More than 15,000 fans gathered at the Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore, for the Transformers Cybertron Convention 2012 (‘Cybertron Con’) on Sunday, marking a successful first day of the four day event, a first of its kind in Southeast Asia.
100 of these enthusiasts, some of whom started queuing as early as the day before, were eager to qualify to meet the godfather of Transformers toys, Mr. Hideaki Yoke. The creator of the much-loved toy collection also personally autographed 100 of the limited edition sets purchased by the first 100 in the queue. 23-year old Brendan Yip, a marketing student and avid enthusiast, beat the crowds by queuing at 4pm the day before, and was the first to greet Mr. Yoke as doors opened at 11am.
Yip remarked, “It was worth it. I arrived last night and have been queuing for more than 20 hours. I love Transformers and the team that made these toys and franchises happened. I feel extremely honoured to be the first in line and have my Optimus Prime autographed by Mr. Hideaki Yoke.”
[Image of Mr. Hideaki Yoke signing autographs]
The centre-piece of the event is the 22-foot tall Optimus Prime, made up of 3,000 pieces of metal, weighing a staggering 900 kilograms. Elated fans clamoured to have their photos taken with the life-sized Autobot, sharing an indelible memory at Cybertron Con 2012. Convention-goers who were more adventurous even went up to the scaffolding located opposite the Optimus Prime to take a snapshot with the massive figure at a closer proximity.
[Image of the life-size Optimus Prime on show]
Another highlight that wowed fans was a display of customised model kits by 50 local designers, hobbyists and celebrities at the ‘Transformers Re-Imagined’ booth. Local film director/producer Eric Khoo, fashion designer Daniel Boey, as well as singing duo Jack & Rai showed convention-goers an alternative interpretation to the 28-year franchise, marking the first of its kind in Hasbro's history. Transformers fans can show their support for their favourite designs created by the customisers and hobbyists by voting on
Transformers Singapore (Official) Facebok Page.
The winners will be announced on the final day of the event, Wednesday 14 March at 5pm, with the winners from the Hobbyist Category and Designer Category receiving an exclusive golden Optimus Prime, or a unique silver Bumblebee respectively.
Fans also got up close and personal with the representatives from various Transformers franchises, posing questions about the movie, toys and cartoon franchises to the panel that comprised the brand director, producers and Mr. Yoke. The panel sessions attracted close to 300 people as the creatives disclosed the latest news regarding the Transformers. Much of the news delighted die-hard followers of the Transformers brand who were glad to hear of the latest developments to be expected in the coming weeks from Hasbro.
Said Mr. Kenneth Ho, 36, a Research and Design Engineer by profession, “I was surprised to hear so much from the Transformers Brand Team as well as from Hasbro Studios! As a big fan of the new Transformers: Prime animation series, it’s really exciting to hear of what’s in store in the coming series”.
The inaugural Southeast Asian edition of the Cybertron Con provided a great opportunity for families to get together and share an intimate moment on a Sunday. Many parents who were fans of the entertainment franchise growing up, were spotted bringing their children along and explaining to them the various Autobots and the Decepticons, which amounted to over a thousand figurines and toys, sprawled across a retrospective display gallery, showcasing the 28 years of Transformers history.
Fans who wish to get in on the action at the once-in-a-lifetime event at the Resorts World Sentosa, can do so till Wednesday, 14 March 2012, the final day of the event. Enthusiasts who wish to take advantage of the school holiday period to organize a trip down to the biggest Transformers event to hit Singapore shores can visit the convention tomorrow from 10am.