New Story on TransformersClub.com - Withered Hope

Hello everyone!

The newest text story from the collector's club has been released! Written by Greg Sepelak and Trent Troop and artwork provided by Matt Kuphaldt, Withered Hope can be located in the member's only portion of the Transformersclub.com website

Transformersclub.com!

Looks like a continuation of the "Games of Deception" comic...cool!

Actually, it is the second story set in Axiom Nexus. How is Bugbite there? You have to read to find out...

Ah, I just skimmed it for now & saw Dreadwind and er, most of Bugbite, but I downloaded it to read this weekend.

Cool, more interface with the Gobots. I like stories like this.

Previewed in the previous fanclub magazine, the illustrated Transtech text story "Withered Hope" is now online at the Transformers Collectors' Club website! It's brought to us by the same team that put together the club's free-to-all Unicron Trilogy "Force of Habit" story; the dynamic dialoguing duo of Greg "M Sipher" Sepelak and S Trent Troop bring the wondrous wordage, while their visions are voraciously visualized by the vivacious Matt "Jackpot" Kuphaldt!

What does this story hold for us? Well, I'll only say that Small Foot's appearance in the preview was not a coincidence - just the tip of the iceberg! - and that some points from 2007's Games of Decepticon story are built on!

Now go! Excelsior!

I've just finished reading it, and I really enjoyed it! A few things puzzle me though.

1. Who was Crystal Widow so depressed over?

2. What was Airazor so upset about at the end of the story?

3. Is Transtech Optimus Prime aware of Megatron and Shockwave's holding Breakaway captive?

4. How many other Beast Wars characters are holding key offices?

5. Why wasn't Nightbeat named Nightbeat? Did I possibly misread that part?

Anyway, I'll be looking forward to seeing the next story!

Is it available for non-menbers?

1. A lady has to have her secrets.

2. Apparently, the tab she had was sizable.

3. I'm not sure. Only Forrest, and Prime, I guess, knows for sure.

4. More than a few by a lot.

5. Easter eggs are no fun unless they're hidden.

This is a members-only story and there are a lot more of them on the way.

-Trent

<-- Though this was about the April Fool's 2008 comic.


Though the appearence of the E-Hobby mini-bots is kinda cool. BUGBIIIIIIITE!

Fair enough, but at some point you've GOT to tell the story of how T-Bob ended up there

sounds cool I'll have to read it if its available.

Yay....Another Members Club story screwing up Transtech a bit more....

How do you screw up a Transtech 'universe' where just about anything is possible?

Anyway, great story! Hope to see more Gobot stories in the future and more information and background on Crystal Widow. More of the TF Univerese characters should get an appearance too. I was actually cheering for the Gobots! The ehobby Minibots will always have a place of honor in my collection. Will wonders never end?

Thanks for answering my questions! Also, it was nice to meet you at the convention! I just couldn't figure out that line that went "A look of defeat crossed Airazor's face." It never occurred to me that she was trying to get out of her tab! That joke was very subtle!

I'd like to also compliment you for making Cheetor so intelligent in these stories. It was a rather refreshing change, and I enjoyed the way he "fixed" the entire situation so neither he, Airazor, or Widow and the Minibots got into trouble!

Thanks for writing all these stories, and I'll be looking forward to the next one!

Man, I need to renew my membership. I really enjoyed the last Transtech story too. I knew the GoBots would be in the next one, but I didn't know it'd be out so soon. I'm hoping for more GoBots in the future.

Great, Troop & Sepelak always do awesome work. I'll have to read it after I come home on Sunday.

What didn't you like?

I believe he is upset we didn't set Transtech after the "tentative" and only "proposed" Post-Beast Machines era. Though as I have said numerous times, since a Post-Beast Machines story has already been told we did not want to follow the original "proposal".

And to be honest, even if one had not been told, with the way the story has worked out, I so much more prefer this official story for them. It has led to some very cool characterizations of these Transtech Autobots and Decepticons plus it has also led to some very cool Prose stories...

I, Lowtech is going to we wild but dark...I think people will really dig the final TT Prose story as well...

I don't know if this is the proper place to ask but is TFC going to do any minibot exclusives?

In the Offworld Zones, honest cops tend to wind up smart or dead. Cheetor is fun to write, since he gets to be a different kind of hero in this setting.

Thanks for reading them!

I wouldn't count the wayward gobotronians out just yet, and I'm glad you enjoyed Gone too Far.

Yep. We are working hard to make sure that each story, while in a continuing universe, is still a unique experience.

-Trent

Hey, Trent, first off that was an awesome read! Great story and I was rooting for Crystal Widow and the GoBots the whole time! Hope we get more stories involving those characters (even if it won't be together now as they're seperated).

Also, seeing as everyone got upgraded at Swindle, Swindle & Swindle... what forms did Treads, Bad Boy, Pathfinder, Small Foot & Road Ranger get (like, say, if they were repaints of existing toys like Bug Bite was)?

Also, Pete, any chance for a continuation of the GoBots story in the Classicverse as a Botcon thing one of these years? I'd totally be all over a set of updated GoBots! Especially if it continued such an awesome story.

Well, that's a tough question. We don't really have any body-changes in mind. They may have gotten whole new forms, they may have gotten repaired with some minor upgrades to their old ones. Nothing is presently planned with them but the idea was to keep things open for a possible follow-up.

All we know is what's in the story... they got fixed and were still recognizable to Bugbite.

-Trent

Cool. Thanks for the response. I thought you guys might have had some molds in mind, but I guess not. Still, can't wait to see what happens next (with them and the next pros story too!).

Well, that doesn't mean we can't endlessly speculate on what the GoBot characters COULD be made from!

Path Finder is sort of difficult. I liked someone's suggestion elsewhere of Cybertron Dirt Boss with a new head as Small Foot, though!

Bad Boy - Classics/Universe Powerglide? He couldn't be white, though... maybe dark green like the original Bad Boy figure? Unless that's too close to Storm Cloud...

There are many TF tanks, but I'm not sure what would be a good one for Treds. A lot of them are green already... might have to make up a better color scheme for him?

Road Ranger... well, there's Cybertron Armorhide for a small semi-truck, but Cybertron Armorhide is already blue and Movie Armorhide is already black, so that's difficult.

Any ideas, people?

So it's a Transtech story that's not set post BM? Roughly when/where is it set?

It is set in present day, but it is an all new Universe. It is one where the Autobots and Decepticons of this world (the Transtechs) never went to war, rather they operate in a political system where their differences are argued out in a Senate like system. Due to them never going to war their race has evolved much closer to it's fullest potential. While they are not at war, they still differ.

The Decepticons are still all about power, they just realize the power in the advancement of their species. The Decepticons, unlike the Autobots, are less concerned about other races though (Outworlders) and are willing to use them to advance the Transtechs.

And that is where the main setting takes place, a city known as Axiom Nexus. There are Universes that are so old they are stacked close together in the multiversal stack, and this allows for a bleed across timelines with all kinds of characters showing up. These "outworlders" are from hundreds of different timelines who all filter into Axiom Nexus. The Prose fiction stories follows these characters.

But back to the comic for a second... later this year, readers will see just what type of power the Transtechs have

Sounds interesting. However, I have to just throw out there from what I've read so far... I absolutely can't stand the Transtech characters (and maybe I'm supposed to feal this way?), but they all come off as so arrogant, self-righteous and full of themselves that I actually want to see Unicron show up (you know, sense you guys never showed what happened to him at the end of the second year's comic) and totally decimate them. Or someone just seriously hand the Transtech their collective overstuffed backsides.

Are those kinds of feelings what the writers intended for the Transtech or would people saying that strike everyone as a surprise?

I was thinking about this after I asked Trent about it yesterday. Here's what I've come up with.

Pathfinder is exceptionally difficult as nothing that has a current toy really fits her well. Perhaps once we get a Classics Cosmos (Hasbro said they'd like to have something to show us for him at next year's Botcon so fingers crossed on that one).

Small Foot... I like the idea of Dirt Boss with a remolded head, but I was looking at my Movie Salvage and it struck me that the colors on that mold are exactly the same as the colors on the E-Hobby version of Small Foot. Not to mention that the mold is sexually ambiguous enough that it works (not that Gobotronian females ever tend to look feminine anyways). I think I may use Salvage as my stand in Small Foot until Hasbro or FP does one eventually. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of truck molds out there for them to use.

Road Ranger; I like the idea of using Cybertron Armorhide, but like you said... both of his main colors have been used by two of the previous releases of this mold. Perhaps they could do the Deluxe Armada Prime in Road Ranger's E-Hobby colors? I think that would work well (nice upgrade too btw... you get to look like the Autobots leader! ).

Bad Boy, while I like the idea of doing him as the Ultra Universe mold... Bad Boy's primary color is white and Powerglide is already primarily white for his release so it wouldn't really be much of a repaint. I'd say they should use the Energon Skyshadow/Terradive mold (still an A-10). I think that mold would work well for him.

Treds... like you said... lots of tank molds, but which one would work? I was thinking either the Deluxe Classics Megatron or the upcoming Universe Galvatron. However, both of those would require new heads as they're too iconic to the characters they represent. So, the easiest solution I came up with was to use the Energon Blight/Kickback mold. And it would also work with the idea that he was posing as a Decepticon to keep an eye on the other two.

Here's what I'd like to see,

Pathfinder - Cosmos (if we get him) or a remolded Protoform Prime

Bad Boy - Universe Powerglide (gray and blue)

Smallfoot - Remolded Dirtboss? That'd work.

Treads - Universe Galvatron w/ new head

Road Ranger - I like the idea of Armourhide, but even heavily remolded Deluxe Classics Prime would work. (Remove the gimmick)

Well, most of them do have a superiority complex to an extent... But most of who we have seen thus far are the Decepticons and we don't yet know as much about the Transtech's and others as we will later on. Some reveals are coming so stay tuned...

Oh yeah, definently looking forward to more screen time for the Autobots as it'll be good to see things from their perspective. It's an enjoyable read and I definently can't wait for each new comic or pros story... I just find it interesting that thus far I'm really annoyed by these guys. Even Silverbolt and Cheetor seem to get under my skin a lot (though the recent pros story really redeemed those two for me).

Anyways, you guys keep up the good work and I'll keep reading and giving FP my hard earned cash.

I really liked the story and I think it is the best thus far. However, there were spelling errors here and there and personally that was distracting for me. Maybe in the future a closer spelling check before putting the story in PDF will fix that problem.

The Transtechs are an interesting concept. They don't just think they're superior, they are superior. As demonstrated by Demolishor's combat prowess. This will be expanded on soon. The Gobots are no slouches, after all.

We're working on refining the proofreading process. Glad you enjoyed the story.

-Trent

Perhaps if you e-mail or PM some of the spelling issues you found to Trent or Pete, they could be corrected and the PDF re-uploaded?

That may be possible, yes.

-Trent