Robots in disguise have been a considerable part of U.S. pop culture for 40 years, and over half of that time, there has been a fan event dedicated to all things Transformers in Western Washington.

I was not a “Transformers” guy growing up. I didn’t watch the show, and I never played with the toys (I was a “Ninja Turtles” kid). I didn’t even see the 1986 animated film until a few weeks ago. As ...