This year’s TFcon Toronto was another good time, even though it seemed that everything went wrong for me before and after the show.

First, leading up to the week of the convention, my e-mail stopped working. It was a simple matter to fix it, but only after spending a whole day to figure out what was wrong. Then, while working on my stickers, my printer stopped working, seemingly running out of ink even though there was actually plenty still in the tank. After fixing that, my cutting machine stopped working. It’s like everything was going wrong. I just had to be patient and keep trying, and eventually I got everything done. That wasn’t the end of the problems, though!

I flew in to Toronto this year, which meant I was prepared to bring less with me and take less back, but I was not prepared for when my flight was delayed 3 times, with all the delays totalling up to around two and a half hours. Then, the person who had agreed to pick me up was sick, leaving me without a way to get to the hotel. I had to wait for the rest of my usual posse to arrive and tag along with them. All of these issues and delays meant that I had a lot less time than I wanted to put the final touches on my panel about “The 1980’s Robot Craze“.

I took as much time as I could, leading all the up to when the show started on Friday night. My presentation was the first event of the show, which was new for me. Instead of the typical PowerPoint-style presentation, I tried something a little different this year, but getting it to work along with the convention’s AV setup was a challenge. Eventually it got figured out, with many thanks to Paul the tech wizard, but my computer had to be plugged directly into the system, which was off to the side of the panel room, so I was not presenting in front of the audience. It started a bit later than it should have so I had to rush through a few things to fit within the time I had. It was jarring, but once I found my rhythm, everything seemed to go fine. There were a lot of people there, and it seemed like they were into it. Over the weekend, people were coming up to me to tell me how much they liked the panel. So, while it was a very flawed presentation, it went pretty well. I am not sure if there is a recording of it. I hope not! But I think that someday, one way or another, I’ll do it again, and I’ll do it better.

I have to admit, it was kind of nice to get my responsibilities out of the way on the first day and have the rest of the convention to enjoy, which was something I haven’t experienced in a long time due to being a presenter for the past number of years. So, for the rest of the time, I attended as many panels as I could, searched the dealer room for deals and interesting pieces you rarely see in person, and hung out with pals. Even still, there were a few things that I missed out on, just because I was busy having fun somewhere else.

I also sold stickers, both on my own to anyone who could find me, and with a selection available in the dealer room thanks to CringeMcCringle and TFormers2002 offering some space at their table.

Here is a look at what it was like walking around the dealer room. It was pretty busy!

There were a some interesting gems to be found this year. You can see some more images from the show here on my Tumblr.

It was awesome to see The Cybertronic Spree in town again! I bought 2 albums after their panel on Saturday and got some pictures. I’m hoping to see them in live in concert outside of a convention some day.

Saturday night was all about the Slurpee Run! It was the biggest turnout we’ve ever had, with nearly 100 people making the trip to get a slushy beverage. We had lots of bells and whistles this year, with the staff members in new uniforms, a knighting ceremony, a free giveaway of 3D printed cups that figures can hold, and there was even a wedding! How did a wedding happen? What we did not have were actual Slurpees, since the 7-Eleven we used to go to closed a few years ago, and the gas station we had been going to instead had run out of their brand of frozen drink. Oh well, it was all about the experience.

I wish I got more pictures of the guests and other stuff that happened, but I enjoyed all the panels with the voice actors and the other events I was able to attend. There were a lot of great guests this year. Here’s me and Guber with Dick Terhune, Neil Kaplan, and Xavier Paul Cadeau. I even shared an elevator with Mr. Terhune on Monday morning and got to chat with him a bit, proving TFcon never really ends until everyone leaves.

On Sunday night, after the show had ended, I appeared live on the Transformers Slag Podcast again. You can find me at about the 1hr49min mark.

Here’s the stuff that I took home! The gigantic Bowser figure was a very generous gift from another longtime TFcon attendee. Since I was flying home, I had to find a way to fit it in my suitcase, which meant I knew I would not have room for very much more. Still, it was a respectable enough haul. You can read all the details of the individual items here on my Tumblr.

All in all, it was another great TFcon, in spite of everything I went through before it started. This was the largest TFcon Toronto yet, with a huge attendance, especially on Saturday. I’m not sure what to attribute the bump in interest in TFcon this year, but there might have to be some changes in how things are run in the future to accommodate for all the people.

One thing I hope does not change is the fun social aspect of TFcon Toronto that makes it stand out from other conventions. I probably say this every year, but it really does feel like a family reunion. It was great to connect with old friends and see people I only get to see once a year. In fact, I wish there was more time for that, as even with as much activity as I crammed into the weekend, there were still people I didn’t get to see for very long and things I wish I could have done more of. I definitely noticed that a lot of people recognized me and said hi to me throughout the weekend, even though I didn’t always know who everybody was. I appreciate it though, and I especially want to thank everyone who bought stickers.

TFcon did not end on Sunday though! At least, not for me. I got to hang out around town for a bit on the Monday before heading back to the airport that night. I checked out a cool comic store and mall, and I bought some more stuff. It was nice to have an extra day and not rush out the door in the morning like I usually have to.

As great of a time as it was, the bad luck I was experiencing before the show continued after! I fell sick with a terrible cold as soon as I got home, and it got worse before it got better. I’m still catching up on life, which is why I am posting this in August. Oh well.

Plans are already in place for what I’m going to do for next year’s TFcon Toronto! New stickers, new panels, and who knows what else. See you then!

Sayonara.