Coloring Books Gives TF2 Spoilers?

Image scans of a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen coloring book may provide a few spoilers for the movie. The various images suggests that Agent Simmons is critical in stopping Devastator, contradict Bay's recent statement of Megatron only appearing in flashback, Sam's dad is going to be less then pleased with what happens to his lawn, the sliver plays an important part in the story and retains the AllSpark's power, Wheelie's wandering loyalties (see bio) causes problems for Mikaela, and the Decepticon's go to Egypt to retrieve an "ancient machine" that is aimed at the Sun.

Below are a few pictures but the full gallery can be found here. Thanks to Chris for the link.

Turturro Voices Jetfire?

In a translated article by Djeeloo on the Shoot for the Edit forums, from French magazine Premier Cine Live, is an indication that John Turturro (Agent Simmons) will be the voice of Jetfire. Also, signs are not good for Transfan love for the Twins. Thanks to Richard for the link. Slight edits have been made to the original post.

Set: Egypt, in front of Kheops Pyramid, stands an ancient 30’s palace built for King Faruk’s guests.

At “Action”, Shia runs through the yard, stops at the doorstep and hits the door with his shoulder. Megan Fox, John Turturro and Ramon Rodriguez come next and hurry inside the building.

Shia heads up, shout a few words at an imaginary Bumblebee, and gets in. Three cars, the Camaro, the red TRAX and the green BEAT, start quickly and stop a bit further away to look out. The three vehicles are driven by black-suited (and thereby “invisible”) stuntmen behind the smoked glass.

At the end of the day, the crew moves to the third and smallest pyramid, Mykerinos. John Turturro, back as always angry agent Simmons, has to climb up a few stones. This hasn’t been done for 30 years: Too many accident occurred and Egyptians had forbidden it. Turturo will try to run from an imaginary Decepticon.

Michael Bay says: “I had the idea of these two stupid Transformers, Skids and Mudflap. They’re twins who can’t stop bickering, but they do heroic things at the beginning of the movie.

Bumblebee, on his side, has become more serious. He doesn’t want to leave Sam’s parents’ garage. There is also an old Transformer, who loses screws and bolts at every move. And it’s John Turturro voicing him.”

The movie will start at Gyzeh, Egypt, long before pyramids were built, and will end at the same place nowadays, with a huge fight between Autobots and Decepticons.

It’s said that we’ll learn in the movie how pyramids were built. Does it involve any Transformer?

The article is in line with the USA Today article and pictures from last year. Now the "old Transformer" (and voicing) has not officially been identified but Jetfire's bio describing him as having "ancient strength" seems to indicate he is the likely culprit.

Deluxe Sideswipe, Rampage Bios

TF08.net has provide a few pictures of Deluxe Rampage and Sideswipe in their packaging along with their bios. Of note for Rampage his he is kind of a triple-changer with his "jackhammer mode."

Deluxe Rampage Bio:

The stink of diesel fumes and hot tar follows Rampage wherever he goes. His treads are packed with metal shards stripped from his victims and the countless scratches covering his chassis are testament to hundreds of brutal battles. He lives to pound his enemies into submission and thinks of little else. His idea of beauty is the sight of sun glistening off the raw edges of shredded Autobot armor.

Deluxe Sideswipe Bio:

Sideswipe was built to fight. He is sleek, fast, and accomplished in battle, focusing on his enemy with absolute attention. His blades are a shining blur as he leaps through the air, twisting to avoid enemy fire. Converting from vehicle to robot at blazing speed, he uses every trick in the book to get close to his opponent and put his powerful swords to work.

Also for giggles click here for a look at Robot Heroes Sideswipe. Thanks to Phil for the links.

Deluxe Skids Video Review

Below is a review video of Deluxe Skids, part of the Transformers 2 toy line. Over all not bad but I just can't get past the Gremlin head. Thanks to Phil for the find.

Transformers Defiance #3 Preview

IDW has released the first five pages of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Prequel: Defiance #3. The mini-series covers the origin of the civil war that engulfs the Cybertronian race. In this case, it appears that The Fallen played a rather critical role in igniting the war. The preview pages can be found here. Thanks to minime and Phil for the link.

Frank Welker Interview

TFW2005 has posted a two part interview with Frank Welker, the one true voice of Megatron and future voice of Soundwave for the movie. The interview was done before Bay's annoucement of his intention to cast Welker as Soundwave and covers Welker's work over the decades including Transformers, how he prepares, advice for future voice person's and some memories he has. Sadly nothing specific about the movie and nor his G1 years other then he enjoyed the work. Below are some highlights and links to the full interview.

Part 1
Part 2

Highlights:
What was your reaction, when you heard about the out-pouring of support from the fans for you to reprise your role as Megatron in the recent movie?
Well, I was absolutely blown away. I really had no idea how big the Transformers were, let alone the size of the fan base. Their passion and knowledge of all things TF is pretty awesome. For me, knowing the fans felt my G1 Megatron was original and important to them and should have been included in the feature production was humbling. That loyalty has pretty much increased my hat size about two fold. Of course I realize it is "Megs" ultimately...not me.

How did you feel about the role of Megatron in the recent transformers movie going to Hugo Weaving?
Hey, if it can't be me or an immediate member of my family playing the role of Megaton, Hugo Weaving is not too shabby. He is a superb actor who always brings interesting interpretations to his work. His agent Smith from the Matrix series was an example, he used a very slight robotic twitch and underplayed it so nicely...top notch. The clips I saw of his Megatron seemed to work just fine, but it was pretty heavily processed and made the voice sound typical of what you might expect of a 40 foot mechanical villain. I think it would have been more interesting to hear less process and more Hugo.

Have you been approached at all for any further work with the franchise, either with the movie(Soundwave?) or another incarnation, such as Transformers: Animated?
Well it is a little too early to be specific but I will say yes and no. No, I have not been approached by the movie folks but yes I am still involved in the franchise...more on that later.

What differences do you find in voicing animals, as opposed to "speaking" characters?
I think people have more of a preconceived idea of what a human voice's should sound like but when you do animals there is more freedom of artistic movement. You are creating sound the listener hasn't pigeon holed ....directors are more apt to leave me alone with my etch-o-sketch and I like that.
(Welker is the "god" of animal noise work for Hollywood. If an animal makes a noise in a movie, Welker is probably the voice behind it.)

Where do you draw your inspirations from in creating a voice? What inspired you to come up with Megatron's voice?
I find that I respond more visually than verbally and looking at a drawing or seeing pictures of the characters evokes an automatic reaction which suggests a voice or attitude. If there is a description and history it helps form a point of view that adds to the overall voice. I think I enjoy looping to picture...looping is the process where you record in a studio with the film or project on the screen and you voice over to what you are looking at...because you see the action on the screen and you just go for it. The character is there and it helps the director as well since he just has to show you the scene, it is a very liberating and creative process. When I auditioned for the Transformers show, there was a sign at the door that said “pick three”. There were piles of drawings of the characters on this table so I just picked up a bunch of the Autobots and Decepticons and had at it. I was drawn to the evil characters since a lot of my work had been mixed with way too many good guys. When I saw Megatron he stood out and I liked the fact that he was the leader of the Decepticons. I tried to make his voice different from what I thought the other actors might do in hopes it would stand out. In the case of Megatron it was the first voice that came to me and the powers to be said "Hello Megatron."

As it turned out I got seven of the original parts...Autobots and Decepticons. I think Wally Burr the director was so busy doing other shows plus working this one he didn't realize he cast me in all those parts...hey, I was lucky!!

Could you cite some other notable examples?
Well, Soundwave was a very bad impression of Barry White but again I wanted something different and it was another weird sounding voice. I think now I was not going with visual as much as trying to create a voice that was different from what I had already done and from the rest of my fellow actors. I didn't realize until the middle of the season that Scotty, our engineer, had processed the shorts off that voice and added large amounts of that "vocal harmonizer thingy bobby"...that's tech speak for "lots of sound stuff." So anyway, it really was fun to do but I could have done Snooky Lanson and it still would have sounded the same. The younger folks will need to look Snooky up on Wikipedia.

What are some of your fondest memories working on the original Transformers series?
I know it is cliche, but as I mentioned above, it was a hoot working with Mike Bell who loved to pick on Peter Cullen. Peter is such a good guy and has the best laugh in town. We all tried to get his number and he was pretty easy. Of course he could dish it out too and was very funny with great stories of the Great White North. He does a French Canadian that puts me away. It was an odd cast of characters literally...and that kept it fun.

You've played a lot of villains over the years, what was your favorite "evil" role?
Probably would be Megatron because he has been the longest running and most widely known. He is fun to do because there are no limits...he can be over the top and still work, or low and subtle and make wee ones have nightmares. And note, around this voice there is controversy, that is a good sign. I think it is important that you don't sound like people expect you to, always good, unless you are running for public office!

More Toy Galleries

Nope not new, but for those interested a lot more galleries of the various toys from the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen towline have popped up. Nothing really new except the pic to the right that shows off that Deluxe Bumblebee has a new gimmick of pop-out cannons that is pretty cool. The main reason for this post is these are some of the best quality pictures yet of the various toys.

Leader Optimus Prime
Leader Megatron
Deluxe Skids
FAB Long Haul
FAB Sideways
Deluxe Sideswipe
Legends Megatron

Welker Tapped As Soundwave

Every now and then Michael Bay likes to drop in on his forums and cause some havoc by answering a question is such a way as to lead to more questions. Not this time though. Bay has indicated he is going to please many die-hard Transfans.

I think I'm going to pursue Frank on Soundwave.

Michael

If "persue" becomes a contract for the movie, that means that finally Frank Welker will get to reprise a Transformer role in the movie. Welker is the legendary voice behind Megatron, Soundwave, Frenzy, Ravage, Ratbat and more. His overall voice career is extensive and probably includes some of your favorite childhood characters in other cartoons and movies. Hopefully once Welker has signed on the dotted line, Bay will provide an update. Thanks to Ty for the link.

Japan List Suggest New TF 2 Character

TFormers.com has posted a list of Transformers toys from Amazon Japan. Most are known but there is one addition to the toy list that is new, called Chromia. Chromia (wiki) is a female character that goes back to the G1 days even though only appeared briefly in one of the episodes along with Elita-1. It provides additional evidence that one of the three bikes currently collectivity called Arcee might be three individual characters. Or it could simply be a repaint of the Arcee from the first movie's toy line.

You have to love the Japanese class naming conventions for their toy classes as it makes it so easy to keep track of a collection and much improved over the mess of the stateside method (which is no method). Hasbro should consider copying it. It is something that would encourage collecting (and therefore purchasing) of their toys. Let’s face it there are a lot of collectors and kids who lose track of what they own but if they knew they had RA-01 to 06, they would be that more likely to "complete" the collection by getting the rest of the numbering. At the very least they should try it.

The list, with links and release dates is here.

Ransack and Depthcharge Bios

A few pictures of Deluxe class Ransack and Depthcharge in packages have appeared on TFW2005 along with their Transformers 2 bio. Based on bios that have nothing to do with the movies (compared to known movie character bios), I think it’s pretty much confirmation that these toys are not based off of movie characters. Not officially verified but pretty confident assumption. Below are a few pictures, the full gallery is here.

Ransack Bio:

Back in the distant past of Cybertron, when flight was a new technology, Ransack was first of the flying aces. He was a ruthless combatant, blasting his components out of the sky, and then strafing the helpless troop stuck on the ground without cover. He may be past his prime and equipped with outdated weapons now, but there was a time when Ransack was the most feared name on Cybertron.

Depthcharge Bio:

Depthcharge is a brilliant military strategist. Autobots and Decepticons alike are accustomed to ground and air based combat, but ocean tactics are unfamiliar to them. Depthcharge uses this to his advantage, choosing a stealth boat mode to spy on Decepticon fodder from the nearest port. Fast and sharp, Depthcharge never shies away from battle but he prefers to be armed with the elment of surprise.

Deluxe Bumblebee, Soundwave Bios

TFW2005 has posted a gallery of images that show off Deluxe class Bumblebee and Soundwave in their packaging and with them the two characters bio for Transformers 2. Of the bios read so far, Soundwave's is the most sinister. Below are the bio images and the full gallery can be found here. In addition, click here to view the instruction sheets for the Bumblebee and Leader class Optimus Prime toys. Thanks to Cenjor for the links.

Soundwave Bio:

Stationed in orbit above Earth, Soundwave swiftly taps into every satellite in range. Within minutes, communications, data traffic, weather information, and high-resolution spy photography flood his sensor net. The spill of data fills him with pleasure, and one by one, the humans' systems come under his complete control. From his seat on high, he is in a position to control the destiny of mankind without their knowledge...or to run their civilization into the ground.

Bumblebee Bio:

Having chosen to stay with Sam after the end of the battle for the AllSpark, Bumblebee made arrangements to stay close to hm at all times. It's been a pretty good deal. He gets regular detailing, and as much high-grade fuel as he needs. Plus, he gets to spend time with Sam and Mikaela. His vocal processors still aren't fully up to snuff, but he and his friends communicate just fine. IF he ever misses the action of battle, he can always give Ironhide a call and go Decepticon hunting.

More Transformers 2 Toy Videos and Pics

Yep more toy related stuff. The first is a video that demostrates the Deluxe Class Wheelie toy from alt mode to robot and back. Next is an update to the Leader class Optimus Prime review video were they show off a few additional features and explore possibility of it combining with Jetfire (verdict: inconclusive). Last is a video that has nothing to do with the movie, a demo of Optimouse Prime.

In the pictures department, for a few images of the ROBO-Q class toys click here. Also click here to get a look I think is the Fast Action Battler version of Ratchet with army related paint job. Thanks to InvisibleMan for the link.

Bay: "Megatron is back"

Apparently Hugo Weaving providing official word on the return of Megatron (as if the toy leaks wasn't enough), Michael Bay posted an interesting comment on his forums

Okay cat is out of the bag. Megatron is back ---- but you will only get to see him from the long lost past. We go way back in time as this movie explains the mythology of the Primes. He is not a tank like everyone suggests, but an alien vehicle. But sadly he does not has much screen time.

Michael

Nice of Bay to finally confirm Megs' return. The whole Megatron thing is rather odd between misleading Empire Magazine, the continued denials and so forth but to be fair he is trying to keep the spoiler lid on as tight as possible to create the best possible movie experience, as is part of his job as director. It’s just us Transfans can be a stubborn bunch.

As for Megatron only appearing in flashback, that seems to contradict Hasbro's bio for Megatron from his leader class packaging.

I am really curious to know what he means by "the mythology of the Primes" in the context of the movie. In G1, a Prime is an Autobot deemed worthy by the Matrix of Leadership to lead the race. How and why is that choice made in the context of the movie universe should be interesting to see.

As is always the case when Bay talks, we are left with more questions then answers. June 24th will reveal all.

Weaving Confirms Return

While promoting his latest movie Last Ride in Australia, Hugo Weaving, according to AdelaideNow revealed that he has signed on to return as the voice of Megatron for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Thanks to gameon91 and Ty for the link.

``I’ve already done it,’’ Weaving says, adding Bay had told him to keep the news hush-hush. ``He’s over in LA and we were working on the video split sort of thing and I had this strange conversation where he seemed to imply it was all a big secret. So there you go. I’ve given you the secret scoop.’’

So how is Megatron resurrected?

`I think in the last one, doesn’t Optimus Prime pick up a little bit of, a little shard of the cube, or the thing that’s left, and he takes it with him. Maybe there’s something there… but I don’t know,’’ he laughs.

Leader Class Optimus Prime Video Review

Peaugh and co have posted another review video of the Transformers 2 toyline. This time of the winner of most improved Transformer of the line with Leader class Optimus Prime. It is an expensive toy but it looks like this one might be worth it. Thanks to Bruno for the link.

Slow News Day: Change You Can Believe In

Another slow news week, so more random Transformer stuff people have found on the web.

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First up is change you can believe in regardless of political viewpoint. The image to the right, from Slashfilm, plays off the Obama poster that made the rounds last year. Thanks to Mark and Dan.
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Weekly World News reports that Megan Fox is a man. Yep, your fantasy girl is secretly a dude in disguise. The full story can be found here. Thanks to Mark for the link.
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Off to the right is an image supplied by Elis (thanks!) from the Massive Black art book that involves a mystery project from Hasbro around 2005. The top left page looks like Megatron art, the bottom left might be Arcee, then Bumblebee work and below that is Optimus sketches. Not sure but don't think the right page is Transformer related.
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Last, here is the ranking of the top 100 animated television shows of all time. Transformers came in 23rd place. The full list can be found here. The top five is 5) Beavis and Butthead, 4) South Park, 3) Looney Tunes, 2) Batman: The Animated Series 1) The Simpsons. Thanks to Lucas for the link.

Deluxe Wheelie Toy Pictures

Yep, back to toy news. On the bright side, it’s a new toy with a good look at the Deluxe class of Wheelie, the RC truck. He is about as ugly as Frenzy was in the first movie. Below are a few pictures but the full gallery is here.

More Ask Orci Stuff

Roberto Orci continues his dedication to the transfans by occasionally dropping in the Don Murphy forums and answering questions. For those, like me, just a little tired of the same toy news, here are the latest that seemed worth posting about. As usual, my comments in parenthesis.

Is Ravage the only minion palling around with Soundwave this time around?
not exactly...
(Perhaps he is referring to the robot thing seen on the Princeton campus set)

Any truth to the rumor that Starscream is an independent player in ROTF?
no
(I think this is in reference to the Reign of Starscream comic where he did try to take over the Decepticons briefly.)

Any chance of another full trailer which might reveal more to the story than it's tone? It did a great job of showing off the frantic pace and darker vibes, but very little by way of story. Any revelations coming?
Yeah, I'm sure another trailer is in the works that shows more of the story. Don't know when it'll be out. Maybe in front of Trek?
(Honestly I will be absolutely dumb-founded at the stupidity of the decision makers if a new trailer doesn't debut with Star Trek considering both are Paramount projects and summer tent pole movies.)

Hey Roberto, an admittedly long-winded question here. When I watch TF1 now, it always feels like it's split into 2 movies, the first half being more grounded in day to day reality, and the second being a little more high concept sci fi. I would call the Autobot arrival scene the transition between the 2 halves.
My question is do you think that TF2 will have a similar transition? Because from what I've seen so far, I think it might, but you just might know better than me.
Interesting question. In a sense, yes, because both movies have a structure where the world changes at the midpoint. In the first movie, that meant the full arrival of the autobots. In this movie, there is also a mid point that changes the movie. Very perceptive.

So when was the last bit of writing done for TF2 or are you still doing bot dialogue and such?
Oh yeah. Last bit was last week! We'll be working on it until the bitter end.

Having fun?
Yes. Except when we fight with Bay. But in retrospect, that's also part of the fun.

Haha fighting with Bay? that must be intense... Does it happen a lot?
Every time!

Who wins?
50/50. But only because there's three of us against 1!
(I posted the bit about the fighting as found it amusing. That there can be fights at all means that Bay is receptive to ideas. After all he has the position to simply say "I don't want to hear it, just do as I say" like most bosses tend to do.)

Leader Optimus Prime and Wheelie Pics

The toy pics and info keeps coming. Below are links of pictures of the latest.

First up is huge gallery of Leader Class Optimus Prime that is new and improved with huge amount of poseability and close resembles his CGI movie counterpart. The full gallery is from The Arker and mirrored at TFW2005. Thanks to wickedweeezl and Cenjor for the links.

While information remains light, Wheelie makes a brief appearance incorrectly transformed vehicle mode from Seibertron.com. Nothing special really, just a close-up of what we already saw from his toy card.

Finally, a little information on what the assortment cases for the toys may be from GoldenAgeToys via TFW2005. The descriptions from them is awkward so I put in parenthesis what character they were probably referring to when I could figure it out. In some cases not sure if they refer to new characters, re-releases or the person just didn't know what it was. Thanks to Cenjor for the links.

DELUXES:
Case 1: Green Eco Car (Skids), Desert Brawl, Truck Bot (Wheelie?), Street Motorcycle (Arcee?) and Smoke Screen (???)
Case 2: Cannon Bumblebee, Barricade, Wolf (???) and Eco Car Orange (Mudflap)
Case 3: Satellite (Soundwave) and Bumblebee
Case 4: Bumblebee, European Sports Car (Sideways), American Sports Car (Sideswipe), Bulldozer (Rampage) and New Jet (Breakaway)

VOYAGERS:
Case 1: Optimus Prime, Starscream, Red Excavator (Demolisher) and Ironhide
Case 2: Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Voyager Alien Form (The Fallen) and Autobot Ratchet

LEADERS:
Optimus Prime and Megatron

Leader Class Megatron Video Review

Mike offers another video review, this time of the Leader class version of Megatron for Transformers 2 toy line. In addition, TFW2005 has posted a huge gallery of pictures of the toy that offer a good comparison between the first movie version of the toy and this one. That can be found here. Thanks to Cenjor for the link. Overall, Megatron is a huge improvement over the first movie but probably one I will pass on with my limited funds.

Leader Class Optimus, Megatron and Other Stuff

Yep, sadly just more toys news. On the bright side its more images of Leader class Megatron and Optimus Prime for Transformers 2 toy line, this time without Megs face being blocked like before. The important thing about the leader class is they come closest to representing how the characters will look in the movie (not 100% exact of course) so good for getting some of the details. Thanks to Cenjor for the link.

Seibertron.com | Optimus Prime eBay | Megatron eBay
Other then the above, here are links to other tie-in toys and products for Transformers 2

Monopoly game | Ratchet Robot Replica | RoTF Robot Heroes | Starscream Robot Replica

Five Toy Demo Videos

Below are videos that demonstrate five of the toys for the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toys. It is a solid way to get a good look at the toys and how they transform. Thanks to Cenjor for the links.

Slow News Day: Fan Made CGI Videos

I am bored of toy pictures (at least until new ones are leaked like the Arcee trio) so instead below are three Transformers related videos that Mr. Gandia (thanks!) sent me.

First up is a CGI video of G1 Devastator combining with flare to take in account real world physics of the characters, with real world look (i.e. mostly yellow) that can't fly. The second video is another CGI cartoon this time Prime vs. Megatron with a Generation 1 twist. The last video is Megatron doing a cereal commercial, related to the Prime cereal commercials.

G1 Devastator Merging


Return of Optimus Prime


Megatron vs Cereal Commercial

The entire cereal commercial series can be found here.

Voyager Optimus Prime Video Review

Peaugh and co is back, this time with a video review of Voyager class Optimus Prime from the Transformers 2 toy line. It is essentially a repaint of Prime from the first movie with an improved paint job. Also a more pictures of the Fallen toy have popped up online and can be seen here. Thanks to Hugo for the link.

FAB Jetfire, Long Haul, Sideways, etc Galleries

Few new galleries of Transformers 2 Deluxe class toys. From TF08.net, a two page gallery of pictures of various Deluxe Fast Action Battler size Transformers 2 toys. It is a good look at Jetfire, a re-color of Ratchet, Skids, Rampage, and Bumblebee. I think my favorite of the group is Long Haul mostly because he is the creation of Transformers fan Josh Nizzi, hired by Michael Bay for Transformers 2 thanks to his Long Haul art. Makes me wonder if its just a matter of time for Jester and Jolin. The other gallery is from TFormers for Sideways.

Various FABs | Sideways

Transformers 2 Tie-In Products in Packaging

Via ActionFigs.com, is a gallery of the odds and ends of some tie-in products for the Transformers 2 toy line like keychains, clip-ons and the like. Rather odd those is there choice to pixilated some of the images so that you really can't tell what your buying much liked the black-out versions of the keychains from the other day. As the image on the right shows though, the keychain is clearly the merge mode of Optimus Prime and Jetfire. Thanks to Phil for the link.

Three More FABs Toys, Three More Bios

TF08.net, via Seibertron.com, has posted the back of the Fast Action Battler cards for Ratchet, Long Haul (a Constructicon), and Jetfire. Each has a bio that begins with "Around the world, the Autobots battle in secret to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons. Little do they know that an even deeper threat is about to arise..." then gets specific for that character. Of note is verification of Jetfire's character arc of a reformed Decepticon. Pictures are below the bios. Thanks to Katsuhono for the link.

An additional note, the blog logo has been updated thanks to Eoin. Hope you like it, makes it little easier I hope for people to know they landed in the right place for all their movie inforamtion.

Ratchet FAB Bio:

After learning from Ironhide that more Decepticons had been detected on Earth, Autobot Ratchet immediately began research into how best to upgrade his weapons. After two months in his workshop, he developed a new particle beam blaster. Now he needs to find a Decepticon to test it on.

Long Haul FAB bio:

Long Haul never talks, unless he's going to complain about something. The other Decepticons expect him to carry all their stuff, but he'd rather be fighting than transporting a bunch of missiles and laser cannons. He likes to let other robots' gear bounce out of his truck bed, and then tell them it got "lost" on the way.

Jetfire FAB Bio:

After remaining hidden for years, Jetfire is ready to rejoin the fight! He realized the error of the Decepticon way a long time ago. Now, he fights alongside the Autobots, hoping to use his ancient strength to bring his former comrades to justice!

Megatron Leader Class Toy Plus Bio

Joining Optimus Prime and Jetfire as the final Leader class toy is Megatron as revealed by The Arker via Seibertron.com through two galleries. While writer Roberto Orci already confirmed it, if he had not, this would be the final nail in the coffin to verify that Megatron returns for the sequel. Even better, the pictures show off Megatron's bio, providing a few secrets about the movie. Below the bio are a few pictures but full galleries are here and here. For unknown reasons, the website chose to hide the face of Megatron. Overall, this I like this version of Megatron better then his previous incarnation. Thanks to Cenjor for the link.

Rebuilt with parts cannibalized from other Decepticons, Megatron rises once again to lead his army. Though the AllSpark destroyed him once, he can now feel its power coursing through his circuitry. It calls him to seize his rightful place as ruler over the puny planet on which he was imprisoned and destroyed, and from which he will launch his conquest of the universe. Optimus Prime is all that stands between him and victory, and the Autobot leader has done a poor job of hiding himself. At long last, Megatron knows exactly where his enemy is, and he has power enough to destroy him.

Toy Fair 2009 Video

From CollectionDX, via Seibertron.com is the below video (HD version here) that shows off the various Transformer toys that premiered at Toy Fair 2009 last week. Its a pretty good look at Devastator and component Constructions, Deluxe class, Scout class, and more. As a bonus, towards the end we finally get a demostration of what the Gravity Bots are.

MTV's Spoilers Transformers 2 Clip

Today Spoilers aired on MTV that included about a minute clip of Transformers 2 behind the scenes action that shows people running, things exploding, and bodies flying through the air. Especially fun was seeing moments that we already saw via fan videos and reports from Bethlehem, Princeton and the Queensway Bridge. Thanks to Katsuhono for the line.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Update: Found by b.skow, click here for the YouTube version.

Orci: "Megatron Returns!"

Transformers writer Roberto Orci confirmed that Megatron returns in Transformers 2. His exact quotes are "Megatron returns!...Keep it quiet". I guess this is big news but then the Voyager class toy packaging gave this away already.

What still confuses me is Michael Bay saying Megatron doesn't return. If he said it to fan sites, you can file it under intentional misdirection. However, he apparently said that (love a direct quote to verify) to Empire Magazine and as general rule of thumb it is a bad idea to "misdirect" the press. I get the feeling that both are telling the truth as part of the storyline. Time will tell. Thanks to Michael for the link.

Transformers 2 Release Date Move Officially Confirmed

Via the official Transformers movie website, the rumored move of the stateside release date of Transformers 2 to June 24th has been officially confirmed. Even better, the website has a complete breakdown of the release dates in all major regions worldwide. Thanks to Florian for the link.

Click here to view the release date schedule.

Building Bumblebee Video

Cool video from Cars.com that shows the construction of the Bumblebee prop at Chicago Auto Show. Thanks to Florian for the link.

Breakaway Video Review

Another video review from GenZhao and Peaugh, via TFW2005, this time of Deluxe Breakaway (still not confirmed if in movie). Thanks to Cenjor for the link.

Whee More Transformer Toy Galleries (Updated)

For those that can not get enough of the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen toys, below are three more galleries to look through. Personally, I have seen enough of the current group, I want to get a gander on the Arcee trio, the rest of the Constructicons and the rest of Decepticons. The galleries are for Breakaway (unknown if movie cast), Sideswipe and Optimus Prime (with Chinese characters).

Deluxe Breakaway | Deluxe Sideswipe | Voyager Optimus Prime

Update: Below are even more galleries. Via Movie Chronicles are great pictures of the Fallen toy up on ebay and from Seibertron.com new Legends toys (thanks Cenjor for the link).

Voyager The Fallen | Legends Starscream | Legends Ratchet | Legends Megatron | Legends Sideswipe

Transformers 2 Video Games Dated

According to Amazon.com's pre-order page for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video games, the scheduled release date for the games on all platforms is June 16th, 2009. I don't know if this is a stateside only release date or worldwide.

Demolisher Bio Revealed

An eBay auction, found by Master Fwiffo, shows off Demolisher in his package and reveals his bio and official alt mode configuration. To the right is the back of the package but the full gallery is here. As for the bio, its reads:

Demolishor isn't very bright, but he knows when to fight, and when to run and hide. Arriving on Earth to find Megatron destroyed, hiding seemed like the best option. Since then, he's taken a few smaller Decepticons under his protection, and built quite a little community. It hasn't been easy hiding among the humans that creep like a disease over this planet, but he and his companions are content until a new Decepticon leader emerges to guide them back to glory.

Call me crazy, but knowing when to fight and when not to is a sign of intelligence, not lack of. What is important is he clearly lives up to his name in the movie.

GM Launches Autobot Website

GM's "Autobots Rollout" site has officially launched, highlighting their concept vehicles in Transformers 2. Currently the site has its movie related commercial from the Detroit Auto Show and a few pics of the cars including this one that is further proof that Ratchet is in the film, or at least at the White Sands set.

GM Cars Picked By Bay, Influenced Movie

In an interview with GM VP of Global Design Ed Wellburn, MTV blog reveals that Michael Bay hand-picked the various Autobot alt modes from their concept designs and those designs influenced the movie.

"With the first movie, there wasn’t a whole lot of dialogue back and forth between Michael Bay and myself,” GM Vice President of Global Design Ed Wellburn told MTV News, reflecting on how GM’s relationship with Bay began. “We were building the concept in secret we didn’t want anyone to know, and he was building the movie in secret. He was looking for something special from us, and we showed him a couple of cars.”

“I didn’t want to share with him Camaro unless he told me more about the movie,” Wellburn said. “There was a little negotiating, and then there it was.” The success of the Camaro’s appearance, which helped GM by raising awareness of the newly redesigned car, literally opened some big doors for Bay in “Revenge of the Fallen.”

“When it comes to the sequel, it was different because the relationship had built quite a bit,” Wellburn explained. “Michael came to Detroit, and he and I just walked the studios. He was looking for one, maybe two new vehicles. He came here, and he pretty much had it in his head what the sequel would be. I’ll never forget it. One third of the way through the tour he said, ‘I need a notepad. There are just too many designs that we may want to use in the movie.’”

Some models, like the Beat and Trax, which will appear as the Autobots Skids and Mudflap for “Revenge of the Fallen,” even affected how the characters functioned.

“That day that he visited us and walked the halls of the studios, the movie developed and in some ways changed,” he revealed. “[Bay] was inspired by things like the two small cars that maybe could work together in some way. That’s all I can say right now.”

A question I have is how many concept models did Bay have to choose from? I wouldn't imagine there were not that many, near ready for market, models on the list limiting his options (may explain how Audi entered the picture).

Of note is that near last line "...two small cars that maybe could work together..." From what I have been reading, people have interpreted this to mean the twins might merge together. I guess that could be possible but so far none of the leaked toys and images shows it. However, the Devastator toy has shown that Hasbro is happy to step away from the norm and present merging and non-merging designs for the same character. I think "work together" means less "merge" and more "teamwork". I would think the Twins could work together better than the other Autobots making for some dynamic fight/chase sequences.

Today Show Previews Devastator

Via TFormers, below is the video from the Today Show from yesterday where they showed off a few toys from Toy Fair including Devastator. At the 2:15 point is when the Devastator segment starts and goes for about 45 seconds. At one point the presenter says "...these six vehicles you can do anything with. These are transforming and fun as well." I think the person was confused and didn't realize that the information from Hasbro is there are going to be at least two versions of the Constructicons, those merge (the one in the video) and those that transform but do not merge. Either way, the video gives you a good look at the $100 toy.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Transformers 2 Poster Redux (Updated)

Same poster from the other day, bigger size via TFormers. Still no word if this is an international poster or not. Thanks to minime for the link.

Update: Looking at the various threads and the comments, it seems most fans think the poster is fake as it uses elements of previousily released production pictures and an old render of Optimus Prime. Pretty good arguments, it could be fake, I don't know. So just a reminder, unless it comes from the mouths of someone from production such as Bay, the cast, etc, or from Hasbro (say through toy pics), all information remains purely in the "rumor" column. It doesn't matter how sure we are, at the end of the day it is not like we can call up Bay and go "hey is this true?" so it all comes down to best guesses and possibilities based on the information we have at that moment in time. On June 24th (btw, that move has not been verified officially) we will get to see just how close we were at figuring it all out (and hopefully get blown away by CGI TF goodness to boot). To me the stars on all posters should read "Optimus Prime" and other TF cast not Shia LaBeouf and co.

Autobots At Auto Show Videos

Last week GM debut its fleet of Autobots to the public at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show giving us a good close look at the Chevy Trax (Mudflap), Beat (Skids), Camaro (BB), Volt (Jolt) and Corvette Stingray (Sideswipe). We already got a look at some galleries, but now thanks to Schoop77 here are some videos to go with them.

Direct links: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

MTV's Spoilers To Talks Transformers

MTV's next episode of Spoilers will give viewers a chance to get a sneak peak at some Transformers 2 footage including an interview with Michael Bay. From the write-up:

On February 21, at 8:00 p.m. ET, MTV will air the second episode of "Spoilers," a quarterly movie special that will deliver first looks at the year's biggest upcoming flicks, including behind-the-scenes action and exclusive scenes.

Taped in front of a live audience, the second episode will spotlight "Watchmen," and will feature appearances from the entire cast of the eagerly anticipated superhero flick.

Hundreds of die-hard movie fanswill attend MTV News' screening of the film, with the stars walking the blood-red carpet to chat in front of our cameras.

In addition to "Watchmen," the episode will also give viewers exclusive access to scenes from such upcoming blockbusters as "Star Trek," "Land of the Lost," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and more.

I wasn't able to find the last episode of Spoilers so hopefully Transfans will post the footage online for us to watch. Thanks to Josh for the info.

Alliance and Dinobots #3 Issues Preview

Today Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Prequel Alliance #3 and Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #3 came out in comic stores all over the place. For those on the fence about getting them, below are links, via TFW2005, to previews of each of the issues.

Alliance #3 | Maximum Dinobots #3

First Look: New Transformers 2 Poster (Updated)

Yesterday, a final version of the The Fallen poster was revealed and now thanks to Nige, here is a new poster for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Not sure where it was taken but pretty good looking with Sam and Mikeala running, the Fallen atop a pyramid and Optimus looking bad ass. For whatever reason, the studios often create a US poster and an international poster and this could just be the latter. I guess we will know if it shows up stateside.

Update: I think my poor phrasing above caused some confusion. By "final poster" I was referring to The Fallen face version only where there is the face mostly hidden in shadows, photoshop enhanced version and now as the link above takes you, the full CGI rendered face glaring at you. It wouldn't surprise me if multiple posters are released stateside and elsewhere over the next few months so a final poster in the marketing series for the movie is probably a ways off.

Deluxe Sideswipe Video Review

Mike via peaugh, has posted another review, this time for Deluxe class Sideswipe. Overall, his model is the best of the bunch, solid both in robot and vehicle mode.

You can also get a look at Mike's collection here. Mine blows his away but he has managed to get alot in a very short period of time. At the rate he going, he will pass mine by the end of the year.

The Fallen Poster Again, ToyFair Q&A

Along with the true visage of The Fallen (sadly pic is that small), The Transformers Club has posted the results of a Q&A held during Toy Fair 2009 buffet held for executives and toy retailers. The Q&A was with Brian Goldner (Hasbro CEO), TF Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tyrese Gibson, and TF Director Michael Bay.

The Q&A didn't allow recording devices so the results are paraphased so for those that like to parse every word for meaning, tread carefully. Below are a select answers but the full post can be found here.

WC: Michael, the first movie was such an amazing success how is Revenge of the Fallen going to be different?
MB: From learning the mythos, to figuring out how to make the robots transform on the big screen, the first movie involved a lot of discovery. In addition, it was a story about a boy getting his first car and finding his first girl friend. The second movie is a coming of age story, encompassing global issues, and bringing the robots to a new level. If every boy in the world didn’t want a Bumblebee in his garage from the first movie, they will from the second. All of the robots in this film are superhero tough. I’ll tell you I am very passionate about this film.
LdB: Yes, in the first movie, boy gets car, boy finds girl, but this one really explores the idea of responsibility as Sam leaves for college. He thinks he wants to lead a normal college life but finds out some of his decisions don’t work out so well for not only him, but also the whole world.

WC: ...how does this film evolve the mythology?
BG: We all know that everyone is hungry for the next level of mythos, so we really want everyone to wonder what Revenge of the Fallen means.
LdB: It is a very deep mythology and most people just don’t know how deep it is.
MB: Yes, this film will satisfy all types of fans as I have included my trademark humor, more intimacy with the humans and robots, and Moms will think it is safe enough to bring the kids back out to the movies.
TG: The humor often times is created on the spot. Something happens on the set and Michael lets us keep it in the film. I know I still get comments from kids about my “left cheek”. I don’t know if that will ever go away and that was a spontaneous comment that just came out when we were filming the first film.

RA: Special effects software and camera technology have made advancements since the first film. How has this empowered you to further realize your vision for Revenge?
MB: The developments in technology have allowed us to have the robots show emotion. This is a robot movie and this new technology allows us to explore a greater depth of personality from these characters.

RA: No other director has the kind of relationship that you have developed with the US Military. What piece of hardware did you get access to that are you most excited about for this coming film?
MB: It’s like I have a direct line to the Pentagon. This is the first movie where actual F16’s have made a bombing run on a movie set and coordinated with special effects explosions. We were on a working nuclear submarine and working aircraft carrier. The military loved the first movie. It really helped with recruiting and promoting a positive image for them. Now they are happy to do just about anything they can for my films. We also found out that in Afghanistan the Buffalo(s) (Bonecrusher vehicle from the first movie) have all been nicknamed different Transformers characters by their personnel. We also worked with tanks firing real rounds and you have not lived until you have heard an actual tank firing. We have so much access - I am appreciative and excited about all the military vehicles we use.

RA: Filming at the pyramids must have been amazing! What were the greatest challenges you faced?
MB: This is the first time in 30 years that anyone has filmed at the pyramids and the first time ever anyone has filmed from the top of Petra. Steven filmed Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade from the base of Petra. It took 21 very heavy helicopter loads to get all our gear to the top. We had all the access we wanted in Egypt as we found out that the head of Egyptian Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawass is a big Transformers fan and was very helpful. We also filmed in the desert where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed. Very challenging conditions.

Thanks to Chris for the link.

Skids Bio Revealed

When is G1 Wheelie probably not going to be Wheelie? When he is Skids judging by the back of the card bio on the character from TF08.net.

Because he is slightly less hyperactive than his brother MUDFLAP, AUTOBOT SKIDS has always thought of himself as “the smart one.” He likes to point this out at every opportunity. While MUDFLAP zips around like a maniac, AUTOBOT SKIDS prefers to impress his superiors among the AUTOBOT high command by behaving in a way he thinks of as mature, which usually involves talking nonstop about anything that occurs to him.

Yeah, more I see and read about Mudflap and Skids, the more concerned I become. With these two characters, how much we like them will rely nearly 100% on the voice work so can't wait until those casting notes are revealed. Thanks to Chris for the information.

Autobot "Special Programs"? and Other Toy Stuff

A few new toy galleries have popped up online. The most interesting is new images of the Transformers 2 toy line version of Ironhide, who is now a NEST vehicle. Additionally he has a new decal on the side that suggests NEST is part of a "Special Program" that is a union between the Autobots and the United Nations, complete with red hat. I guess that explains what forces Captain Lennox and Epps will be leading. The full gallery of Voyager class Ironhide is here.

Next are a few pictures from TF08.net of the Voyager class Optimus Prime with a lightly different paint job that shows Chinese character on the toy, I guess part of his disguise while in Shanghai hunting the Decepticons Demolisher and Sideways. That gallery is here.

Last are a few more images of the Fast Action Battler Megatron and Double Blade Optimus Prime. That gallery is here.

Trailer Slo-Mo Videos

One of the fun things about Transformers is the huge amount of detail that quite literally goes into every frame. ILM could take shortcuts that in most cases our brains would never pick it up, but as the slo-mo videos derived from the teaser trailer show, that just isn't how they roll.

This first video from James (thanks!) is a nice slo-mo video that shows off The Fallen's appearance in the trailer as he appears instantly among a group of soldiers. You can also download that video from here. So much for him appearing from underground.

This next video from Planet Lynx is derived from 101 photos that shows Demolisher transforming. It really highlights just how much like a spider he looks as he unfurls and attacks.

The Audi Gets A Name

In a new crop of official images for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toy line, revealed at Toy Fair 2009, comes an accidental reveal on the name of the mysterious Decepticon Audi R8 seen all over the place during filming, in the trailer and in sneak toys. As the package on the right shows, his official name is Sideways (yep the same name dropped in the Toyfare article).

What does this mean for Barricade since the theory that the Audi was a reformat is now out the window? And why no Arcee toys at Toyfair? What secrets is that character hiding?

The full gallery of new images including more Deluxe class toys in packaging, Bumble Spud and others, click here.
Thanks to Chris for the information.

HD Transformers 2 Teaser Trailer

The HD version of the Transformers 2 teaser trailer is finally here for us to pour over.

HD: Yahoo! Movies | YouTube
Download: Michael Bay | Sci-Fi Guide

Movie Stills/Analysis: Planet Lynx ameywake DWTeam.org | Empire Online

Below are some stills that Mauricio and Chris provided. I especially like the way Demolisher unwraps, strikes, and looks just like a spider. The Fallen is smaller than I expected, but that just means the mano-o-mano fights will be vicious. Hate to break it to people but as the still shows, that is Jetfire, with landing gear cane about to get jumped by Scorponok. Still not sure how I feel about unicycle trinity of Arcees just too soon to reach a conclusion. The second to the last picture is Demolisher living up to his name as Prime (truck mode) arrives to try and stop him.


Thanks to everyone for sending in all the links and pictures.

The Fallen Toy Video Review (Updated)

Well less update and more entire replacement of the original post. Instead of the music video that shows off The Fallen, I replaced it with the video review below from peaugh, who have been reviewing all the leaked Transformers 2 toys. He (or Mike) have now added the Voyager class of The Fallen to their collection and tell us about it. Nothing against the music video, I just find the review much more informative and figure blog readers will too. The toy comes across as bland as Megatron did in the first movie, but I am betting the CGI version will look awesome.

Keychains Reveal Prime, Jetfire Merge?

TFW2005 has posted four pictures (mostly blacked-out) whose silhouettes indicate what characters they could be. One of them (left) seem to verify that that Optimus Prime and Jetfire have a combined mode complete with wings, boosters and a large gun, must like what their Legends class counterparts indicated.

The other key chains look to be Starscream, Megatron, and Bumblebee. That is two classes of Transformer 2 toys that show the combined mode which makes me wonder what other classes it will extend to and whether or not that mode is used in the movie.

More Toy Fair 2009 Galleries

Toy Fair 2009 continues in New York and the galleries continue to pile up online. While not as good as the first day galleries with Devastator and company, these are still interesting Transformers 2 tie-in products.

The first is some cool images of the various Transformer related displays put up around the Javitz center put up by sponsors, some congratulating the Transformer brand for 25 years of success. The full gallery is here.

Another brief gallery is showing off the new Transformer movie themed backpacks from F.A.B. Starpoint. Those images can be found here.

Next are official shots of some of the toy lines sub classes like the Robot Heroes, Power Bots, Gravity Bots, Robot Replicas, RPMs, and more. That gallery can be found here.

Last is the more off the wall tie-in products like, Bumble Spud and an All Spark Rubik's cube. Those images are here.