A Moment Apart

After almost 8 years of writing articles and conducting interviews for the TFSource Blog and TFSource Report, I’ve decided to step aside from the role for the foreseeable future. I have had the privilege of carrying out interviews with fascinating members of the Transformers collecting community, writing toy reviews when I have been lucky enough to be sent product samples for photography and evaluation, as well as developing my photography skills. It has also allowed me to engage in my greatest passion within this hobby; researching under-documented aspects of the Transformers toy brand and bringing them to light, with the help of many collectors around the world.

I want to thank TFSource for the degree of freedom I have been given to do all of the above, for giving me access to a much wider audience and for opening doors for me when it came to exploring different elements of our hobby. Most of all, I am grateful to TFSource for forcing me to become a better, more versatile and very regular producer of written content that we can be proud of, all of which has in no small part contributed to my professional development and has altered the course of my life for the better.

I want to thank all of you who have read the articles for your unending & overwhelming support, words of praise, enthusiasm, knowledge, regular contributions and feedback on my TFSource work. You have given me inspiration, words, photographs, experience and your love of Transformers. It’s an enormous part of how I’ve managed to enjoy writing weekly Transformers articles for so long! The memories of which will undoubtedly drive me to return and contribute to the blog often.

I am proud of our collector interviews for how they developed into more than just a tour of impressive collections. I’ve been able to feature all sorts of collectors from around the world who entered the hobby by different roads, from people who have been stalwarts of the scene to those who are discovering it as we speak. I hope we have demonstrated the diversity within the fandom and broadened horizons, as well as given appropriate attention to people who deserved to be appreciated and celebrated as much as their collections. Just like the articles and the blog itself, the interviews will continue!

I’m proud that we have had the opportunity to explore topics such as major collector fraud, the grading of vintage products by established groups, the non-official toy scene and the history of the Transformers brand throughout the world. I was always given free reign to voice my personal opinions about the toys I reviewed, free from any influence or agenda by either company or retailer, and while some companies didn’t want their products assessed so honestly, TFSource always backed my approach.

I am also extremely touched by how supportive, kind and welcoming readers have been when we have explored the more human aspects of collecting Transformers through personal experiences, insecurities, successes and failures. They’re just toys, sure, but the people who love them are as real as anything in the world. And there’s nothing superficial about the love that those people have for this hobby since it means something different to everyone who engages with it, or each other.

I remain open to the possibility of occasionally contributing an article or interview to the TFSource Report in the future. Who knows what the future holds, but I felt the time was right to take a break. I am still a huge Transformers fan and an active collector, as well as an active community member. I will still produce content for my own blog at Transformers Square One when time and content allow, and it certainly will not be weekly. I’ll still take photos of my toys and collection, but not to a schedule.

Thank you all, sincerely, for everything. This has been a wonderful 8 years, and I hope you will all join me in supporting future TFSource Report writers and contributors going forward!

All the best
Maz