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Officers and Volunteers Needed
Sorry, we're a non profit organization, so there's no pay, pension or perks other than a pat on the back for a job well done. (Sadly, it might feel sometimes that even that much is absent.) Officers have to have a passion for the Transformers and an unending well of sympathy for their fellow club members. The number one cause an officer leaves has usually ended up being their building frustration at the lack of participation by members.
If you become upset you, like Kup in the Movie, believe everyone ought to recipicate; then expect to burn your circuits in frustration. I hate to say this, but Americans are consumers willing to pay to be entertained and very few were given the opportunities through our educational system to seek out the difficult independent course of action. The return of the Transformers, much like other 80's toys, is in part due to psychological feelings of a safer and more comfortable time during these war years. If I had ever listened to some of my art teachers I would have quit drawing TFs long ago and never would have had a smidgen of the ability that took me a long time to master. (Though, I now feel like I have to start over with in the transition from B/W to color. I'm a stubborn one and have learned that others' opinions sometimes do not matter. Since I'm male I know I definitely can't have a baby, but everything else should be fair game.)
As much as officers have to lead they also need teamwork to accomplish great tasks. It is almost a dirty buzzword: teamwork. How many of you have worked in teams only to find at the last moment the entire workload has been dumped on your shoulders, crushing you to your knees and you still pull the load across the line because, Primus forbid, you should ever fail? (Sorry, both Boy Scouts and Student Council in High School left me with more than a few experiences in this area.) Teams and teamwork are necessary within a club as much as inside a boardroom. (How should I know? I've never set foot in a boardroom, but I digress.) The point is that there needs to be an even load of tasks and responsibilities amongst the team. No single member should be so important that the goal will be lost should they fail to perform, and yet no one member should ever have to carry the load alone.
I would hope that at some point we could elect our officials, but since there have been so few to come forward to fill the positions the need for elections has been limited in the past.
Officer Job Descriptions
President
The leader of the TransMasters club. This person would be responsible for creating a vision as to where the club should be headed. The lead spokesperson, negotiator, rule maker, and arbitrator.
Vice President
The Second-In-Command of the club. This should be someone that can be in close contact with the President and able to take over the reigns should the President step down or be unable to perform the duties. Should be the one members refer their disputes to to be dealt with at this level first, and if the VP cannot resolve the problem it will be passed up the chain of command to be resolved in accordance with the Ethics Agreement.
Treasurer
The person in charge of collecting the membership dues and paying from them the bills of the club. Would be responsible for starting a non profit organization registration, opening an account with the TransMasters name, and depositing all funds into that account. Would need to make monthly reports on how much was brought in through dues, etc. and what expenses the club approved. Would send receipts of deposit to members. Would make out any other necessary reports, IRS forms, etc. (Might want to have this person bonded or insured so that if the Treasurer turns out to be less than scrupulous, the club should be able to recoup at least some of the funds.) This person might need to be an Accountant.
Archivist
Person most responsible to collect media produced by the TransMasters. with permission from the publishers, this person will type, scan, or otherwise digitize these into an Electronic Archive version (.gif, .jpg, .png, .pdf or other file formats) for access by the TransMasters members. The members would most likely find this posted to a members only forum, unless agreed otherwise. This person is responsible for learning who has print media, electronic media, costs, and ordering information so this information can be passed on to the members through the forum and newsletter. Maintains membership and tech spec lists to be released quarterly. Maintains and updates the TransMasters web page.
Volunteer Tasks
Public Relations/Promotion
Quite possibly the job that every TransMaster should have a role in playing. Each one of you are important ambassadors for the club and can easily access local science fiction scenes to promote us. Sometimes it is as easy as wearing a tee shirt with the TransMasters logo, other times you may wish to distribute flyers to comic shops, conventions, etc. There will be some promotional materials posted on this web page, but you are free to create your own. Only two requirements: You should include one of the logos from the logo page and remember to include Hasbro's Copyright notice. Also, unless you have some art that you do not want to donate to the club, it would be nice to share your customs so that other members not so talented can use them in their areas.
Fanfic/Fanzine Writer
Are you a word smith that has a fancy for big robots in disguise? Transformers stories are always in demand and a few web sites are dedicated just to sharing them. If you post a story elsewhere, please stop by our forums and let the club know. The UK TransMasters created a timeline and single continuity for their members. We are not so particular, unless you run into a G1 purist, so create your own universe if you would like. (Warning: If you do not take care with your grammar and spelling expect to seriously receive comments about it.)
Artists
If you can draw, paint, Photoshop, 3d render, or otherwise create pictures of the more than meets the eye there are plenty of fans that would like the chance to appreciate your work. The Botcon Transformers conference usually has contests for art and auction opportunities. Most printed media still focus on B/W pics since they're cheaper to reproduce, but webzines and galleries have made it easy to share color graphics of high quality and can be highly addictive to peruse.
Media Production Assistants
Sometimes you have to hunt for the best prices on copies. Office Max sometimes has sales of 3 cent copies and cheap color copies are always in demand. (Though I have learned that you have to be cautious about the quality of the copies since it can sometimes be less than what you print out.)
Anyone with access to printing equipment at work or through other means can also lend a hand. Color prints are expensive to make and in some cases, here in CA at least, the shops will not reproduce anything copyrighted. This includes pictures from 30 year old and possibly defunct photo studios. (Of course the new Kodac Picture maker things at the stores can make this a moot point.)
Silkscreen Tee shirt printing is also a skill that we would be interested in to produce products for the members. If you know how and the approximate costs for complex (4 color or more) designs, let us know. (I have seen it done a couple of times but would not really be able to do it without more training.)
Kitbashers/Repainters
The vastness of the Transformers has created a new kind of artist that is part engineer. Hasbro and Takara are notorious for the repaints to save money in production costs, and have been lambasted for this by the fan community. I know of one fan that has created an entire business out of just hand painting Heroes of Cybertron figures. Repolabels.com provides custom sticker sheets to modify some toys as well as their line of reproduction stickers. Several fans have taken Energon Starscream and repainted him so that they have a full set of G1 style seekers.
Kitbashing usually means that the fan has taken things a step further. They end up changing pieces of a toy, molding new parts or creating their own stuff from scratch. It was barely four months after the 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime hit the store shelves before a couple of people were building custom trailers for the toy. Several fans decided they wanted to have an Alternators style Bumblebee and cut up some die cast models of the New Beetle to combine with an extra Alternator toy. (VW and Hasbro have been having difficulty coming to a licensing agreement for the New Beetle, though we keep hearing rumors that they are close to one.) I find it very interesting to see the designs and the innovations that come from these tinkerers. The club would be very interested in images of your kitbashes and perhaps articles on how you did it. I think that Takara should watch out, Hasbro could decide to rename the TFs and tap into the local talent. (Have you seen the custom War Within Optimus that actually transforms?) Just kidding about Hasbro dumping its investment in the Transformers, the name and characters are just too ingrained into the society.
Costume Designers
Both times I made a Transformers costume I won prizes from school costume contests. When I look back on my Omega Supreme costume made entirely of cardboard I laugh and remember how my Jr. High Drama teacher wanted to know how I designed the claw to actually close. My next costume was Bludgeon made entirely of spray painted paper bags with a plastic sword. I built an Optimus Prime costume once with plastic wagon wheels for tires, but alas the pictures were double exposed and there was a red shed in the first image so it blended right in (Why is it that you always learn this stuff only after you've dismantled the work?).
What shocks me is when these creative individuals design costumes that can actually transform. These were meticulously engineered in most cases and they look great in either form. Tia's appearance at Botcon 2004 was just Prime and so was Blackarachnia's. BA was doing so many kicks for pictures that I am certain she must have been sore by the time she reached her Predacon lair. Sharing your ideas, pictures and designs can be a great topic for conversation and inspiration.
The TransMasters are a
Transformers fan club and no intention to
infringe on rights of any parties. If you believe that you have a
problem with any of the content please contact me immediately:
[Email].
Last updated: 10/11/2009.