Welcome! Im a newbie too and also from the north of England
I remember the G2 comics and I still have a few up the loft at my family home. I was even lucky enough to be in one of the magazines when I was 6 years old! My dad kept a photocopied version of it in his office at work bless him!
I hope to find it again when I get the chance to go home but probably wont be for a while!
I love G1s the most but like all ponies although I only have the blind bag G4s...still getting used to the change! But mainly collect and restore G1s