fans attending - smaller than the Star Trek meetings - although this figure was exceeded. From there the event grew rapidly and by the time the event reached 2003, it had expanded to a full-scale convention, though at that point it was referred to as a Transformers Collectors Fair.
The convention attracts fans from all over the UK and Europe and as far afield as America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and currently holds the European attendance record with 579 fans attending Auto Assembly 2010 from the UK and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The convention has a range of activities including dealers tables, guest talks, autograph sessions, toy and art displays, video screenings, competitions, charity auctions, workshops (added for 2009) and more. Auto Assembly 2009 is also going to be featuring the convention's first live band as part of its programme, former boy band turned rock band, Next of Kin. In association with sponsors every year, the convention also gives all of its attendees a "goodie bag" with complimentary gifts which have included a range of varied items including postcards, comics, magazines, stickers, PlayStation 2 discs, posters, and even snacks!
Regular guests at the convention have included Transformers comic writer Simon Furman
Simon Furman
Simon Christopher Francis Furman is a comic book writer, particularly associated with of a number of notable Transformers comics for Marvel UK, Marvel US, Dreamwave, and most recently, IDW...
, artists Andrew Wildman
Andrew Wildman
Andrew Wildman is a British artist, best known for his work in comics, mainly for Marvel Comics. Wildman cut his teeth on Marvel UK's titles in the late 1980s, including Galaxy Rangers, Thundercats, The Real Ghostbusters and, perhaps most notably, Transformers...
, Lee Sullivan
Lee Sullivan (comics)
-Biography:Sullivan trained as a wildlife and technical illustrator at Barnfield College before working as a graphic illustrator for British Aerospace...
, Geoff Senior
Geoff Senior
Geoff Senior is a British artist, best known for his work in the comic book field in the 1980s, mainly for Marvel UK. Senior is perhaps best remembered for his art for the Marvel Transformers series.-Biography:...
, Simon Williams, and colourist Jason Cardy. Past voice actor guests have included Wally Wingert
Wally Wingert
Wallace E. "Wally" Wingert is an American actor and voice artist. He is originally from Des Moines, Iowa but he currently works and lives in Los Angeles, California. He is the current announcer for the second incarnation of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the current voice of Jon Arbuckle in...
(Sideburn and Mirage
Mirage (Transformers)
Mirage is any of several distinct fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Mirage is one of the single most re-used names in the Transformers series, and is almost entirely synonymous with characters possessing Formula One racing car alternate modes.-Transformers Generation 1:Some...
from Transformers: Robots In Disguise
Transformers: Robots in Disguise
Transformers: Robots in Disguise, known in Japan as , is a Japanese anime television series and serves as a self-contained universe separate from any of the other existing Transformers universes...
) and Neil Kaplan
Neil Kaplan
Neil Kaplan is an American voice actor, entertainer and comedian.-Biography:Kaplan grew up in San Jose, California. He got his start as a comedian doing impressions of presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. He also impersonated a little known journalist at the time, Dan Rather. He...
(Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
and Ro-Tor
Ro-Tor
Ro-Tor is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Robots in Disguise:Ro-Tor is the name of a Decepticon who turns into a helicopter. The team's reconnaissance specialist.-Animated series:...
, Transformers: Robots In Disguise), David Kaye
David Kaye
David V. Hope , known professionally as David Kaye, is a Canadian American actor who is better recognized for his work as a voice actor...
(Megatron from Beast Wars
Beast Wars
Transformers: Beast Wars is a Transformers toyline released by Hasbro between 1995 and 2000, and a Daytime Emmy Award winning full-CG animated television series spawned by it that debuted in 1996...
, Beast Machines
Beast Machines
Beast Machines is an animated television series produced by Mainframe Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. Hasbro has the full distribution rights to the show as of 2011. It was a direct sequel to Beast Wars taking place within the continuity of the original Transformers series...
, Transformers: Armada
Transformers: Armada
Transformers: Armada, known in Japan as , is a Transformers animated series, comic series and toy line which ran from 2002–2003. It was originally scheduled for 2001, however was delayed until early-2002...
, Transformers: Energon
Transformers: Energon
Transformers: Energon, known in Japan as , is the 2004–2005 Transformers toyline, animated series and comic book series, another co-production between Hasbro and Takara and a direct sequel to Transformers: Armada...
, Transformers: Cybertron
Transformers: Cybertron
Transformers: Cybertron, known in Japan originally as , is the 2005-2007 Transformers toy line and animated series, another co-production between Hasbro and Takara...
and Optimus Prime in Transformers: Animated
Transformers: Animated
Transformers Animated is an American animated television series based on the Transformers toy line. The series debuted on Cartoon Network on December 26, 2007 and has been shown on NickToons in the UK since February 2008. It is produced by Cartoon Network Studios and animated by Japanese animation...
), G1
Transformers: Generation 1
Transformers: Generation 1 was the original Transformers toy line that produced from 1985 to 1992 and actually lasted longer than the G1 1980s television series itself...
actor Dan Gilvezan
Dan Gilvezan
Dan Gilvezan is an actor who provided the voice for Peter Parker/Spider-Man on the 1980s animated series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and the voice of the Autobots Bumblebee, Outback and Hot Spot and the Decepticon Snapdragon in the original 1984-1987 Transformers cartoon...
in 2008 (Bumblebee
Bumblebee (Transformers)
Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. In most incarnations, Bumblebee is a small, yellow Autobot with the altmode of a compact car.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
) and for 2009 Beast Wars
Beast Wars
Transformers: Beast Wars is a Transformers toyline released by Hasbro between 1995 and 2000, and a Daytime Emmy Award winning full-CG animated television series spawned by it that debuted in 1996...
actor Ian James Corlett
Ian James Corlett
Ian James Corlett is a Canadian animation voice artist, writer, and musician. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series Being Ian and Yvon of the Yukon....
and G1 actor Gregg Berger
Gregg Berger
Greggory "Gregg" Berger is an American voice actor, who is known for his longtime role as Odie the dog from the Garfield franchise...
.
Auto Assembly: Target 2006, the 2006 convention inspired by the Marvel UK comic story of the same name, had the Auto Assembly debut appearances of artists Guido Guidi
Guido Guidi
Guido Guidi is an Italian comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work on Transformers comics.-Dreamwave Productions:A longtime Transformers fan, Guidi was brought in by Dreamwave Productions to be artist for their Transformers: Armada comic, doing issues #8-13 and returning for...
and Mike Collins, and the first UK appearance by its guest of honour voice actor David Kaye along with its regular comic guests.
In March 2006, the convention expanded its activities further with the launch of the Auto Assembly Podcast which featured the normally expected chat and news updates, but also included interviews, competitions and - in a departure from other Transformers podcasts - music. The podcast was hosted by Simon Plumbe and Sven Harvey, who at the time ran the event.
Auto Assembly 2008 was notable by having its first display from Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
featuring the unveiling of handmade resin versions of Transformers: Animated Optimus Prime, Megatron and Bulkhead being given away through a prize draw from an online competition. It also saw the world debut of the trailer for the Transformers: Animated game for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
from Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
. The convention also attracted a great deal of media attention and was attended by a television camera crew from Central News who filmed for a news broadcast, a radio broadcaster from BBC Radio WM attended, and a live interview with Sven Harvey for BBC Radio 5 Live took place early in the day.
In November 2011, the first Auto Assembly Europe convention, the first Auto Assembly convention outside the UK, was held in Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, from 12 to 13 November. It was organised as a joint operation between the Auto Assembly organisers and the Nordic TransFans Association.
Convention Exclusives
Each year the convention produces a full colour fanzine, The Cybertronian Times, which features articles, artwork, fiction and reviews covering all eras of Transformers. In previous years, this fanzine has featured contributions from Simon Furman, Lee Sullivan and Simon Williams. Additional convention exclusives have been produced including postcards from 2003 onwards and pin badges for 2005 and 2006.- 2003 - The Cybertronian Times Issue 5, Optimus Prime postcard (Lee Sullivan artwork), Megatron postcard (Lee Sullivan artwork)
- 2004 - The Cybertronian Times Issue 6, Devastator postcard (Andrew Wildman artwork), Sideburn/Mirage postcard (Lee Sullivan artwork), Transformers: The Ultimate Guide (Wildfur / Auto Assembly Bookplated Edition)
- 2005 - The Cybertronian Times Issue 7, RiD Optimus Prime postcard (Simon Williams artwork), Pin badge (1 of 2)
- 2006 - The Cybertronian Times Issue 8, Beast Wars Megatron postcard (Simon Williams artwork), Cougar postcard (Guido Guidi artwork), Pin badge (2 of 2), Auto Assembly lanyard
- 2008 - The Cybertronian Times Issue 9, MiniCT Issue 3, Bumblebee/Spiderman postcard (Simon Williams artwork), TF Animated Jazz postcard (Kat Nicholson artwork), G1 Optimus Prime postcard (Lee Sullivan artwork), Bumblebee/Spiderman keyring (Simon Williams artwork), TF Animated Jazz keyring (Kat Nicholson artwork), G1 Optimus Prime keyring (Lee Sullivan artwork)
- 2009 - The Cybertronian Times Issue 10, Beast Wars CheetorCheetorCheetor is several fictional characters from various Transformers universes.- Beast Wars :Cheetor's original tech spec indicated he was a seasoned and confident warrior always in search of battle with the Predacons, seemingly in contrast to his youthful and impulsive portrayal in the original show...
postcard (Simon Williams / Kris Carter artwork), G1 Grimlock postcard (Andrew Wildman artwork), Beast Wars Cheetor keyring (Simon Williams artwork), G1 Grimlock keyring (Andrew Wildman artwork), Auto Assembly 2009 lanyard, IDW PublishingIDW PublishingIDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
All Hail Megatron Issue 13 Auto Assembly 2009 exclusive variant cover (Nick Roche / Liam Shalloo artwork), Auto Assembly 2009 mug (Andrew Wildman/Simon Williams/Jason Cardy/Kat Nicholson/Kris Carter artwork) - 2010 - The Cybertronian Times Issue 11, Beast Wars Optimus Primal postcard (Simon Williams / Kris Carter artwork), Beast Wars Optimus Primal keyring (Simon Williams / Kris Carter artwork), IDW PublishingIDW PublishingIDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
Transformers Issue 9 Auto Assembly 2010 exclusive variant cover (Nick Roche / Liam Shalloo artwork) - 2011 - The Cybertronian Times Issue 12, Transformers Animated Optimus Prime postcard (Kat Nicholson artwork), Transformers Animated Optimus Prime keyring (Kat Nicholson artwork), Death's Head Postcard (Simon Williams / Kris Carter artwork), G1 Grimlock postcard (Simon Williams / Liam Shalloo artwork)
Convention Dates
Nine Auto Assembly events have been held to-date, relocating as new venues have been needed to accommodate the growing attendance figures. Attendance figures are listed in brackets after the venue.- 2000: 22 October 2000 - Ibis Hotel, Birmingham, England (31)
- 2001: 4 March 2001 - Ibis Hotel, Birmingham, England (61)
- 2002: No convention
- 2003: 2 August 2003 - Britannia Hotel, Birmingham, England (234)
- 2004: 8–9 May 2004 - Britannia Hotel, Birmingham, England (320)
- 2005: 4 June 2005 - Clarendon Suites, Birmingham, England (409)
- 2006: 3 June 2006 - Clarendon Suites, Birmingham, England (400)
- 2007: No convention
- 2008: 2 August 2008 - Clarendon Suites, Birmingham, England (423)
- 2009: 15–16 August 2009 - Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre, Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham, England (501)
- 2010: 13–15 August 2010 - Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre, Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham, England (579 - current European attendance record)
- 2011: 12–14 August 2011 - Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre, Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham, England (577)
- 2011: 12-13 November 2011 - Clarion Gillet Hotel, Uppsala, Sweden (Auto Assembly Europe)
- 2012: 3–5 August 2012 - Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, Birmingham, England
Convention Guests
The convention has been joined by a number of guests over the years. To date, the following have attended or are scheduled to attend:- Stephen Baskerville - 2011
- Gregg Berger - 2009, 2011
- John-Paul Bove - 2011
- Lee Bradley - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
- Jason Cardy - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
- Kris Carter - 2009, 2010, 2011
- Garry Chalk - 2010
- Mike Collins - 2006, 2009
- Ian James Corlett - 2009
- Jon Davis-Hunt - 2009
- Bill Forster - 2010
- Simon Furman - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2011 (Auto Assembly Europe)
- Dan Gilvezan - 2008
- Martin Griffiths - 2008
- Guido Guidi - 2006
- Neil Kaplan - 2005
- David Kaye - 2006, 2011
- Jane Lawson - 2003, 2004, 2008
- Staz Johnson - 2008, 2009
- John McCreaJohn McCreaJohn McCrea is a comic book artist best known for his collaborations with writer Garth Ennis.-Career:...
- 2008 - Scott McNeil - 2010
- Kat Nicholson - 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
- Next Of KinNext of Kin (band)Next of Kin are an English boy band from Braintree, Essex, comprising brothers Nathan , Mark and Kieran Bass .-History:...
- 2009 - James Roberts - 2010, 2011
- Nick Roche - 2009, 2010, 2011
- Mark Ryan - 2011 (live via video link-up)
- Geoff Senior - 2005, 2008, 2011
- Liam Shalloo - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
- Jim Sorenson - 2010
- Lew StringerLew Stringer-Biography:Stringer began his career from the late 1970s with a series of fanzines, many featuring his popular Brickman character; these were read by several pro creators who encouraged Stringer to try comics as a profession and Stringer recalls that "Alan Moore actually introduced me to one of...
- 2009 - Lee Sullivan - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009
- Andrew Wildman - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011
- Simon Williams - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
- Wally Wingert - 2004
- Derrick J Wyatt - 2010
Notes
- Lew Stringer was scheduled to attend as the convention's first ever guest in 2001 but was unable to attend at the last minute due to transport difficulties. He was also due to be a guest at the 2008 event, but had to pull out due to work commitments.
- Guests of honour are indicated in bold.
The Auto Assembly Forum
The Auto Assembly Forum is run by convention committee head Simon Plumbe, with the help of the moderators. The forum is not as busy as many of the larger Transformers forums, but is still a vibrant fan community. It was founded on 19 August 2003 following Auto Assembly 2003 to act as a support forum for the conventions, but it quickly developed into a thriving community all of its own.External links
- Auto Assembly - The official website of Auto Assembly
- Auto Assembly Europe - The official website of Auto Assembly Europe
- Auto Assembly Forum - The official Auto Assembly forum
- TheTransformers.Net - Gallery of Auto Assembly 2003 photos
- Transformers At The Moon - Gallery and report from Auto Assembly 2005
- Transformers At The Moon - Gallery and report from Auto Assembly 2006
- Auto Assembly 2008 Gallery - Featured on Transformers At The Moon
- Transformers At The Moon - Gallery from 2009 at Transformers At The Moon
- Transformers-Universe.com - Gallery of Auto Assembly: Target 2006 photos
- Transformers-Universe.com - Auto Assembly 2008 Pictures and Report
- BBC Birmingham - BBC Birmingham report from Auto Assembly 2008
- BBC Coverage - BBC Birmingham covered the 2009 event with a feature and gallery on their website
Sources
- Attendance figures - Official Auto Assembly attendance figures from 2000-2010 provided to this article by the convention organisers. Revised 18 August 2010.
- Article content expanded by convention organisers (last update by convention committee head, 18 August 2011)
- All current article contents continually reviewed and monitored by convention committee.