Queensbay Transformers Expo 2011

This would be our last event of the month of June when we wrap up our roadshow by shooting off up north to Penang right after the Transformers Dark Of The Moon premiere for TransMY. This is the second time we were here and what overwhelms us is the workforce shown by the Penang chapter where the amount of people volunteering for duty this time almost doubled. Added with the KL team, there is nearly 30 people for duty and exhibiting which makes our team a pretty solid one.

Penang was lead by Einsamsoldat with 18 strong and KL was lead by Admin Prime of nearly 10 personnel. The first team consist of Admin Prime, Kickback 86 and DSV400 was the earliest KL team to arrive in Penang on Thursday afternoon.

First time reaches Queensbay Mall and rendezvous with Rafekwb and Jimmy. Einsamsoldat came not long after and off both him and Admin Prime went to the mall office for some paperworks. Then the team was taken on a quick tour around the exhibition area by Chris Koh and Wendy Wong.

We left for our hotel room and chill before dinner. Our first dinner in Penang is a Tom Yam restaurant in Georgetown. It was quite a drive with Rafekwb, Einsamsoldat and Jimmy who was accompanying us for dinner. After dinner we returned to the hotel for a short rest and preparation.

At around 11pm, we rollout to Queensbay Mall meeting up with the rest of the Penang team. When we arrived, all of them were already there. Some came along with their spouses with trolleys so eager and proud to be part of the exhibition team.

Since working in the premises after closing hours poses a security risk, we were told to obtain security clearance from the security office. Off we went submitting our ID’s and receiving a ‘contractor’s tag’ to be clipped on our shirt pocket for identification purposes. The guards were kind enough to usher us to the elevators to the first floor.

When we reached the exhibition area, the staffs of QBM is still setting up the displays. They were pretty quick and good in what they are doing. Our boys were kept busy for awhile and Admin Prime has instructed those who have not apply any labels on their exhibits to do so at that time.

Admin Prime using the same technique which he applied in 1U – labeling; rushed to label the acrylic cases with the toyline symbols. In the next half hour, the team is ready to roll. Readied cases was soon occupied by the exhibits based on the labels provided.

To our surprise, we finished them around 2am. This is an advantage as working members can leave home for work tomorrow. The ones who is taking day off remained just to tidy up the arrangement.

At 4am all is complete and the remaining team rollout to Nasi Kandar Kayu for a supper. We returned to hotel at 6am and had a quick rest before the next mall opening day.

Day One

Though it was Friday, the traffic wasn’t that great. Most of the members spend their sweet time re-arranging the poses and some even manage to add up new stuff that they feel relevant.

Day one is also where the vouchers is to be distributed for the first time for duty members.

Stage competitions and activities have already taken place such as fastest transforming game, a typical game to test how quick can a person transform a Transformer toy. For the cause, a deluxe class Bumblebee is always the ‘victim’ of those difficult hands.

When day one ends, we are out again for another chill-out session – thanks to our Penang counterpart. Second wave of KL team consists if Gema, Prime85 and Vic arrived in another car only to rendezvous with us at the mamak eatery guided by Hakim.

Day Two

There were steady streams of traffic with the public enquiring about Transformers. Most general public are mere shutterbugs taking photos all the way.

It was a nice sight as people regardless of age and background thronged to the exhibits with awe and amazement. Some Chinese press people were already there taking pictures and interviewing members.

As for those newly rekindled fans, they will normally ask for advice of how to start and where to start. There were some who was also there to ask help in repairing their broken Transformers which we don’t offer.

At 1pm, the official launch of the Transformers event in Queensbay Mall starts. YB Danny Law was the guest of honour with 3 more VIPs on stage alongside TransMY’s founder.

The VIPs were brought to a guided tour along the exhibition area and became the limelight of the journos who were already there anticipating some pictures and interviews. Some TransMYians too were interviewed after the launch by The Star, Chinese presses, Sinar Harian and NST.

It was a long day but fruitful and to treat ourselves dearly, our Penang team mates ushered us to another mamak restaurant – Subaidah at Sg Dua for some refreshments before going off to bed.  We were then joined by the third wave of KL team member – TFBoy Henry.

Day Three

Today is where all the hot stuffs took place. Almost each corner of the mall was a centre stage of a plethora of promotions from cars, mobile phones, camera and of course, Transformers. Each had a crowd of their own, and the MC’s from all events are competing against each other for some crowd attention.

In the afternoon, modelling competition took place on the Transformers stage and they were fiercely competed by the camera event on the ground floor.

As for the Transformers stage, many activities have taken place and just before evening, our boys manned the stage with our own style of street-auction. Our member, Mindslicer who is a G1 purist and some other members auctioned their stuff from G1 toys to movie toys. Not to mention some Animated and Power Core Combiners were auctioned as well.

From our observation, G1 doesn’t sell as good as the newer lines. This is because the audience have little (almost none) understanding on what Transformers G1 is all about.

Loose movie items are among the hot items for sale, and we were quite surprised that a loose Skids and Mudflap ice cream truck can rake up to nearly RM70! Other movie items that sell so well is obviously, the Dark of The Moon series.

The auction was executed perfectly as Mindslicer’s MC-ing skills and his cheekiness conversing in northern slang enticed the crowd. He was assisted closely by Hakim and Einsamsoldat which makes the stage a pure 1Malaysia sight.

Crowds are made entirely by parents with growing kids and of course, youths and single adults who were into collecting. There were also bid wars among members namely Gema vs F_khri and F_khri vs Vic. The whole experience was fun and memorable for the TransMyians.

Dinner soon approaches and KL team consists of ‘HQ personnel’ such as founder and moderators of central TransMY were having a long-table dinner with the higher echelon of TransMY Penang. We discussed plans about future activities and also localized activities among Penang members.

Time passes swiftly but quickly as 10.15pm approaches, we were scrambling to wrap-up. Ironically though, TransMY was the only sub-contractors on the floor to start wrapping-up late. Other contractors from the official dealers packed up as early as 10pm. This is because lingering visitors are still nailed to our exhibits so it was unwise to spoil their fun by wrapping-up in front of them.

Soon the crowd and attention subsided, and we mobilized our boxes and casings on the perimeter. In 45 minutes everything was cleared off, leaving nothing but the fondly-missed acrylic cases and tables.

We had our photo moments with combined team of KL and Penang. Admin Prime uttered few parting words before we dismissed. Those who still can spare some time with us, went to a local eatery in Hammer Bay. It was an open space restaurant with sandy beach floors.

Our team were joined by Mindslicer, Hakim, Einsamsoldat, Hora Tora Bora, Ameet and J4U. After having a lenghty chat and foodie paid by Hakim (thanks to him), we parted ways departing for KL at 1am.

All of us safely reached KL at around 4am.